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Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7-7500U Notebook Review

Now in Rose Gold. The Kaby Lake update adds little to an already excellent XPS 13 experience. Users will only see marginal benefits in both performance and battery life when compared to the outgoing Skylake XPS 13.

The XPS 13 series has always been a popular seller and a high recommendation on our Top 10 list especially after the InfinityEdge redesign. Thus, it's only natural that Dell refreshes its XPS 13 9350 Skylake family with Kaby Lake options in time for the Holiday shopping season.

We recently checked out the XPS 13 9360 with the Core i5-7200U and our latest SKU today is similar but with the faster i7-7500U CPU. Does this small performance upgrade bring any drawbacks in terms of throttling, temperatures, and battery life?

We recommend checking out our original review page on the XPS 13 9360 for more information on the chassis and its features.

Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7 (XPS 13 9360 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-7500U 2 x 2.7 - 3.5 GHz, Kaby Lake
Graphics adapter
Intel HD Graphics 620, Core: 300 MHz, Memory: 933 MHz, 21.20.16.4475
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR4 Dual-Channel
Display
13.30 inch 16:9, 3200 x 1800 pixel 276 PPI, Capacitive, Sharp SHP144A, IPS, glossy: yes
Mainboard
Intel Kaby Lake-U Premium PCH
Storage
Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK, 256 GB 
, NVMe, 198 GB free
Soundcard
Intel Kaby Lake-U/Y PCH - High Definition Audio
Connections
2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 Thunderbolt, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo, Card Reader: SD-Kartenleser, Brightness Sensor
Networking
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.1
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 15 x 304 x 201 ( = 0.59 x 11.97 x 7.91 in)
Battery
60 Wh, 8085 mAh Lithium-Polymer, 7.6V PW23Y
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 720p
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, McAffee Antivirus, 12 Months Warranty
Released
10/25/2016
Weight
1.313 kg ( = 46.31 oz / 2.89 pounds), Power Supply: 263 g ( = 9.28 oz / 0.58 pounds)
Price
1299 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The 9360 is but a minor internal update compared to the 9350, so the aluminum chassis remains identical to last year's model in terms of quality and workmanship with a new Rose Gold color option. There is almost no creaking around the base and the lid itself is surprisingly more rigid compared to most other notebooks due to its thickness and Gorilla Glass reinforcement. Pushing down on the center of the outer lid just barely warps the surface with excellent resistance to twisting.

Main drawbacks are minor and mostly superficial including rubberized palm rests that attract fingerprints and a smooth matte outer lid that can be easily scratched. Furthermore, the display continues to be difficult to open when in its closed position as the front edge includes no tab or recess for easier gripping.

322.2 mm / 12.7 inch 222.8 mm / 8.77 inch 19.8 mm / 0.78 inch 1.4 kg3.17 lbs321 mm / 12.6 inch 219 mm / 8.62 inch 13.9 mm / 0.547 inch 1.2 kg2.65 lbs316 mm / 12.4 inch 227 mm / 8.94 inch 18 mm / 0.709 inch 1.2 kg2.65 lbs310 mm / 12.2 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 15.7 mm / 0.618 inch 1.2 kg2.56 lbs305.6 mm / 12 inch 217.9 mm / 8.58 inch 13.7 mm / 0.539 inch 1.3 kg2.81 lbs305 mm / 12 inch 211 mm / 8.31 inch 14.3 mm / 0.563 inch 1.2 kg2.75 lbs304 mm / 12 inch 201 mm / 7.91 inch 15 mm / 0.591 inch 1.3 kg2.89 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Available interfaces have not changed. The Thunderbolt 3 port in particular is noteworthy as it future-proofs the system in terms of docking capabilities and support for external 4K monitors. The lack of any native HDMI or cabled Ethernet ports will force owners into purchasing adapters. To Dell's credit, however, more Ultrabooks are also dropping these ports in favor of Thunderbolt or USB Type-C including the Spectre 13 and the upcoming Zenbook 3.

Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Left: AC adapter, USB Type-C Gen. 2 + Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.0, 3.5 mm combo audio, Battery gauge button
Left: AC adapter, USB Type-C Gen. 2 + Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.0, 3.5 mm combo audio, Battery gauge button
Rear: No connectivity
Rear: No connectivity
Right: SD reader, USB 3.0, Noble Lock
Right: SD reader, USB 3.0, Noble Lock

SD Card Reader

The SD card reader is capable of read rates of over 248 MB/s on our Toshiba Exceria Pro UHS-II test card to be faster than most SD readers on mainstream and budget notebooks. Real-world transfer rates of multiple files are slower as it takes about 8 seconds to transfer 1 GB worth of photos from the card reader to desktop.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
MSI GT73VR 6RF
 
155.1 MB/s +21%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
 
128 MB/s
Asus Zenbook UX360UA-C4159T
 
31 MB/s -76%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
 
248.1 MB/s
MSI GT73VR 6RF
 
209.4 MB/s -16%
Asus Zenbook UX360UA-C4159T
 
37 MB/s -85%

Communication

WLAN has been upgraded to the dual-band Killer 1535 for all SKUs of the XPS 13 9360. This is rather unexpected as the Killer module targets gamers and is typically a high-end option for flagship gaming notebooks. Nonetheless, XPS 13 users can now take advantage of new features including the Killer Network Manager software, DoubleShot Pro, and MU-MIMO for routers that support it.

