Dell’s newest iteration on the XPS 13 2-in-1 brings Tiger Lake to this in style line of convertibles, full with Intel Evo certification that guarantees a greater cell expertise. Which means you’ll be getting as much as 11 hours of battery life, plus options like instantaneous wake. You’ll additionally get Intel’s new Iris Xe built-in graphics, plus Thunderbolt 4 ports.
That’s a whole lot of quality-of-life enhancements (or at the least high quality of your PC life), and our benchmarking exhibits you can count on robust efficiency on CPU-heavy duties like Geekbench and video enhancing as nicely. However that arguably doesn’t matter if the laptop computer itself is troublesome to make use of, particularly provided that convertibles promote themselves on their all-in-one nature. We had complaints about Dell’s new keyboard course for this line of computer systems on final 12 months’s mannequin, saying it resembled Apple’s much-maligned butterfly keyboard. How does this new mannequin maintain up?
XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310) Specs
| CPU | Intel Core i7-1165G7 |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe Graphics |
| Reminiscence | 16GB LPDDR4x-4267 MHz |
| Storage | 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD |
| Show | 13.Four inches, 1920 x 1200, WLED, multi-touch |
| Networking | AX1650 Wi-Fi 6 |
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x 3.5mm mixture microphone/headphone jack, 1x microSD card reader |
| Digicam | 720p |
| Battery | 51 Whr |
| Energy Adapter | 45W |
| Working System | Home windows 10 House |
| Dimensions(WxDxH) | 11.6 x 8.2 x 0.6 |
| Weight | 2.9 kilos |
| Worth (as configured) | $1,650 |
Design of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)
Dell’s newest XPS 13 2-in-1 updates final 12 months’s mannequin with a silver and black coloration scheme that makes it look largely generic on the skin, however way more premium on the within. Whereas the silver case does have a barely glittery end that provides it some texture, its noticeable hinge means it doesn’t give too modern of a primary impression –that is, till you open it up.
Opening the XPS 13 2-in-1 reveals an all-black keyboard surrounded by a snug black “woven glass fiber” cushion that has a leathery look. It feels nice on my wrists whereas typing, and its checkerboard sample instantly makes the laptop computer look boardroom-level fancy.
That spectacular look means you may wish to take this machine into the convention room with you, however because it’s sacrificed most I/O choices in alternate for a thinner kind issue, you’ll most likely have to deliver a dongle or two. There’s a single Thunderbolt Four port on the laptop computer’s left facet together with a microSD card reader, in addition to one other Thunderbolt Four port on the laptop computer’s proper facet subsequent to a 3.5mm mixture headphone and microphone jack. That’s all of the connectivity you’ll get out of the field, although our assessment unit did include a USB Kind-A to USB Kind-C dongle for connecting older units to the laptop computer’s Thunderbolt ports extra simply.
That lack of ports does imply the 2-in-1 is impressively skinny, although different latest machines have supplied extra connectivity whereas nonetheless hitting the identical thinness. At 11.7 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches, it’s roughly on par with the 11.6 x 7.Eight x 0.6 inch non-convertible XPS 13 9310, in addition to the 12 x 8.Three x 0.6 inch Zenbook Flip S. The Dell clamshell has the identical ports because the 2-in-1, whereas the Asus has a full HDMI connection and a USB Kind-A port. The non-convertible Zenbook 13 is barely thinner than the XPS 2-in-1 at 11.9 x Eight x 0.5 inches, regardless of additionally having a full HDMI connection and a USB Kind-A port.
The XPS 13 2-in-1 can be barely heavy for an ultraportable, although actually not clunky. At 2.9 kilos, it’s heavier than its 2.8-pound nonconvertible cousin, in addition to the two.7-pound ZenBook Flip S and the two.4-pound Zenbook 13.
Productiveness Efficiency of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)
The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is the primary Evo-certified Dell convertible, which implies it packs a Tiger Lake i7-1165G7 chip and has a variety of cell optimizations similar to better than 9 hours of battery life and the flexibility to wake from sleep in lower than 1 second. The laptop computer’s Evo options held up in our testing, however even past that, it was capable of excel towards different i7-1165G7 laptops just like the nonconvertible XPS 13, the ZenBook Flip S and the ZenBook 13 in most exams.
In Geekbench, which exams normal system efficiency, the 2-in-1 snagged 5,571 factors, greater than some other contender. The nonconvertible XPS 13 was the closest, with a rating of 5,254 factors, whereas the Zenbook 13 was subsequent with 5,084 factors and the ZenBook Flip S lagged behind with 3,880 factors.
Each of Dell’s latest XPS choices lagged behind on file switch speeds, although. The two-in-1 transferred 4.97GB of recordsdata at a charge of 503.1 MBps, whereas its nonconvertible cousin was sooner at 806.2 MBps. However each Dells lagged behind Asus’ machines, because the ZenBook Flip S was a lot speedier at 1,297.2 MBps and the ZenBook 13 was respectable at 966.Eight MBps.
