Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
A NICE DESIGN AND GORGEOUS SCREEN.
WITH ITS ALUMINIUM shell and elegant lines, the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 convertible is quite the looker, especially in laptop mode. It closes super flat and thin, and the screen has very little bezel, wasting no space, while the keyboard and touchpad have just the right amount of sensitivity. Were we less enthused about how it looks in tablet form, however, with the slightly curved back and rubber protective feet leaving an awkward gap between the screen and base.
Like most Dell products, there are customisable configuration options, and the XPS 13 2-in-1 can be had for $2,299 if you’re willing to give up half the memory and storage capacity. We, however, looked at the top-level configuration, with 16GB or memory and a top-of-theline 512GB SSD. That extra memory clearly made a difference in our benchmarks, with the Dell coming out somewhat faster than the similarly configured Acer Spin 7 (flick over to page 54 for our full review of that one).
Of course, the selling point for a lot of people will be the Dell’s gorgeous screen, a 3,200 x 1,800 InfinityEdge touch display that pushes right to the edge of the convertible and looks great in tablet mode. It’s bright and delivers excellent colour and definition. It does have a tendency to pick up fingerprints — but that’s a common failing in convertibles. Because of the limited bezel, the webcam also has to sit under the screen rather than on top, which can be a little disconcerting but usually doesn’t make a huge difference in practice.
Although it’s an expensive solution, the XPS 13 2-in-1 is worth the price for that screen alone. It’s also light, powerful, beautifully designed and even has a slightly above average battery life. If you can afford something premium, this is a great choice.