Dell XPS 15 (9550) Long Term Review - 6 Months Later

[@joshualogan84]

"For 2 thousand dollars, it better make the bed for me in the morning, if you know what I mean." You are the best.

[@ChadChristian]

Another great video Lisa!

[@mobiletechreview]

+Chad Christian Thanks, Chad.

[@AJB4782]

+MobileTechReview How to fix the display drivers? for the dell Inspiron 15 7000 the 6th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-6700HQ GTX 960M

[@calden74]

+austin boyette Firmware and driver updates, the Dell has an update tool.. Kind of an obvious solution, don't you think?

[@theplten6487]

+MobileTechReview can you do a smackdown with dell xps 15 vs dell xps 13?

[@gregoryyau9084]

Chad Christian

[@MrSoloDev]

So which laptop is your go-to laptop Lisa ?

[@mobiletechreview]

+MrSoloDev I use a 15" Retina MacBook Pro for work and an MS Surface Book away from my desk. I use the MSI GT72 Dominator for gaming. But that Samsung Notebook 9 Pro might just bump the Surface Book.

[@officialpfk6296]

+MobileTechReview What kind of games do you play on the MSI GT72 Dominator?

[@loganparker4184]

+MobileTechReview What is the best budget laptop ( in yourselves opinion) Around 220 and lower thanks 😃❤

[@MrSoloDev]

+CasualKid 834 Instead of buying new. You should consider buying 2nd hand laptops. You'll get a better laptop for your budget.

[@mattieb98]

+MobileTechReview follow up question, how do you get that many computers??

[@jeliljemal7450]

is it worth it buy it in 2019 bc its now more affordable

[@briankauf]

Just wanted to chime in that I really appreciate your reviews. Very friendly, detailed, and helpful. I've been searching for a work laptop, so I've been watching quite a few lately.

[@TheAndrewforbes88]

I'm really happy that I found this video. I read all the horror stories and watched the youtube videos chronicling the horror stories right after I bought one. I haven't had any problems with mine so far and I'm happy to hear that Dell has gotten their driver game sorted out. It gave me some piece of mind.

[@ElysianCloud]

Same.

[@TheMonstaMen]

lucky you, mine is still total shit an Dells service is shit too :(

Yes, D(He)ll service is a joke, they are playing ping-pong with my calls.

[@MariusSchar]

I've had the XPS 15 (4k, 512gig) for around 5 months now, mostly using it for Software Development and School Work + some photo editing. I can totally confirm this review. After some initial problems with the display driver, it's been a dream.

[@ninomagico97]

"Spread your legs... I know what you're thinking... don't think that." Lmfao I love you and your reviews so much! I've been pondering on getting the Dell XPS 15 for a while and I've decided to get the 2017 model thanks to your amazing reviews! Thank you so much for all the work that you do!

[@WashedWizards]

Do you think Dell will release an updated XPS 15 with a Kaby Lake cpu and Pascal gpu by the end of the year?

[@MosGuy]

My gut feeling is most likely not until early next year at this point. You could ask on dells youtube page.

[@DonkeyKing]

The XPS 13 has Kaby Lake now, do you think the XPS 15 will be far off?

[@jyotharsingh371]

Shakeel quad core kaby lake CPUs are coming out around 1st quarter so it'll come out around then

[@henrycross9441]

Just spoke to someone at dell via there online chat and they said about the XPS 15: "There are new release expected in Jan" "Upgraded GPU with 7th Gen Processor"

[@xuganyu96]

YTG You need to wait for Kabylake's official release and GTX 1050 ti, since right now the only kabylake processor available right now are laptop low-power dual cores, which is underpowered for XPS 15 while the lowest Pascal laptop GPU is gtx 1060, which is overpowered.

[@katharinelewis1]

Thank you for this, genuinely the best tech review I have ever watched. I like the long term aspect, and you have a rarely seen objectivity taking it for exactly what it is (supporting each remark with context of its competitors). Really well done, keep it up!

[@TraderGary-42]

As always Lisa, you're my reviewer of choice! Just picked up the Dell XPS 15 9560 and I'm absolutely loving it for video editing!

[@tipoomaster]

Is the PCI-E drive also NVMe, or still on AHCI?

