Dell XPS 12 Review: Beautiful Screen, Flimsy Frame

Among all the Windows 8 convertibles come out , the Dell XPS is unparalleled . Because it ’s mad . It ’s a full - on , regular laptop , with a trapeze artist screen that flips on an bloc to win over into a slate . Is that something you ’d actually want ?

What Is It?

A 12.5 - inch touchscreen laptop that commute into a slate pad of paper .

Who’s It For?

Someone who wants a solid , inflexible laptop computer that can double as a pad in a jot .

Design

Dell basically build an XPS ultrabook , only with a swiveling concealment . That means a C fiber bottom and lid , a soft - skin senses inside , and an IPS screen . And a presentation that does backflips .

At 12.5 column inch , the XPS is a tweener — falling between the typical 11.6 - in and 13.3 - inch role model . It ’s a perfectly usable size of it as a laptop computer , and the slightly smaller screen sort of makes up for the XPS being a little thicker than a lot of ultrabooks .

Using It

The XPS has the right estimate , mostly . Using it feels like using a laptop . That ’s good . After spending enough meter with a convertible , you comment that you really need it to do one thing really well — and you desire the other choice to be light to ignore . While you ca n’t ever really ignore the XPS ’s hinge ( more on that in a bite ) , the laptop computer feels like a effective XPS laptop — a top - notch , tappable keyboard with just the right spatial arrangement and travel distance ; a gorgeous show with vibrant , accurate colors and a across-the-board regard angle . The touchscreen is extremely reactive , and gesture process well on it than on other convertibles we ’ve used .

That allege , using this thing as a pad of paper is not fun . To start , it ’s heavy ! Even by x86 exchangeable standards , the XPS 12 is the least easy tab to use , specially when working one - handed . The salve grace is that the rounded metal edges really do make it well-situated to hold if you do n’t mind the weight ( but that ’s a fully grown , unlikely “ if ” ) . It ’s a shame , because its tab - based software — gesture , accelerometer , pinch reaction — is really great .

The Best Part

The display , no query . It ’s not just how gorgeous the 1080p screen is , but how reactive it is to refer , and how ( comparatively ) little smudging the Gorilla Glass panel pick up .

Tragic Flaw

The hinge aim . The approximation for a swinging hinge is a new one , but it just does n’t work out in hardheaded use . To embark on , initiative and fill up the lid — one of the most basic thing you ’re going to be doing with a laptop — feels unsure . Any time you impact the display , you start to get doubtful , since you do n’t desire to swing the covert around . Even when you intend to riffle it around , you worry that one push in the wrong direction will entirely bust up your laptop . Also , being able to see through the space along the edges of the exhibit ( inside of the frame ) is more distracting than you might think .

This Is Weird…

The carbon fiber lid ( as opposed to the aluminum of other XPS laptop computer ) compile dust and dirt at a passably annoying rate .

Test Notes

As a laptop computer , functioning was in pipeline with other Core i5 Ivy Bridge ultrabooks . mean it wager modern games like Diablo 3 reasonably well at lower resolution ( though it ran very hot ) , and will go Photoshop and other programs just ok . But do n’t expect a functioning monster .

In gain to biotechnology , the XPS suffers from the same issue facing most convertible x86 laptop computer — small text looks odd when formatted on such a large touchscreen while you ’re using it as a tab .

After being pretty excited about the XPS ’s trackpad driver the first sentence we used it , the trackpad performance in the concluding product was moderately average . Not amazing , but it frequently lost track of finger and did n’t recognize gestures .

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The home button on the display is the only part of the machine that feels totally flimsy . It does n’t help that , while obligate the XPS in tablet mode , you have to grip it more tightly since it ’s heavier than even most convertibles . That make incidentally triggering the home push button comfortable than common .

The on / off electrical switch is a salutary and thoughtful designing for a convertible . alternatively of being a simple button you might accidentally collide with in lozenge mode , it ’s a shift you push to the side .

Battery life quite good compare to some other convertibles . In our punish centre zep of a bombardment test , it almost reached three time of day ( 2:49 ) , which is an impressive mark .

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The battery indicator on the correct side of the laptop ( five low white-hot LED lights , activated by a button ) is in reality quite ready to hand . You do n’t have to power up to see how much stamp battery you ’ve got provide , at a glance .

Startup metre : 9.4 seconds .

Should You Buy It?

You have to be a very specific kind of computer exploiter to really love this one . The XPS ’s main virtue is that it ’s a not bad laptop that you could apply like a real laptop computer — along with an awesome , touchable presentation .

But its ergonomics as a pill just do n’t make much sense , and the flaky hinge design undermines the XPS ’s otherwise very good material body lineament .

• presentation : 1920 x 1080 400nit IPS touchscreen

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