neither of these two solutions make much sense - heavy and expensive. the 14" with only one channel ram is even more laughable. WTF was dell thinking when they opted for such lousy specs for XPS14. I rather wait and get a hybrid laptop over the XPS14.
Basically another round of MacBook Air clones, but with some nice video card options... I'm waiting for updates to trickle down (or up!) to 17" notebooks.
"Basically another round of MacBook Air clones, but with some nice video card options"
The obvious advantage of these being that they are not Mac's so you can take it to the office and actually get some work done. Also, with the video card otpions, you can game on them. I like them. Decent res too. No more 1366x768. Finally a Dell product I like.
Because you can't take mac's to an office and get work done. This is because they are too heavy and don't run office applications, or support common software such as web browsers or e-mail clients.
I guess I gotta tell all the mac people at work tomorrow to get off the network and stop being productive because some guy proclaimed that you can't work on a mac just because he doesn't like them.
Its not that I dont like them, but you cant work in most companies with a Mac... That is the fact. I am referring to the enterprise software that most companies use... Unless you can tell me the name of the corporate accounting software, CRM, shop floor, inventory control, planning, logistics, reverse logistics etc software that runs on Mac.... You know, all of the software that it takes to run a large business like say, Foxconn for instance. Every mac, ipad,pod and phone is made using PC's so just relax man. Its not a competition, Its just facts. Sure, some companies have some web apps that will work on a Mac, but overall, its a no-go. Not even close.
Made up ? No, I do work in IT and have worked with many companies. Most do not can not and will not support Mac's. Not because they arent capable, but because there isn't any enterprise software for them, period. Clearly you do not work at a mid-large company, otherwise you would know this and know WTF I am talking about.
And as far as Foxconn and other OEM's that make Apple products, yess, they all do it using PC's, again for the same reasong. They need corporate accounting software, CRM, shop floor, inventory control, planning, logistics, reverse logistics etc software etc.
If that offends you, its your issue not mine... It is a fact however.
I work at this company called Ericsson. It is the epitome of Windows-centric large-enterprise. We get issued a horrible HP Elitebook from the brick era.
I decided after seeing the shockingly shit contrast on the HP's screen that I needed to bring in a decent screen. So I started bringing my Mac laptop. It does 95% of everything just fine, better than the work issued machines actually. SAP, Office, and all of Ericsson's internal Windows-only tools, blah blah blah...
That 5% ironically has nothing to do with not being a PC, and everything to do with not having a serial port to talk to the older radios and whatnot.
So your argument sucks. Seriously dude, get a clue. The world isn't that black and white.
"So your argument sucks. Seriously dude, get a clue. The world isn't that black and white"
Clearly you arent in IT because you have no idea what you are talking about. And talk about not black and white, you use one job in one company as an example? I am talking overall in general, Mac isnt made for work, its not anywhere near ready for the enterprise sector and anyone that thinks it is has no clue about the enterprise sector, period. If that offends you, you seriously need to evaluate your life.
Funnily enough, my background is heavily IT. I don't do that anymore, but I have many friends in that industry still (SAP, HP, Google, Oracle, to name the major ones). I also have many enemies. For some reason a disproportionally large number of IT people are so single-minded you wonder about their sanity. I must confess that this attitude greatly sped my departure from the field.
Since leaving IT and doing RF engineering, I've had a much better relationship with technology. My coworkers use whatever platform they feel most comfortable with. The CTO has an iMac on his desk. My boss is hardcore Windows Phone/Windows. Several of my friends run Linux and emulate whatever they need to.
Okay my experience in one (admittedly large global company) is anecdotal, I accept that. Lets expand. Optus, Vodafone, and Telstra are all companies I work with on a daily basis. Macs are up and down their ranks, in fact Optus has standardised on Macs. SAP and Oracle? Tons of Macs and iPads and iPhones... alongside tons of Windows and some Linux machines. If that isn't representative of the corporate world in your eyes... you're really weird.
Everybody uses what they enjoy, nobody is finding they they cannot get work done on their chosen platform. In fact, because I can use a Mac I am more productive, because Mark can use Linux he is more productive.
Your pointless focused hatred is not constructive, is not helpful, and most importantly. Is not true.
