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Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9315)
MSRP $1,150.00
“The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 provides competent productivity performance with a high-quality IPS display, but its battery life is mediocre and its inking experience can’t live up to the best.”
Pros
- More inexpensive worth
- Solid construct high quality
- Excellent productiveness show
- High-resolution webcam
- Good productiveness efficiency
Cons
- Folio has restricted angles
- Keyboard lies flat
- No built-in kickstand
- No headphone jack
The removable Windows pill is making a comeback. It’s been years since we had some new designs on this class, which has been dominated by Microsoft’s Surface Pro line — however 2022 has seen the debut of some new fashions that trace at a comeback.
The new Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9315) may be probably the most substantial of the bunch, ditching the convertible type issue for one thing that goals to tackle the Surface Pro 9 instantly. The pill’s late arrival signifies that Dell ought to have had loads of time to optimize its design. So how did it do? Well, it’s a stable design with a number of welcome options, however it doesn’t do fairly sufficient to face out towards the trade’s most iconic machine.
Specs and configurations
| Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9315 | |
| Dimensions | 11.50 inches x 7.90 inches x 0.29 inches |
| Weight | 1.60 kilos Folio 1.23 kilos |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-1230U Intel Core i7-1250U |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe |
| RAM | 8GB LPDDR4x 16Gb LPDDR4x |
| Display | 13.0-inch 3:2 3K (2,880 x 1,920) IPS contact |
| Storage | 512GB PCIe SSD 1TB PCIe SSD |
| Touch | Yes |
| Ports | 2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 Optional SIM slot |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Webcam | 1080p from going through with infrared digital camera for Windows 11 Hello 2160p rear-facing |
| Operating system | Windows 11 |
| Battery | 49.5 watt-hours |
| Price | $999+ |
Price and configurations
The XPS 13 2-in-1 begins at $999 for a Core i5-1230U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. My assessment unit got here with the Core i5, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD for $1,150. The most costly configuration is the $1,500 mannequin with a Core i7-1250U, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. It’s $100 so as to add in Dell’s folio keyboard and energetic pen.
That’s the identical entry-level worth because the Surface Pro 9, however Microsoft’s pill is supplied with simply 128GB of storage on the low finish. The Surface Pro 9 is a whopping $2,700 with a Core i7, 32GB of RAM, and a 1GB SSD, and matching Dell’s high-end configuration, it’s $2,200. On high of that, the Surface Type Cover keyboard and Surface Slim Pen 2 add one other $280 to the worth.
A stable however much less snug design
There are few computing merchandise that so distinctly outline a kind as does the Microsoft Surface Pro 9. The Surface Pro kicked off the trendy removable pill, and Microsoft has completed a stable job of enhancing it through the years. Simply put, the XPS 13 2-in-1 competes towards a strongly established commonplace.
The Surface Pro 9 isn’t excellent, although, so a brand new product has an opportunity to shine. The XPS 13 2-in-1 begins off properly in that route, with a slate portion that adheres to the XPS line’s common stable constructed high quality and tight tolerances. It’s aluminum across the edges with a glass again cowl meant to finest accommodate the Wi-Fi and non-compulsory 5G WWLAN radios. As I maintain the pill, I’m shocked that the again is glass — it feels so much like steel. The XPS 13 2-in-1 simply matches the wonderful Surface Pro 9 in its solidity.
Dell’s pill is a sq. design with sharper corners than the rounded-off Surface, and it enjoys smaller bezels round all its edges. You can choose between Sky (blue) or Slate (black) colours with the Wi-Fi model and Slate solely with the 5G model. The greatest distinction in design, and it’s important, is that the XPS 13 2-in-1 lacks the Surface Pro 9’s built-in and extremely versatile kickstand. Instead, you’re restricted to the three angles offered by the removable Dell folio that additionally homes a keyboard and touchpad and serves as a canopy. That makes the XPS 13 2-in-1 much less snug to make use of each as a pill alone and with the folio connected.
