Dell XPS 13 (Skylake) Full Review | The Best Just Got Better

[@Thetechchap]

What do you guys think of the XPS 13? Worth the high price? If you have any questions let me know and I'll do my best to answer :)

[@gabbiepumpkin]

+The Tech Chap TV How is the adaptive brightness? People have been complaining that it is annoying! There is a website that tests it here: tylerwatt12.com/dc/

[@gabbiepumpkin]

+The Tech Chap TV How is the adaptive brightness? People have been complaining that it is annoying! There is a website that tests it here: tylerwatt12.com/dc/

[@RealKanashii]

+The Tech Chap TV Disable the "pinch to zoom" option in the windows configuration to lower the trackpad delay.

[@Paddydapro]

+The Tech Chap TV Hey Tech Chap, i am currently considering buying exactly the model you got because its the best compromise i think because this i5 has also hyperthreading ( ark.intel.com/de/products/88193/Intel-Core-i5-6200U-Processor-3M-Cache-up-to-2_80-GHz ) exactly like the better but way more expensive i7 model ( ark.intel.com/de/products/88194/Intel-Core-i7-6500U-Processor-4M-Cache-up-to-3_10-GHz?q=i7%206500u ) you basically gain a minor graphics frequency improvement and a 300mhz better boost on the cpu but i am really insecure if a laptop with a dedicated graphics like lets say a 960m and an i7 6700HQ wouldn't be better, they are even cheaper sometimes, will the battery life decrease alot if i would purchase a real laptop instead like lets say an ASUS ROG GL752W T4108D?

[@crystalh5507]

+The Tech Chap TV Definitely worth paying a little more for something that is good quality. The pricing on dell.com/fortcampbell is a little lower and they do offer price matching as well :)

[@IbrahimAhmed-wm1mo]

5 years!! Man,, amazing!

[@KevinLamKW]

This is probably one of the most thorough and concise reviews I've seen of the XPS 13. You've swayed me quite a bit on getting this, also subbed!

[@Thetechchap]

why thank you!

[@RafalBorowski]

The fact it actually even runs F4 blows my mind. Wasn't expecting it to even start :P This has to be THE ultrabook to go for right now.

[@Thetechchap]

+Rafal Borowski It is pretty cool! :)

[@saewms2616]

Beautiful laptop and appropriate pricing. Great, extensive review. Keep up the great work.

[@Thetechchap]

+Sable Williams Thanks Sable! High pricing for sure, but appropraite versus Apple Macs for sure! :)

[@Bubelhaftisch]

I just bought mine and then found your review. I'm so glad you did such a thorough review. Thanks! Really looking forward to getting mine now.

[@Thetechchap]

+Bubelhaftisch Thank you! Hope you enjoy using it!

[@djlamichhane]

This is a best review video I've seen for this laptop. All the other videos are too flashly. you get straight to the point and give no biased reviews. Thanks.

[@Thetechchap]

+DJ Lamichhane Glad you liked it! :)

[@Maximilan20]

The best review I've seen. I want portability and power and you covered it here. I edit 1080p videos and I'm glad to hear it handles it. Others are quick to fire off that you can't edit on it at all. Keep on making the awesome videos you make dude, I love it!!

[@bluestuable]

thanks for this review, I went and bought my xps 13 right after. loving it so far great solid build and great ssd performance.

[@Thetechchap]

+bluestuable Great to hear your enjoying it :)

[@kaytomascom]

omg what a screen! It looks like its a piece of paper early in the video! It looks unbelievable. Thanks again for a great video.

[@Thetechchap]

+Kay Tomas Bertheussen I agree it looks like a false display! Your welcome :)

[@nkduy1996]

Great review. I ordered mine from the Microsoft Store and I cant wait for it to get here

[@Thetechchap]

+Duy Nguyen Cheers Duy - hope you enjoy it :)

[@MrAsthenia]

Thank you for taking the time to create this review, Tom. I've just ordered one in the same spec as your review unit, on the strength of both this video and your XPS gaming video. Keep up the great work!

[@Thetechchap]

+MrAsthenia No problem at all - glad to hear you found my videos useful! Hope you enjoy your new XPS 13 :)

[@MrAsthenia]

+The Tech Chap TV One quick question for you sir, if that's okay; do you have a sleeve/case for yours, and if so, which one? It seems that sleeves for the 11" Macbook Air are slightly too small, and ones for the 13" Macbook Air/Pro are much too big. I had a look at the Surface Pro options, but I couldn't figure out if they'd work, given the SP's unusual aspect ratio...

[@Thetechchap]

+MrAsthenia Of course, Mr asthenia. I bought this sleeve as it's designed for the XPS: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00TIJUU5E?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00

[@Bangkokian1967]

Picked this up today. Absolutely fantastic machine!

[@Thetechchap]

+Bangkokian1967 Glad to hear you like it!

[@dylanpearson9480]

+The Tech Chap TV Great review glad I found you, very thorough and helpful. I look forward to seeing more of your content!

[@Thetechchap]

+Dylan Pearson Cheers Dylan! Glad it helped :)

[@sohangharpure]

A very well rounded review, covers everything one needs. Might get one.

[@Thetechchap]

+Sohan Gharpure Glad you found it helpful! :)

[@justinyeoh7209]

Thanks for the extensive review, probably the first of the Skylake XPS13 on KZbin. Hope you can get your hands on a Pixel C when it is out.

[@Thetechchap]

+Justin Yeoh Thanks very much! I'll see what I can do :)

[@v-chuelee3050]

Dell XPS 13 is very interesting to me. However, I am a student. I dont have the amount of money to buy it. It seems I need to start saving from now. Hope someday I can get it.