[@jackenrile7082]

Thank you. I trust your reviews. Please keep them coming.

[@4KNature]

so far my experience with this laptop been great :) great laptop

[@gaivoron]

it's not "that" expensive. if Apple offered 4k macbook pro they would charge double that price.

[@andyH_England]

4K is a joke at the moment from worse battery life to poor colours and for a laptop on the go 1080p matte is the perfect setup. Anyway W10 has been a pain, as has W8 so I have ditched Windows till they sort the drivers and bugs out and stop auto downloading updates that stop my programs working. Windows has been in Beta for years and if you want to get work done the MacBook is an easy easy choice. I am back to my 2012 MacBook Pro and my life is much better without Windows.

[@amirkyrn3260]

lul pc guy still on delusion, they think higher spec is better

[@wds3222]

Compared this to a MacBook? Lol this thing is a joke.

[@blackwingvisuals5017]

Apple is a cult!

[@allend12354]

Great review as always. Will you be getting the razer blade 14 2016?

[@danjakabhazi9575]

Lisa, when mentioning battery you gave an estimate for the 4k unit, but you own the 1080p unit. What is your battery life for the 1080p?

[@MichelleAlexandria-EM]

and as much as I loathe Apple these days, this is exactly why I'm scared to go back to Windows. Dealing with the million bios and driver updates and issues. I have a windows 8.1 desktop and it seems like everytime I'm ready to use it I have to spend literally 4 hours just updating the damn thing. In this day and age Microsoft STILL doesn't do round-up updates, drive me crazy. I have to look into doing a hackintosh.

[@chrisw4215]

I have a MacBook Pro and a Lenovo Windows laptop (5 years old now) I have never had any problems with Lenovo. I mean NEVER. It's super fast (faster than MacBook) and super reliable

[@DanielGonzalez29]

Awesome I just bought one! Thank you Lisa

[@mikeblankmail]

You have probably answered this before but what mic are you using Lisa? It sounds great!

[@jklfafa]

long term reviews are great. I'd love to see more. very professional job.

[@jbach]

Thanks Lisa. Love my XPS 15, purchased in part based on your review.

[@dreamer34vibes]

Do you have any issues with it ?

[@jbach]

Love it. Only issue is the problem with USB-c peripherals. Bought the pricey WD15 Dell Dock but it mutes all audio on the laptop whenever I plugin in the USB-C port. When using the dock have to use headphones plugged into the hub. i DID update all the drivers, firmware and the laptop audio did work properly for a couple days, then muted again when using the dock. Support (chat) said this is a known issue with no ETA for fix. Sales shipped me a dock replacement which I am waiting for. But probably have to decide whether to live with the dock or get a refund. So yes love the laptop, but don't recommend the dock!

[@ashwinsunderraj7124]

Lisa your awesome... been watching you for a while now... well done !!

[@SlickMcRunFast]

Finally someone who revisits a device and gives it a second chance. Now we just have to find someone who does this for games. Sub

[@AppleTech2011]

Just bought this laptop today at my local Microsoft Store. My basis on buying this laptop was due to your review. Its only been 6 hours thus far and I have not had any concerns other than the keyboard travel you had mentioned.

[@jack5001ful]

this woman is awesome been watching her for years:)

[@tipoomaster]

Is the key travel shorter than the rMBP 15" Lisa? I've had mine for a year and a half, still would prefer a few mm more key travel like the pre-Retina model, still not 100% used to it and still feels like slapping a table with your fingers. I consider this the absolute minimum in key travel.

[@tiredofsacred]

Great review, thanks!

[@shreekumar28]

I am thinking to buy this lappy for movie editing purpose, is it a good idea or do u recommend me to buy macbook pro or any other ?

[@KlipschHead281]

Great video, this helped me decide on getting the M5510 with 1080p, 6820hq, 16gigs and 512gig ssd.

[@snowcatxx87]

Mines had a replacement motherboard, 4k screen, and graphics. Had Audio problems, screen flicker issues, and more. Starting to get annoying. Drivers are still buggy.

[@TheTexican05]

That was a LOT of helpful info in just 10min. I am not tech savvy, but I'm a good researcher. Thanks for the enthusiastic and informative presentation, Lisa. :-) I have a 2010 Dell XPS 13 that is on its last leg but has been a phenomenal laptop...definitely looking at all my options.

