Dell XPS 13 Plus

[TSE]

I really appreciate when companies take risks, and Dell needs a shoutout here. Wasn't expecting reviews to be so positive on this, but it sounds like Dell really challenged themselves to push further with the best PC ultraportable for most people (XPS 13).

These things beat out the M1 significantly, have great screens, absolutely beautiful industrial design, and don't throttle even after a few benchmark runs. The battery life is also pretty good on the 1920x1200 model, although nowhere near an M1. I would stay away from the 4K OLED model as it drains battery quite heavily.

The only compromises in experience I would say that Dell had to make for this much power in this form factor is the touch sensitive top row (wouldn't mind it for all the keys except for escape), and the processors do hit and stay at 99 degrees celsius while running intensive tasks which means you don't have any thermal headroom whatsoever.

 

[Kazgarth]

That's an impressive Cinebench R23 score, it beats my Ryzen gaming PC while being slim 13" laptop.

 

[DarthVader!]

Dell really challenged themselves to push further

I believe PC makers are feeling the heat with the ARM Macs. Apple has pc makers spooked as they're beating them on so many fronts. This is the benefit of competition and hopefully other makers start stepping up to the plate.

This laptop is a non-starter for me given the lack for function keys, I hated the fact that apple removed them on the prior generation of laptops.

 

[bobcomer]

I believe PC makers are feeling the heat with the ARM Macs. Apple has pc makers spooked as they're beating them on so many fronts. This is the benefit of competition and hopefully other makers start stepping up to the plate.

This laptop is a non-starter for me given the lack for function keys, I hated the fact that apple removed them on the prior generation of laptops.

Yeah, I need the function keys too, no way can I buy this.

 

[Mr.Blacky]

Isn't Cinebench a bad indicator for M1 performance?

 

[TSE]

Isn't Cinebench a bad indicator for M1 performance?

Is it?

 

[PhoneI]

Curious why they chose to compare against an Apple device from 2020 instead of the newer 14" Macbook Pro.

 

[DarthVader!]

Isn't Cinebench a bad indicator for M1 performance?

I had to do some googling and it appears the M1 Pro is in the 12k - 15k results

I believe 10th and 11th Gen i7s are in that neighborhood while 12th gen Alder lake I7 is in the 18k range.

 

[Mr.Blacky]

I found the thread where I read about M1 and Cinebench:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/guys-please-dont-compare-cr23-or-geekbench-gpu-compute-scores-for-apple-silicon-against-an-x86-processor-or-nvidia-amd-gpu-respectively.2338453/?post=30949617#post-30949617

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

I do think it looks nice but I’m so used to fanless or near silent designs I would probably be annoyed using any x86 processor as they tend to heat up quickly. Same for Intel Macs.

Then factor in the price and suspect build quality and it’s too big a risk. Even the Surface build quality is flimsy and that’s straight from MS. No idea why they do this and still charge MacBook money.

 

[Thysanoptera]

I don’t like the keyboard, large, flat keys without spacing in between them. I had a keyboard a like that, external, and the manufacturer offered regular keys for free for it, it’s that bad. Plus I’m in love with 14’’ MBP, the power/performance curve is insane.

 

[TechRunner]

I don’t like the keyboard, large, flat keys without spacing in between them.

My wife had an old laptop like that (I think it was a Toshiba? Not sure) and those keys didn't work for me. It's a great aesthetic, but functionally, that would be the deal breaker for me.

 

[TSE]

I do think it looks nice but I’m so used to fanless or near silent designs I would probably be annoyed using any x86 processor as they tend to heat up quickly. Same for Intel Macs.

Then factor in the price and suspect build quality and it’s too big a risk. Even the Surface build quality is flimsy and that’s straight from MS. No idea why they do this and still charge MacBook money.

Agreed. After getting my M1 MacBook Air, I will never go back to X86 for a laptop. I need the same experience. Anything less is taking a step back.