Dell Studio XPS 13 reviewed, loved, and respected
By Laura June 
posted May 6th 2009 12:53PM
posted May 6th 2009 12:53PM
There's been much talk of Dell's leather-bound Studio XPS 13 ever since it made its first appearance... and now the fine folks over at Hot Hardware have put it through the motions for you, and we can tell you that they really liked what they found. Really really. In terms of overall build, they were very impressed, specifically with the chunky hinges and that decorative leather strip (the one which we found to be rippled in our own hands-on). They also claim that the Studio XPS 13 might have the "best keyboard" they've "ever touched" on an ultraportable, and they similarly loved the trackpad's clickiness (although we found the trackpad cramped and awkwardly placed). Performance-wise, they consider themselves blown away by the laptop, though they noted a few hiccups here and there (while tabbing around Firefox), and said that they felt the Studio XPS 13 outperforms others in its class. Hit the read link for the full on, glowing review -- one more shot after the break.
except the A and E keys are broken on yours?
I do like Dell very much however I find the base Studio line to be better looking than this.
I'm the opposite. I like the looks of these Studio XPS laptops, but want to get it in a different color and without the leather. The Studio line is ok, but doesnt seem to have the power I'm looking for. I love some of those designs though. I would prefer getting a personal image on them though. I would be willing to wait a month or two if I could have the exact design I wanted on it.
I'd rather see the leather go away as well, and maybe put the nice lid from the latitude line on there.
center the trackpad!
(strikes again...)
In other words, it's the best laptop ever?
Hmm.. Idk
... well at least it comes in a cool box...
Why the story? It's not like this wasn't reviewed already? Doesn't seem worth a mention.
I can see posting about the review, but I don't see the need for engadget to question every one of Hot Hardware's judgments.
Maybe they have an article quota. We also had the what would you change... kind of late for another review post.
Well, it brings into question, what exactly Engadget.com is. Is it a blog or a news site? Is it biased and opinionated? I don't mind if it is, but I wish it was clear. Sometimes personal biases show in their posts but they try to make it subtitle or it happens subconsciously. I can understand. The bloggers are people too, with budgets and likes and dislikes. But is this a news site and they're simply reporting?
A lot of the bloggers have iPhones so you have to admit since they're locked into a 2 year contract with AT&T with the iPhone they're more inclined to find flaws in this T-Mobile/Verizon/Sprint phone. Also if they spent $2500 on an Apple notebook, then Dell notebooks that can possible make them regret their purchase tend to be criticized/nitpicked. The bias on Engadget becomes very apparent sometimes and I really don't like it. You can be honest. You can be opinionated. You can say you don't like it, but don't start criticizing, second guessing everything nonchalantly. State your bias and then we'll interpret your opinions as we want to.
@CLShortFuse /agreed
ClShortFuse - This isn't fox news, it's engadget. ;-)
@CLShortFuse - What? Not trying to flame you here man, but your post is confusing. Your concept of what a “bias” is, as well as what the purpose of a tech blog is, seems a little strained. A bias in a written work, especially a review, is something that an author is doing their best to look beyond in order to give an impartial perspective. A good writer’s job is to remove the most irrelevant and self-serving aspect of their opinion in order to give their audience an accurate representation of their subject. You can criticize their bias, but asking them explicitly state it in an article is kind of silly. There are already a lot of valid arguments on here about the merit of “reviewing a review,” and I understand what you are trying to say, but I just don’t think you made a very good point. Sorry. Also, the word is “subtle,” not “subtitle.”
^agreed
I got this laptop over a motnh ago and freakin love it. Only major gripe I have with it is the temperatures this things gets to. I had to buy a laptop cooler because I was afraid this sucker will overheat within a yr easily. Dell needs to look into it. Keep this on your lap for too long and you'll definitely feel uncomfortable :-\
The heating issue is the same issue that the Studio XPS 16 have. The computer tends to run hot because of the placement of the vents on the back of the machine. When you fully open the LCD Screen, it will partially block the vent, obstructing the air flow.
Some have theorized that there is enough space left to fully cool the laptop but this just isn't the case. Some have said that this design was intentional because there is enough space between the LCD monitor and the keyboard area and that the LCD monitor was meant to vent part of the hot air downward and the other air between this crack. Doesn't seem like it to me.
Dont get me wrong, I love the looks of the laptop and the power this little guy has but if I ever put it on my lap and it started to cook my boys then thats a big red flag no matter what. You shouldn't have to buy a notebook cooler for a brand new laptop, especially if you are just doing less resource intensive tasks. If you are playing games, photoshop, etc, then yes it will get hot and that is acceptable though.
I have the 1640 and besides the heating problem I love the laptop. I bought a mat for it but I'm going to have to get the ones with the fan. Haven't found that that fits nicely. The leather part doesn't feel bad at all. Actually gives you a better grip when holding the laptop. One thing that I hate is that the damn thing is a fingerprint magnet. Have to be cleaning it all the time.
My macbook pro has the same, it's not just dell.
I posted this the other day, but install the latest BIOS update (A06) from Dell. Temperatures will plummet. My 13 runs cool as can be now.
