The ideal Windows laptop is very hard to discover. Some laptops come with cute designs, some are very portable, some include powerful hardware and others fantabulous battery life. A device that combines all of those features into one bundle would be truly excellent, but thanks to the usual trade-offs of past and electric current generation hardware, it's non something we're likely to meet before long.

….or is it?

Sitting in front of me is the new Dell XPS 13, and as far as I can tell, it ticks most of the same boxes. It has a thirteen-inch brandish with a very slim bezel, making it extremely portable. The aluminium shell with a carbon fibre-style interior looks pretty darn good. Internally we're getting a new Intel Broadwell Core i5 CPU, which is merely as powerful as earlier merely more energy efficient. And bombardment life, at least for the 1080p model, is rated at up to fifteen hours according to Dell.

The latest XPS thirteen ($999 as reviewed, starts at $799) sounds like a very compelling production upon initial inspection. Unless the device doesn't live up to its claims in 1 fashion or another, Dell might just have i of the best laptops on the market place. And it might finally be the laptop I can happily recommend anyone without throwing circumspection towards one feature or some other.

For a laptop with a 13.3-inch display, the new XPS 13 is mighty pocket-sized. The footprint of the XPS 13 is 12% smaller than the latest xiii-inch MacBook Pro, and volume-wise it's only slightly larger than the 11-inch MacBook Air. Information technology's not quite every bit light as the 11-inch Air (2.4 vs 2.6 lbs), but it nevertheless manages to beat out the 13-inch model (2.98 lbs) and match the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro in the weight department. The XPS 13 also loses out in the thinness department to these laptops, though it's still very slim in its ain correct (17.5mm excluding the rubber rest).

From many fronts its clear that the XPS 13 is designed to contend with, and beat, the MacBook Air. Dell claims the XPS 13 is 23% smaller than the xiii-inch Macbook Air with the same display size; my math places it closer to xviii%, impressive nonetheless. It has comparable internal hardware and features to Apple'south thin 13-inch model, including a like 52 Wh battery that Dell has managed to clasp into an xi-inch frame: a frame that Apple only gives 38 Wh. It likewise comes with a higher resolution brandish, something not hard to achieve in 2022, and better rated battery life.

The model I received for review is the 1080p non-affect, though there's as well a QHD+ 3200x1800 touchscreen model on offering that sacrifices some battery life and comes at a $300 premium.

How did Dell manage to squeeze a 13-inch display into something that should but adapt 11 inches? It'due south all nearly that bezel. Dell calls their 5.2mm bezel around three sides of the display an "Infinity Brandish", which is going a bit overboard considering it's not actually bezel-free or borderless, but it does convey just how expert the display looks.

The thin bezels makes the laptop feel similar its utilizing every available inch of space to display content. It'south surprising other laptop manufacturers haven't opted for a super slim bezel like this earlier, because it's simply awesome to view photos, sentry movies or edit documents on a near borderless display. In some means it feels futuristic, though conspicuously the technology is here today.

The front end facing camera has had to be relocated to the larger section of bezel beneath the brandish, in the bottom left corner. This isn't an platonic location equally information technology tin create a weird angle when video chatting, though I'chiliad happy with the merchandise-off for the full general display feel.

On the other side of the brandish is a piece of make clean aluminium reminiscent of Apple's laptop design. Of course information technology contains a Dell logo instead, and the aspect ratio is slightly dissimilar, but it has that aforementioned stiff, premium experience as its MacBook counterpart. There'southward very picayune flex in the whole brandish associates, despite how sparse information technology is, and the natural metal wait is visually pleasing.

The bottom of the laptop continues the trend of exposed aluminium, although it doesn't look nigh equally dainty as the top. Two large rubber lines clutter up this surface area, leaving it looking considerably less elegant. Luckily you won't come across this side too often, and the rubber does provide grip for usage on a desk, and enough height that the row of cooling vents isn't inhibited. In that location'south as well a small flap on the bottom, branded with XPS, that reveals regulatory information when you lift it up. It'south a clever way to hibernate these unsightly logos short of removing them birthday.

Around the keyboard Dell has opted for black, soft-impact carbon fiber. It's not as lovely as the aluminium lid from a visual standpoint, only information technology's far from a inexpensive look and information technology feels fantabulous to the affect. Aside from the keyboard and touchpad, the only other feature of this cleanly-designed area is the ability button, which includes a pleasing strip of light to allow you know the laptop is on. A second light is found on the thin rim beneath the trackpad that activates while charging.

The hinge on the XPS xiii is a basic one, which occupies nigh of the back edge of the device to go on the device slim. The range of motion is good, with the maximum bending being slightly greater than what I demand for lap use. The swivel is strong too, keeping the display at whatever bending you similar even when the laptop is moved. Hidden on the torso side of the hinge is a second set of vents to cool the laptop, as the Broadwell CPU requires a fan to keep cool.

Every bit for ports, on the left side you lot get a basic proprietary power jack, mini-DisplayPort, USB and a 3.5mm audio jack. On the right is some other USB port and an SD carte du jour reader. I like the inclusion of the SD card slot for easily copying photos from a photographic camera, but an actress USB port would be squeamish.

Towards the lesser of each wedge-shaped side you lot'll find the side-firing speakers. They're not the best I've ever heard in a laptop, but they're good enough for watching the occasional video. Having the speakers burn down towards yous rather than to the sides would be a slight improvement, although roofing either of the speaker ports doesn't accept much of an effect on audio output.