The best ultraportable laptops you can buy
There's no shortage of thin-and-light laptops out there. These are our favorites.
Dell XPS 15 9500 (2020)
90
Engadget Review
Dell’s premium 15-inch notebook finally has a design refresh to match the excellent XPS 13. It’s fast, sleek and has one of the best screens we’ve seen in a workhorse PC. The only downside is that it loses legacy ports.
It finally gets the redesign we've been waiting for.
Devindra HardawarJune 21, 2020
Pros
- Thinner and lighter design
- Screen is larger with thinner bezels
- Better keyboard and trackpad
- Excellent performance
- SD card reader still included
Cons
- No USB Type A or HDMI ports
- Only three USB-C connections
Dell
XPS 15
Engadget
90
Critics
10 reviews80
CNET
The new design for 2020 improves on its predecessor and strikes a good balance for photo editing, as long as you don't care about losing some connections
88
AVERAGE CRITIC SCORE
Users - Not yet scored
N/A
AVERAGE USER SCORE
View All Critic & User Reviews
Dell XPS 15 9500 (2020)
- Critic Reviews (10)
- 88AVERAGE CRITIC SCORE10 ReviewsCNET80The photo editor's new friendThe new design for 2020 improves on its predecessor and strikes a good balance for photo editing, as long as you don't care about losing some connections.PC Mag90A premium 15-inch desktop replacement that's chasing perfectionThe 2020 Dell XPS 15 is a near-ideal 15.6-inch desktop-replacement laptop. Its sleek design, fast performance, and robust feature set make it our top pick among premium Windows options at its size.Gizmodo90The Dell XPS 15 Might Be the Best All-Around Laptop You Can BuySure, bigger laptops might be able to crank out more frames per second while gaming and a smaller 13-inch notebook might make more sense for people constantly on the move. But if I could only choose one laptop to handle all of my work, entertainment, and general everyday needs, there are few systems I’d rather have than the XPS 15.Tom's Guide80Dell XPS 15 (2020) reviewThe Dell XPS 15 2020 offers great performance and one of the most immersive, colorful displays of any 15-inch laptop.Laptop Magazine90The Dell XPS 15 keeps getting betterThe Dell XPS 15 gets rid of the bezels, serves up impressive power with excellent audio and a beautiful super high-res touch display in a smaller, premium frame.Tom's Hardware90Professional Glow-upThe Dell XPS 15 (9500) is back with a redesign that highlights a beautiful 16:10 screen and has excellent sound quality. Its webcam, though in the right place, still needs work.The Verge80New Design, Familiar ProblemsIf you’ve wanted to buy an XPS 15, but have been waiting for Dell to ditch the dated design, this model is what you’ve been waiting for. It’s just not perfect yet.TechRadar100The ultimate laptop has arrivedThe Dell XPS 15 is easily the best 15-inch laptop on the market, and in a lot of ways it's the best laptop period. It's extremely powerful, stylish and light enough to carry around town. We seriously can't find anything that holds it back.Digital Trends90Best 15-inch laptop you can buyThe Dell XPS 15's elegant design and impressive performance make it an excellent choice for creative professionals.Notebookcheck90Now Even More Like a MacBook ProFor the base price of $1300, Dell's flagship system is making all the right changes in almost all the right places for an admirable first impression.
Login to Write a Review
Key Specs
TYPE
Midsize
SCREEN SIZE
15.6in
SCREEN RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
BUNDLED OS
Windows
CPU FAMILY
Core i7
PROCESSOR SPEED
5ghz
SYSTEM RAM
8GB
MAXIMUM BATTERY LIFE
Up to 25hr
Featured Videos
You’ll need more than $299 to truly enjoy next-gen gaming
Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+ review: Samsung’s best can’t fix Android’s flaws
More from Dell
Dell's latest business Chromebook offers high-end specs and extra security
Latitude 7410 Chromebook Enterprise can be configured as a laptop or 2-in-1.
A newsletter a day keeps the FOMO at bay.
Just enter your email and we'll take care of the rest:
Now available on your smart speaker and wherever you get your podcasts:
Share your thoughts on this year's XPS 13 laptop
We gave it high marks in our review, now we want to hear from regular users.
86
Dell's XPS Desktop fits NVIDIA and AMD graphics inside a smaller case
The company also introduced a frost-colored version of the XPS 15.
Dell's latest gaming PCs include large G7 laptops and a G5 desktop
Expect more power and lots of lighting
9013Dell XPS 15 review (2020): The ideal 15-inch laptop for creatives
It finally gets the redesign we've been waiting for.
The best deals we found this week: AirPods Pro, the iPad and more
Early Memorial Day sales are starting, too.
Engadget Podcast: Dell's new XPS laptops and Zocdoc's telehealth play
Plus, thoughts on VR meetings and therapy sessions.
Get the 2019 Dell XPS 13 with touchscreen for under $850
The model we recommend features a 10th-gen Core i5 CPU and 8GB of RAM.
19
Alienware's updated Area-51m laptop comes with AMD RDNA graphics
You also get up to a 10-core Intel i9 CPU and improved cooling.
PC shipments see their largest drop in four years due to COVID-19
This is despite surging sales as people work from home.
Dell's XPS 15 and 17 leak with sleek new designs
Smaller bezels and no USB A ports, according to a leaked image from Dell's site.
9413