If you used to work in IT then you know exactly what I mean. I am not smacking the platform, it just doesn't have the enterprise app support that most companies use. Some sure, but not most.
I really don't get why people get so upset. It's certainly not a personal insult, and it's really not even an insult to the platform, its more of a result of the billions and billions of dollars and 2 decades of work MS has spent cultivating the enterprise sector. Lets all calm down FFS.
Well just stream the app using Citrix or whatever. I've used business apps on terminal servers/RDS/remoteapp as a user on Windows desktop and it definitively works just as fine to stream those to a Mac using Citrix receiver or whatever tech you prefer. Running apps locally aren't all the rage today. Stuff like SAP is largely web-based on top of that. That stuff needs Windows is fine but you don't always need a Windows workstation. You can run plenty of your tools natively on a Mac too, it all depends on how the environment is set up, not how much it is invested in Microsoft tech.
I'm a contractor, and have worked in Foxconn on a number of occasions, though I shouldn't say where.
Not a Mac in sight.
Only interesting Appple-esq thing I see, is when the are using the lines to produce another product, whereby they guard the lines, draw curtains, and put security at all entrances.
You do know that all macs do run windows to? My Air boots windows 7 when needed, but mostly I work in OS X with Globus CRM (with parallells), Office and our HR software.
Guess what? My company gets products out the door anyway. But come autum, we´ll go Citrix all the way so then you can use any platform you want. Local applications seems a bit old fashioned. A relic from the time you needed VPN to work from home...
Seriously, even Ericsson have gone with Citrix so anybody can use Macs, PCs or whatever. How far behind can Foxconn be?
True things are moving toward Citrix and/or cloud based solutions, as well as web accessible apps, but its a long long way off. Especially for the major manufacturing app types I listed above.
Citrix is an even better reason NOT to use a Mac PC. If all the workload is moving to virtual desktop infrastructure, all the more reason to buy cheaper, more cost efficient workstation hardware. Why pay a premium for a glorified terminal, be it a Mac PC or a Win PC.
The previous commenter is till right. You don't see VDI running on macOS or even providing virtual macOS desktops, the vast majority of enterprise VDI is to provide users with Windows. So if you're using a Mac PC only to then use Citrified Windows, that seems like a aste of money on workstation hardware.
The only justification for local compute power is to be able to run local software, perhaps because the software requires a high performance GPU which VDI typically doesn't provide.
I know this can be done, but it seems pointless to me. It's like buying an expensive computer with an OS that cant do what you need it to do, so you have to buy and install another OS to get the job done and make is a fully functional computer. - Whatever though, that's just me.
Setting them up to work and sync is a pain on each device. Having a Windows PC for business applications is just easier and more flexible to use. Also you don't have to pay for updates which in any successful business that's conscious of their overheads this is a major plus. This is why many still run Windows XP.
I have Windows 7 64-bit installed on my Mac. I'd use it at work in an instant over my "brick-era" HP Elitebook if IT would let me. There really is no technical reason most companies can't support a BYOD device with minimum specs. Macs can run Windows, and most companies are still running XP (mine evolved all the way to Vista), so it isn't as if most enterprise software needs the latest and greatest.
I understand the security needs (we have encryption and remote lock software installed), but again, in a separate partition that's easy to do.
Mac charges more for the same hardware, more for normal updates which are expected and free on Windows, syncing and setting up anything is a process on a Mac OS. I understand why it does this. It wants to market itself as a designer premium brand but for large companies and small business if I have a choice between 50 Windows PC's or Macs who do you think I would go for? If I have to communicate with business in the East who are even more money conscious most if not all use Windows. And most are non IT.
Just looking at different paper on my desks right now, I see eight engineering software commonly used by my engineering department that is not supported. Every software used daily by my design department is not supported.
Same as it as always been, since the media work on macs they assume everyone should be able to. We don't all work with photoshop.
If these can be had for $600-800 once Dell sales and coupons start flowing, they sound pretty damn good. Since SSD prices have fallen off a cliff the past few weeks, mSATA is a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist anymore. Too late there. Single channel memory is no biggie, the performance hit is <1% for almost everything unless someone can show me otherwise.
Thank you for the good resolution on these models! (should my thanks go to Dell or Apple?)