[@tigerbaitcom]

Lisa, please review the Lenovo P50..

[@tonyc5384]

+tigerbaitcom Lenovo! Send Lisa P50!

[@mobiletechreview]

+tigerbaitcom I will :) It's been in our queue for some time now and will get its turn soon.

[@hystericaloutrage2280]

Good job Lisa! Thank you!

[@ipaddy]

Hi Lisa another great review on this model laptop

[@MorganStuartGuitar]

Great video. Did you encounter any overheating problems while the laptop was in sleep mode? I've had this happen twice. Put the system to sleep, put it in my bag, and a few hours later I remove it to find that it is extremely hot. This also happened with my Surface Pro 4, so I don't believe it's a hardware problem, but more so a Windows 10 problem. Thanks

[@chandanbasetty4467]

Hey, Lisa great video! Will you do a video regarding the Asus g501vw or Asus gl502vt in the future?

[@DirectorLJ]

Hi Lisa, love your videos. You mention you're not crazy about the keyboard. Big deal for me. What would be your go to for writing? Thanks!

[@otterstrike3662]

The moatherboard on mine failed yesterday and its not worth fixing... beware anyone trying to go for the xps line ..

[@JamesRussoMillas]

"It's no longer possessed by demons." Hahahaha!

[@oliawak]

Hi Lisa, great job as usual. Can you tell us a bit more in terms of upgrading the PCIe hard drive? Please and thank you.

[@SEAN518848]

This is a balanced review. Audience who know what they are looking for get their answers. Good points all made clear so manufacture will continue to give Lisa long-term review units. Bad points also made solid so no complaints from a reasonable manufacture. a bit of humor and some side points rarely seen in other reviews. Well done!

[@normden]

Hi Lisa - Great review.

[@Bustaa305]

Perfect! Just what I was looking for, wanted to get one of these but kept reading about issues, glad they are resolved. Just ordered one with the 1080p screen, I had an Asus with QHD screen and the scaling on Windows just isn't good, so since you said the 1080p screen is very good also, I just went with that and no need to worry about the scaling.

[@calden74]

I never thought that Windows 10 scaling was bad, 8.1 is, but Windows 10 is really good at it. I have a Razor Stealth with a 4K display, looks fantastic. Though if your going to be using Linux, I would definitely grab the 1080P model.

[@Bustaa305]

+Charles Alden Windows 10 did improve things but still some apps won't scale and a lot scale correctly but look blurry.

[@MikeMcIntyreintechrity]

Lisa, so happy you did this review. I want to buy the xps 15 but have been belly aching over non touch vs touch. I do mostly office stuff (and a lot of international flying, so the longer battery of FHD is appealing), will be doing some photo and video editing in the near future but think the 4k is just to much and I am not really a fan of touch screens. From what I gleaned from this video, the FHD is ideal for editing photos and video. Would you agree with that statement? Thanks as always, keep the good work coming!

[@jorgegonzalezzamora7328]

Really nice review Lisa! Do you know when will the new XPS 15 announced? Thanks!

[@CRUMBSandCRUMBS]

Jorge Gonzalez Zamora 7th gen is out now

[@jorgegonzalezzamora7328]

CRUMBSandCRUMBS i bought it yesterday!! 😁😁😁

[@CRUMBSandCRUMBS]

Jorge Gonzalez Zamora I did too! I'm so pumped to get it

[@jorgegonzalezzamora7328]

CRUMBSandCRUMBS But my date of delivery, in Spain, is February 16th 😑

[@CRUMBSandCRUMBS]

Jorge Gonzalez Zamora Did you got with the FHD model? Because that will take much longer to ship than the 4K model according to dell's website.

[@rockyescape8989]

hey lisa, I have this laptop and have been using it for a full month now. one thing that keeps occurring is that when the power cord is off my laptop just turns off by itself after 5 minutes or so. after experimenting a little further, I realise that it wont turn off when I turn on the battery life saver when the power cord is off. just to clarify: this is one amazing laptop. apart from the software issues I suppose.

