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Dell XPS 15 9575 (i5-8305G, Vega M GL, FHD) Convertible Review

Instant XPS classic. Dell is betting big on the unproven Kaby Lake-G platform and its MagLev keyboard to carry the new XPS 15 2-in-1 forward. The end result feels like the XPS we know and love while being thinner, quieter, cooler, and nearly as powerful as the standard XPS 15 that it derives from.

A key highlight from Dell's CES conference this year was the introduction of the XPS 15 convertible. While it's not the first XPS system to get the 2-in-1 treatment or even Dell's first 15.6-inch convertible, it stands out as being the first notebook designed specifically with Kaby Lake-G in mind. The manufacturer's decision to completely omit GeForce GPUs and both Intel U-Series and HQ-series of CPUs from the XPS 15 2-in-1 lineup says a lot about Dell's faith in the Frankenstein product produced by the unorthodox partnership between Intel and AMD.

The XPS 15 9575 is currently limited to four SKUs split between two SoCs (Core i5-8305G and Core i7-8705G), two resolution options (FHD and 4K UHD), and two DDR4-2400 RAM sizes (8 GB and 16 GB) with prices ranging from $1500 USD to as much as $2200 USD. In contrast, the XPS 15 9560 starts at just $1000 USD. It's important to note that the same Radeon RX Vega M GL GPU with 4 GB of HBM2 VRAM is shared across all SKUs and that system RAM is soldered unlike on the regular XPS 15 9550/9560 series. Our test model today is the entry-level configuration with higher-end options further down our list for when we inevitably revisit the series on a future date.

Direct competitors to the new Dell convertible are the 15.6-inch HP Spectre x360 15 series, Acer Nitro 5 Spin series, Lenovo Yoga 720, Asus Zenbook Flip 15, and the Microsoft Surface Book 2 detachable. All of these alternatives have similar 2-in-1 properties but with discrete GeForce MX150/1050/1060 GPUs for a similar level of performance.

Before we begin, we should note that the default AC adapter included with our test unit appeared faulty and was unable to charge our system. As a result, we relied on a generic 45 W adapter for all of our benchmark tests and data collection. Key data like charging time and power consumption would have been wholly inaccurate without the default adapter and so we have omitted these sections completely from this review.

April 26, 2018 Update: Our test model includes no accessories, but retail units will come with an active stylus pen and a USB Type-C to USB 3.0 Type-A adapter at no additional costs. We've corrected the review to reflect this.


XPS 15 9575XPS 15 9560
CPUCore i5-8305G, Core i7-8705G (Kaby Lake-G only)Core i3-7100H, Core i5-7300HQ, Core i7-7700HQ
GPUAMD Radeon RX Vega M GL w/ 4 GB HBM2 VRAMIntegrated HD Graphics 630 or GeForce GTX 1050 w/ 4 GB GDDR5 VRAM (Optimus)
RAMSoldered, 8 GB or 16 GB DDR4-2400Upgradeable 2x SODIMM, up to 32 GB DDR4-2400
DisplayFHD glossy, 4K UHD glossy w/ 100 percent AdobeRGB, Forced touchscreenFHD matte, 4K UHD glossy w/ 100 percent AdobeRGB, Optional touchscreen
Storage1x M.2 2280 slot only, Upgradeable1x M2 2280 + 1x 2.5-inch SATA III, Upgradeable
KeyboardMaglev, 0.7 mm travel, BacklitMembrane-based, 1.3 mm travel, Backlit
TouchpadIdentical to XPS 15 9560Precision trackpad
Speakers1 W x 2 (Stereo)Stereo
CameraIdentical to XPS 15 9560720p, Bottom of display
Connectivity2x Thunderbolt 3 (full-lane), 2x USB Type-C 3.1, MicroSD reader, 3.5 mm combo audio, Noble Lock2x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1x HDMI, 1x Thunderbolt 3 (half-lane), full-size SD reader, Noble Lock
Weight2+ kg1.8+ kg
Dimensions354 x 235 x 16 mm357 x 235 x 17 mm
MSRP$1500 USD to $2200 USD$1000 USD to $2000 USD
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G (XPS 15 9575 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i5-8305G 4 x 2.8 - 3.8 GHz, Kaby Lake-G
Graphics adapter
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL / 870 - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 1011 MHz, Memory: 700 MHz, HBM2, 1.0.2.1
Memory
8 GB 
, 1200 MHz, 17-17-17-39, Dual-Channel
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, 10-point capacitive, Sharp SHP148E, IPS, Name: LQ156M1, Dell P/N: 4xx10, glossy: yes
Mainboard
Intel QM175 (Skylake PCH-H)
Storage
Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G, 256 GB 
Soundcard
Intel Skylake PCH-H High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 2 Thunderbolt, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo, Card Reader: MicroSD, 1 Fingerprint Reader, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: Gyroscope
Networking
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1435 Wireless Network Adapter (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/)
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 16 x 354 x 235 ( = 0.63 x 13.94 x 9.25 in)
Battery
75 Wh Lithium-Polymer, 6-cell
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 720p
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo 1 W x 2, Keyboard: MagLev chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, Dell Update, McAfee Anti-Virus, , 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2 kg ( = 70.55 oz / 4.41 pounds) ( = 0 oz / 0 pounds)
Price
1500 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The XPS 15 convertible manages to maintain the distinct matte look and smooth feel of the standard XPS 15 9560 that we have become familiar with. The aluminum and carbon materials are identical and so is the impressive rigidity of the design. Attempting to twist the base or lid results in only minimal warping and both the center of the keyboard and outer lid are also equally strong. This is one of the few laptops where the lid feels almost as good as the base as far as flexibility is concerned.