The old XPS 15 was butt-ugly, it's true, and this is certainly much better looking. But no R+GB screen, no more JBL speakers...the sound and screen were two areas where the old XPS 15 really differentiated itself from the competition. I guess I'll wait for the reviews, but it looks like a pretty big step backwards in some very important ways. Including the battery.
All they really had to do was make the old machine a little quieter and ditch the two-tone plastic, in my opinion.
At least the XPS 14 gets 900p... Didn't realize they were downgrading the screen/speakers - what a deal breaker. Those made the XPS 15 (and the Studio XPS 16 before it, see my comment a few up) such impressive machines.
Still like the styling of the Studio XPS 16 more though :-) (written from one)
These new laptops still come with the horrible and irritating chiclet keyboards that Dell stupidly still supplies. Throw all these models in the garbage. I will be interested in new Dell laptops when Dell starts offering good, usable and logically placed keys on their keyboards. Their new chiclet keyboards have smaller keys, therefore a user mistypes a lot, and then Dell combined many keys to have dual functions that can be used only with the irritating new Fn (Function) key, which forces the user to use two hands instead of just one finger. Whoever designed these horrible chiclet keyboards must be executed.
Sony has 1) IPS panel 2) Black matte screen finish, NO glare at all, I'm looking at it right now 3) Snap on sheet battery which makes total capacity 98 WHr, even new Retina MacBook doesn't have this large battery, it only has 95 WHr 4) The whole XPS screams "I'm el cheapo MacBook knockoff!!!" with its lame POS grey Apple faggot design. Sony is all matte black, 100% matte black EVERYWHERE, no stinky chinese or Apple faggot glare or grey shit anywhere! 5) Sony is MUCH lighter than XPS, and it's the SAME weight if you attach the sheet battery (but with almost double capacity compared to craplet XPS) 6) Sony sells it's Vaio SE 15" with FREE included docking station for the same price, circa $1200 plus tax Well at least that's how I bought it a while ago, the second I read a rave review here on Anandtech. The link is http://www.anandtech.com/show/5722/sony-vaio-se-an... 7) When you buy Sony online at sonystyle.com you can select clean Windows install and there's MUCH less crapware preinstalled compared to your typical Sony
So say no to ugly Dell's MacBook knockoff. You compare this TN panel POS from Dell with that Sony and you imemdiately see who oozes quality and who screams "I'm el cheapo MacBook faggot clone!!!"
Read Vaio SE 15 review above and think TWICE before buying Dell's crap
Sucks that you can't install fresh drivers from Sony.
Dell's support is also miles better. Read up on the respective warranties, the premium support from Dell is amazing.
I'm pretty sure the Sony had some build quality issues last time it was reviewed. The XPS 14 and 15 are pretty much immaculate, from the first few reviews that I have seen. I believe one site even said something along the lines of "it makes an apple macbook pro seem lacking"
A couple quotes from that link: "That’s not really a problem for most laptops, but the hinge on the SE has the cover pivot down to actually obscure/block the vent, leading to potentially higher temperatures. I didn’t experience any stability issues caused by heat—or any stability problems at all for that matter—but I can see no reason for the current hinge design. It doesn’t feel particularly sturdy/stiff, it blocks the exhaust, and from an aesthetics point of view it doesn’t accomplish anything noteworthy. It’s not a complete deal breaker, but a slight retooling of the chassis to move the hinge up to the normal “top” location would easily solve this."
" The build quality of the LCD/cover is also rather flimsy, and the hinge location and design left me scratching my head wondering what engineer thought it was a good idea. "
" Anyway, I don’t mind the palm rest or body, but the display/cover/hinge feels loose and I’m not sure how well it will hold up after a few years of use. (Have you ever used a laptop where the hinge is so loose that the display just flops open/closed? I could see that happening in a year or two with the SE, as the hinge already moves quite easily.)"
Yes there are positives, but Sony has plenty of things wrong with it as well.