Another distinction is with the folio itself. While the Surface Type Cover keyboard props up at an angle for extra snug typing, Dell’s model solely lies flat. The keyboard itself is ok, sporting an edge-to-edge keyboard with massive keycaps that’s just like the keyboard on the XPS 13 Plus, however it’s not as snug to make use of. The Surface Type Cover has a little bit bounce that the XPS 13 2-in-1’s keyboard avoids, however with out an angle, my wrists acquired drained extra rapidly with the Dell. The touchpad built-in into the folio is superb and provides quieter, extra stable button clicks than Microsoft’s model.
The XPS 13 2-in-1 is thinner than the Surface Pro 9 at 0.29 inches in comparison with 0.37 inches (5G model), and it’s lighter at 1.60 kilos versus 1.95 kilos. That makes Dell’s pill meaningfully smaller, however each are significantly thicker and heavier with their keyboards connected.
Thanks to its skinny chassis, the XPS 13 2-in-1 has simply two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, considered one of which is used for energy. Like with the XPS 13 laptops, Dell dropped the three.5mm audio jack from the pill and as a substitute provides a dongle within the field (together with a USB-C to USB-A adapter). Microsoft dropped the jack as properly. The XPS 13 2-in-1 provides non-compulsory 5G WWAN help, solely accessible on the Surface Pro 9 ARM-based 5G model, along with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.
Its rise up and go acquired up and went
Outside of the Asus ROG Flow Z13, removable tablets aren’t identified for his or her efficiency. Even these working Intel CPUs fairly than slower (and cooler, longer-lasting) ARM processors aren’t made for pace. The XPS 13 2-in-1 is a basic instance, working Intel 9-watt Twelfth-gen CPUs. You can select between the Core i5-1230U with 10 cores (two Performance and eight Efficient) and 12 threads and the Core i7-1250U with the identical core depend however working at 4.7GHz versus 4.4 GHz.
The Surface Pro 9 Intel model provides a selection between 15-watt Core i5-1235U and Core i7-1255U processors (our assessment unit) with the identical core counts and frequencies. We reviewed the XPS 13 2-in-1 with the Core i5, and its efficiency was blended towards the Surface Pro 9. I examined in each balanced and efficiency modes utilizing the Dell utility, and it held its personal in our Handbrake take a look at that encodes a 420MB video as H.265 whereas falling behind in Geekbench 5 and Cinebench R23. The latter rating was notably notable, being a benchmark that pushes the CPU for extra prolonged durations.
The XPS 13 2-in-1 is fanless and so fully silent. That limits its thermal efficiency, and it ran at low frequencies all through our testing however didn’t formally throttle. The chassis was a little bit heat throughout prolonged high-CPU use, however it was by no means too scorching to deal with. Interestingly, the XPS 13 2-in-1 was sooner than the Dell XPS 13 9315 with the identical CPU in all however Cinebench.
In the tip, the XPS 13 2-in-1 is quick sufficient for productiveness workflows and can match the Surface Pro 9 in typical day-to-day duties. But it gained’t be of a lot use in artistic duties similar to video enhancing or for actually demanding productiveness staff. And it’s not a gaming laptop computer with its sluggish implementation of Intel’s Iris Xe graphics.