[@theonetrueac]

Thanks for the excellent review. I just picked up a refurbed 9343 that would be a $1200 config new, for about $850. I'm glad to hear hear the nvme ssd and usb-c upgrades have made their way into this model. These are excellent laptops and I'm really enjoying the Jan2015 revision. For anyone reading this considering this laptop, take the plunge. You won't regret it.

[@Thetechchap]

+Jonathan Thompson Thanks John - good to hear your feedback :)

[@rainshine6105]

fantastic review. getting one after this review. thanks

[@Thetechchap]

+rain shine great to hear :)

[@yoslick50]

Really fantastic review! After watching this video i just ordered one of these to replace my Surface Pro 3.

[@sharegood610]

Great review! Thorough and to the point.

[@Thetechchap]

+SHARE GOOD Thanks very much!

[@timstoker1280]

Hi Tech Chap, Many thanks for a great and informative review. Yesterday I ordered exactly the same model, albeit with Windows 10 Pro, and I must say, I am rather excited! I am not a techie, just a humble writer, but I decided to upgrade from my old Vaio as smoke is almost belching out the back of the damn thing! I have only heard/read/seen good reviews for the XPS, so here we go! Merry Christmas and have a great 2016 :)

[@Thetechchap]

+Tim Stoker Thanks for your feedback and It's great to hear your excited about getting your new XPS! Happy Christmas to you too :)

[@timstoker1280]

Cheers! And I look forward to your future helpful reviews. All the best, Tim

[@DarkHawk783]

i just discovered your channel, yesterday actually, and i gotta say that a really like your videos. your review of the dell xps 13 it's very well done thank you subrscribed!!

[@Thetechchap]

thanks very much! may I ask how you stumbled upon my channel? :)

[@DarkHawk783]

You unboxing and first look of the dell, i enjoyed that video to. I was looking for a review of the Skylake update, because a wanted to buy one. Shortly after a bought it, thanks to your full review.

[@Thetechchap]

+giorgio “SgtDarkHawk” mazza Okay great good to know!

[@Shercko]

Great review broski, thanks.

[@AbsoluteXero]

The combination of Windows 10+Skylake+XPS13 form factor and spec has sold me on this being my next laptop. Just waiting for my Macbook Air 2012 to conk out.

[@Thetechchap]

+AbsoluteXero That's what we were all waiting for really, that killer combo as you say. :)

[@ismaelramos6898]

Awesome review. Really good job. I'm going to buy the new one. I'm a developer, and I want to see it in action with Ubuntu and programs like Webstorm and more. Subscribed, keep doing those amazing reviews!

[@Thetechchap]

+Ismael Ramos Silvan thanks Ismael!

[@gonespral]

Gr8 and very detailed review! Thank you I needed this.

[@Thetechchap]

+Gon Nespral Good stuff! :)

[@S0UNDWAVE]

Fantastic review. Just subscribed.

[@bkohnen]

Great professional and objective review that made me subscribe and promote your channel. Really helped me making a decision of whether or not I want this device. (I do!) Often reviews are too subjective and sadly just try to get attention. Yours isn't and you specifically called out when something may be just your preference. Thanks Chap!

[@Thetechchap]

+Björn Kohnen I really appreciate that Bjorn thanks very much! Thanks for your sub :)

[@indiananupam5715]

Fabulous video *brother* ..ur biggest fan from *India*

[@datb0yavi123456]

You sold me on this. Thanks !

[@Thetechchap]

+datb0yavi123456 That's awesome! No problem, hope you enjoy it :)

[@mutian19]

Thank you for such a great review!

[@Thetechchap]

glad you enjoyed it :) Hope I can count you as a subscriber!

[@emanuelsimont]

Great review Chap! You just earned a new subscriber :)

[@Thetechchap]

+Emanuel Simón Thanks Emanuel! :)

[@lukyluke993]

Very good video. Iam thinking about buying it!

[@Thetechchap]

+lukyluke993 Thanks :)

[@TallyHoTech]

Nice one Bruv. Im loving my XPS 15 :)

[@Thetechchap]

+Western Gents United Thanks! Awesome :)

[@saileshsharma2139]

Getting a XPS 13 i5 6200u, 8GB RAM and 256 GB SSD touch on October 8th. Really excited to hold it.😁

[@Mark.mp3]

How do you like it?

[@saileshsharma2139]

Its awesome! There is no problem in it and everything works great. I highly recommend it to everyone looking for a great ultrabook.

[@abs-09]

Sailesh Sharma is the glare in the screen very annoying?

[@saileshsharma2139]

well yes, the glare is pretty annoying when its under direct sunlight but in a shade its not that bad.

[@Nur-hi4kn]

Would you consider getting the XPS 13' i7 6500u 8ram 256ssd in 2019? For video(color grading, premier ) and photo editing ( lightroom, ps and so on)? Thanks in advance!

[@bryanvlo]

Thanks for the review have decided to purchase one for my wife.

[@Thetechchap]

+Bryan Lo Lucky lady! :)

[@kieran142110]

Great Video!! I just ordered one ;D

[@Thetechchap]

+Kieran White wow nice one! Hope you enjoy :)

[@jeanfleming7034]

I looked at Microsoft store but the one they have is the older model not the 9350. I ordered from Dell but I didn't realise they ship them from the factory in China so I've had a long wait. Ordered 30th Nov 2015. Not arrived yet.

[@Thetechchap]

+Jean Fleming I ordered (pre-ordered, really) from Dell and they shipped from China too which took ages :/

[@jeanfleming7034]

+The Tech Chap TV. It arrived 9th Dec. Lovely looking machine but I wish it had Windows 8.1 instead of 10. You can't add extra folders in your email. I think I will have to contact Dell because I don't find this any quicker than my HP stream 11, maybe something's wrong. I am a bit disappointed.