Just talked to a Dell sales Rep. I know they aren't very reliable but he says the are coming with the 2nd gen i5 and i7. Only the new XPS 14 comes with 3rd gen. What a shame. Brand new flagship dell XPS laptop comes with antiquated sandybridge:( Deal breaker
Antiquated? Is your workload likely to benefit so much more from an Ivy Bridge over a Sandy Bridge? Ivy Bridge itself will be surpassed within 18-24 months. The Sandy Bridges will drop price in the meantime so they'll end up offering better value. I mean, Sandy Bridge iCores are FAST processors. The jury is still out on whether the Ivy Bridges truly do deliver better battery life.
Is the author certain that the GT640M comes with GDDR5? If it does that's awesome, but according to notebookcheck.net the GT640M is only offered with GDDR3. Just want a confirmation either way. Thanks.
Am I the only one who's sick of Dell taking out the context menu key? It's pure idiocy. That and using the same keyboard size on every model is one of those Apple-inspired trends that I just hate to see on PCs.
On a 15" computer, I want a numpad if you it fits and dedicated page up/down, home/end keys if you can't. If an old Toshiba netbook can meet that standard, then a "premium" PC shouldn't fall short.
Can we please cease with this 900p, 1080p, whatever-p crap, Dustin? Your articles are read by knowledgeable people who will not be scared off by seeing the actual pixel dimensions of an lcd screen. Why is the p even necessary in this context? To remove the ambiguity between these and all those other laptop panels that run in interlaced mode? :/
Can we please cease with this 900p, 1080p, whatever-p crap, Dustin? Your articles are read by knowledgeable people who will not be scared off by seeing the actual pixel dimensions of an lcd screen. Why is the p even necessary in this context? To remove the ambiguity between these and all those other laptop panels that run in interlaced mode? :/
The XPS 13 was interesting, but I think the 14" model is a bit bland and shows signs of cut corners. Single channel DDR3 1333 RAM is one sign. More importantly, it is too heavy. Other 14" Ultrabooks weigh less than 4lbs. This one is heavier than the new Retina MacBook Pro.
Pricing is also an issue. By comparison, Vizio's Ultrabooks offer 256GB SSD and the 1.9GHz i7 for $1199. At the high end, equipped with a 512GB SSD and a 1.9GHz i7, the Dell tops out at $1999. The 13.3" MacBook Air with 512GB SSD and 2.0GHz i7 is $2199 ($2099 with the 1.8GHz i5). I don't think that is enough of a differential.
Check out those notebooks from Dell. i7, Nvidia 650m 2gb ram, msata built it. Those are some nice notebooks! For $1099, I dont think those specs and price can be beat.
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XZerg - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
neither of these two solutions make much sense - heavy and expensive. the 14" with only one channel ram is even more laughable. WTF was dell thinking when they opted for such lousy specs for XPS14. I rather wait and get a hybrid laptop over the XPS14.kmmatney - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Basically another round of MacBook Air clones, but with some nice video card options... I'm waiting for updates to trickle down (or up!) to 17" notebooks.retrospooty - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
"Basically another round of MacBook Air clones, but with some nice video card options"The obvious advantage of these being that they are not Mac's so you can take it to the office and actually get some work done. Also, with the video card otpions, you can game on them. I like them. Decent res too. No more 1366x768. Finally a Dell product I like.
WasabiVengeance - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Because you can't take mac's to an office and get work done. This is because they are too heavy and don't run office applications, or support common software such as web browsers or e-mail clients....Wait, what?
retrospooty - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
They dont run office apps. Cant log into networks, run accounting, CRM, shop floor, inventory, logistics etc etc apps.Broheim - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
I guess I gotta tell all the mac people at work tomorrow to get off the network and stop being productive because some guy proclaimed that you can't work on a mac just because he doesn't like them.retrospooty - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Its not that I dont like them, but you cant work in most companies with a Mac... That is the fact. I am referring to the enterprise software that most companies use... Unless you can tell me the name of the corporate accounting software, CRM, shop floor, inventory control, planning, logistics, reverse logistics etc software that runs on Mac.... You know, all of the software that it takes to run a large business like say, Foxconn for instance. Every mac, ipad,pod and phone is made using PC's so just relax man. Its not a competition, Its just facts. Sure, some companies have some web apps that will work on a Mac, but overall, its a no-go. Not even close.MeesterNid - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Do you work at "most companies" or are privy to their IT policies? What "enterprise software" are you talking about?"Every mac, ipad,pod and phone is made using PC's..." do you mean hardware that can also be used by non-Mac OEMs, or what?