Build quality is excellent on our unit with no unintended gaps or defects between materials and only very slight creaking if bending its surfaces. Comparisons to the Spectre x350 15 are unavoidable, but we would have to give the slight edge to Dell as the XPS 15 9575 leaves a stiffer overall impression especially in regards to the hinges. There really isn't much to complain about the chassis even when nitpicking.

Our small but notable gripe is that there is no notch on the front edge of the system when the lid is closed. Opening the display becomes more difficult than it should be even with both hands. Furthermore, the black carbon fiber surfaces readily attract grease and suffer from the same visual disadvantages as on the XPS 15 9560 where its surfaces will become unattractively glossy over time from oil buildup. Unfortunately, the XPS 15 9575 does not carry the same White and Rose Gold option as on the latest XPS 13 9370 to avoid this issue.

In terms of size and weight, the XPS 15 9575 is ever so slightly thinner than the XPS 15 9560 (16 mm vs. 17 mm) while weighing very nearly the same. Its footprint is also similar to the standard XPS 15 while being shorter than the competing Spectre x360 15 since the bezel on the HP is longer along the top edge to preserve webcam placement. Still, a 15.6-inch 2 kg convertible is far too clunky to be used as a regular tablet and so the XPS 15 9575 is therefore best used at home or when sitting down for ergonomic reasons.

The same CNC aluminum outer lid and carbon fiber palm rests as the XPS 15 9560
The same CNC aluminum outer lid and carbon fiber palm rests as the XPS 15 9560
Power button doubles as an optional fingerprint reader
Power button doubles as an optional fingerprint reader
Additional ventilation grilles hidden underneath for improved airflow
Additional ventilation grilles hidden underneath for improved airflow
The dual hinges are firm and uniformly strong throughout its entire 360-degree range
The dual hinges are firm and uniformly strong throughout its entire 360-degree range
365.8 mm / 14.4 inch 252.8 mm / 9.95 inch 20.2 mm / 0.795 inch 2.1 kg4.68 lbs359 mm / 14.1 inch 229 mm / 9.02 inch 15.2 mm / 0.598 inch 1.1 kg2.4 lbs357 mm / 14.1 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 17 mm / 0.669 inch 2.1 kg4.56 lbs355.6 mm / 14 inch 251 mm / 9.88 inch 17.8 mm / 0.701 inch 2 kg4.48 lbs354 mm / 13.9 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 16 mm / 0.63 inch 2 kg4.41 lbs343 mm / 13.5 inch 251 mm / 9.88 inch 23 mm / 0.906 inch 1.9 kg4.18 lbs349 mm / 13.7 inch 241 mm / 9.49 inch 16 mm / 0.63 inch 1.8 kg4.03 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Be prepared for a generation of laptops with no USB Type-A ports. Despite its large 15.6-inch screen size, the convertible carries only USB Type-C/Thunderbolt 3 and a 3.5 mm audio jack. As flexible and desirable Thunderbolt 3 may be, an adapter or dongle will be necessary for nearly all peripherals. In comparison, the Spectre x360 15 and Acer Nitro 5 both carry USB Type-A and even full-size HDMI ports for more convenience.