A quick iPerf test reveals a real-world transfer rate of about 660 Mbps against a theoretical maximum of 768 Mbps when connected 1 meter away from our Linksys EA8500 router. See our dedicated performance review on the Killer 1535 for more information on the WLAN module.

Networking
WiFi Speed Client 1m 512KB
WiFi Speed Server 1m 512KB

Accessories

There are no included extras outside of a Quick Start guide and a warranty card. THis is somewhat disappointing as most other high-end or flagship notebooks commonly ship with cleaning cloths, adapters, or protective sleeves.

The Thunderbolt 3 port allows for a wide range of accessories including the useful Dell DA200 all-in-one adapter for RJ-45, HDMI, and VGA.

Maintenance

Both a T5 Hex wrench and a standard Philips screwdriver are required to pop out the bottom panel. There are no hidden screws underneath the rubber footing, though the tight latches around the outer edges can be difficult to detach without a sharp edge.

Users have direct access to the system fan, M.2 SSD, battery, and WLAN module. RAM continues to be soldered and not upgradeable.

Warranty

The standard one-year limited warranty applies to users in the U.S. with included onsite service thrown in for free. Options are available to extend warranty for up to four years.

Please see our Guarantees, Return Policies & Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Relatively accessible with few upgradeable options
Relatively accessible with few upgradeable options

Input Devices

Keyboard and Touchpad

Our previous comments on the keyboard (26.5 x 10.2 cm) and touchpad (10.5 x 6 cm) of the XPS 13 9350 still apply here. The backlit keys have 1.3 mm of travel similar to the Spectre x360 13 with satisfactory feedback and soft clatter. The smaller keys tend to have comparatively weaker feedback including the Arrow and Function keys. There are no dedicated auxiliary keys and the keyboard size is actually smaller than on the Spectre x360 13 for a more cramped experience.

The slightly rubberized clickpad works flawlessly for simple cursor control with no jitters. Its integrated mouse clicks are very shallow in travel and the feedback could have benefited from a more solid feel. Beyond this, the touchpad is still comfortable to use should an external mouse be unavailable. Using the touchscreen here is also more practical than on other touchscreen-enabled notebooks since the display teeters less significantly in response.

Comfortable keyboard except for the half-sized Arrow keys
Comfortable keyboard except for the half-sized Arrow keys
Keys have 1.3 mm of travel
Keys have 1.3 mm of travel

Display

Our XPS 13 i7 SKU is equipped with the same QHD+ display from Sharp as on our i5 SKU. A search for its SHP144A panel name shows that the previous generation XPS 13 9350 utilizes the same screen, so users can expect very similar properties between them including contrast and gamut. Backlight brightness is also comparable to other flagship Ultrabooks at well over 300 nits maximum. Unfortunately, the system still utilizes CABC by default and so our brightness measurements are difficult to reproduce even between SKUs with the same QHD display.

Subjectively, onscreen content is crisp with no visible grains unlike on many matte panels. Scaling issues are essentially unavoidable at this high of a density on such a small screen. A non-touchcreen matte FHD SKU of the XPS 13 is available for those who find little value in the higher resolution display and our review on this configuration will come in the next several weeks.

There is very slight uneven backlight bleeding on the bottom edge, but this is difficult to notice even during movie playback with black bars.

