The Dell XPS 13 OLED display is a great option for those who are looking for a laptop with the best display technology available. This laptop has an OLED display that is incredibly clear and offers great viewing angles. The Core i7-1185G7 processor is also very powerful and can handle any task you might need to complete on your computer. The 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage are both very helpful in allowing you to store all of your important files easily.
The XPS 13 is a great laptop for people who want an OLED screen. It has a 16:10 aspect ratio, glass-fiber palm rests, thin and light design, and tiny bezels as the last two Dell XPS 13s we’ve evaluated. If you don’t need an OLED screen and don’t want to spend a lot of money, then the XPS 13 is a good choice.
Dell XPS 13 OLED review: Design
The Dell XPS 13 is a laptop that has been designed to be the industry standard. It has a sleek appearance and is comparably more powerful than laptops with a large bezel. The carbon fibre interior deck gives the laptop an extra dash of style, while the silver aluminum shell is visible on all of the ports.
The Dell XPS 13 has a more robust design thanks to the use of aluminum, but there is still a tiny bend in the deck when you press down on the keyboard. According to Dell, the XPS 13 OLED is a remarkably thin notebook, coming in at just 14.8mm. This results in a build that is remarkably thin and weighs just 1.27kg. Although there are lighter, less expensive laptops available, such as the Acer Swift 5, they won’t feel or look as luxurious as the XPS 13. ..
The XPS 13 is a subpar laptop because it doesn’t include any of the common connector options. There are only two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a MicroSD card reader, and a headphone jack included. This makes it difficult to use the laptop for tasks such as flash drives and other devices. Although Dell does supply a USB-C to USB-A adapter in the box, doing so is still a hassle that may be avoided by utilizing other computers.
Display
DPI is lower on the Dell XPS 13 IPS setup than on the 4K XPS 13 IPS setup because the native resolution is 3.5K (3456 x 2160) rather than 4K (3840 x 2400). (304 vs. 338). Because there aren’t any 4K OLED screens available in the 13.4-inch 16:10 form factor right now, we assume the resolution is lower. Nevertheless, as text on the 4K 338 PPI screen sometimes appears too small, this could sometimes work in OLED’s favor.
Our OLED model has three main advantages: its quicker black-to-white response times, infinite contrast ratio, and greater DCI-P3 color coverage. When watching movies, the visual quality is fantastic with vibrant colors and nearly no ghosting. Even though the display supports HDR, the default Windows 10 settings will automatically turn off HDR when the computer is powered by a battery in order to preserve battery life.
The laptop screen briefly flickers when it’s attached or disconnected from an outlet, and users can quickly change the default settings by typing “Windows HD Color” into the Start menu search box. When the screen flickers, it’s likely because the adjustments are effective.
Keyboard and touchpad
The keys on the most recent XPS 13 keyboard are more pleasant to type on than those on earlier XPS keyboards. The keys don’t feel as stiff, but they aren’t as clicky as those on competing laptops like the Spectre x360 or MacBook Air. The keys are all a suitable size despite fitting onto a tiny deck, and there is sufficient travel to keep us from bottoming out. In addition, we appreciate the two-stage illumination, which contrasts beautifully with the all-white canvas.
While hastily composing a last-minute report, those with large paws may find the small spacing uncomfortable, but most people won’t have an issue. We typed at 117 words per minute with 95% accuracy and our index finger felt as though it were being caressed by the finest Mulberry silk as we moved it across the 4.4 x 2.5-inch touchpad. Our erratic swipes and Windows 10 movements, such as pinch-to-zoom and three-finger swipes to switch between windows, were immediately responded to by the surface, which was soft, smooth, and incredibly sensitive. ..
Dell XPS 13 OLED review: Audio
The Dell XPS 13 is a great laptop for music lovers. It has a tiny notch just below the keyboard deck that reveals speakers that project sound outward to assist it fill the space even when the laptop is on a table or user’s lap. This makes it perfect for blasting some tunes at your work or outside on the patio.
We found the Dell XPS 13’s speakers to be fine while streaming music like Pink Floyd’s Welcome to the Machine or The Police’s Spirits in the Material World. While more treble-heavy elements, such as singing and power guitar solos, come through clearly but without much kick.
Graphics
We found that the Intel Iris Xe graphics on the XPS 13 were acceptable for playing older games or some newer ones at lower graphics settings. However, you may not be able to run intense simulations or play current games at high graphics settings.
The XPS 13 managed 15 frames per second on the Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm benchmark (Medium, 1080p), falling short of the 20 frames per second premium laptop average, which was achieved by the Spectre x360 14 (20 frames per second, Iris Xe), the MacBook Pro (29 frames per second, M1), and the Surface Laptop 4. (30 fps, Iris Xe). The XPS 13 scored 3,756 on the 3DMark Fire Strike test, falling behind the Surface Laptop 4 (5,089, 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD) and the Spectre x360 14. (4,229, 512GB NVMe PCIe SSD).
Performance
The Dell XPS 13 OLED has two options for its processor: an Intel Core i5-1135G7 or an Intel Core i7-1185G7. These are the same processors that are found in the XPS 13’s predecessor. However, since Ultrabook use Intel’s most recent mobile CPUs, there isn’t much room for improvements unless Dell switches to AMD. With some of the greatest benchmark scores for a 13-inch laptop we’ve seen this year, the performance is competitive with all Windows Ultrabook’s.
This laptop is great for productivity, but it can’t compete with the MacBook Air M1 ultrabook in terms of speed.
The XPS 13 OLED is a limited-edition laptop that offers three different RAM options: 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB. This means that while some games like Fortnite and other entry-level games can be played on it with low graphical settings, you’ll need a more powerful laptop with a dedicated graphics card to play AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077.
Dell offers a variety of SSD configurations, ranging from 256GB to 2TB. The base-level choice is one we advise against because you’ll probably rapidly run out of storage space. Additionally, the increase to 512GB only costs an additional £50 at the moment, so it is very worthwhile. ..
Battery life
The Dell XPS 13 with OLED has a lower battery life than either the 15-inch Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 or the 13-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (10:46).
The MacBook Air with M1 or the MacBook Pro with M1 provide substantially longer battery life than the Dell XPS 13 with a 4K non-OLED screen.
Dell XPS 13 OLED review: Heat
We played a 15-minute, 1080p video and took measurements in specific places on the laptop. It performed admirably. Both the touchpad and the Centre of the keyboard registered temperatures of 79 and 88 degrees, respectively, which are significantly lower than our comfort criterion of 95 degrees. But the temperature of the metal undercarriage rose to 102 degrees.
Configuration options
Dell is currently selling the XPS 13 with a 4K OLED display for $1,649. The lowest-spec model has an Intel Core i3 processor and a 2K non-touch screen, so the OLED display is actually a $400 increase. At least $1,649 will get you a 4K OLED display, an Intel Core i7 processor with integrated graphics from Iris Xe, 16 GB of RAM, and a 512 GB SSD. You can spend more than $2,099 if you choose a model with the maximum 2 TB of storage. ..
Conclusion
The best ultraportable laptops are those that are the most powerful and efficient. They can handle a lot of tasks and have great battery life.
The new XPS 13 is the only one that offers an ultra-colorful, ultra-high-contrast OLED screen. Dell believes it has a tiebreaker because it reduces battery life slightly, but improves the aesthetics of an ultraportable that was already magnificent.
