Not for that money. Dell XPS 15 2in1 - review

Dell XPS 15 in its standard form is considered one of the best laptops with Windows. I spent a few weeks with its 2-in-1 convertible version and I have to say the same thing as the Dell XPS 13 review - it's good, but certainly not the best.

If someone is considering buying the Della XPS 15 and wondering whether it is worth choosing a "folded" model instead of a standard model, I will say it directly - it is only worth if you really care about the use of tablet / drawing aspects of the device.

In any other case, the Dell XPS 15 2in1 is the art of compromise, which ... well. It is not always worth it.

The efficiency suffered the most in the changed housing.

Dell XPS 15 9575 2in1 is definitely not a free machine. The tested specimen was equipped with an Intel Core i7-8705G processor, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD and graphics AMD Radeon Vega M GL. Pixels driven by these components are displayed on a 15-inch display, with touch and optional pen support, with UHD resolution.

Such a configuration costs 12,000. zł. and in everyday use, there is no lack of power. The problem is that for very similar money (PLN 12400) you can buy the "unopened" Dell XPS 15 9570, equipped with a much more powerful Intel Core i9-8950HK processor and a slightly more efficient Nvidia graphics chip - GTX 1050Ti.

Dell XPS 15 2in1 for an uncertain reason also has a worse display.

It is not noticeable every day, because the 15-inch panel is beautiful, has perfect viewing angles and a marginal light leakage at the bottom beam.

In professional applications, however, it lags behind the usual XPS-15, whose display captures 100 percent. Adobe RGB color space. The 2in1 version only offers 72 percent. cover this color space.

The keyboard and the choice of ports proved to be a compromise.

In the 2in1 version, the keys have a slightly less space, so they have a shorter pitch and almost no damping, which makes writing very unpleasant. After a few weeks with XPS 15, it is the keyboard that I consider the weakest element. It is definitely not a laptop for someone who writes a lot. If we are looking for such equipment in Dell's portfolio, a much better choice will be a small XPS 13.

The XPS 15 2in1 also has noticeably more limited connectivity than its "non-complicated" counterpart. There are no USB-A or HDMI connections, only USB-C, Thunberbolt 3, a headphone jack and an unnecessary microSD port. The set is almost identical to the smaller XPS 13.

Dell needs to do something about its junk software policy.

Similarly, as XPS 13 gets hit, it will get XPS 2 2 in 1. Dell pre-installs an unacceptable amount of junk software on its equipment.

Of course, the same can be said for every laptop manufacturer with Windows except for Microsoft, but in Dell's laptop the installed junk is the most aggressive, attacking with pop-ups at every step. The undisputed champion of this infamous competition is McAfee, who regaled me with the pop-up taking 1/4 of the screen:

https://twitter.com/lukaszkotkowski/status/1118430093041438720

Not only are the notifications of Dell's application notifying better about updates and promotions. The experience of using such a littered computer is very unpleasant and, of course, you can remove all this trash, so the fact of removing them will not erase the very bad first impression.

Despite this, the Dell XPS 15 2in1 has proved to be a very nice working tool.

Except for the keyboard, which still brings me to the nausea, working on the Dell XPS 15 2in1 turned out to be very pleasant.

It starts even after opening the laptop lid - in addition to the fingerprint reader, which just works badly, we have an infrared camera responsible for logging into the system via Windows Hello, which works simply sensational.

It also means that the camera is placed under and not over the screen, which results in a bizarre recording angle during video calling, but you can get over it.

After logging into the computer, it is very nice to look at the beautiful display. Maybe it does not reflect 100 percent. Adobe RGB, but reflects 100%. sRGB, which should be enough for most consumers. Its colors, contrast and viewing angles look great on a daily basis. Also enjoys high screen brightness, on which even the Battle of Winterfell was clearly visible.

Another huge plus of Della XPS 15 2in1 is the trackpad. Just as the keyboard is terrible, the trackpad works perfectly. It not only supports gestures thanks to Windows Precision drivers, but it is also responsive and simply pleasant to use.

I was also surprised by the loudspeakers. Their placement is not happiest (at the bottom of the casing), but a laptop placed on a desk or in a tent mode sounds very clean, loud and clear.

Not once did I feel that I lacked efficiency.

Despite the fact that the 2in1 version is not as efficient as the regular XPS 15, it can not be said that it lacked power. The laptop has easily dealt with every challenge posed before him - machining dozens of RAWs in Lightroom and Photoshop is no effort for him. Until we start to work on layers or export a large catalog, the XPS 15 2in1 does not even turn on the batteries.

It was only when editing 4K video in Adobe Premiere that it became loud, hot and not very efficient. In addition, the Dell XPS 15 2in1 must be constantly connected to the power supply during intensive operation, otherwise its performance drops dramatically. The situation is much better in DaVinci Resolve, which on Dellu XPS 15 2in1 allows for a fully smooth 4K video montage without using a proxy. You can see how many of the two programs do not like graphics from AMD ...

As long as we keep to Full HD resolution, we can also play the latest productions on the Dell XPS 15 2in1. The laptop ensures smooth playing in The Witcher 3 or Battlefield V without much effort, although in the first one to achieve results above 30 fps it was necessary to lower the details to the medium level.

When you're not playing or editing videos, the Dell XPS 15 2in1 stays quiet and cool and works surprisingly long for a machine with this performance, with such a high resolution screen.

Without much effort I took 8 hours of work away from the socket while working in Word, combined with listening to Spotify and browsing the Internet in Google Chrome, on the average level of brightness of the screen.

This is a very good result. It is a pity that to provide the right power supply for the laptop, the charger must be large and quite bulky. The more so because - as a standard - it is crowned with a long, thick power cord. A nice addition is the charge level indicator on the edge of the housing. Just press the button and we already know how much energy we have without having to start the computer.

Being in mobility, I must also point out that despite the 15-inch XPS 15 display 2in1 is quite a compact device. Measuring barely 16 mm in thickness and weighing 1.97 kg, it is not likely to cause any problems to the spine.

At Della XPS 15 2 in 1, it's nice to watch as well. At least for a moment.

The XPS series are very beautiful machines, but in the 2in1 variant I noticed one problem, which for many people can be a deterrent - the material with which the work table is covered is terribly dirty. Much worse than in the recently tested Dell XPS 13.

You do not need to have too dirty or greasy hands to leave disgusting marks, which are then very difficult to remove. Of course, they do not affect the use of the device in any way, but they look at least distasteful.

Fortunately, the rest of the housing looks very elegant, so as long as we take care that nobody looks behind the cover, we can take XPS 15 at the business meeting without shame.

I have a problem to recommend Della XPS 15 2in1.

It's a good laptop. After uninstalling the junk software even great. But the problem is ... they're better.

Even when looking only for convertible computers, for 12 thousand. zł. you can buy a sensational Surface Book 2 15, which has a better screen, a better keyboard and a much stronger graphics card.

Among "uncomplicated" laptops, almost every product at this price raises XPS-2 15in1. Ordinary XPS 15 has a much better price / quality ratio. Razer Blade 15 drives it out with efficiency. The MacBook Pro 15 ... there is nothing to mention. Another league.

That's why, although it was nice to work on the Dell XPS 15 2in1, I can not say it was a viable purchase. To buy this laptop, you have to really be guided by your heart, not by reason.

Not for that money. Dell XPS 15 2in1 - review