Nevertheless, video enhancing as soon as once more put the 2-in-1 within the highlight. On our Handbrake video enhancing benchmark, which exams how lengthy it takes a pc to transcode a video down from 4K to FHD, the XPS 13 2-in-1 was simply the quickest laptop we examined, with a time of 15:52. The subsequent quickest contender was the ZenBook 13, with a time of 17:51, whereas the nonconvertible XPS 13 had a time of 18:22 and the Flip S was the slowest with a time of 22:05.
New to Intel’s Tiger Lake chips are Intel Iris Xe built-in graphics, which we examined utilizing 3DMark’s Hearth Strike benchmark. The ZenBook 13 carried out finest right here, with a rating of 4,407, with the 2-in-1 coming in subsequent with a rating of three,847. The nonconvertible XPS 13 and ZenBook Flip S rounded out the listing with scores of three,598 and three,351 respectively.
In case you’re curious how these numbers translate to video games, we additionally performed a couple of half hour of Overwatch on the XPS 13 2-in-1 at varied settings. Regardless of some hiccups on the primary attempt, the system ran principally easily after a reboot. At 1920 x 1080, we have been most snug enjoying on low settings, which tended to hover round 60 fps precisely and had the fewest drastic framerate drops. Medium settings will drop you all the way down to 30-40 fps, however runs the chance of occasional dips into the 20s.
We additionally stress examined the XPS 13 2-in-1 by operating it by Cinebench R20 on a loop 20 instances. It began off with pretty robust efficiency at 2,056.Three factors, earlier than dropping off to a median of 1,584.Eight factors. Throughout this benchmark, its CPU ran at a median clock velocity of two.53 GHz and had a median temperature of 60.Three levels Celsius.
Show on Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)
The XPS 13 2-in-1 has a fundamental 13.Four inch LED touchscreen that, regardless of not being IPS or OLED, makes an impression due to a shiny backlight and a 16:10 1920 x 1200 side ratio.
I examined the 2-in-1’s display screen by watching the trailer for The Satan All of the Time on it. The very first thing I seen was how shiny the image was, although this didn’t save the display screen from having poor viewing angles. No matter how a lot surrounding mild I had on it, the 2-in-1’s display screen tended to clean out every time I received greater than a 45 diploma angle away from the middle. Nonetheless, the blacks have been deep and the colours have been correct, if not significantly vivid.
The taller side ratio additionally proved useful when scrolling by webpages, though that feels extra intuitive in vertical orientation in pill mode.
In line with our exams, the XPS 13 2-in-1 has a median brightness of 488 nits, which was the best among the many laptops we in contrast it to. By comparability, the non-convertible XPS 13 had a median brightness of 469 nits, whereas the ZenBook Flip S and ZenBook 13 had common brightnesses of 370 nits and 375 nits, respectively.
The colour rankings have been a bit nearer. In line with our colorimeter, the 2-in-1 covers 70% of the DCI-P3 coloration gamut, which is indistinguishable from the conconvertibles XPS 13’s 69% rating. Asus’ laptops carried out typically higher right here, with the ZenBook 13 overlaying 76.1% of the DCI-P3 spectrum and the ZenBook Flip S hitting a a lot wider 113.1%.
Keyboard and Touchpad on Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)
Keyboards are sometimes the bane of convertible laptops, and the XPS 13 2-in-1 is a good instance of this kind issue’s biggest weak point.
The problem with placing a keyboard on a convertible is ensuring it doesn’t turn out to be distracting or cumbersome when the laptop computer is in pill mode. One reply to this challenge (whereas additionally preserving the gadget skinny) is to closely cut back key journey distance. It will make the keys appear flatter and fewer current when not in use. That appears to be the reply Dell has gone for right here, however the challenge with this resolution is that it significantly hampers the keyboard’s snug usability in laptop computer mode.
The XPS 13 2-in-1’s keyboard simply has the shallowest journey distance of any laptop computer keyboard I’ve reviewed but, which makes it troublesome to really feel a lot suggestions when typing. This meant that not solely did I make frequent typos whereas utilizing it, however I additionally needed to utterly change up my typing fashion. Whereas I often sort with all of my fingers, I discovered that I regularly misplaced observe of the place I used to be on the keyboard as I typed, and that the easiest way to maintain observe of my finger placement and thus improve velocity and cut back typos was to restrict my typing to only my two index fingers.
That may sound like overkill, however this technique isn’t too dissimilar to my method when utilizing a touchscreen keyboard, which the XPS 13 2-in-1’s keyboard shares some similarities to because of the lack of noticeable suggestions on every keypress. Even so, my velocity on 10fastfingers.com tended to hover wherever from 59 wpm to 70 wpm, with my common being nearer to 80, in addition to having far fewer typos.