[@Duckstalker1340]

Great product. I will consider buying as soon as they have a thunderbolt dock with external GPU solution.

[@Thetechchap]

+Duckstalker1340 Sounds good!

[@AlwaysLoudAA]

Awesome review. Just ordered this after watching your review and doing hours of research on top of this lol. Will update what I think soon after I get it, but i'm sure my opinion will be (hopefully) similar to yours.

[@shunyaoflaherty4587]

How was it?

[@AlwaysLoudAA]

+Shunya O'Flaherty hey! it's awesome! so far 0 problems, speakers are great, screen is great (I get compliments all the time when I'm at a local coffee shop and people see the thin bezels). I've heard the fan maybe 3x when I was watching videos on KZbin. Battery life is decent, mine lasts around 7 hours of heavy use (videos,internet,light gaming like league of Legends). Would Definitely recommend

[@gmillion78]

Great review. Heard the SD can stick out of the device slightly when you have one inserted. Ordered the XPS 13 recently with the 256ssd and am a bit weary of having enough of a hard drive. Outside of remedying it with a external, I plan on using a 128gb SD as a helping hand with storage.

[@Thetechchap]

+George Miller I think that's a good idea and yes it does stick out ever-so-slightly but it's not really an issue. Thanks!

[@Forzaguy5]

I am using one Dell XPS 13 9350 non touch to write this comment. I have at home a 2013 Macbook Air 11.6. I am torn cause I do not know which one to keep. The trackpad of the Air is simply the BEST. The writing experience on the Dell is better for me. The display on the Dell is better, obviously, but I would not say it is a huge difference between the two of them. The sound on the Dell is much better. The Air is more premium. The restpalm of the Dell is warmer, softer. The built quality of the Air is better. The OS, well.... it is simply a matter of preference, but yes, the Apple's is more friendly used, intuitive and is fun to use. I do not know what to do....

[@Thetechchap]

+Anca Ponea It's true, whether it's the glass trackpad itself or the Mac OS software but the Mac trackpads are better. I think the Dell looks a lot nicer, and for me personally a 11.6" laptop is too small (the 13" XPS in the 11" body is ideal). It comes down to Windows vs Mac OS really. Maybe stick with the Air and wait for a 2016 refresh?

[@Adam-xq5pe]

I want this laptop so badly. It would be a perfect laptop for school and I absolutley love 11 inch laptops (Or 11 inch body laptops). To bad it's so expensive, I would've kept it for years.

[@Thetechchap]

+ScatterFacer It is pretty great :P Why not try and get the Jan 2015 (9343) version for a bit less money? It's really not that different.

[@Adam-xq5pe]

If I'm keeping a laptop for a long time I'd want to have the one with the least amount of bugs and problems.

[@Thetechchap]

+ScatterFacer Yeah that's fair :)

[@stevenicoll]

Great review, thanks + subscribed

[@Thetechchap]

+Steve Nicoll Glad you found it helpful - thanks :)

[@carlsagan3065]

I'm glad too see it takes two hands to open. That means the hinge is nice and tight. Good enough to play quake, tf2 and my emulator collection.

[@christophrieke7370]

Great review! Personal impressions of people one can identify with are often more helpful than pure 'spec reviews'! Could you please test this major trackpad issue (apart from scrolling) of the XPS 13 9343 to see if it has been resolved: Calmly set your finger on the trackpad, move it like 1-2 mm. Does the cursor move instantly ? The problem with the 9343 was that there was some kind of "deadzone" and the cursor only started moving after maybe 2 mm. This only happend when you set your finger on the touchpad from anew, if you already moved the cursor around there was no deadzone. Still, it was extremely annoying. If this is resolved I think I will give the XPS 13 a second chance. Thanks!

[@Thetechchap]

+Christoph Rieke Thank you! I'm glad you found my personal impressions helpful :) I love how you described that - 'calmly' haha. To answer your question - yes it appears to still have that issue. I can move my finger about 0.5-1mm on the trackpad without the cursor moving. This is with the latest updates/drivers. HOWEVER - if you go into the laptops 'mouse pointer display or speed' settings in Windows and check 'enhance pointer precision', followed by whacking the pointer speed to max. It's perfect. Pixel-precise movement. Hope that helps!

[@TheBlooRayChannel]

Fantastic review.

[@Thetechchap]

+TheBlooRayChannel thanks very much :)

[@TheBlooRayChannel]

+The Tech Chap TV are you still using the machine? I'm seriously thinking about taking the plunge. Are there any trackpad issues? Some have also reported screen flickering which I suppose can be updated with a future software update?

[@Thetechchap]

+TheBlooRayChannel Yep, use it everyday. I would still recommend it. I have heard people have issues but I don't have any personally. There's a slight 'deadzone' on the trackpad but there's a simple fix which I'll have a video up about tomorrow :)

[@hectorbanchs]

Great review, well rounded. What is the laptop sleeve that appears on the video?

[@Thetechchap]

+Hector Banchs Thanks very much. The sleeve is this: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00TIJUU5E?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00

[@PoloPieGaming]

managed to get the i7 model for only £950 thanks to the sale and adding a student discount coupon. very excited to see how it performs when it arrives.

[@nathanaellandicho]

how is it performing?

[@danielmorgan104dm]

Polopie very similar to me. I got a i7 1080p one for just over 1000 with student discount

[@Felix-ok2mx]

you can intall another nvme driver which fixes the bad write performance, the original windows 10 drivers fucks it up - you can google it.

[@Thetechchap]

+Felix Montino This one? :P kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXa8lKWumJ1neq8

[@Felix-ok2mx]

+The Tech Chap TV you're welcome ;)

[@piner74]

Thanks for the great review. Just not sure if the touchscreen version is a real benefit? What's your opinion if the downside of having less battery run-time would not be an issue?