| Geekbench (single / multi) |
Handbrake (seconds) |
Cinebench R23 (single / multi) |
PCMark 10 Complete |
|
| Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9315 (Core i5-1230U) |
Bal: 1,435 / 6,099 Perf: 1,572 / 7,028 |
Bal: 139 Perf: 144 |
Bal: 1,064 / 3,032 Perf: 1,065 / 3009 |
4,535 |
| Surface Pro 9 (Core i7-1255U) |
Bal: 1170 / 6518 Perf: 1,598 / 8,165 |
Bal: 166 Perf: 127 |
Bal: 1124 / 7537 Perf: N/A |
4,045 |
| Dell XPS 13 9315 (Core i5-1230U) |
Bal: 1393 / 4,459 Perf: 1,477 / 5,350 |
Bal: 333 Perf: 192 |
Bal: 1379 / 3457 Perf: N/A |
4,023 |
| HP Spectre x360 13.5 (Core i7-1255U) |
Bal: 1,566 / 7,314 Perf: 1,593 / 7921 |
Bal: 169 Perf: 120 |
Bal: 1,623 / 5,823 Perf: 1,691 / 7,832 |
5,203 |
| Asus ROG Flow Z13 (Core i9-12900H) |
Bal: 1,784 / 9,387 Perf: N/A |
Bal: 103 Perf: 87 |
Bal: 1,548 / 9,664 Perf: 1,906 / 13,400 |
6,417 |
Despite its barely bigger battery (49.5 watt-hours versus 47.7 watt-hours) and lower-wattage CPU, the XPS 13 2-in-1 fell behind the Surface Pro 9 in battery life. It hit simply six hours in our net searching take a look at, for instance, in comparison with the Surface Pro 9’s eight hours. The Dell managed 8.5 hours in our native video looping take a look at, which is under common throughout all of the laptops we’ve examined however OK for a pill.
The XPS 13 2-in-1 is unlikely to get you thru a full day’s work. The charger is small, although, so carrying it round isn’t an excessive amount of of a burden.
Nice show high quality, not pretty much as good for inking
The XPS 13 2-in-1 has a barely smaller display than the Surface Pro 9, at 13.0 inches versus 13.3 inches, and its decision is identical at 2880 x 1920. That makes Dell’s show barely sharper. The XPS 13 2-in-1’s IPS panel was brighter at 480 nits versus 409 nits, and it had a lot deeper distinction at 1,840:1 in comparison with 1,050:1. The colours had been about as extensive and simply common for premium laptops, whereas accuracy was wonderful at a DeltaE of 0.81 (lower than 1.0 is appropriate for skilled work).
In phrases of high quality, then, the XPS 13 2-in-1’s show is healthier for productiveness customers and simply as middling for creators who demand the widest colour gamut. But its refresh price is a pedestrian 60Hz, in comparison with the Surface Pro 9’s fluid 120Hz. And whereas Dell’s energetic pen is nice and conveniently attaches magnetically to the highest for charging, it doesn’t have the haptic suggestions constructed into Microsoft’s Surface Slim Pen 2. Combined with the sooner refresh price, this function makes the Surface Pro 9 a superior inking expertise.
In phrases of different multimedia points, the XPS 13 2-in-1 has a wonderful 1080p front-facing digital camera and a 2160p rear-facing digital camera. There’s additionally an infrared digital camera for Windows 11 Hello passwordless login, just like the Surface Pro 9, whereas the XPS 13 2-in-1 additionally features a fingerprint reader. Two side-firing audio system present serviceable audio.
Back to the drafting board
The Surface Pro 9 isn’t the proper Windows pill. Frankly, such an animal doesn’t exist. But the Surface Pro 9 finally ends up being a greater total system than the XPS 13 2-in-1. The latter is a superb removable 2-in-1, however it doesn’t present any motive apart from the worth to decide on it over Microsoft’s pill. The XPS 13 2-in-1 isn’t as snug to make use of in pill mode or with the keyboard connected, and it’s slower with much less battery life. If you’re shopping for a pill primarily for inking, then the Surface Pro 9 is a greater expertise there as properly.
Then once more, worth does matter. At the identical $1,000 worth, you get 4 occasions the storage with the XPS 13 2-in-1 than the Surface Pro 9, and when configured with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, the Dell is $700 much less. That’s exhausting to disregard. But within the closing evaluation, the XPS 13 2-in-1 isn’t cheap sufficient to make up for its weaknesses, and the Surface Pro 9’s being so costly doesn’t hand Dell’s pill a suggestion.
Editors’ Recommendations
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