[@mattboymatt]

Use to hate this channel, really got on my nerves. However recently I've rediscovered it and I must say I'm loving the content and I take back all of my previous opinions! Keep it up! :)

[@simonlund355]

Hey Lisa Will you make a dell xps 13, 6 month later review? Ps. Love your videos!

[@athar2222]

Lisa is so awesome... Eases through the video... really like the reviews. great job!!!

[@mikecartwrightbeach]

MUCH appreciated review-the "long term" update part. First time ever I returned 2 new laptops including the Samsung but stuck with the new Asus, crap speakers and all.

[@sawyerbergeron3288]

I can not stress this enough: if the price of a new one is too high, get one refurbished or open box from the outlet. That can easily shave several hundred bucks off of one, and you can generally find more "custom" configurations OOTB there

[@PetersonBlanc]

great video, OMG, having recently purchased a 2018 dell 15 7590, recently I was not made aware of a swelling battery issue. I am curious as to know if you have hade to replace the battery at all and how long are the batteries rated to last? Was there any error and or alert that the Windows OS gave you in your discovery of the battery problem, that is did you perform a diagnostic which informed you prior? This really sucks, to where I may now consider returning the laptop for this reason. Thanks

[@Pranav_046]

Thank you for your detailed review usb type c will it work with external gpu ?

[@Motmotmedia]

I've had the 9550 4k touch with 16 ram and 1tb ssd for about 6 months.. Love this machine. As mentioned, the drivers were buggy for a bit but everything is ironed out. Purchased the 13 inch also with same config and smaller ssd. Also a great machine.

[@mickeyu2893]

How was the keyboard? Im hearing a lot of bad things about the keyboard and it's putting me off

[@FsimulatorX]

I tried the XPS 15 at best buy and the keyboard was really really good for a fast typer like me. I tend to make a lot of spelling errors on laptops but not on the XPS 15. I also tried the MacBook pro keyboard which felt just a little bit better but both are still the best keyboards I have ever tired on a laptop.

[@mickeyu2893]

***** I gave up on the XPS 15, the shift key on the left side of the laptop was too small for me to type comfortably

[@ThiagoTemple]

What about fan noise? How's that? Great review.

[@jjhu8]

On moderate use, you can barely hear the fans. Gaming and such, it's quite loud but not annoyingly loud.

[@matthewmartin5930]

Is it worth it to buy an xps15 now?

[@MySwatchOrama]

I would love to see a video review on the SAGER NP8678-S (CLEVO P670-RG). Machine specs look amazing but have not found any video reviews.

[@moritzbuchi6989]

Hi Lisa, thanks for all the detailed reviews! Do you run the SSD in the XPS 15 9550 on RAID or AHCI mode? (I'm still experiencing bluescreens on a regular basis)

[@NicolasChan]

Is this the 4K version of the 1080p version? Does the battery life hold up?

[@zerobambiro]

What mic does she use? Sounds very good!

[@carrotjuice1890]

what's the battery on the 1080p like?

[@lecturejopain5780]

wondering too. 1080p with 84whr version

[@fretboardrunner]

I get 5 hrs without paying attention to battery at all. 70-80% brightness, and a lot running in the background. When being a little more careful 7-8 hrs with 50% brightness is doable. I managed 9hrs once on a bus ride with airplane mode and low brightness.

[@lecturejopain5780]

+fretboardrunner dude,what about heave use？like regular gaming？ I will be glad if u tell me it can last longer than 2.5hrs

[@fretboardrunner]

刘彦甫 Honestly no idea, never gamed on battery. You can probably drain it in 1 hr depending on the load. CPU can draw aropund 30W the GPU around 50, 84 Whr might be gone in an hour. When using only the Intel HD 2-4 hrs should be easy.

[@CyrusMavalwala]

Great review, thank you! Did you ever run into the keyboard at the top not working? I have two XPS 15" touch screens 9550 models and both the keyboards around keys 5, 6, 7, don't work unless you really pound on the keys. Wondering if you had any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

[@ryanw1906]

Have you experienced the wide spread coil whine people are talking about with both the 13 and 15 inch models?

[@neomamuro]

How about an updated review of the Asus UX501 with the thunderbolt port?

[@stefanocozzi8188]

Is it good for gaming ?

[@arifolee]

It is safe to expect a long term review coming for the Late 2015 XPS 13 from you guys soon?