[@Thetechchap]

+piner74 Glad you enjoyed it :) Personally, i don't see the benefit of the touchscreen. Fingerprint marks all over the screen, Win 10 still isn't particularly optimised for touch, it comes with the QHD res screen (which has some perks), but the glossy screen and lower battery AND higher price - for me - makes the FHD/matte/non-touch model the one to get.

[@MrConan13579]

Great review

[@masterchef6694]

The Tech Chap TV ...........nice review......did you face any heating problems while playing that game ? How will it fare against the hp envy 13 ? Which one would you buy?

[@Thetechchap]

+Abhijit Shetty No heating problems at all - only got slightly warm underneath (not hot). I think the XPS 13 is a bit more premium overall, and has better battery i believe - the but envy 13 is a bit cheaper. Personally i'd opt for the XPS 13 but it is very expensive.

[@MistaKasko]

Hey man, I recently purchased the QHD touchscreen, i7-6500u, 16gb Ram, 512gb PCIe model from the dell outlet with student discount. It was certified scratch and dent and I paid £945 - it's due to arrive in a week and fingers crossed it will be in reasonably good condition. I notice you mentioned your model is appropriate for light video editing and I wanted to know what you mean by 'light'. I'm hoping the model I bought would be strong enough to handle 1080p editing with a few layers and graphics - could you give me any insight? I also had a video idea that you could possibly do. Perhaps a video detailing a checklist to go through when purchasing a new laptop (particularly refurbished) as there aren't many out there and I'd sure find it useful for when my new system arrives! Great review btw.

[@Thetechchap]

+MistaKasko Awesome! That's a ridiculously good price. Yep sure thing it handles 1080p fine (even multiple sources - tested in premiere pro). The one thing it doesn't do.. is 4K. It could just be mine but loading a native 4K video file into Premiere just crashes the computer. 1080p50 works perfectly though so perhaps that's more like 'moderate' than 'light' video editing :) That's an interesting idea - I'll make a note!

[@pudsse]

really nice nice laptop , how efficient would it be at running solid works, was looking at a mac book pro but having to install a parallel is putting me off , i was wondering would the i7 model off this be a better option

[@Thetechchap]

+michael haugh That's a great question. I don't own Solid Works unfortunately so I can't test that for you. Undoubtedly the i7 would be a better option as it can utilise the hyperthreading. So definitely opt for the i7, but it really isn't designed for heavy 3d graphics work. Might be worth looking at the new Dell Precision laptops with Nvidia Quadro graphics cards instead. :)

[@Arthur_StJohn]

Love your video. Will you be doing a video review of the new refreshed xps 13 with Iris Intel 540 graphics?

[@Thetechchap]

+Sean Han I'd love to get my hands on one - i'll see what I can do

[@Axielorza]

Great review! One question remaining though: May I have any issue when trying to connect the laptop to an HDMI port? Which is the best port for that (and consequently the best adapter), the Thunderbolt port or the USB port?

[@Thetechchap]

+Axielorza I think the best way to do that would be to get a USB Type C (aka Thunderbolt 3) -> HDMI adaptor, like this: www.amazon.com/dp/B00X4S5C7G/?tag=techchap-20 Hope that helps! :)

[@MrR33ZA]

Is the extra $$ worth investing on buying the new XPS 13 instead of buying the old one?

[@Thetechchap]

+R33ZA That's a really good question. I suppose it depends on how cheaply/how much of a discount you can get the older model. Personally since it's an expensive laptop either way, I would opt for the newer one. There are far fewer issues with it (lots of people had problems with the trackpad/coil whine on the old one - although to be fair a few are still suffering from similar issues with the newer one but it's less common I understand). On the whole I'd say go for the newer one - Skylake/Win 10 is a great combo. Maybe if the XPS 13 9343 (older model) was... more than £300/$400 cheaper it would be worth it for the better bang for buck :)

[@MrR33ZA]

+The Tech Chap TV thank's for the quick reply Chap, I was asking because I'm looking on buying myself a laptop because I'm going to college soon. Is there any other laptop you'd want me to check out? I want it to be a Windows laptop btw if you have any in mind, thank in advance!

[@Thetechchap]

+R33ZA Depends on your budget really. Good alternatives are the ASUS UX303LA or the HP Envy 13-d008na. I'd still recommend the XPS over these though.

[@MrR33ZA]

+The Tech Chap TV my budget is at around 800-1K I'm about to head out to Best Buy in an hour or so. Right now I'm am planning on getting the XPS 13 and hopefully get some discounts using student discount.

[@Thetechchap]

+R33ZA Don't settle for second best, especially when you're spending this much money. I'd definitely go for the latest XPS 13 (old or new model depending on the deal you can get). I'm still amazed every time I use it how compact it is for a 13.3" laptop (I use a 11.6" MBA sleeve!)

[@whiteshadow333]

Hey mate, great review. I was wondering if you have any plans to review the XPS 15?

[@Thetechchap]

+Tyler Grummett Thanks Tyler! I don't currently, I am trying to get my hands on one though :)

[@whiteshadow333]

+The Tech Chap TV I'll have to subscribe then haha I really want the FHD version, but it's not available on MS store. I've heard bad stories about dealing with dell support.

[@Thetechchap]

+Tyler Grummett ahh what a shame! haha. I've heard bad stories too but I've personally had pretty good experiences with them.

[@1478523693698]

Great rewiev! Could you tell us which adapters you use for the usb c port? And is there any dock which powers the xps and also gives port expansion through usb c? I think its a great laptop but with a few ports.

