Dell XPS 13 9350 2016 (FHD, i7-6560U) Notebook Review

We now face the current edition of the Dell XPS 13 (9350) for the fourth time. We have reviewed devices for the press from the USA and Germany as well as samples bought in the market. All of them are solid, optically and haptically appealing devices with good build quality. The "sandwich" design consisting of two stable aluminum parts and components from carbon-fiber composite in between not only makes for an excellent rigidity but also gives the XPS 13 its unique appearance.

The wide display hinge keeps the display well in position and allows a maximum opening angle of 140 degrees. Two hands are required for opening, but adjusting the angle can be done with one hand. A small flaw caused by the hinge design: Dust and smudges quickly accumulate between the display and hinge. The touchpad as well as surrounding case are prone to fingerprints, while the surfaces on the outside made from aluminum are insensitive to these. In the FHD variant, dust also accumulates between the display bezel and display. The QHD+ edition is different, since it comes with an edge-to-edge glass panel.

In addition, we have to mention a small flaw in our test sample: The touchpad did not sit absolutely tightly in the case. A minimal yielding of the pad was notable when clicking (before the mechanical click). However, this issue disappeared after we had used the device for a few days and the touchpad got firmly connected.

The XPS 13 does not come with noteworthy accessories out of the box. The small box contains a quick-start guide and security information. However, Dell offers a number of products and compatible peripherals for the XPS 13. Among these, the optional adapter for the USB Type C port and docks are most interesting. A Type C to HDMI 2.0 adapter is available for 40 Euros (~$44). In addition, a Gigabit Ethernet adapter and a kind of mini-dock with Ethernet, USB Type A and HDMI (91 Euros, ~$100) are offered.

The feature rich docks are really expensive. The WD15 adds two USB 2.0 ports and three USB 3.0 Type A ports, an audio out and an audio combo port, an RJ45 Gigabit LAN port and two DisplayPorts (2x FHD or 1x 4K@30Hz) to the XPS 13. It costs 290 Euros (~$320, incl. VAT).

The Thunderbolt Dock TB15 is an alternative, which should finally use the full potential of the compatible port on the device. Price: about 349 Euros (~$385).

In addition, the device comes with several Dell software tools. The Dell Command Update searches for the latest drivers and BIOS versions, downloads them from the web and installs them. The Dell Support Assist informs about the warranty status, helps recognizing problems and helps contacting Dell Support.

Maintenance

In general, end user maintenance is not top priority in the XPS 13. Nevertheless, it is possible to open the case with a suitable screw driver (Torx T5). Our colleagues from iFixit have created a detailed guide on basis of the XPS 13 predecessor generation with identical design (you can look it up here). Upon our request, Dell told us that you should clarify impacts of user upgrade on warranty before doing so, since guidelines differ depending on series and model. The service agreement of our test model from the business shop does not limit replacing components - provided they are correctly installed. However, new components, for example a new SSD, are excluded from the Dell Service - unless bought from Dell.
Update 24th of June 2016: According to Dell, also consumers may replace SSDs. However, the warranty does not apply to the new SSD, but only to the original SSD of the system. Dell provides a guide to replacing components here.

We have upgraded the built-in Samsung PM951 SSD with a capacity of 256 GB. We decided to replace it with a fast Samsung SM951 SSD with a gross capacity of 512 GB. According to our benchmark list of hard drives and SSDs, this storage device should bring significantly faster write and read rates. Detailed information with many images and screenshots for SSD replacements in the Dell XPS 13 are available in this article (will follow soon).

What is CABC? In contrast to adaptive brightness (setting in the Windows energy options; did not bring measurable differences in our test model), which is used in many notebooks and increases or decreases the brightness of the LCD backlight depending on the ambient light, CABC adapts backlight and pixel filters depending on the display content. When, for example dark content is displayed, the filter can either only let a very small amount of the maximum brightness through (normal) or CABC dynamically reduces the backlight and adapts the filter accordingly in order to let the image appear the same at low brightness. This method can significantly contribute to energy saving but might cause visual problems. In our review of the XPS 13 QHD+ variant, we could observe that the battery life increased by about one hour (CABC off vs. CABC on) in our realistic Wi-Fi test.

What is the impact of CABC on the user in everyday use? When using the laptop as an office device with a lot of text processing, tables and forms, you will subjectively hardly notice it. However, when you quickly switch between windows with different content and watch carefully, you might recognize a slow brightness adjustment. In extreme scenarios (entirely black content, white measurement spot in the center), the brightness falls to about 210 cd/m², while the brightness is increased to up to 385 cd/m² when a white background is displayed. The measured minimum brightness is 17.7 cd/m² with manual selected minimum brightness and white display content. This allows eye-friendly use of the device even in completely dark environments.

The following measurements of the display brightness were done with full-screen white or black (black value) background and so are the maximum or best possible values. In practice, the display brightness is dynamically lower due to automatic adjustment by CABC and levels off between the two extreme values of 210 and 385 cd/m² (white) mentioned above.

Although you can sometimes read in forums that CABC can also be disabled in the FHD edition, we cannot confirm this so far. However, we are constantly in contact with Dell regarding this issue and will inform you as soon as there is new information available.