The saving grace for the XPS are its full-lane (4x PCIe) dual Thunderbolt 3 ports along the left edge. We would've preferred to have one Thunderbolt 3 port on each side for more versatility in docking arrangements instead of having both Thunderbolt ports so close together. Nonetheless, it's clear that Dell is pushing the use of optional dongles like the DA200 while its closest competitors are still able to offer a wider variety of integrated ports.

Left: Battery check, MicroSD slot, 2x Thunderbolt 3
Left: Battery check, MicroSD slot, 2x Thunderbolt 3
Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Right: Noble Lock, 3.5 mm combo audio, 2x USB Type-C 3.1 (w/ DisplayPort)
Right: Noble Lock, 3.5 mm combo audio, 2x USB Type-C 3.1 (w/ DisplayPort)
Rear: No connectivity
Rear: No connectivity

SD Card Reader

Dell has dropped the full-size SD reader in favor of a spring-loaded MicroSD reader. Fortunately, transfer rates still support UHS-II standards for speeds of over 200 MB/s compared to only ~80 MB/s on the LG Gram 13. Moving 1 GB worth of images from our test card to desktop takes just 7 seconds.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
157.5 MB/s +9%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)
144 MB/s
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
120.5 MB/s -16%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
252.6 MB/s +22%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
217.6 MB/s +5%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)
207.8 MB/s

Communication

All SKUs ship with the same Killer 1435 WLAN module that is identified as the Qualcomm QCA6174 by hardware analysis tools. The new XPS 13 9370 also ships with this exact same module as standard. We did not experience any connectivity issues or dropouts during our time with the unit. More details on specific Killer features can be found on our dedicated review of the Killer 1535 WLAN module.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1435 Wireless Network Adapter
574 MBit/s
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
529 MBit/s -8%
LG Gram 15Z975
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
471 MBit/s -18%
iperf3 receive AX12
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
648 MBit/s +4%
LG Gram 15Z975
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
639 MBit/s +3%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1435 Wireless Network Adapter
623 MBit/s

Accessories

Dell has informed us that there will be no paper manuals included in the box since everything can be downloaded online here. Still, a free USB Type-C adapter to Type-A, RJ-45, HDMI, or anything else would have been appreciated especially since the system has nothing outside of its 4x USB Type-C ports. Competitors like HP and Asus frequently include USB Type-C adapters at no extra charge.

Correction: Retail units will indeed ship with a USB Type-C to USB Type-A adapter and an active stylus pen.

Maintenance

The bottom panel requires the same T5 hex wrench as the standard XPS 15 and care must be taken when servicing as the metal plate is very sharp around the edges and corners. Users are granted direct access to the cooling solution, M.2 2280 SSD, and internal battery while the interposer must be removed to expose the BIOS battery. RAM is unfortunately soldered to limit expandability.

Internals have been completely redesigned to cater to Kaby Lake-G. The larger cooling solution has taken space away from the battery compared to the XPS 15 9560 (97 Wh vs. 75 Wh)
Internals have been completely redesigned to cater to Kaby Lake-G. The larger cooling solution has taken space away from the battery compared to the XPS 15 9560 (97 Wh vs. 75 Wh)

Warranty

The standard one-year limited warranty applies. As usual, Dell has very extensive options with up to four years of coverage as they are one of the largest PC manufacturers worldwide.