[@Thetechchap]

+DirtmanV Thanks! I don't currently use any adaptors for the USB C (haven't had the need to just yet). There is a Dell Docking station that gives you a range of extra ports and connectivity options. It's called the Dell USB 3.0 Ultra HD Triple Video Docking Station D3100 (accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=bsd&cs=ukbsdt1&sku=452-bboo). As for standard adaptors, say you want a USB Type C to HDMI. I'd just search for 'usb type c to hdmi' on amazon - there are a range for £15-20. Hope that helps!

[@1478523693698]

+The Tech Chap TV Thanks, i am looking into buying one and wanted to know about usb c compatibility. And its benefits to usb 3.0 docks or adaptors. Maybe i'll wayt till Dell releases its usb-c dock

[@Coupee36]

i'd like to know the tolerance on the Gorilla glass? Does this mean its virtually indestructible glass?

[@Thetechchap]

+Coupee36 I believe only the QHD+/Touch Model features the Gorilla Glass NBT. I'm not personally aware of what the tolerances are for that but I believe it to be pretty high!

[@pavelob]

Hi! Great review! Does it perform well if you connect it to wide-screen monitor?

[@Thetechchap]

Thanks! Yup, using the USB type C -> HDMI it works well

[@pavelob]

+The Tech Chap TV Ok, good! One more question, I know that this pc isn't made for gaming but is it possible to play online battlefield 4 with medium/low settings?

[@doebbalapoent11]

Does the I5 6200u feel really snappy in combination with an ssd in day-to-day use?? good review by the way

[@Thetechchap]

+doebbalapoent11 very snappy - though I think that's more to do with the super awesome PCI-E SSD. General use it's fantastic :)

[@doebbalapoent11]

+The Tech Chap TV nice, I get a laptop with similar specs (6200u 128gb pci-e ssd), diffirence is that I get a gtx 950m for gaming purposes. glad to hear that it works snappy, thats my number 1 priority

[@faceofshadowyt]

Great Video. In-depth review indeed. Do you happen to know the launch date of the skylake model in the US?

[@Thetechchap]

+faceofshadowyt Thanks very much - i believe it's available now. There's a link to where you can buy it from Amazon in the description.

[@faceofshadowyt]

Ah! Got it. Thanks buddy.

[@michaltvrdy99]

Perfect review that covers pretty much everything people may be interested in. Thanks! Have you tried the newest BIOS? How does it affect the NVMe performance? What do you think about the material covering the palmrest area and edges (the somewhat smooth surface) will it last? Also is there any change in fan behavior once you plug in (ie does it kick in more often as it did with the Broadwell XPS 13)?

[@Thetechchap]

+michaltvrdy99 Glad to hear you found it helpful! I have updated to the most recent bios (.4 something I think). I just ran the AS SSD benchmark again and the results are within ~5% of the original so I wouldn't say it's had an effect on SSD performance (I've also installed the latest big Windows update)

[@littlefico]

hi tech chap, i´m dithering between the acer v3, asus zenbook ux305, dell xps 13 and hp envy 13. in every case i would like the new skylake processor. but beside skylake i am not sure between i5,i7,m5,m7. m series would be without fan but less processing power. 1. elegance 2. battery-life 3. performance at a maximum of 1200€

[@Thetechchap]

+littlefico While The Tech Chap offers all kinds of technology reviews, I can't review everything so may I direct to you to the Notebookcheck for reviews on most of these (e.g. UX305 www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-Zenbook-UX305CA-EHM1-Subnotebook-Review.154422.0.html) In my opinion, the XPS 13 is the best of these devices though - particularly for battery life and build quality (infinityedge display is really unique). If you intend to do light gaming or video editing, definitely opt for a i5 or i7. The m5/m7 are only good for browsing/desktop/office. Personally, I'd recommend the XPS 13, closely followed by the UX305 and then Envy 13.

[@littlefico]

+The Tech Chap TV thanks a lot :)

[@mikesuryo]

this or thinkpad x1 carbon? my work only uses word, excel, powerpoint, browsing, a bit of 2d cad, and frequent travel from one place to another. need your guide, chap. best regards, mike

[@Thetechchap]

The thinkpad is considered more of a professional/business laptop. To be honest I haven't had much experience with them so can't comment personally, but I do know they're very well thought off. I am a big fan of the XPS 13 and can't really find any fault with it - so I would personally go for the XPS 13 but as I say I'm not an expert on the thinkpads.

[@zainabatool]

What did you end up choosing? I'm facing the same decision - need it for Office tasks, Photoshop, and frequent use at university/on trains. I love the reliability, performance, and sturdiness of Thinkpads in general, and have my reservations about Dell. However, the compactness this offers is unbeatable.

[@janninalfaro2219]

Is the screen too dark? I like this laptop but the matte display bothers me

[@Thetechchap]

+Jannin Alfaro It's not the brightest i've seen but it's still pretty good and the matte screen helps as it reduces reflectiveness/glare. I have no problem with it at all :)

[@abdulismail24]

This review is 😘👌 Wonderfull job!

[@Thetechchap]

Haha much appreciated ;)

[@chasemaclaren9324]

I'm going to get a edition one from Microsoft and can't decide wither to get the 1400$ cad or the 2000$ cad one with double the storage and touch screen (both have qhd+)

[@Thetechchap]

+Chase Maclaren Go hard or go home :P

[@ja55e]

I am having great difficulties in deciding between MBP 13, XPS 13 Skylake and even LenovoT450S. Maybe you people can help me decide. - I am going to use Windows only. Several of my colleagues have been using the new Macbook and one of them uses MBP 15 with Windows 10 and they do like them.The new Macbook is too low in performance and a bit too small for me. - Right now the Skylake is tempting, but there is no possibility to see the XPS to try the keyboard for example in Finland. - If T450S had Skylake, I dont think I would get that, allthough the keyboard on them is not as good as the old ones - I tend to like a keyboard on my old Lenovo X201, so I am not sure if I can get used to a really shallow one on the XPS (MBP keyboard also takes a lot of getting used to). - I constantly get stuck on the idea that I should have the largest possible resolution, but does it really do any good on a 13" screen? I will still be doing most of my work on an external screen.