Minimal backlight bleeding near the bottom left edge
Minimal backlight bleeding near the bottom left edge
Glossy subpixel array (276 PPI)
Glossy subpixel array (276 PPI)
337.2
cd/m²
362.4
cd/m²
355.4
cd/m²
352.1
cd/m²
396.2
cd/m²
351.2
cd/m²
334.7
cd/m²
376.3
cd/m²
343.2
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Sharp SHP144A tested with X-Rite i1Pro Basic 2
Maximum: 396.2 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 356.5 cd/m² Minimum: 17.9 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 84 %
Center on Battery: 396.2 cd/m²
Contrast: 1489:1 (Black: 0.266 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.9 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 4.16 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
88.7% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
57.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
64.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
89.4% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
62.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.31
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
Sharp SHP144A, IPS, 13.30, 3200x1800
HP Spectre x360 13-w023dx
Chi Mei CMN1367, IPS, 13.30, 1920x1080
HP EliteBook 1030 G1-X2F03EA
Sharp SHP1465, IPS, 13.30, 3200x1800
Asus Zenbook UX360UA-C4159T
AU Optronics AOU272D / B133HAN02.7, IPS, 13.30, 1920x1080
Apple MacBook Air 13 inch 2015-03
Apple APP9CF0, TN LED, 13.30, 1440x900
Display
2%
7%
3%
-35%
Display P3 Coverage
62.8
65.4
4%
67.6
8%
64.8
3%
40.1
-36%
sRGB Coverage
89.4
90.4
1%
94.7
6%
93.1
4%
59.8
-33%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
64.6
65.8
2%
69
7%
66
2%
41.51
-36%
Response Times
14%
8%
34%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
43.6 ?(13.6, 30)
33.2 ?(16, 17.2)
24%
42.4 ?(17.2, 25.2)
3%
29 ?(11, 18)
33%
Response Time Black / White *
29.2 ?(9.2, 20)
28 ?(5.6, 22.4)
4%
25.6 ?(11.6, 14)
12%
19 ?(7, 12)
35%
PWM Frequency
50 ?(40)
Screen
-28%
-1%
-16%
-18%
Brightness middle
396.2
334.6
-16%
401
1%
344
-13%
329
-17%
Brightness
357
319
-11%
369
3%
326
-9%
310
-13%
Brightness Distribution
84
90
7%
85
1%
86
2%
82
-2%
Black Level *
0.266
0.336
-26%
0.35
-32%
0.27
-2%
0.405
-52%
Contrast
1489
996
-33%
1146
-23%
1274
-14%
812
-45%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3.9
6.21
-59%
3.5
10%
5.53
-42%
3.96
-2%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
7.58
12
-58%
6.33
16%
10.01
-32%
7.51
1%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4.16
7.71
-85%
4.13
1%
6.67
-60%
3.51
16%
Gamma
2.31 95%
2.36 93%
2.28 96%
2.43 91%
3.83 57%
CCT
6514 100%
6458 101%
6508 100%
7012 93%
6711 97%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
57.5
58.6
2%
61.56
7%
60
4%
38.4
-33%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
88.7
90
1%
94.64
7%
93
5%
59.8
-33%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-4% / -16%
5% / 2%
7% / -6%
-27% / -22%

* ... smaller is better

Color coverage is approximately 89 percent and 58 percent of the AdobeRGB and sRGB standards, respectively, to be more or less similar to most of its recent flagship competitors. Cheaper TN panels that aren't capable of deeper colors have a much narrower gamut at about 60 percent of sRGB, but such high color accuracy is largely insignificant for browsing and word processing.

vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. HP Spectre x360 13
vs. HP Spectre x360 13
vs. Xiaomi Mi Air 13
vs. Xiaomi Mi Air 13

Grayscale and colors are both generally accurate out of the box. A quick calibration improves grayscale, but RGB balance could have been better and may require more manual calibration to refine. Color accuracy will never be perfect at higher saturation levels since the panel does not cover the complete sRGB spectrum.

Grayscale before calibration
Grayscale before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
29.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 9.2 ms rise
↘ 20 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 75 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
43.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 13.6 ms rise
↘ 30 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 69 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Outdoor visibility is limited due to the glossy screen. The backlight is just barely sufficient for comfortable use when under shade, but anything brighter like overcast or direct sunlight will wash out onscreen content. The 140-degree hinges and wide IPS viewing angles come in handy to reduce glare when outdoors, but apparent brightness still drops if viewing too far off from the center.

Outdoors under direct sunlight
Outdoors under direct sunlight
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under direct sunlight
Outdoors under direct sunlight
Wide IPS viewing angles
Wide IPS viewing angles

Performance

At least seven different SKUs are available with i7-7100U, i5-7200U, and i7-7500U ULV options, 4 GB to 16 GB of LPDDR3 RAM, 128 GB to 512 GB SSD, and FHD or QHD display. Dell has chosen to forego the more power-efficient DDR4 likely to save on costs or due to compatibility reasons. Our i7-7500U configuration directly replaces the previous XPS 15 9350 with the Skylake i7-6500U. There are currently no Kaby Lake XPS 13 options with Iris graphics to directly replace the XPS 13 9350 with the i7-6560U.

 

Processor

The i7-7500U offers marginally faster CPU performance than the Skylake i7-6500U at just a few percentage points according to CineBench benchmarks. The same Kaby Lake CPU in our MSI CX72 reference is faster still due to its superior Turbo Boost performance when under high loads compared to the XPS 13 9360. Nonetheless, users can expect a 10 to 15 percent performance boost from the XPS 13 i7-7500U SKU over the i5-7200U SKU.

See our dedicated CPU page on the Core i7-7500U for more benchmark comparisons and our review on the new Kaby Lake series for more technical details.

CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R15
CineBench R15
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
145 Points +6%
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Core i7-6770HQ
139 Points +1%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
Intel Core i7-7500U
137 Points
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Intel Core i7-6500U
131 Points -4%
Lenovo U31-70 80M5003EGE
Intel Core i7-5500U
123 Points -10%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i5
Intel Core i5-7200U
117 Points -15%
Lenovo Y40-59423035
Intel Core i7-4500U
114 Points -17%
HP EliteBook 1030 G1-X2F03EA
Intel Core m7-6Y75
114 Points -17%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Core i7-6770HQ
711 Points +113%
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
363 Points +9%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
Intel Core i7-7500U
334 Points
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Intel Core i7-6500U
330 Points -1%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i5
Intel Core i5-7200U
300 Points -10%
HP EliteBook 1030 G1-X2F03EA
Intel Core m7-6Y75
283 Points -15%
Lenovo U31-70 80M5003EGE
Intel Core i7-5500U
276 Points -17%
Lenovo Y40-59423035
Intel Core i7-4500U
255 Points -24%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
1.68 Points +1%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
Intel Core i7-7500U
1.67 Points
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Core i7-6770HQ
1.66 Points -1%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Intel Core i7-6500U
1.49 Points -11%
Lenovo U31-70 80M5003EGE
Intel Core i7-5500U
1.43 Points -14%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i5
Intel Core i5-7200U
1.43 Points -14%
HP EliteBook 1030 G1-X2F03EA
Intel Core m7-6Y75
1.37 Points -18%
Lenovo Y40-59423035
Intel Core i7-4500U
1.3 Points -22%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Core i7-6770HQ
7.76 Points +101%
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
4.03 Points +4%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
Intel Core i7-7500U
3.86 Points
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Intel Core i7-6500U
3.64 Points -6%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i5
Intel Core i5-7200U
3.39 Points -12%
HP EliteBook 1030 G1-X2F03EA
Intel Core m7-6Y75
3.25 Points -16%
Lenovo U31-70 80M5003EGE
Intel Core i7-5500U
3.07 Points -20%
Lenovo Y40-59423035
Intel Core i7-4500U
2.74 Points -29%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Core i7-6770HQ
21075 Points +79%
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
12824 Points +9%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
Intel Core i7-7500U
11764 Points
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Intel Core i7-6500U
11143 Points -5%
Lenovo U31-70 80M5003EGE
Intel Core i7-5500U
9543 Points -19%
Rendering Single 32Bit
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
5666 Points 0%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
Intel Core i7-7500U
5649 Points
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Core i7-6770HQ
5536 Points -2%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Intel Core i7-6500U
4944 Points -12%
Lenovo U31-70 80M5003EGE
Intel Core i7-5500U
4695 Points -17%
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m
Lenovo Y40-59423035
Intel Core i7-4500U
630 s * -27%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i5
Intel Core i5-7200U
537 s * -8%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
Intel Core i7-7500U
495 s *
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
473.7 s * +4%
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Core i7-6770HQ
225.7 s * +54%
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M
Lenovo Y40-59423035
Intel Core i7-4500U
762 s * -33%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
Intel Core i7-7500U
573 s *
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
547 s * +5%
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Core i7-6770HQ
539 s * +6%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
7664
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
11764
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5649
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.67 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
3.86 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
37.4 fps
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
43.7 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
97.7 %
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
334 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
137 Points
Help

System Performance

PCMark benchmarks rank our configuration lower than many competing systems with older processors including the Spectre 13 and the Zenbook UX360UA. it does, however, outscore the XPS 13 i5-7200U SKU by three percentage points.

Subjectively, system performance is very fast as expected from a SSD-based system. We experienced no software or hardware issues during our time with i7-7500U SKU aside from the inconvenient dynamic brightness control.

PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB
4323 Points +51%
HP Spectre x360 13-w023dx
HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV512
3795 Points +33%
HP Spectre 13
HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256
3549 Points +24%
Asus Zenbook UX360UA-C4159T
HD Graphics 520, 6500U, SK Hynix Canvas SC300 512GB M.2 (HFS512G39MND)
3435 Points +20%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK
2855 Points
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i5
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK
2761 Points -3%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB
4966 Points +19%
HP Spectre x360 13-w023dx
HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV512
4910 Points +18%
HP Spectre 13
HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256
4498 Points +8%
Asus Zenbook UX360UA-C4159T
HD Graphics 520, 6500U, SK Hynix Canvas SC300 512GB M.2 (HFS512G39MND)
4315 Points +3%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK
4176 Points
Creative Score Accelerated v2
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB
5581 Points +34%
HP Spectre x360 13-w023dx
HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV512
4699 Points +13%
HP Spectre 13
HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256
4222 Points +1%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK
4172 Points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
2855 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
4172 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4176 points
Help

Storage Devices

Single M.2 2280 slot
Single M.2 2280 slot

Our Dell XPS 13 i7 SKU houses the same 256 GB Toshiba NVMe SSD as our XPS 13 i5 SKU and our results below show very similar overall results. Sequential write rates, however, are about twice as fast as on our i5 SKU possibly due to background activity during the benchmark. Otherwise, performance is not unlike other PCIe NVMe SSDs including the Samsung PM951 and the Apple SD0256F. Other SSDs limited by the SATA III interface will run substantially slower.

See our table of HDDs and SSDs for more benchmarks and comparisons.