LOL, facts! Are those the facts you made up!? Site those facts if they are real facts!
Wow, you're a useless troll!
retrospooty - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Made up ? No, I do work in IT and have worked with many companies. Most do not can not and will not support Mac's. Not because they arent capable, but because there isn't any enterprise software for them, period. Clearly you do not work at a mid-large company, otherwise you would know this and know WTF I am talking about.And as far as Foxconn and other OEM's that make Apple products, yess, they all do it using PC's, again for the same reasong. They need corporate accounting software, CRM, shop floor, inventory control, planning, logistics, reverse logistics etc software etc.
If that offends you, its your issue not mine... It is a fact however.
Spoony - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
I work at this company called Ericsson. It is the epitome of Windows-centric large-enterprise. We get issued a horrible HP Elitebook from the brick era.I decided after seeing the shockingly shit contrast on the HP's screen that I needed to bring in a decent screen. So I started bringing my Mac laptop. It does 95% of everything just fine, better than the work issued machines actually. SAP, Office, and all of Ericsson's internal Windows-only tools, blah blah blah...
That 5% ironically has nothing to do with not being a PC, and everything to do with not having a serial port to talk to the older radios and whatnot.
So your argument sucks. Seriously dude, get a clue. The world isn't that black and white.
retrospooty - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
"So your argument sucks. Seriously dude, get a clue. The world isn't that black and white"Clearly you arent in IT because you have no idea what you are talking about. And talk about not black and white, you use one job in one company as an example? I am talking overall in general, Mac isnt made for work, its not anywhere near ready for the enterprise sector and anyone that thinks it is has no clue about the enterprise sector, period. If that offends you, you seriously need to evaluate your life.
Spoony - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
Funnily enough, my background is heavily IT. I don't do that anymore, but I have many friends in that industry still (SAP, HP, Google, Oracle, to name the major ones). I also have many enemies. For some reason a disproportionally large number of IT people are so single-minded you wonder about their sanity. I must confess that this attitude greatly sped my departure from the field.Since leaving IT and doing RF engineering, I've had a much better relationship with technology. My coworkers use whatever platform they feel most comfortable with. The CTO has an iMac on his desk. My boss is hardcore Windows Phone/Windows. Several of my friends run Linux and emulate whatever they need to.
Okay my experience in one (admittedly large global company) is anecdotal, I accept that. Lets expand. Optus, Vodafone, and Telstra are all companies I work with on a daily basis. Macs are up and down their ranks, in fact Optus has standardised on Macs. SAP and Oracle? Tons of Macs and iPads and iPhones... alongside tons of Windows and some Linux machines. If that isn't representative of the corporate world in your eyes... you're really weird.
Everybody uses what they enjoy, nobody is finding they they cannot get work done on their chosen platform. In fact, because I can use a Mac I am more productive, because Mark can use Linux he is more productive.
Your pointless focused hatred is not constructive, is not helpful, and most importantly. Is not true.
retrospooty - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
If you used to work in IT then you know exactly what I mean. I am not smacking the platform, it just doesn't have the enterprise app support that most companies use. Some sure, but not most.I really don't get why people get so upset. It's certainly not a personal insult, and it's really not even an insult to the platform, its more of a result of the billions and billions of dollars and 2 decades of work MS has spent cultivating the enterprise sector. Lets all calm down FFS.
Penti - Thursday, June 28, 2012 - link
Well just stream the app using Citrix or whatever. I've used business apps on terminal servers/RDS/remoteapp as a user on Windows desktop and it definitively works just as fine to stream those to a Mac using Citrix receiver or whatever tech you prefer. Running apps locally aren't all the rage today. Stuff like SAP is largely web-based on top of that. That stuff needs Windows is fine but you don't always need a Windows workstation. You can run plenty of your tools natively on a Mac too, it all depends on how the environment is set up, not how much it is invested in Microsoft tech.Notmyusualid - Saturday, July 7, 2012 - link
I'm a contractor, and have worked in Foxconn on a number of occasions, though I shouldn't say where.Not a Mac in sight.