[@Thetechchap]

+Janne Halla-aho I actually sold my 15" MBPr and replaced it with the XPS 13 Skylake. Reason is I prefer Windows and also I needed a more portable laptop. I did install Win 10 via Boot Camp on the Macbook Pro and found although it looked good and fundamentally worked, I had trackpad issues and it severely reduced the battery life. If you like the keyboard on Macbook Pros, you will like the keyboard on the XPS 13 (in my opinion). They are very similar, in a good way. in terms of resolution, higher is often not better. It impacts battery life and there's issues with scaling and small icons. Out of the box the XPS 13 is set to 150% scaling, i found setting it to 125% gave me much more room to work with and instantly felt like a higher resolution laptop. Anything higher than 1080p at 13.3" is unnecessary given the battery life trade-off. Besides, with Skylake they are all powerful enough to output to a 1440p or 4k external display, so you may as well keep the better battery life with lower-res on the laptop itself. Hope that helps!

[@ja55e]

+The Tech Chap TV Ok, it is too bad they have put the webcam in such an idiotic place. I work for a videoconferencing company, so this may be a dealbreaker.

[@marceldiezasch6192]

+Janne Halla-aho Buying a Macbook and only using it with Windows is a huge waste of money. The Windows drivers for Macbooks are not quite good and you only get 5 or 6 hours of battery life during low usage like web browsing + you lose the outstanding trackpad, on Windows it performes like a average trackpad and the trackpad of the XPS 13 is way better than average.

[@laurens557]

Does the new one have a matte screen as standard? Or is it an option? I saw a video a while back about one with a glossy screen

[@Thetechchap]

+laurens557 Yes, my one does as standard (FHD, Non-Touch) - and it's an option in so far as if you upgrade to the QHD+ / Touch model you get a glossy screen. You can't pick Matte or Glossy for all models unfortunately.

[@laurens557]

Thanks for the speedy reply, couldn't find it anywhere!

[@zero_one6297]

Given the recent updates to the XPS via Dell and Microsoft is the touchpad better? Is it closer to a Macbook touchpad?

[@Thetechchap]

+forfrosne It's certainly better than at launch, I really like it and can't complain. To be fair it still doesn't quite match the Macbook in my opinion, but that could be down to better software and gestures with Mac OS.

[@MrSwaggernaut83]

I'm looking for a laptop for school work, a lot of browsing the web and word docs, and maybe some video editing. I've been between a laptop like this which is made for what I'm looking for, and a gaming laptop. Let me say I'm a console gamer but the specs you can get for the same price make me want a gaming laptop like a y700 or Inspiron 7559. Which do you think makes sense. Also I know both are a bit overpowered but oh well ;)

[@Thetechchap]

+Mr.Swaggernaut Y700 is a great option. The XPS laptops can really only handle very, very light gaming

[@cliffordbaker8534]

+Mr.Swaggernaut for the price and specs the insiron is a great option. If you want 16gb ram or dual hd(SSD and regualr HD) the y700 is the way to go. If you only play a few games at a time the $850 USD inspion with 960m, 8gb ram and 256gb ssd is impressive.

[@pavy415]

How is gaming on this? I am interested in picking one up with 16gb of ram and i7 model so will the i7 and more ram make gaming better than the i5 model you have ?

[@Thetechchap]

+pavy415 Great question, I'm actually filming a 'Gaming on XPS 13' video today (with half a dozen or so games). Should be up by Friday evening. The i7/16GB RAM isn't really important for gaming, it will help a little bit, but it's primarily for heavy video/photo editing and graphic design work.

[@pavy415]

how much more fps do you think the i7 16gb ram model will get over the i5 you have ?

[@shawngee1]

The link that you gave is for the touchscreen model. What are the specs of your device? I am seeing PCIe on the 256GB SSD and higher only. Thanks.

[@Thetechchap]

+shawnthor Yeah the Amazon US page is a bit funny with the specs available. May be best to buy direct from Dell. My specs are 1080p Non-touch/i5-6200u/8GB RAM/256GB SSD.

[@kiberpasss]

Thank you for great review. I would just to know, what are your experiences with cooling and noice of cooling fan. Thank you very much

[@Thetechchap]

+kiberpasss I've been extremely impressed, pretty much never hear the fan (or any noise for that matter). Even when playing games it's still quiet. Similarly it never gets hot (slightly warm, and i do mean slightly, similar to how hot a phone may get - at the back rear by the fans).

[@kiberpasss]

+The Tech Chap TV Thank you,, that is really good news for me.

[@marceldiezasch6192]

+The Tech Chap TV Have you opened the device already? Is the fan easy to reach for cleaning?

[@ja55e]

Hi, do you know if it is worth getting the i7 version? Does it have significantly shorter battery life and does it get a lot hotter? What is the performance advantage?

[@Thetechchap]

+Janne Halla-aho While I would like the i7 version for multithreaded programes, you have to upgrade to the far more expensive i7/QHD+/Touch Model which has it's own issues (higher res + i7 = reduced battery). I'd personally opt for the i5 non-touch FHD unless you want to go all out!. I don't know if the i7 gets hotter, certainly the i5 is extremely cool.