AS SSD
AS SSD
CDM
CDM
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 8 Storage
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK
HP Spectre x360 13-w023dx
Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV512
HP EliteBook 1030 G1-X2F03EA
Sandisk X300 SD7SN6S-512G-1006
Apple MacBook Air 13 inch 2015-03
Apple SSD SD0256F
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i5
Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
16%
-38%
18%
-1%
Read Seq
1214
1376
13%
387.5
-68%
1352
11%
1168
-4%
Write Seq
655
571
-13%
348.7
-47%
1111
70%
329
-50%
Read 512
1019
679
-33%
239.9
-76%
880
-14%
1015
0%
Write 512
445.7
571
28%
335.3
-25%
1023
130%
307
-31%
Read 4k
35.55
42.66
20%
30.34
-15%
21.93
-38%
33
-7%
Write 4k
130
137.9
6%
75.9
-42%
30.94
-76%
132
2%
Read 4k QD32
537
535
0%
311.3
-42%
339.5
-37%
525
-2%
Write 4k QD32
173.8
361.2
108%
192.8
11%
342.9
97%
325
87%
Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK
Sequential Read: 1214 MB/s
Sequential Write: 655 MB/s
512K Read: 1019 MB/s
512K Write: 445.7 MB/s
4K Read: 35.55 MB/s
4K Write: 130 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 537 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 173.8 MB/s

GPU Performance

3DMark benchmarks show the XPS 13 i7-7500U SKU to be just a couple percentage points faster than the i7-7200U SKU and about 20 percent faster than the outgoing HD Graphics 520. It's worth noting that our similarly configured reference MSI CX72 performs slightly faster than our Dell system when gaming, so users may not be getting the full power of this particular Kaby Lake CPU from the XPS 13. Nonetheless, entry-level Nvidia Maxwell GPUs or previous generation Iris Pro Graphics can still handily outperform the HD Graphics 620.

See our dedicated GPU page on the HD Graphics 620 for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Ice Storm
Ice Storm
Ice Storm Extreme
Ice Storm Extreme
Ice Storm Unlimited
Ice Storm Unlimited
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ
14594 Points +85%
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U
9332 Points +18%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
Intel HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U
7896 Points
Asus X302UV-FN016T
NVIDIA GeForce 920MX, 6200U
7733 Points -2%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i5
Intel HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U
7684 Points -3%
Lenovo Ideapad 510S-13ISK
Intel HD Graphics 520, 6200U
6661 Points -16%
HP Pavilion x2 12-b000ng
Intel HD Graphics 515, 6Y30
6178 Points -22%
Dell Vostro 3546 JAN15HSW1601_1K9_Win
Intel HD Graphics 4400, 4005U
5107 Points -35%
Lenovo B50-50 80S2000QGE
Intel HD Graphics 5500, 5005U
5097 Points -35%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ
1903 Points +102%
Asus X302UV-FN016T
NVIDIA GeForce 920MX, 6200U
1282 Points +36%
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U
1128 Points +20%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
Intel HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U
941 Points
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i5
Intel HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U
924 Points -2%
Lenovo Ideapad 510S-13ISK
Intel HD Graphics 520, 6200U
800 Points -15%
HP Pavilion x2 12-b000ng
Intel HD Graphics 515, 6Y30
740 Points -21%
Lenovo B50-50 80S2000QGE
Intel HD Graphics 5500, 5005U
578 Points -39%
Dell Vostro 3546 JAN15HSW1601_1K9_Win
Intel HD Graphics 4400, 4005U
532 Points -43%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ
3220 Points +100%
Asus X302UV-FN016T
NVIDIA GeForce 920MX, 6200U
1747 Points +9%
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U
1668 Points +4%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
Intel HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U
1610 Points
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i5
Intel HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U
1541 Points -4%
Lenovo Ideapad 510S-13ISK
Intel HD Graphics 520, 6200U
1354 Points -16%
HP Pavilion x2 12-b000ng
Intel HD Graphics 515, 6Y30
1133 Points -30%
Lenovo B50-50 80S2000QGE
Intel HD Graphics 5500, 5005U
968 Points -40%
Dell Vostro 3546 JAN15HSW1601_1K9_Win
Intel HD Graphics 4400, 4005U
735 Points -54%
1280x720 Performance Combined
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ
2784 Points +82%
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U
1765 Points +15%
Asus X302UV-FN016T
NVIDIA GeForce 920MX, 6200U
1572 Points +3%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
Intel HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U
1529 Points
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i5
Intel HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U
1430 Points -6%
Lenovo Ideapad 510S-13ISK
Intel HD Graphics 520, 6200U
1252 Points -18%
HP Pavilion x2 12-b000ng
Intel HD Graphics 515, 6Y30
1187 Points -22%
Lenovo B50-50 80S2000QGE
Intel HD Graphics 5500, 5005U
857 Points -44%
Dell Vostro 3546 JAN15HSW1601_1K9_Win
Intel HD Graphics 4400, 4005U
678 Points -56%
3DMark 06 Standard Score
9655 points
3DMark 11 Performance
1771 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
55532 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
6460 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
876 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
401 points
Help

Gaming Performance

The Bioshock Infinite benchmark reveals slightly larger performance gaps between the HD Graphics 620 in the XPS 13 and the older HD Graphics 5500 and HD Graphics 520. Our reference MSI CX72 is still outperforming our Dell despite them both sharing the same core configuration.