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

Input Devices

Keyboard

The unique and vaunted backlit Maglev keyboard is Dell's attempt at offering a MacBook Pro-like typing experience for a Windows laptop. It aims to provide a very shallow key travel of just 0.7 mm compared to 1.5 mm on the Spectre x360 15 while maintaining a firm and satisfactory click when pressed. In practice, the keys take some getting used to. Presses are significantly quieter and with less clatter than most Ultrabooks, but the very short travel makes each key feel very light even though feedback is relatively firm. It doesn't take much force to press a key and so we found ourselves hitting some keys by accident. We don't see it as being any better or worse than the keyboard of the XPS 15 9560 in terms of tactility as they each have thier own pros and cons.

Another side effect from the short travel is that gaming can feel very awkward as both membrane-based keys and mechanical keys are typically deeper and not as light. The smaller Directional keys and first row of Function keys are even worse and incredibly cramped to use.

The Maglev technology has the added benefit of less wear and tear and improved consistency over time compared to traditional membrane-based keyboards. It should, in theory, outlast a traditional keyboard without any major degradation to its tactility and feedback. The lower height of the keys are also more appropriate for a convertible since they are more flush against the base for better handling in tablet mode. Lenovo's Lift'n'Lock technology for some of its ThinkPad convertibles is a different approach at addressing a similar issue.

Touchpad

Dell elected to not change anything about the trackpad and so users familiar with the trackpad of the XPS 15 9560 will find a very similar experience on the XPS 15 9575. Its dimensions remain identical (10.5 x 8.0 cm) to be smaller and larger than the trackpads of the Spectre x360 15 (14.0 x 6.5 cm) and Gram 15 (10.3 x 6.9 cm), respectively. As such, the same advantages and disadvantages still apply here. While glide is smooth and without jitters, the integrated mouse keys are spongy, shallow in travel, and even tend to stick with a soft auditory feedback when pressed. We find it easier and more reliable to enter mouse clicks by double tapping on the trackpad surface or directly on the touchscreen itself instead.

Same QWERTY layout
Same QWERTY layout
Very shallow keys take some getting used to
Very shallow keys take some getting used to

Display

The trademark InfinityEdge bezels return at just 4.7 mm thick on all three sides of the display. Dell has sourced Sharp once again for the IPS panel to provide a display experience that is essentially the same as on the standard XPS 15 notebooks. Texts and images are sharp and appear to "pop" since the overlying Gorilla Glass 4 reinforcement is very thin. The manufacturer advertises a backlight brightness of 400 nits and our independent measurements confirm this claim as well as its high contrast level of almost 1200:1. Needless to say, it's a beautiful display regardless of the native resolution choice.

The two notable drawbacks are the glossiness of the screen and the slow black-white and gray-gray response times. Dell advertises an "anti-reflective screen", but the display is nowhere near as anti-reflective as a matte panel. The display response times are measurably slower than the panels of the LG Gram 15, Surface Book 2, and MacBook Pro 15 for noticeably more ghosting. These distinct disadvantages are a common theme for the XPS lineup as we've discovered similar results on the new XPS 13 9370, too.

Backlight bleeding is present but minimal along the bottom edges and corners. It is essentially unnoticeable during day-to-day use.