[@Jasterrrr]

+The Tech Chap TV Actually you can get the i7 version without QHD+ touchscreen so there's that :D

[@Thetechchap]

+Jasterrrr You can't in the UK at least (according to the Dell Store I just checked).

[@avijitjha1614]

dell have announced xps 13 2 in 1 version to be launched at CES 2017. do u ghink it' ll be worth the wait

[@TheNRicciardi]

Subscribed. Great video ! Do you think the trackpad problem you have experienced will eventually get fixed from a driver update? I am thinking of upgrading to your model from a Macbook Air i7 2013 and all I'm expecting is a better display with comparable or better battery. What's you opinion? Thanks.

[@haozhang3548]

+Nicholas Luca Ricciardi I believe that there is no laptop can be better in terms of battery life when compared to MBA 13. If you really want a better battery laptop, please do wait for Air with upgraded screen and CPU, next year. Apple will bring a more strong, powerful and efficient laptop. Anyway, I like XPS 13. It's still good enough in battery performance. I mean the FHD version.

[@Thetechchap]

+Nicholas Luca Ricciardi From my experience the battery on XPS 13 is equal to the MBA. The screen is sharper on the XPS, too - although not as 'factory calibrated' for colour accuracy as the MBA. I am confident driver updates will improve the situation yes, although I can't be sure. It's certainly a good trackpad - just not the equal of the Macs. :)

[@Thetechchap]

+Hao Zhang I'm looking forward to seeing what Apple do with updated MBA and MPBr with Skylake :)

[@AmeRusso]

Thanks for the good, in-depth review, was looking forward to it. One question: I've seen that you can edit 1080p video content in a breeze. How does it perform in editing with Lightroom? I am referring in particular to doing some general developing work with the raw files from my Fuji X-E2, which I happen to do quite frequently with my current laptop.

[@Thetechchap]

+Amedeo Russo Lightroom is good on it, v. smooth - converting/exporting files does take a lil while compared to a desktop i7 I'm used to so if that's something you would be doing a lot of, the i7 might be a good option.

[@AmeRusso]

+The Tech Chap TV thanks mate, appreciate your feedback!

[@jakubzabocki7215]

Can you give me some piece of advice? I'm about to buy a laptop myself very soon and I'm thinking about Dell XPS 13 9360 FHD with the I7 processor or Macbook Pro 13 (2016) the non touch bar version. I'm quite on the edge, can't really decide for any of them. I need it for web browsing, watching films on the Internet, and also some office work as writing etc. Budget doesn't really matter, prices are very similar. Cheers.

[@hotnspicyjohnny]

Great review, thanks! Do you know if the XPS 13 is capable of playing World of Warships in FHD but with smallest settings?

[@Thetechchap]

+hotnspicyjohnny Thanks very much - hmm I would suspect you could play it at FHD with low settings but you would probably only get 20-25fps.

[@hotnspicyjohnny]

+The Tech Chap TV OK, then a lower res should work - one last question: do you know if the stock SSD supports bitlocker edrive?

[@renzobonifazi2322]

Hi! I'm looking for that pc. I saw in a few video that the PC case is a little bit bent in a long term usage and the PC shakes on the table. Did you notice that? Thank you!

[@MichaelPlanu]

Has the Windows 10 fall update (released today) influenced performance? I heard that it has some Skylake optimizations

[@Thetechchap]

+Michael Planu (ilMike42) I just checked for it but it hasn't been rolled out to me yet it seems - will report back when it does.

[@MichaelPlanu]

Thank you again! Great review!

[@MichaelPlanu]

+The Tech Chap TV Another thing, what about older gaming like Fallout 3 or Bioshock? PS2 emulation (PCSX2)? OS Virtualization (Virtualbox)? Can you please try them?

[@Thetechchap]

+Michael Planu (ilMike42) Fallout 3 reasonably well, I just tried it. FHD, medium settings - 25-30fps. I haven't tried the other things yet.

[@MichaelPlanu]

+The Tech Chap TV thank you again!!

[@pkirangi]

Good Review. What is the battery life on the QHD i7 16gb 1T? And how much heavier is the xps 13 QHD i7 16gb 1T than say a xps 13 QHD i5 8gb 256 g configuration?

[@Thetechchap]

+Prashant Kirangi Thanks a lot. Well the battery life on the QHD version is supposed to be a couple of hours less (so around 7 to 7 1/2 hours). Assuming you're referring to just the XPS 13 - the weight is the same I believe.

[@pkirangi]

+The Tech Chap TV Thank you for your response. Yes I was referring to the xps 13 in laptop. Hmm.. it would really be amazing if having a 1tb ssd make the laptop weigh the same as a 256gb ssd. Unsure how much difference in weight you can expect as the size of the hard disk increases. Thanks again.

[@Thetechchap]

+Prashant Kirangi Oh i see what you mean for some reason i read that thinking you were asking if the higher capacity made it heavier - not the fact that it goes from an SSD to a HDD. I don't know for sure, but while SSD's are of course very litle. 2.5" mechanical drives really aren't that much heavier. (obviously the big heavy desktop 3.5" drives are). I doubt it would make a noticeable difference even if it is

[@pkirangi]

+The Tech Chap TV Thank you sir.

[@tq3322]

What is the boot speed and did you remove dell's bloatware?

[@Thetechchap]

+Tareq Almubarak Boot speed is around 25s from off. No bloatware at all thankfully, just useful Dell driver update software.

[@finsat]

Hey guy. Awesome review. Here in the US, CDW sells the same model that you have but with Gorilla glass. What's your take on Gorilla glass screens? Cheers.

[@LilNakz21]

what do you think of the ux305ua? the i7 6500u/8gb ram/256 gb ssd costs 1100 euros and the xps 13 i5 5200u/8gb ram/256 gb ssd is around 1300 euros, is it worth spending 200 euros more for the xps?