Gamers will be limited to the lowest of resolution settings for most modern titles including Dota 2.

BioShock Infinite
1280x720 Very Low Preset
Acer TravelMate P278-MG-76L2
GeForce 940M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256
89.9 (18.04min - 142.19max) fps +63%
Acer Aspire E5-574-53YZ
Iris Graphics 550, 6267U, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
74.2 fps +35%
MSI CX72-7QL
HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U
67.8 fps +23%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK
55 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 12 20DK002EPB
HD Graphics 5500, 5600U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
45.1 fps -18%
HP ProBook 650 G2 V1A44ET
HD Graphics 520, 6200U, Sandisk X300 SD7SN6S-256G-1006
38.3 fps -30%
1366x768 Medium Preset
Acer TravelMate P278-MG-76L2
GeForce 940M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256
50.9 (8.09min - 109.73max) fps +80%
Acer Aspire E5-574-53YZ
Iris Graphics 550, 6267U, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
44.8 fps +59%
MSI CX72-7QL
HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U
36.6 fps +30%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK
28.2 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 12 20DK002EPB
HD Graphics 5500, 5600U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
24.1 fps -15%
HP ProBook 650 G2 V1A44ET
HD Graphics 520, 6200U, Sandisk X300 SD7SN6S-256G-1006
21.7 fps -23%
1366x768 High Preset
Acer TravelMate P278-MG-76L2
GeForce 940M, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256
41.4 (5.93min - 76.29max) fps +59%
Acer Aspire E5-574-53YZ
Iris Graphics 550, 6267U, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
38.2 fps +46%
MSI CX72-7QL
HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U
30.9 fps +18%
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK
26.1 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 12 20DK002EPB
HD Graphics 5500, 5600U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP
19.9 fps -24%
HP ProBook 650 G2 V1A44ET
HD Graphics 520, 6200U, Sandisk X300 SD7SN6S-256G-1006
17.9 fps -31%
low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 55 28.2 26.1 8.3
The Witcher 3 (2015) 15.7
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 59.6 50.7 27 24.2
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 21.8 12.5 6.2
Overwatch (2016) 49.7 34.8 16.4
FIFA 17 (2016) 56 severe graphical problems (flickering and slowdowns)
Battlefield 1 (2016) 30.3
Titanfall 2 (2016) 36.6 24.9

Stress Test

We stress the notebook with processor-intensive benchmarks to test for potential throttling or stability issues. Running Prime95 will cause the CPU to run at its maximum multi-core Turbo Boost speed of 3.5 GHz until core temperature reaches an alarming 99 C in a matter of seconds. Afterwards, the CPU throttles down to a steady 3.0 GHz (or 300 MHz above its base clock rate) to maintain a core temperature of 88 C. Running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously will throttle the CPU dramatically to just 1.5 GHz in order to maintain a safer core temperature of 80 C.

Unigine Valley is a more accurate representation of gaming loads than Prime95 and FurMark. The GPU runs steady at its maximum rated clock rate of 1050 MHz while the CPU will run anywhere between 600 MHz and its 3.5 GHz maximum depending on the current load. Core temperatures are slightly lower at 76 C, but still warmer than the Spectre x360 13 with the same i7-7500U CPU configuration.

Running on battery power will not limit CPU or GPU performance. A 3DMark 11 run on batteries returns Physics and Graphics scores of 4512 and 1622 points, respectively, compared to 4511 and 1610 points when on mains.

Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
FurMark stress
FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Unigine Valley stress
Unigine Valley stress
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C)
Prime95 Stress 3.0 -- 88
FurMark Stress -- 948 80
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 1.5 898 80
Unigine Valley Stress 0.6+ 1048 76

Emissions

System Noise

~40 mm system fan
~40 mm system fan

The single system fan is silent during low loads like browsing or word processing. Moderate loads with heavy multi-tasking can bump fan noise to just under 31 dB(A), which is still very quiet and almost unnoticeable in an office or classroom. Heavier loads like gaming or Prime95 will induce a maximum fan noise of about 35 dB(A) to be one of the quietest 13-inch notebooks available. In comparison, most Ultrabooks will run louder than 35 dB(A) under similar gaming loads and can frequently reach near or over 40 dB(A) when on maximum stress. Strangely enough, we were unable to reach the 38 dB(A) range like on our i5 SKU even when running intensive applications like Prime95 or Witcher 3.

We have two Core i7 SKUs for comparison purposes and one system exhibits coil whining while the other does not. The high-pitched noise may be distracting to some users and we recommend checking for coil whine when plugging and unplugging the notebook from its AC adapter.