The bright and crisp touchscreen continues to be a highlight of the XPS series
The bright and crisp touchscreen continues to be a highlight of the XPS series
Very narrow bezels at the cost of suboptimal webcam placement
Very narrow bezels at the cost of suboptimal webcam placement
Very slight backlight bleeding along bottom edge
Very slight backlight bleeding along bottom edge
RGB subpixel array (141 PPI)
RGB subpixel array (141 PPI)
380.2
cd/m²
380.4
cd/m²
363.3
cd/m²
397.8
cd/m²
418.5
cd/m²
399.9
cd/m²
394
cd/m²
390.1
cd/m²
396.7
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Sharp SHP148E tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 418.5 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 391.2 cd/m² Minimum: 19.58 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 418.5 cd/m²
Contrast: 1196:1 (Black: 0.35 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.5 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 2.51
ΔE Greyscale 5.3 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
92.1% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
57.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
63.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
92.5% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
63.3% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.2
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Sharp SHP148E, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
IGZO IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
BOE06C3, IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
LG Gram 15Z975
ID: LGD052A, Name: LG Philips LP156WFA-SPC1, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
LG Philips LGD0554, IPS, 15.00, 3240x2160
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.9 GHz, 560)
15.40, 2880x1800
Display
35%
-1%
-14%
Display P3 Coverage
63.3
89.7
42%
66.6
5%
54.9
-13%
sRGB Coverage
92.5
100
8%
86.9
-6%
77.1
-17%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
63.9
100
56%
63.5
-1%
56.3
-12%
Response Times
-6%
14%
32%
720%
22%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
53.6 ?(26, 27.6)
57.2 ?(27.2, 30)
-7%
41.2 ?(23.2, 18)
23%
35.2 ?(19.6, 15.6)
34%
37.6 ?(18, 19.6)
30%
42.4 ?(20.4, 22)
21%
Response Time Black / White *
36.4 ?(19.2, 17.2)
39.2 ?(23.6, 15.6)
-8%
29.6 ?(16.4, 13.2)
19%
25.6 ?(14.8, 10.8)
30%
22.4 ?(11.2, 11.2)
38%
28 ?(14.8, 13.2)
23%
PWM Frequency
1000 ?(25)
962
-4%
1000
0%
21930 ?(50)
2093%
Screen
-5%
-7%
-19%
29%
31%
Brightness middle
418.5
370.1
-12%
338.7
-19%
273
-35%
446
7%
534
28%
Brightness
391
356
-9%
325
-17%
276
-29%
444
14%
502
28%
Brightness Distribution
87
87
0%
91
5%
89
2%
89
2%
86
-1%
Black Level *
0.35
0.37
-6%
0.28
20%
0.22
37%
0.25
29%
0.31
11%
Contrast
1196
1000
-16%
1210
1%
1241
4%
1784
49%
1723
44%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3.5
5.3
-51%
4.9
-40%
4.77
-36%
1.7
51%
1.8
49%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
7.57
9.9
-31%
8.7
-15%
10.76
-42%
2.7
64%
3.8
50%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
2.51
Greyscale dE 2000 *
5.3
4.6
13%
5.5
-4%
8.6
-62%
1.7
68%
2.4
55%
Gamma
2.2 100%
2.31 95%
2.08 106%
1.7 129%
2.11 104%
2.27 97%
CCT
7500 87%
6284 103%
7498 87%
6678 97%
6384 102%
6563 99%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
57.9
88.3
53%
63.5
10%
50.2
-13%
58.6
1%
77.92
35%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
92.1
100
9%
86.92
-6%
76.9
-17%
92.9
1%
99.94
9%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
8% / 2%
2% / -2%
-0% / -11%
375% / 188%
27% / 29%

* ... smaller is better

Color coverage is wide at 92 percent and 58 percent of the sRGB and AdobeRGB standards, respectively. The 4K UHD panel promises full AdobeRGB coverage and so colors will be even deeper and more accurate than what our FHD SKU can produce. Cheaper panels on less expensive mainstream notebooks like the LG Gram 15 are more likely to have narrower color gamuts and so the XPS 15 2-in-1 should appeal better to professional users where accurate colors are important.

vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. XPS 15 (FHD)
vs. XPS 15 (FHD)

Further analyses with a X-Rite spectrophotometer reveal that colors and grayscale are not as accurate as the Surface Book 2 or MacBook Pro 15 out of the box. It's not until after our calibration attempts that we see notable improvements in the overly warm color temperature and larger DeltaE deviations across the board. Blue and Yellow appear to be less accurate than other colors across more saturation levels while Red is least accurate when at its purest (255, 0, 0). We recommend applying our ICC profile above to get the most out of the display if an end-user calibration is not possible.

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
36.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 19.2 ms rise
↘ 17.2 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 94 % 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
53.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 26 ms rise
↘ 27.6 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. » 89 % 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 detected 1000 Hz ≤ 25 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 1000 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 25 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 1000 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

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 great when under shade and with the backlight set to its maximum. Glare is still present and noticeable but generally non-intrusive. Onscreen content darkens considerably when under direct sunlight where glare becomes overwhelming. Anything brighter than an overcast day will make the screen very difficult to see no matter the angle or backlight setting. Viewing angles are otherwise excellent with no major color degradation or contrast changes from extreme angles.