[@CrazyGoat991]

Dear Lisa, I would like to ask a couple questions. I recently purchased a used (1yr old) dell xps 15 9550 (2016) I7HQ, 16Gg, 4k display and 1TB ssd. I think there is something wrong with the battery. The reason being in order to get 6hrs battery like you said on the review I have turn the displace to 1080p and power saving mode with almost minimal brightness. Additionally, with the balance mode and 4K display, I can only about 3hrs out of the laptop. Is there a problem with my laptop? is there a way to check for the battery life? if the battery happened to be broken is there a way to fix it? how much would it cost to fix it? Sorry for the long stream of question there, but out of all the laptop reviewers I watched on youtube I trust your expert opinion the most.

[@alemp1987]

Hi Lisa! Great Video. Thank you for sharing your experience. I was considering buying the Dell XPS 15 (touch and 4k with Nvidea) or the Asus Zenbook. The only reason i would pick the Zenbook over the XPS 15 is because of the software and harwdare problems that the dell one has. Do you think that nowadays I should go for de zenbook just for that reason? (since specs are very similar) I mean, noting that you said that several issues were fixed in the XPS 15... Thanks for your time!!

[@salvamando1]

I love your reviews! You really helped me with my decision and now I'm a proud owner of an XPS 15 (4K)! And yes, travel distance on the keyboard keys is not optimal and takes some time getting used to. Thanks!

[@dreamer34vibes]

Do you have any issues ?

[@salvamando1]

The first thing I did was to install all drivers (including BIOS) from the Dell website and have not had issues. I guess it was worth waiting until early adopter issues were sorted out. The only thing that acts up once in a while is that the Edge browser freezes (Chrome works fine).

[@salvamando1]

Forgot to mention, I got mine from the Microsoft store, so no bloatware and much better customer service.

[@fenger_21]

I wanted to go for the Dell Xps 15- what are the "closest" laptops concerning specs and shape?

[@gooddaymate1171]

Have you had any issues with the bezels on the 1080p version popping up or warping?

[@jacobterrazas3147]

Lisa, so which Windows laptop has the best trackpad right now?

[@GermanYoccoPlus]

This long term reviews are a great idea.

[@reddynos484]

What is the battery life like for the 84Whr 1080p model, with say, 50%brightness and browsing over wifi ? Thank you, loving the content.

[@theuncannyepicurean]

Lisa, lets get to a million this year.

[@TheGodSaw]

Hey do you know when you will get the Acer aspire Alpha 12 for review?

[@Denise1989]

i am thinking abaut buying a xps 15 5960, but not shure about 4k or 1080p. i think my pictures will be better shown on the glossy 4k screen, but i am scared of to much glare. how bad is that? the matte screen did not have the same colourquality if i am correct. will there be a smackdown of the xps 15 4k VS 1080p? and does the touch function work on a laptop, not to far from screen to be easy to work with? love your reviews and smackdowns!

[@christina_0]

Depends on your preference tbh for me as I wear glasses and student so 1080p about glare would be better r

[@ArcadiyIvanov]

+MobileTechReview what is the battery life on a 1080p? I have heard "6h on 4k" but I might've missed the same for a 1080p display.

[@bobthebuilder6928]

1080p is pretty similar to that.

[@MikeMcIntyreintechrity]

+Arcadiy Ivanov I believe in Lisa's FHD review she said about 10 hours

[@bobthebuilder6928]

Michael McIntyre Usage probably varies. I get 6 hours with power saver just watching videos.

[@danielmikusik9965]

+Andrew Zhang 56 Wh battery ?

[@bobthebuilder6928]

+Daniel Mikušík 84 My model is 1080p quad core i7 16gb ram and 960m

[@freepagan]

Hi Lisa, thank you so much for your great video reviews! I bought a new, 2017 model of this laptop (9560), with the 56WHr battery. I want to upgrade to a 97WHr, but it's not on their website. Do you know if Dell sells batteries for upgrade? Or am I stuck with the 56WHr?

[@darienneempire2477]

Would you suggest this or the surface book for lots of video/photo editing & music recording??

[@monsutades9999]

should I buy the non 4K non-touch version and save the money or should I invest in the 4K version I plan to mainly use this to edit my KZbin videos I want to film in 4k however I'm wondering can I still edit videos that are in 4k on the non 4K computer?