[@Thetechchap]

+Nakz S It's a great laptop, I haven't used it personally but it is a strong competitor to the XPS 13 although my understanding is the battery isn't as good as the XPS and the design (in my opinion at least) isn't as nice. I can't really advise you one way or another since I haven't used the UX305 outside of a store but all I know is i'm extremely happy with the XPs 13 :) Hope that helps!

[@erwinhun]

What is the name of the painting in the background?

[@Thetechchap]

+Erwin Hun On the laptop background or in my office? If the latter, The Fighting Temeraire by William Turner :)

[@erwinhun]

+The Tech Chap TV Yes, I was referring to the one in the background in the office. I didn't expect an answer to such a random and non-related question so I actually took a printscreen of your video, cropped it around a part of the painting and uploaded it to google's image search which impressively recognised it flawlessly. It's a beautiful painting! I'm thinking of hanging it (or rather a copy of it, I'm not a millionaire unfortunately) on my apartment wall.

[@Thetechchap]

+Erwin Hun I'll always answer questions! Yeah it's a really nice piece, the story behind it is interesting too. I'm impressed you/Google were able to work out what it was from less than half a picture!

[@erwinhun]

+The Tech Chap TV That is a good policy, especially since one tends to visit these videos when you are in the process of buying a new machine. Personally I'm looking at the touchscreen 8 GB RAM version, but I'm hesitating due to the design being kinda plain and tech-y. The fact that they have one common keyboard for the North European countries doesn't help either, since the Swedish special character keys (such as åä and ö) will also be cluttered with Norwegian and Danish special characters. But on the other hand, the bezels...

[@jessredman8599]

hey mate.... fantastic review I've watched about 20 and this is the most informative by far.. I will be editing some 4k video from my new soloshot 3 GPS tracking camera. would the xps 13 i7 16gb ram 512 ssd be sufficient for this task..? and should I get the touch or no touch for this kind of work... thanks jess

[@grahamstenson8571]

I would prefer 16gb ram as I usually run 1 or 2 Windows VMs during the working day. Is the non touch that much better as its not available with 16gb of ram?

[@Thetechchap]

+Graham Stenson I would also prefer 16GB, it's a shame you have to opt for the much higher model in order to get it. The non-touch isn't necessarily better, it depends what you want it for. If you're happy to pay the extra, get the QHD+ touch screen, then absolutely go for it and opt for 16GB while your at it. So the non-touch isn't 'better', just cheaper and arguably better bang for buck :)

[@grahamstenson8571]

+The Tech Chap TV OK thanks for your advice. Shame 16gb isn't offered on the FHD. Subscribed to your channel.

[@Thetechchap]

+Graham Stenson It is a shame! Especially as someone who edits a lot of photos and videos. Thanks for your sub :)

[@vytautasz2802]

Nice honest review, thank you! By the way I'm choosing between this and the MB Pro, I was wondering if it is possible to make everything bigger on it as my eyes hurt from reading small letters?

[@Thetechchap]

+Vytautas Z thanks a lot :) yeah you can easily adjust the scaling to 125/150% (just type scaling into start menu)

[@BarryKarschner]

Can you give me your ranking vs other comparable latops like the macbook 13 pro, HP spectre, and surfacebook. How would you rank them?

[@cliffordbaker8534]

+Barry Karschner not sure if you you are still interested but I can give my opinion on at least 2 of these products pretty well. I used the xps 13 for a weekend doing all kinds of tasks and my friend's hp spectre for a few hours. The surfacebook is a more premium product than both of them and from my very short time playing with one its great but not as amazing as I would like. The spectre comes in a few variants including the x360 version which i believe is the best one. The trackpad of the spectre is very wide and that is a cool feel but also seemed to get accidentally touched when I was trying to type on it. The dell is more well rounded and with new variants comes with a iris pro integrated on some models. For the price the spectre is a great value but the XPS is just slightly more. The surfacebook should be greatly improved gen 2. Simple ranking XPS 13, Surface book, Spectre.

[@gabbiepumpkin]

Great laptop, quality control is however under all standards. It seems like almost everyone is having either hardware or software issues, or both. The FHD screen have 2 mayor non-software related issues: Ghosting and automatic adaptive brightness. Dell is very good at fixing the other issues, but with a better QC they should have been fixed before shipping. (really simple stuff such as sticky keys or uneven-bottoms should be identified with just a simple control before shipping).

[@Thetechchap]

+gabbiepumpkin This sort of complaint does seem to be coming up more often :/ Though I don't personally see any ghosting (though I don't play games/do anything that fast paced) and the adaptive brightness, while occasionally annoying, is a relatively minor issue in my opinion.

[@gabbiepumpkin]

The Tech Chap TV Yeah i agree, I don't really notice it if i don't look for it or run tests. The adaptive brightness also isn't a big issue for me, but for professional users that edits pictures it's a terrible feature which can't be disabled..

[@thexlr8rkid]

Where could I find the matte version of this with the same specs? (i7, 256gb, 8 gigs ram)

[@Thetechchap]

this is the matte version :)

[@MrCoughs]

is the graphics better than the intel HD 5000 and can this laptop play counter strike go smoothly? thanks

[@Thetechchap]

+MrCNZ It is better - here is the difference in specs on paper. www.game-debate.com/gpu/index.php?gid=3285&gid2=1851&compare=intel-hd-graphics-520-mobile-vs-intel-hd-graphics-5000-mobile Yes it can play counter-strike smoothly (med settings).

[@MrDuk3]

Hi tech chap, would you recommend me? i'm looking for a new ultra book but not sure which to pick. xps13 , surface laptop / surface pro? i'll be using it for general usage , light gaming and some excel etc