With processor options from i5-6200U up to i7-6500U and the i7-6560U in our test model, you can select between a number of powerful solutions. While for example the ZenBook UX3xx series also includes models with passively cooled Intel Core-m processors, Dell only offers premium mobile notebook performance in its XPS series. Depending on the selected CPU, the XPS 13 either comes with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 520 or a fast Intel Iris Graphics 540 (test model).

Whether you choose an i5 or an i7 with Intel Iris GPU depends on your performance requirements. The i7-6560U clocks at 3.2 GHz, while the i5 "only" allows a maximum clock of 2.8 GHz. As so often, it depends on the planned usage scenario whether such an investment is useful. Currently, you can save about 90 Euros (~$99, excl. VAT) when selecting the Intel i5 in Dell's online shop.

If you compare the processors offered for the XPS 13 to each other, the CPU performance of the i7 is about 10 to 15% better than the i5's. There is not really a difference between the i7-6500U and the i7-6560U here. It is positive that the CPU performance remained roughly constant, when running benchmarks in a loop for a long period of time (about 60 minutes). During plain CPU load, the i7-6560U in our test model repeatedly clocks at 3.2 GHz and the clock rate even remains constantly above 3 GHz during permanent load in this scenario. The core temperatures reached just above 90 °C for brief periods but leveled off between 80 and 90 °C thereafter.

Thus, you can be sure that you have got the full performance available during prolonged CPU-intensive work when you select the faster i7 CPU for your XPS 13.

We took a closer look at the popular multi-player game Dota 2. We played a classical match against the AI and recorded the frame rates at a resolution of 1080p and medium presets as well as 1080p and high presets. As you can easily see in the charts, the frame rate remains constantly at about 50 to 60 fps with medium details, while it is about 30 fps with high details at the beginning of the game. Later in the game, when more frequently meeting heroes and optical effects put more stress on the graphics card, the frame rate falls to 30 fps or 20 fps for brief periods with medium or high details, respectively. The ideal configuration might be somewhere in between these two presets, although, subjectively, we did not even experience stuttering or delays at high settings.

Although the highest frame rates are not required in World of Warships for reasonably playing it, a constantly smooth image sequence is desirable anyway. At 1920x1280 pixels and high graphics details, the frame rate even falls below 30 fps without special animations. During fights with explosion effects, visible stuttering is to be expected. You'd better select 1366x768 pixels and medium graphics details for constantly smooth image sequences.

In contrast to World of Warships, a very active gamer is required in Overwatch. Consequently, a similarly fast frame rate is required. Although the frame rate remains above 30 fps at 1366x768 pixels and medium graphics details, a frame rate of 40 fps and higher is recommended for this game, which requires reducing resolution and graphics details.

Apparently, Dell constantly works on the fan control of the XPS 13. The test model's noise level and rotation speed differs from the previous XPS 13 variants.

The notebook usually remains silent when running idle. However, the fan might turn on during office use with throughout low load. It runs at 32.8 dB(A) and about 3600 RPM. This means the device is audible, yet not really disturbing in quiet environments.

Under load (3DMark06), the XPS levels off at 36.5 dB (4400 RPM). During the Prime 95 CPU stress test, we measured the maximum of 38.3 dB (5000 RPM). As soon as Furmark starts running simultaneously in our classical stress test setup, the CPU throttles to 0.9 GHz, the chip temperature falls below 80 °C, and the fan reduces its speed.

During CPU stress, the CPU levels off at just under 90 °C and the clock rates remain constantly at 2.6 to 2.7 GHz.

Rarely, you can hear electronic noise (coil whining) in entirely quiet environments. However, it does not really attract negative attention in everyday office use.

As we have already done four reviews on the Dell XPS 13 9350 with different configurations, it is not easy to add new discoveries in the verdict. Our test model with i7-6560U (Intel Iris Graphics) and matte FHD display from Dell's business shop primarily confirms already observed advantages and disadvantages of the current XPS 13 series.

A brief summary once again: high-end, stable cases with discreet looks, good connectivity with fast SD-card reader, fast Wi-Fi module and Thunderbolt 3 as highlight, good input devices, a very good system performance thanks to fast CPU, GPU and PCIe SSD; even if there are already significantly faster SSDs currently on the market. Good for power users: Dell's XPS 13 even provides full performance on battery, however, only for about two hours. During office use, you can expect a battery life between 7 and 8 hours depending on the scenario.

Is the Dell XPS 13 the best business notebook?

The XPS is an interesting alternative to classical subnotebooks such as the ThinkPad X260, the EliteBook 820 G3, and certainly the Latitude E7270 for business users. The XPS is smaller and partly even lighter, while providing a bigger display and at least equal performance if not even higher performance (GPU) than these. With Windows 10 Pro, many BIOS options and included Dell ProSupport (next business day), the XPS 13, which is successful in the consumer market, has been enhanced by indispensable professional features.

What are the disadvantages of the XPS 13? It's probably easiest to get over the fact that the touchpad is a fingerprint magnet. The active CABC (Content Adaptive Brightness Control), which automatically adjusts the display brightness depending on the display content without user control, is more critical. Although it hardly has an impact on colors and grayscales, it causes a big contrast range (636:1 to 2265:1). The advantages in energy saving might be more important for office users, however mobile image editors and graphics users are urged to select a QHD+ display, which allows disabling the CABC feature.

The price for the always high performance is that the top model of the XPS can get quite warm under load. In addition, you have to accept that the fan sometimes even gets active during low office load.