[@FearDaPuffin]

Hi, are you going to do a review on the Lenovo thinkpad 13 ultrabook? It looks like it could be a nice budget ultrabook.

[@duwillstesdoch]

Hey Lisa. I am thinking about buying the newer Model 9560. I am just concerned about the Material arround the keyboard (carbon fibre... but i saw it and it really feels like soft plastic) anyway... yes I can deal with fingerprints. But you can always clean it and than its away right? Even after 6 month... or did you see some worn out things on the surface after 6 moth (stuff that does not go away if you clean it?)? My secound concern is the battery life.... you say it just is about 6 hours? I want more (so i also go for the Full HD Model).. the new model 9560 has little bit biger battery 97wh... i did not found any notebook with such a big battery..... do you??? I want more than just 6 hours... i want a full workday (at least with web browsing).... so what do you think? I guess in your review (6 hours) you also talk about a model with this about 80... wh i guess?!? Thank you! You are alsays doing a good job.

[@stalefish85]

Hi Lisa, any upcoming successor for the Dell XPS 9550 model?

[@christophermueller952]

Awesome video, first one I've seen from your channel. However, especially with headphones, your voice is very shrill. I would suggest using a low pass EQ on your videos. I love these later looks at devices, it's really what makes a product good or horrible.

[@MooreDmax05]

Is Dell planning on releasing a new xps15 at the end of 2016?

[@2JZ.S30]

Hi, are you reviewing the ROG GL502VT anytime soon ?

[@madcapper6]

"I know what you're thinking... don't think that" =D

[@thinerj1]

all the dells I sell at best buy had the same thing problem to but after some time with all the updates I see the dells seem to be a great computer for customers and the price they have one them now is such a good value for customers to

[@dragoncyborg817]

hi lisa i wanted to know if now is a good time to get this laptop or should i wait for maybe a refresh or an update to this line

[@muntumunaf4446]

I want to get it too but in a couple of months they should release the 2016 refresh and that is what I'm waiting for

[@dragoncyborg817]

yea i said this too in another review video, the refresh will come on october november

[@muntumunaf4446]

+Dragon Cyborg yep can't wait to see the upgrades possibly a 1070 GPU

[@NefashusLP]

+Dragon Cyborg Do we have confirmed info that it will come and in october maybe? Would be nice since I have my bday then!

[@dragoncyborg817]

no but ive contacted other youtube reviewers and they all estimate to be around October :)

[@raymond9633]

i love your shirt, great review by the way!

[@Davarela10]

Great video! Actually I'm seen it from an XPS 15 FHD model. So the battery is around six hours? Mine it's about 5 and a half using Photoshop. I'm thinking to use my warranty for a battery replacement.

[@GMWnuk13]

lol'd at "I know what you're thinking" - Great video as always

[@KennyGJE]

This makes me feel better about missing out on a sale a couple days ago. :p

[@shlokiyer]

Does Dell XPS 15 have a matte finish screen or do you have to request the seller for same ?

[@MosGuy]

It's based on which display you choose: the high resolution 4k UHD, is glossy only. The 1080p screen comes in matte only.

[@jigibut3932]

Would be great to see long term reviews of flagship phones. I'm wondering how flagship android phones hold up in the long run vs the iPhones of the same year

[@kampf-wuffi]

Hi Lisa. Great video. Many things ironed, but try to plug in an USB-C to HDMI or Ethernet Adapter or the Dell Adapters, and you'll notice high fan speed as long as plugged in. Newest firmware reduces fan speed, but still continuous fan noise. So if you add external monitors via USB-C you'll get annoying fan noise. Unplug the USB-C adapter and the XPS is quiet again. Very bad. Hope for a video showing the handling with different USB-C equipment at the XPS (two external monitors and gaming, ethernet speeds, fan noise,...) .

[@Fewings85]

I bougth thei7 UHD 4K 512GB 16GB about 2 months ago. Never had a single issue by far the best laptop I have personally owned. In Australia.

[@mmifuji]

Hello Lisa, could you please consider doing a review of the Dell Precision 5510 and a compare with XPS 15? They are very similar in design... Thanks!