XPS 13 9360 (White: Background, Red: System idle, Blue: Unigine Valley, Green: Prime95+FurMark)
XPS 13 9360 (White: Background, Red: System idle, Blue: Unigine Valley, Green: Prime95+FurMark)
HP Spectre 13
HP Spectre 13
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S

Noise Level

Idle
28.8 / 28.8 / 30.8 dB(A)
Load
34.8 / 34.8 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   BK Precision 732A (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 28.8 dB(A)
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK
HP Spectre x360 13-w023dx
HD Graphics 620, i7-7500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV512
HP Spectre 13
HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256
Apple MacBook Air 13 inch 2015-03
HD Graphics 6000, 5650U, Apple SSD SD0256F
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i5
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK
Noise
-4%
-6%
-9%
-4%
off / environment *
28.8
29.1
-1%
28.5
1%
30.3
-5%
Idle Minimum *
28.8
29.1
-1%
28.5
1%
29.2
-1%
30.6
-6%
Idle Average *
28.8
29.1
-1%
30.9
-7%
29.2
-1%
30.6
-6%
Idle Maximum *
30.8
31.2
-1%
31.6
-3%
29.2
5%
32.2
-5%
Load Average *
34.8
37.3
-7%
38.8
-11%
40.2
-16%
32.2
7%
Load Maximum *
34.8
39.6
-14%
41.4
-19%
46.3
-33%
38.5
-11%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

The XPS 13 is very compact with relatively high core temperatures and low fan noise, so surface temperatures are generally warmer than much of the competition even when idling on desktop. The left half of the keyboard and palm rests will be warmer than the right with another hot spot near the exhaust grilles. Fortunately, the system never becomes uncomfortable to use during day-to-day loads and is only slightly warmer than the less powerful Core i5-7200U SKU.

Maximum load (top)
Maximum load (top)
Maximum load (bottom)
Maximum load (bottom)
Max. Load
 40 °C
104 F
45.4 °C
114 F
50.8 °C
123 F
 
 35.2 °C
95 F
38.4 °C
101 F
30.6 °C
87 F
 
 31 °C
88 F
29.6 °C
85 F
28.2 °C
83 F
 
Maximum: 50.8 °C = 123 F
Average: 36.6 °C = 98 F
34.8 °C
95 F
50.8 °C
123 F
39.4 °C
103 F
32.8 °C
91 F
33.2 °C
92 F
37.6 °C
100 F
31.6 °C
89 F
33.2 °C
92 F
35.2 °C
95 F
Maximum: 50.8 °C = 123 F
Average: 36.5 °C = 98 F
Power Supply (max.)  44.4 °C = 112 F | Room Temperature 21 °C = 70 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 36.6 °C / 98 F, compared to the average of 30.7 °C / 87 F for the devices in the class Subnotebook.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 50.8 °C / 123 F, compared to the average of 35.9 °C / 97 F, ranging from 21.4 to 59 °C for the class Subnotebook.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 50.8 °C / 123 F, compared to the average of 39.4 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.7 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 30.7 °C / 87 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 31 °C / 87.8 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.3 °C / 82.9 F (-2.7 °C / -4.9 F).

Speakers

The stereo 1 W speakers are unimpressive and relatively unbalanced with poor reproduction of higher tones as shown by our microphone measurements below. This is expected from a subnotebook this size, so earphones or external speakers are recommended for longer sessions. Nonetheless, maximum volume produces no static or distracting reverberations of the chassis.

XPS 13 9360 (Red: System idle, Pink: Pink noise)
XPS 13 9360 (Red: System idle, Pink: Pink noise)
HP 250 G5
HP 250 G5
Eurocom X7E2
Eurocom X7E2
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2036.937.62534.935.43136.235.74034.637.25032.932.56334.233.88034.134.110031.336.812530.743.416031.554.320030.153.92502856.131527.557.54002756.550026.35763025.262.480024.859.5100024.563.3125025.163.1160024.261.9200024.164.6250023.759.3315023.851.4400023.856500023.861.5630023.554.3800023.758.31000023.850.3125002447.51600023.739.9SPL36.672.4N2.830.9median 24.5median 56.5Delta1.34.735.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseDell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (72.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 6.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.6% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.4% away from median
(-) | highs are not linear (18.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 63% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 30% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 51% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 41% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency Comparison (Checkbox selectable!)
Graph 1: Pink Noise 100% Vol.; Graph 2: Audio off

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Power demand from the XPS 13 i7-7500U SKU is not significantly different than on the XPS 13 i5-7200U SKU. Idling on desktop will draw just under 7 W while gaming loads will demand about 28 W. This is noticeably less demanding than both the Spectre x360 13 with the same CPU and the MacBook Air 13 with the older Haswell Core i5-5650U.