Whereas your mileage could range on typing velocity or accuracy, the keyboard additionally simply isn’t very snug. The dearth of journey distance additionally made the keyboard really feel arduous and difficult to press, like I used to be repeatedly jamming my fingers up towards a wall versus urgent buttons. Even Apple’s much-maligned butterfly keyboard, which has related points, feels comparatively cushiony when bottoming out.
In pill mode, I additionally nonetheless discovered myself by accident urgent keys extra typically than I’d like. Keyboard enter is disabled in pill mode, so this doesn’t have any impact in your exercise, however it nonetheless felt clumsy and made me marvel if the sacrifices to the keyboard’s journey distance have been value it.
With all that mentioned, the 2-in-1’s touchpad and touchscreen enter are each wonderful. The laptop computer makes use of Home windows precision drivers and expertly handles multi-touch gestures on both gadget, and the 4.Four x 2.6 inch touchpad particularly is clean and feels nearly cushiony to the contact. This mirrors the cushiony, leathery materials on the laptop computer’s wrist relaxation space, which can be snug.
Audio of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)
The XPS 13 2-in-1 has bottom-firing audio system on both facet, which I examined by listening to Be Ready from the Lion King soundtrack — the unique one. I discovered that regardless of being considerably quiet, the laptop computer packs impressively true-to-life audio.
Be Ready is arguably extra dialogue than music, which turned out to be a good way to display the XPS 13 2-in-1’s voice high quality. Scar’s actors on this scene (he truly swaps from Jeremy Irons to Jim Cummings partway by, enjoyable reality) sounded clear and unmuddled all through, with a wealthy high quality that each expressed efficiency and readability. That’s regardless of the tune’s quite a few background sound results, like hissing geysers, which didn’t distract and sounded as atmospheric as ever.
The backing music additionally didn’t lose its bass, nor did the xylophone segments sound tinny, no matter how excessive I raised the amount.
That leads me to the audio system’ largest challenge: They don’t get very loud. Even at most quantity, I had problem filling a couple of room with sound. Nonetheless, in case you’re sitting subsequent to the laptop computer, it will get lots loud for private use.
Upgradeability of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)
There’s not a lot level to opening the XPS 13 2-in-1, although Dell hasn’t gone out of its strategy to make it too troublesome. Simply use a Torx screwdriver- we used a T5 bit- and take away the Eight screws alongside the underside, then pry off the case with a spudger.
When you’re inside, the one part you’ll have entry to is the battery. The RAM is soldered in and the SSD and networking playing cards are sadly inaccessible. That’s not too sudden for an ultraportable convertible, however it does imply you’ll wish to be sure to like your laptop computer’s configuration before you purchase it.
Battery Life of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)
The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is Intel Evo licensed, which implies Intel has verified that it has at the least 9 hours of battery life on FHD screens. That held true throughout our testing, although the 2-in-1 confronted some stiff competitors from different Tiger Lake laptops.
Throughout our battery benchmark, which frequently browses the online, streams video and runs OpenGL exams over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness, the XPS 13 2-in-1 held out for 10 hours and 52 minutes. That’s considerably longer than the 8:11 battery lifetime of the nonconvertible XPS 13, however not fairly as prolonged because the 11:07 lifetime of the ZenBook 13 or the 13:47 ZenBook Flip S’s endurance on the identical take a look at.
Warmth of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)
The XPS 13 2-in-1 is skinny and designed to be held when in use, which makes robust warmth administration important. Fortunately, the XPS 13 2-in-1 greater than meets the duty.
We took the 2-in-1’s temperature after streaming 15 minutes of video over YouTube. The touchpad was the good spot, at 74.7 levels Fahrenheit (23.7 levels Celsius), whereas the keyboard (between the G and H keys) was the subsequent coolest location at 81 levels Fahrenheit (27.2 levels Celsius). The underside of the laptop computer jumped as much as a nonetheless manageable 88 levels Fahrenheit (31.1 levels Celsius), whereas the most popular location was close to the print display screen key. Even this simply ended up being 92.Three levels Fahrenheit (33.5 levels Celsius), which remains to be lots snug to the contact.
Webcam on Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)
The XPS 13 2-in-1’s 720p webcam won’t match the webcam constructed right into a devoted pill, however it nonetheless manages to return out above most laptop computer webcams, which regularly really feel like afterthoughts.
That’s as a result of its image lacks any type of noticeable grain or coloration inaccuracy, which signifies that any pictures you are taking will seem true-to-life versus distorting your image. This extends to texture too, and the digicam works nicely throughout lighting ranges, capable of carry out nicely in low mild and solely enhancing extra with better ambient brightness.