Only interesting Appple-esq thing I see, is when the are using the lines to produce another product, whereby they guard the lines, draw curtains, and put security at all entrances.
Everybody uses Windows as far as I can see.
crownswe - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
You do know that all macs do run windows to? My Air boots windows 7 when needed, but mostly I work in OS X with Globus CRM (with parallells), Office and our HR software.Guess what? My company gets products out the door anyway. But come autum, we´ll go Citrix all the way so then you can use any platform you want. Local applications seems a bit old fashioned. A relic from the time you needed VPN to work from home...
Seriously, even Ericsson have gone with Citrix so anybody can use Macs, PCs or whatever. How far behind can Foxconn be?
retrospooty - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
True things are moving toward Citrix and/or cloud based solutions, as well as web accessible apps, but its a long long way off. Especially for the major manufacturing app types I listed above.moshj - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Citrix is an even better reason NOT to use a Mac PC. If all the workload is moving to virtual desktop infrastructure, all the more reason to buy cheaper, more cost efficient workstation hardware. Why pay a premium for a glorified terminal, be it a Mac PC or a Win PC.The previous commenter is till right. You don't see VDI running on macOS or even providing virtual macOS desktops, the vast majority of enterprise VDI is to provide users with Windows. So if you're using a Mac PC only to then use Citrified Windows, that seems like a aste of money on workstation hardware.
The only justification for local compute power is to be able to run local software, perhaps because the software requires a high performance GPU which VDI typically doesn't provide.
xype - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
If you're too inept to install Windows on a Mac you don't deserve (and likely can't afford one) anyway.retrospooty - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
I know this can be done, but it seems pointless to me. It's like buying an expensive computer with an OS that cant do what you need it to do, so you have to buy and install another OS to get the job done and make is a fully functional computer. - Whatever though, that's just me.Striderevil - Sunday, July 1, 2012 - link
Setting them up to work and sync is a pain on each device. Having a Windows PC for business applications is just easier and more flexible to use. Also you don't have to pay for updates which in any successful business that's conscious of their overheads this is a major plus. This is why many still run Windows XP.KPOM - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
I have Windows 7 64-bit installed on my Mac. I'd use it at work in an instant over my "brick-era" HP Elitebook if IT would let me. There really is no technical reason most companies can't support a BYOD device with minimum specs. Macs can run Windows, and most companies are still running XP (mine evolved all the way to Vista), so it isn't as if most enterprise software needs the latest and greatest.I understand the security needs (we have encryption and remote lock software installed), but again, in a separate partition that's easy to do.
Striderevil - Sunday, July 1, 2012 - link
Mac charges more for the same hardware, more for normal updates which are expected and free on Windows, syncing and setting up anything is a process on a Mac OS. I understand why it does this. It wants to market itself as a designer premium brand but for large companies and small business if I have a choice between 50 Windows PC's or Macs who do you think I would go for? If I have to communicate with business in the East who are even more money conscious most if not all use Windows. And most are non IT.euler007 - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
Just looking at different paper on my desks right now, I see eight engineering software commonly used by my engineering department that is not supported. Every software used daily by my design department is not supported.Same as it as always been, since the media work on macs they assume everyone should be able to. We don't all work with photoshop.
themossie - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Would like to see them make a slimmed down version of the old Studio XPS 16's unique styling. Don't want all laptops looking the same...Spunjji - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Meh comment is meh.Taft12 - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
If these can be had for $600-800 once Dell sales and coupons start flowing, they sound pretty damn good. Since SSD prices have fallen off a cliff the past few weeks, mSATA is a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist anymore. Too late there. Single channel memory is no biggie, the performance hit is <1% for almost everything unless someone can show me otherwise.Thank you for the good resolution on these models! (should my thanks go to Dell or Apple?)
MacTheSpoon - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
The old XPS 15 was butt-ugly, it's true, and this is certainly much better looking. But no R+GB screen, no more JBL speakers...the sound and screen were two areas where the old XPS 15 really differentiated itself from the competition. I guess I'll wait for the reviews, but it looks like a pretty big step backwards in some very important ways. Including the battery.All they really had to do was make the old machine a little quieter and ditch the two-tone plastic, in my opinion.
themossie - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
At least the XPS 14 gets 900p... Didn't realize they were downgrading the screen/speakers - what a deal breaker. Those made the XPS 15 (and the Studio XPS 16 before it, see my comment a few up) such impressive machines.Still like the styling of the Studio XPS 16 more though :-) (written from one)
JohnUSA - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
These new laptops still come with the horrible and irritating chiclet keyboards that Dell stupidly still supplies.Throw all these models in the garbage.
