Dell XPS 13 OLED review: more pixels, more money
0Reported today on The Verge
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Reported today in The Verge.
Dell XPS 13 OLED review: more pixels, more money
If you've been waiting for a 13-inch laptop with the best display technology out there, Dell now has an option for you. Dell has finally released an OLED version of its XPS 13, and I'm typing this review on it right now.
The test unit I was sent has a Core i7-1185G7, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The OLED configuration costs exactly the same as an identically specced non-OLED 4K model ($1,699.99), and $300 more than an identically specced FHD touchscreen model. Nothing else about this XPS is new: it has the same thin and light build, the same tiny bezels and webcam, the same glass-fiber palm rests, and the same 16:10 aspect ratio as the past couple Dell XPS 13s I've reviewed. So the considerations here really come down to how much you need an OLED screen and what you're willing to sacrifice for it.
The display itself is great. It's a 3.5K (3456 x 2160) panel with a claimed 100,000:1 contrast ratio. It maxed out our colorimeter, covering 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. It's not as bright as the FHD model but is still plenty bright, maxing out at 369 nits. I had no problem using the device outside and was usually using it below 30 percent brightness while indoors. Numbers aside, it delivers a really gorgeous picture with bright and vibrant colors and sharp details.
The downside, of course, is that there is some battery life impact. I haven't reviewed the 4K Dell XPS 13, so I can't speak to that unit's longevity. But compared to the FHD model I reviewed, the OLED model struggles on the battery life front.
Battery life, for context, has been a huge selling point of other XPS 13 models. I averaged nine hours and 15 minutes using the FHD model as my primary work driver around 200 ni