Am I alone in saying that leather on a laptop = fail
They should replace the leather with a hunk of aluminum. That would be sweet....
The best keyboard is an on-touchscreen keyboard.
..But I don't expect qwerty typists to understand.
Kind of a random comment...?
Without a keyboard stylus input is probably second followed by on screen keyboard. Usually one one removes the keyboard its for the portability factor and one hand input while standing.
what the hell? i wasn't trying to reply to you.
I dunno, i'm a tactile feedback fan personally.
@you, something strange just happened with your posts...
I'm saying they can brag all they want about keyboards but as long as they're still qwerty, physical, and conventional, they all suck horribly. It bugs me most when Apple talks about their keyboards like they're different or better or something, how they 're-everything'ed it', and it's the exact same qwerty garbage we've been suffering under for 130 years.
Touch screen keyboards? Please. The thought of having to type on one of those all day or play games with one makes me cringe. I'll take the physical keyboard any day.
@ethana2, really removing the qwerty keyboard would be a good move for computers. Yea, I don't see that happening till we have some form of advanced wireless mind reading technology. Even if they switch to a screen, it's still going to require some sort of keyboard feel to it even if it's below the keys.
mind sharing what you use?
I am a colemak touch typist. I have hit 111 wpm twice.
I know what I want.
As I said, I don't expect qwerty users to understand, I just wish vendors would shut up about their keyboards until they actually fix them.
Dude: The keyboardless laptop has been out for quite some time. See my link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BnLbv6QYcA
I can't even say that I'm a fan of the touch sensitive controls.
@ethana. You are talking about changing the layout of the keys, not removing a conventional mechanical keyboard, which is something I agree with(Trying out Dvorak on my desktop which is mindfuckkery to start with). It is important to keep tactile feel (Fnar!), I would put money on most people being able to type as fast on a touch screen as on a keyboard.
I'm talking about both.
Dude, dvorak is.. just spare yourself. It's twice as much retraining as colemak and it's like 10% less efficient. Try colemak instead.
Best keyboard is the chiclet-type on Vaios :)
You're conflating two seperate arguments and thus weakening both of them. The onscreen non-tactile keyboard argument is pretty weak to start with, so I'll simply discount it. Sorry, some form of haptic perception is pretty crucial to being able to touch type.
As for Colemak, it is interesting, but I'm somewhat less than impressed by the amount of horizontal key travel it seems to require. It is a modification of QWERTY intended to move more of the common letters to the center and home rows and prevent vertical travel, but my initial impressions are that its relying on too much same hand keystrokes. It bears some further examination though.
Finally, you bring up the phrase "I don't expect qwerty typists to understand." which of course, is just a rank attempt to root your argument in some sort of appeal to "class" where no one who isn't you or just like you can have a valid opinion.
In short, you do more damage to your own viewpoint in two partial sentences than I could have in the past 3 paragraphs.
actually the best keyboard is DVORAK on a Model M.
Nobody cares about how many words per minute you can type. In fact, unless your profession would see a large benefit to how many words per minute you can type, I don't think anyone would ever care. You prefer Colemak. That's it. It's not better. Also, a touchscreen keyboard? Please.
I like the looks...minus the leather part.
Not a fan of the leather. Did someone at Dell really think leather would give them an edge aesthetically? Sounds like there is a Douche making decisions over in Round Rock.
They seem to have forgotten the simple fact that less is more.
I've had mine for over a month now and absolutely LOVE it. It's so ridiculously fast and with dual sli cards are great for any game i've thrown at it. Keyboard is easily best keyboard i've ever used on a laptop. The only minor complaint is that it does get alittle toasty when both video cards are turned on but usually i never play games with it in my lap so it's minor. Excellent choice for anyone looking for a great lappy.
WOW!!! no mac fans yet!!!
I would like one of those to go, please.
I toyed with one of these for the first time last weekend in a local Currys. (UK)
The keyboard is indeed a joy to use, the design exquisite and the specs impressive... it received no end of fond remarks from bystanders as I went 'forensic' on it on the stand, but I do wonder why, when providing a HDMI out they neglect the XPS 16's Blu-Ray slot drive as an option. It seems like a complete waste of what would otherwise be a worthwhile feature.
Looks nice, but a 13" laptop is NOT an ultra-portable. My 12" x41 is debatable... Now a 10" or smaller...That is an ultra-portable. It does look like a great keyboard though... :)
You're focusing way too much on logic here. The naming of laptops is not even close to intuitive. I don't see why a midsized, affordable laptop couldn't be a "netbook," a 10" and down laptop be an "ultraportable," and anything over $2000 be "fucking stupid."
Good Review!
I got with a SSD for $700 and am very, very happy with it. Gets a 5.2 on the Vista benchmark, battery life is reasonably good, and I agree, keyboard is amazing.
Built the exact same system configuration (processor, graphics card, SSD) in a MacBook directly from Apple and its over $2,000, I don't care how cool the aluminum body is there is no way its worth 3x the price.
I know this is a new style for Dell, lets hope this is a sign of things to come!