I will be interested in new Dell laptops when Dell starts offering good, usable and logically placed keys on their keyboards.
Their new chiclet keyboards have smaller keys, therefore a user mistypes a lot, and then Dell combined many keys to have dual functions that can be used only with the irritating new Fn (Function) key, which forces the user to use two hands instead of just one finger.
Whoever designed these horrible chiclet keyboards must be executed.
hormel - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Anandtech says Intel Core i5-3210M dual core processor or an Intel Core i7-3612QM 35W quad core for XPS 15Dell website shows:
2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-2430M processor (2.40 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz)
2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2640M processor (2.80 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.50 GHz)
http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-15z/pd.aspx?~ck=mn
Am I missing something? What gives?
dragonsqrrl - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Ya, you're looking at the wrong notebook.BillatDell - Friday, July 6, 2012 - link
Here are the product description pages you are looking for:http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-14-l421x/pd
http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-15-l521x/pd
Pirks - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Sony has1) IPS panel
2) Black matte screen finish, NO glare at all, I'm looking at it right now
3) Snap on sheet battery which makes total capacity 98 WHr, even new Retina MacBook doesn't have this large battery, it only has 95 WHr
4) The whole XPS screams "I'm el cheapo MacBook knockoff!!!" with its lame POS grey Apple faggot design. Sony is all matte black, 100% matte black EVERYWHERE, no stinky chinese or Apple faggot glare or grey shit anywhere!
5) Sony is MUCH lighter than XPS, and it's the SAME weight if you attach the sheet battery (but with almost double capacity compared to craplet XPS)
6) Sony sells it's Vaio SE 15" with FREE included docking station for the same price, circa $1200 plus tax
Well at least that's how I bought it a while ago, the second I read a rave review here on Anandtech. The link is http://www.anandtech.com/show/5722/sony-vaio-se-an...
7) When you buy Sony online at sonystyle.com you can select clean Windows install and there's MUCH less crapware preinstalled compared to your typical Sony
So say no to ugly Dell's MacBook knockoff. You compare this TN panel POS from Dell with that Sony and you imemdiately see who oozes quality and who screams "I'm el cheapo MacBook faggot clone!!!"
Read Vaio SE 15 review above and think TWICE before buying Dell's crap
Thanks for reading the rant :)
andrewaggb - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Heh. So I read your rant and had a look... and you're right. The sony is better.http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Pr...
karasaj - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
Sucks that you can't install fresh drivers from Sony.Dell's support is also miles better. Read up on the respective warranties, the premium support from Dell is amazing.
I'm pretty sure the Sony had some build quality issues last time it was reviewed. The XPS 14 and 15 are pretty much immaculate, from the first few reviews that I have seen. I believe one site even said something along the lines of "it makes an apple macbook pro seem lacking"
A couple quotes from that link: "That’s not really a problem for most laptops, but the hinge on the SE has the cover pivot down to actually obscure/block the vent, leading to potentially higher temperatures. I didn’t experience any stability issues caused by heat—or any stability problems at all for that matter—but I can see no reason for the current hinge design. It doesn’t feel particularly sturdy/stiff, it blocks the exhaust, and from an aesthetics point of view it doesn’t accomplish anything noteworthy. It’s not a complete deal breaker, but a slight retooling of the chassis to move the hinge up to the normal “top” location would easily solve this."
" The build quality of the LCD/cover is also rather flimsy, and the hinge location and design left me scratching my head wondering what engineer thought it was a good idea. "
" Anyway, I don’t mind the palm rest or body, but the display/cover/hinge feels loose and I’m not sure how well it will hold up after a few years of use. (Have you ever used a laptop where the hinge is so loose that the display just flops open/closed? I could see that happening in a year or two with the SE, as the hinge already moves quite easily.)"