The digicam additionally intelligently swaps to a vertical orientation when utilizing the 2-in-1 in pill mode and holding it vertically. Whereas your selfies aren’t sure to look nearly as good as these taken on an iPhone, it’s good to know you may recreate that informal expertise right here.
The two-in-1’s digicam additionally has an IR sensor for Home windows Whats up.
Software program and Guarantee of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)
The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 packs the standard Home windows bloat, like Netflix and Microsoft Solitaire Assortment, however the true depth of this laptop computer’s pre-installed software program is within the 13 utility packages Dell consists of alongside it.
A few of these packages are useful, like Dell Cellular Join, which helps you to entry your cellphone’s features and mirror its display screen to your laptop computer. Dell Replace, in the meantime, permits you to replace your BIOS and drivers. However loads of these packages are both area of interest, or simply hidden storefronts.
For example, Dell Cinema Information permits you to consolidate your streaming apps right into a single program, whereas “MaxxAudio Professional by Waves” makes an attempt to make use of your webcam to make spatial audio extra real looking on headphones. These may be useful to some customers, however most will seemingly find yourself skipping them. Most egregious are inclusions like Dell Digital Supply, MyDell and “Dropbox promotion,” which try to get you to purchase much more software program.
As a result of these packages are so hit or miss, it’s very seemingly some customers will ignore them solely and thus miss out on the extra useful utilities. In the meantime, opponents like Lenovo are making the utility expertise extra accessible by bundling packages like these collectively into one bundle — Lenovo’s known as Vantage.
We’d desire an answer that lets us select whether or not we wish to activate a film or nighttime display screen coloration mode with out having to click on on “Dell CinemaColor” and hoping that’s how we entry it.
Configurations of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)
The XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 begins at $1,099 with choices ranging as much as $1,949, so it’s received loads of configurability.
Our $1650 assessment unit packed an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU with 16GB of LPDDR4X reminiscence and a 512 GB SSD. In case you don’t fairly want that a lot energy, there are additionally Core i3 and Core i5 choices that may minimize your worth down by a couple of hundred {dollars}, plus you may decrease your reminiscence and storage all the way down to 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for much more financial savings. Conversely, you can even select as much as 1TB of storage in case you want more room.
Our assessment unit additionally used a 1920 x 1200 WLED show, however in case you’re a 4K fanatic, you can even improve to a 3840 x 2400 WLED display screen as an alternative.
Backside Line
The XPS 13 2-in-1 is a strong convertible with a shiny display screen and loads of cell comfort due to its Intel Evo certification. However its keyboard hampers its laptop computer usability.
With regards to efficiency, it’s arduous to beat the brand new 2-in-1. It leverages the identical CPU as each different latest convertibles and different latest ultraportables to a lot better impact in exams like Geekbench and Handbrake, although it may be on the gradual finish on file switch speeds. Nonetheless, it’s in-app efficiency is spectacular.
The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 has additionally received a shiny (if not overly colourful) display screen, a more-than-decent webcam and clear audio for such a small dimension. Have been it not for one obvious flaw, the brand new XPS 13 2-in-1 could be a no brainer.
The most important issue drawing this convertible down is the keyboard. Whereas your expertise could differ from mine, I discovered it inaccurate and uncomfortable, due to the smallest journey distance on keypress I’ve encountered but. Typos have been prevalent after I was utilizing it, and I used to be a slower typist than typical.
Whereas preserving the keyboard so flat does match the pill mode nicely, even this intention doesn’t succeed. I nonetheless discovered the keyboard distracting when utilizing the 2-in-1 as a pill, and nonetheless pressed loads of keys when holding it as one (although keyboard enter is disabled in pill mode).
You may get round this flaw by utilizing an exterior keyboard, certain, however that negates the purpose of the machine. As an all-in-one transportable gadget, the XPS 13 2-in-1 is highly effective, however doesn’t make for essentially the most handy, comfortable-to-use laptop computer.
In case you’re keen to sacrifice some efficiency for a extra snug keyboard whereas nonetheless shopping for a convertible, the Asus ZenBook Flip S guarantees 1.4mm of journey. It additionally has a 4K OLED display screen at $1,450, whereas the XPS 13 2-in-1 doesn’t have 4K choices till you hit the $1,950 worth level.
In case you simply need an ultraportable, the ZenBook 13 typically outperformed the nonconvertible Dell XPS 13 in our benchmarks, except for Geekbench, whereas costing a lot much less and having a a lot bigger (and sooner) SSD. It’s a good selection if worth is your prime concern, however the XPS 13 does have the fashionable, taller 16:10 1920 x 1200 side ratio.
If a poor keyboard doesn’t trouble you, then the XPS 13 2-in-1 is a transparent standout right here. It performs nicely and has nice comfort options like robust audio and an excellent webcam. However if you need one gadget that may do all of it, then you definitely’re higher off sticking to one thing that may help snug typing for longer durations.
