Dell XPS 15

The Dell XPS 15 (9530) is a high-end desktop replacement laptop, and that's a funny place to be. While, yes, you can buy a cheaper laptop that will do many of the same tasks, systems like the XPS 15 (9530) simultaneously tool for PC and displays the preview of the high-end technology . In this case, it is,800-resolution screen of the system 3200-by-1, where a base pixel count trumps even the mighty Retina Display from Apple. This is definitely a system that throws a halo Dell XPS range by being a showcase for what the company can do now and in the future. But it may unseat our current champ? Read on, dear reader.

Design and Features
The XPS 15 (9530) following last year's model, the Dell XPS 15 (Summer 2012) ($ 1699) with a very similar appearance. The XPS 15 sports a dark color, the wide keyboard deck and comfortable matching keyboard with sculpted keys. The built-in trackpad is responsive, and has a vertical line bisecting the clickable area to help with the right click. The keyboard is backlit, and we have no complaints typing here.

The QHD screen + touch system has a 10-point, and also corresponds to the standard Windows 8 swipes and commands. Covered Edge-to-edge Gorilla Glass screen NBT. If there is any potential downfall to the setup, it is that the screen is highly reflective glass, which is a problem when you look at something with a dark background, such as movies or even the default wallpaper installed on our test system.

The top lid has a matte silver metallic finish, and the bottom lid is made ​​of carbon fiber, which lends the XPS 15 (9530) the ancestors of premium materials. There is a Dell XPS hallmarks below: A hinged metal lid covers the necessary regulatory label, even if the lid is embossed with the Intel logo and the Windows 8 sticker on it. All in all, the system determines it is in the same league as the premium laptops like the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (2013), Asus Zenbook VX51VZ-XB71, and the Toshiba KIRABook. Coincidentally, all three of these competitors also have greater than 1080p resolution (1920 by 1080) screen.

The system comes in at 4.53 pounds, which is imperceptibly heavier than the MacBook Pro (£ 4.46) about the same as Asus VX51VZ-XB71 (£ 4.56). The XPS 15 (9530) trumps all three in the number of pure pixels, since 3200 by 1800 resolution is the highest in this esteemed group. With so many pixels, easy to edit 1080p video or raw images from your D-SLR without having to zoom in on details. It features a 235 PPI (pixels per inch) screen, while the MacBook Pro screen is 220 ppi. More is not necessarily better in all cases, but the XPS 15 screen let us pick insane level of detail in the picture. We tested the display by looking at 4K video online, and you'd almost swear you're looking out a window when watching the external video. Viewing angles are good, although the screen reflectivity problems when viewing night scenes.

Besides the problems reflectivity, the 3,200-by-1, 800 resolution presents problems when using older programs and UI elements designed when 1,366 by 768 resolution is more prevalent. Running our Photoshop test more challenging than usual, because the menu does not measure like the rest of the window and we are trying to read the list of actions in what seemed four-point font. Also, 768 in 1366 by playing funny: It either shrank the playable area down to the size of a pack of chewing gum in the middle of the screen, or is blown up to full screen and blocky. Windows 8-optimized programs and games we tested is fine, however.

Our review comes unit with a 512GB mSATA solid-state drive (SSD), which is spacious for a positive SSD these days. Although there is already installed on all of our test files, had almost 400GB free system. That much space should suffice these days, when cloud storage, online streaming, and home NAS appliances make multi-TB hard drive less relevant than ever. If you find yourself wanting for more storage, easy to hook up a 2TB USB 3.0 portable drive to one of the three USB 3.0 ports system. There is also a USB 2.0 port, for older peripherals such as mice.

The same USB port on the right side of the system is charging port for your smartphone or tablet, but remember that you have to pay attention to the labels to find out which is USB 2.0 or USB 3.0. Dell is one of the manufacturers do not differentiate the USB 3.0 port by coloring them blue. The system has not been built-in Ethernet, but it has HDMI, mini-DisplayPort, an SD card reader, Bluetooth 4.0, and Wi-Fi 802.11ac. Bloatware is kept to a minimum: You'll McAfee LiveSafe with a 12-month subscription included, Amazon app, Kindle app, Shop Dell, and Microsoft Office (test) all the Start screen.