Yes there are positives, but Sony has plenty of things wrong with it as well.
Notmyusualid - Saturday, July 7, 2012 - link
+1Dell's support is light-years ahead of Sony.
70% of the reason I just bought another Dell. (4th purchase)
Other reason was dual-GPU in a notebook.
hormel - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Just talked to a Dell sales Rep. I know they aren't very reliable but he says the are coming with the 2nd gen i5 and i7. Only the new XPS 14 comes with 3rd gen. What a shame. Brand new flagship dell XPS laptop comes with antiquated sandybridge:( Deal breakerhormel - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Clarification: the XPS 15z only come 2nd gen processorsFlunk - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
Right, all the outgoing models only support sandy bridge. The new XPS 15 supports ivy bridge (and is not available with anything else).moshj - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Antiquated? Is your workload likely to benefit so much more from an Ivy Bridge over a Sandy Bridge? Ivy Bridge itself will be surpassed within 18-24 months. The Sandy Bridges will drop price in the meantime so they'll end up offering better value. I mean, Sandy Bridge iCores are FAST processors. The jury is still out on whether the Ivy Bridges truly do deliver better battery life.dragonsqrrl - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Is the author certain that the GT640M comes with GDDR5? If it does that's awesome, but according to notebookcheck.net the GT640M is only offered with GDDR3. Just want a confirmation either way. Thanks.Deanjo - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
The 640M can come in GDDR3 or GDDR5 configurations.http://www.geforce.com/hardware/notebook-gpus/gefo...
dragonsqrrl - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Thanks, looks like notebookcheck needs to fix their info.BillatDell - Friday, July 6, 2012 - link
The GT640M in the XPS 15 is definitely GDDR5 only.Erasmus III - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Am I the only one who's sick of Dell taking out the context menu key? It's pure idiocy. That and using the same keyboard size on every model is one of those Apple-inspired trends that I just hate to see on PCs.On a 15" computer, I want a numpad if you it fits and dedicated page up/down, home/end keys if you can't. If an old Toshiba netbook can meet that standard, then a "premium" PC shouldn't fall short.
Akdor 1154 - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
Can we please cease with this 900p, 1080p, whatever-p crap, Dustin? Your articles are read by knowledgeable people who will not be scared off by seeing the actual pixel dimensions of an lcd screen. Why is the p even necessary in this context? To remove the ambiguity between these and all those other laptop panels that run in interlaced mode? :/Akdor 1154 - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
Can we please cease with this 900p, 1080p, whatever-p crap, Dustin? Your articles are read by knowledgeable people who will not be scared off by seeing the actual pixel dimensions of an lcd screen. Why is the p even necessary in this context? To remove the ambiguity between these and all those other laptop panels that run in interlaced mode? :/KPOM - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
The XPS 13 was interesting, but I think the 14" model is a bit bland and shows signs of cut corners. Single channel DDR3 1333 RAM is one sign. More importantly, it is too heavy. Other 14" Ultrabooks weigh less than 4lbs. This one is heavier than the new Retina MacBook Pro.Pricing is also an issue. By comparison, Vizio's Ultrabooks offer 256GB SSD and the 1.9GHz i7 for $1199. At the high end, equipped with a 512GB SSD and a 1.9GHz i7, the Dell tops out at $1999. The 13.3" MacBook Air with 512GB SSD and 2.0GHz i7 is $2199 ($2099 with the 1.8GHz i5). I don't think that is enough of a differential.
LuckyKnight - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
Small form factor? YesDedicated graphics? Yes
Matt Screen? No
Dual channel RAM? No
What the hell are the idiots at Dell playing at? Why can't they make a laptop that I want
osxsier - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
Check out those notebooks from Dell. i7, Nvidia 650m 2gb ram, msata built it. Those are some nice notebooks! For $1099, I dont think those specs and price can be beat.mcquade181 - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
I was considering buying the old 14Z model, and was eagerly anticipating the new model. I'm very, very disappointed - what were you thinking Dell?The fails for me are the slow, single channel memory, the non replaceable battery, and the lack of a DVD/Blu-ray drive.
An extra millimeter of thickness doesn't bother me, but the loss of features certainly does!
karasaj - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
Will we see a review of one of these from Anand anytime soon?