Dell’s modern design comes to the XPS 15 and revived XPS 17
Goodbye, thick bottom bezel!
With each new generation, we’ve heaped praise on Dell for its well-built XPS line of laptops, and it seems hard to imagine how the company can keep improving the series. This year, the PC maker is continuing its war against bezels by slimming down the chin below the display, showing off a new, more-modern design in the XPS 13. Today, it’s announcing the XPS 15, which has been redesigned to feature the same taller aspect ratio alongside a few other improvements. Plus, Dell is resurrecting the XPS family’s 17-inch variant after a break of nearly 10 years. It has the same refreshed look as its 13- and 15-inch siblings and promises to pack plenty of power.
With the XPS 17, Dell is jumping aboard the large-laptop trend from last year. It’s joining the likes of Apple and LG in making big, powerful notebooks that aren’t the giant honking machines we’ve come to expect at that size. In fact, Dell is calling the XPS 17 the smallest 17-inch laptop on the planet. Measuring 14.74 x 9.76 x 0.77 inches, the new XPS 17 certainly comes in slightly smaller than the LG Gram 17 (15.0 x 10.3 x 0.7 inches).
Despite its relatively compact size, the XPS 17 comes with a roomy 16:10 screen with skinny bezels all around. You can configure it with a Full HD+ screen, or upgrade to the 4K UHD+ panel that offers HDR400 support and renders 100 percent of the Adobe RGB color spectrum.
Dell says the XPS 17 was designed to be the “most powerful XPS laptop ever made,” and equipped it with the latest tenth-generation Intel Core processors, as well as up to NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 2060 graphics with Max-Q design. The beefy notebook will require an effective heat dissipation system as well, and the company uses a patented dual opposite outlet fan for more airflow and improved temperatures. With so much power, most large laptops tend to have disappointingly short battery lives. Dell is “targeting up to 20 hours on FHD+,” but we’ll have to put this claim to the test in a full review to see if you need to remain chained to an outlet with this machine.
If a 17-inch screen is overkill for you, the redesigned XPS 15 might be more your speed. Dell makes a similar claim about it being the “smallest 15.6-inch performance class laptop,” and it looks just like you’d expect. Like the rest of the 2020 XPS series, the 15-inch version’s 16:10 screen is surrounded by a minimal bezel on all sides, including the bottom. You can get it with a Full HD+ screen or upgrade to the 4K UHD+ with similar specs to the 17-inch variant.
Just like on the bigger model, the XPS 15 is equipped with tenth-generation Intel Core processors (i5, i7 or i9), as well as up to NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1650Ti graphics. Dell is more ambitious with battery life estimates here, saying the new XPS 15 will last up to 25 hours on FHD+.
Dell is also launching Creator Editions of both the XPS 15 and 17. These are configurations meant for content creators, and are designed with tools that “speed up high-resolution video editing and graphic design processes.”
Alongside its slew of new laptops, the company also announced a new service called Dell Migrate, that lets you move all your stuff from all your PCs. It’ll transfer your pictures, music and other personal data from any PC running Windows 8 or newer, to your new Dell machine. The tool will also port over your wallpaper, browser bookmarks, themes and other personalization settings as well as harder-to-find information that might be saved to random locations by newer apps. Dell Migrate starts at $39 and you can use it as many times as you want within six months of purchase.
Meanwhile, the XPS 15 will be available this week starting at $1,300, while the XPS 17 will arrive in the summer from $1,500. Those looking for a larger, more powerful laptop with a beautiful screen and modern design might find this a suitable option. If you’re not in a hurry, consider waiting till our full reviews are up before spending your money.