Maximum load with both Prime95 and FurMark active will draw about 32 W from the small (~8.5 x 5.5 x 2.5 cm) 45 W AC adapter.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.26 / 2.9 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 6.4 / 6.6 / 6.8 Watt
Load midlight 27.5 / 32.4 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
i7-7500U, HD Graphics 620, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK, IPS, 3200x1800, 13.30
HP Spectre x360 13-w023dx
i7-7500U, HD Graphics 620, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV512, IPS, 1920x1080, 13.30
HP EliteBook 1030 G1-X2F03EA
6Y75, HD Graphics 515, Sandisk X300 SD7SN6S-512G-1006, IPS, 3200x1800, 13.30
Apple MacBook Air 13 inch 2015-03
5650U, HD Graphics 6000, Apple SSD SD0256F, TN LED, 1440x900, 13.30
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i5
i5-7200U, HD Graphics 620, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK, , 3200x1800, 13.30
Power Consumption
-4%
-3%
11%
9%
Idle Minimum *
6.4
5.5
14%
4
37%
2.7
58%
3.7
42%
Idle Average *
6.6
6.7
-2%
8
-21%
5.7
14%
6.1
8%
Idle Maximum *
6.8
7.1
-4%
8.6
-26%
6
12%
6.5
4%
Load Average *
27.5
33.1
-20%
26.5
4%
32.1
-17%
29.5
-7%
Load Maximum *
32.4
35.2
-9%
34.8
-7%
36.2
-12%
33
-2%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Runtimes are incredibly long on this Kaby Lake system at just over 8.5 hours when under real-world WLAN conditions. Simply idling on desktop at minimum brightness will last for over 17 hours, so users who are more conservative with power settings can squeeze out longer hours than our recorded WLAN runtime. Capacity has been upped from 56 Wh on the 9350 family to 60 Wh on the latest Kaby Lake generation.

Battery life is very similar to our less powerful XPS 13 i5 SKU. The new HP Spectre x360 13 with the same i7 processor can outlast the Dell by about an hour or more when under similar conditions.

Charging from near empty to full capacity will take between 2 to 2.5 hours.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
17h 33min
WiFi Websurfing
8h 36min
Load (maximum brightness)
2h 9min
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7
i7-7500U, HD Graphics 620, 60 Wh
HP Spectre x360 13-w023dx
i7-7500U, HD Graphics 620, 57.8 Wh
HP EliteBook 1030 G1-X2F03EA
6Y75, HD Graphics 515, 40 Wh
Apple MacBook Air 13 inch 2015-03
5650U, HD Graphics 6000, 54 Wh
Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i5
i5-7200U, HD Graphics 620, 60 Wh
Battery Runtime
6%
-23%
15%
4%
Reader / Idle
1053
1233
17%
618
-41%
1572
49%
WiFi v1.3
516
558
8%
305
-41%
620
20%
526
2%
Load
129
121
-6%
144
12%
97
-25%
137
6%

Pros

+ relatively accessible internals; upgradeable storage
+ strong chassis and lid; excellent workmanship
+ smaller than other 13.3-inch notebooks
+ USB Type-C Gen. 2 + Thunderbolt 3
+ Killer 1535 wireless as standard
+ high quality QHD+ touchscreen
+ very long battery life
+ low fan noise

Cons

- warm operating and surface temperatures
- inconsistent dynamic brightness control
- unimpressive internal speakers
- suboptimal webcam placement
- fingerprint magnet
- small Arrow keys
- no DDR4 RAM

Verdict

In review: Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ Core i7. Test model provided by Dell US.
In review: Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ Core i7. Test model provided by Dell US.

To the majority users, the most important part of the Kaby Lake XPS 13 9360 update is the fact that the Skylake XPS 13 9350 will now be cheaper. The performance deltas between these nearly identical notebooks are so minimal that buyers intending to use the notebook for classwork, browsing, or multimedia will find very few tangible benefits from Kaby Lake. In fact, certain XPS 13 9350 SKUs with Iris Graphics can outperform the newer Kaby Lake SKUs if users demand more graphical horsepower.

The XPS 13 is still one of the better traditional 13-inch Ultrabooks available if fancy 360-degree hinges or detachable displays are not important. Its small size and quality design can't be underestimated and its super-narrow bezels are already being incorporated onto competing notebooks including the upcoming Yoga 910. Not much has changed for the XPS 13, but the series will remain very competitive moving into the Holidays nonetheless.

Buyers willing to pay a bit more for the Kaby Lake XPS 13 will find slightly faster performance and battery life. Otherwise, the outgoing Skylake XPS 13 will give an almost identical experience for less.

Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7 - 11/22/2016 v5.1(old)
Allen Ngo, Klaus Hinum

Chassis
92 /  98 → 94%
Keyboard
89%
Pointing Device
87%
Connectivity
58 / 80 → 73%
Weight
71 / 35-78 → 84%
Battery
91%
Display
86%
Games Performance
58 / 68 → 85%
Application Performance
82 / 87 → 94%
Temperature
88 / 91 → 96%
Noise
94%
Audio
80 / 91 → 88%
Camera
44 / 85 → 52%
Average
78%
87%
Subnotebook - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Dell XPS 13 9360 QHD+ i7-7500U Notebook Review
Allen Ngo, Klaus Hinum, 2016-10-30 (Update: 2020-06- 8)