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

The XPS 15 9575 is the first notebook to carry the 65 W quad-core Core i5-8305G. The faster Core i7-8705G can be found on pricier configurations of the XPS and also the Spectre x360 15 while the even faster 100 W Core i7-8809G is available only on the Hades Canyon NUC as of this writing. These Kaby Lake-G processors are designed for mainstream gamers as alternatives to the ubiquitous GeForce 950M or GeForce 1050 while delivering processor performance comparable to an Intel HQ-class CPU.

Graphics is limited to the Radeon RX Vega M GL with 4 GB of HBM2 memory since the faster RX Vega M GH is reserved for the 100 W Core i7-8809G. Note that the integrated HD Graphics 630 remains active and independent from the AMD GPU at all times. Interestingly, the Radeon software does not include WattMan for system monitoring unlike on the i7-8809G for the Hades Canyon NUC.

System RAM is fixed and so heavy multi-taskers may want to consider the higher-end 16 GB option if the base 8 GB could be an eventual bottleneck. There are no 32 GB SKUs.

Processor

Raw processing power is about 12 to 20 percent behind the Core i7-8809G depending on the number of active threads and about 5 percent slower than the increasingly common Core i7-8550U. In other words, the 15 W i7-8550U and 45 W i7-7700HQ are each able to outperform our 65 W i5-8705G by very small margins to suggest that much of that higher power envelope is dedicated to powering the discrete Radeon GPU. Laptop gamers and existing XPS 15 owners in particular are already very familiar with the CPU performance of the Core i5-8705G since the Core i7-6700HQ and i7-7700HQ are quite common. In contrast, the recently released hexa-core Coffee Lake-H i7-8750H that is expected to be in the next XPS 15 refresh is almost 70 percent faster in multi-threaded workloads.

Running CineBench R15 Multi-Thread in a loop results in a high initial score of 709 points before dipping just 6 percent for a steady score of around 670 points. While it's evident that the processor is unable to maintain maximum Turbo Boost speeds, the dip in performance will be hardly noticeable to users and it is much smaller than what we had anticipated from a thin convertible.

See our dedicated page on the Core i5-8705G for more technical information and benchmarks.

CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R15
CineBench R15
0102030405060708090100110120130140150160170180190200210220230240250260270280290300310320330340350360370380390400410420430440450460470480490500510520530540550560570580590600610620630640650660670680690700710Tooltip
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
192 Points +22%
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
Intel Core i7-8809G
178 Points +13%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
Intel Core i7-8550U
170 Points +8%
Asus Zephyrus M GM501
Intel Core i7-8750H
170 Points +8%
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
157 Points 0%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Intel Core i5-8305G
157 Points
Razer Blade (2016) FHD
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
149 Points -5%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
143 Points -9%
LG Gram 13Z980-A
Intel Core i5-8250U
143 Points -9%
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
142 Points -10%
Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC-GC204T
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
140 Points -11%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
131 Points -17%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
1359 Points +91%
Asus Zephyrus M GM501
Intel Core i7-8750H
1168 Points +65%
Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC-GC204T
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
1129 Points +59%
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
Intel Core i7-8809G
864 Points +22%
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
735 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
Intel Core i7-8550U
723 Points +2%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Intel Core i5-8305G
710 Points
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
682 Points -4%
Razer Blade (2016) FHD
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
678 Points -5%
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
618 Points -13%
LG Gram 13Z980-A
Intel Core i5-8250U
547 Points -23%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
514 Points -28%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
2.16 Points +21%
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
Intel Core i7-8809G
1.99 Points +11%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
Intel Core i7-8550U
1.94 Points +8%
Asus Zephyrus M GM501
Intel Core i7-8750H
1.92 Points +7%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Intel Core i5-8305G
1.79 Points
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.78 Points -1%
Razer Blade (2016) FHD
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.68 Points -6%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
1.66 Points -7%
LG Gram 13Z980-A
Intel Core i5-8250U
1.62 Points -9%
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
1.61 Points -10%
Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC-GC204T
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
1.55 Points -13%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
1.52 Points -15%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
14.98 Points +101%
Asus Zephyrus M GM501
Intel Core i7-8750H
13.29 Points +78%
Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC-GC204T
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
12.5 Points +67%
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
Intel Core i7-8809G
9.41 Points +26%
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.14 Points +9%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
Intel Core i7-8550U
7.84 Points +5%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
7.53 Points +1%
Razer Blade (2016) FHD
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.49 Points 0%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Intel Core i5-8305G
7.47 Points
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
6.91 Points -7%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
5.92 Points -21%
LG Gram 13Z980-A
Intel Core i5-8250U
4.86 Points -35%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
38810 Points +78%
Asus Zephyrus M GM501
Intel Core i7-8750H
34892 Points +60%
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
Intel Core i7-8809G
25809 Points +18%
Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC-GC204T
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
25561 Points +17%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
Intel Core i7-8550U
22188 Points +2%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Intel Core i5-8305G
21845 Points
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
21671 Points -1%
Razer Blade (2016) FHD
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
20639 Points -6%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
18785 Points -14%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
17971 Points -18%
LG Gram 13Z980-A
Intel Core i5-8250U
17267 Points -21%
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
16466 Points -25%
Rendering Single 32Bit
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
7243 Points +24%
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
Intel Core i7-8809G
6668 Points +14%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
Intel Core i7-8550U
6437 Points +10%
Asus Zephyrus M GM501
Intel Core i7-8750H
6426 Points +10%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Intel Core i5-8305G
5844 Points
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5825 Points 0%
Razer Blade (2016) FHD
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
5550 Points -5%
LG Gram 13Z980-A
Intel Core i5-8250U
5497 Points -6%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
5449 Points -7%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
5433 Points -7%
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4473 Points -23%
Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC-GC204T
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
4330 Points -26%
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
375.9 s * -74%
Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC-GC204T
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
353.2 s * -64%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
331.1 s * -53%
LG Gram 13Z980-A
Intel Core i5-8250U
328.1 s * -52%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Intel Core i5-8305G
215.8 s *
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
214.9 s * -0%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
210.1 s * +3%
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
Intel Core i7-8809G
186.7 s * +13%
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
120.9 s * +44%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
9486
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
21845
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5844
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
7.47 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.79 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
96.2 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
98 %
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
710 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
157 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
117.2 fps
Help

System Performance

PCMark benchmarks rank our XPS 15 9575 consistently higher than the XPS 15 9560 with the Core i7-7700HQ and GTX 1050 GPU. In fact, the system is able to outscore its closest competitors likely due to its unique CPU-GPU setup compared to "traditional" processors.

We experienced no software or hardware issues during our time with the test unit.

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 10 Standard
PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 10 - Score
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
Vega M GH, i7-8809G, Intel Optane 120 GB SSDPEK1W120GA
5301 Points +13%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Vega M GL / 870, i5-8305G, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
4702 Points
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8650U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4417 Points -6%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.9 GHz, 560)
Radeon Pro 560, i7-7820HQ
4345 (4330min - 4370max) Points -8%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
3673 Points -22%
LG Gram 15Z975
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
3391 Points -28%
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
Vega 8, R5 2500U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
2944 Points -37%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
Vega M GH, i7-8809G, Intel Optane 120 GB SSDPEK1W120GA
4833 Points +3%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Vega M GL / 870, i5-8305G, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
4693 Points
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.9 GHz, 560)
Radeon Pro 560, i7-7820HQ
3819 (3816min - 3827max) Points -19%
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8650U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
3601 Points -23%
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Lite-On CX2-8B512-Q11
3588 Points -24%
LG Gram 15Z975
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
3557 Points -24%
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
Vega 8, R5 2500U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
3462 Points -26%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
3457 Points -26%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
Vega M GH, i7-8809G, Intel Optane 120 GB SSDPEK1W120GA
5454 Points +6%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Vega M GL / 870, i5-8305G, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
5134 Points
LG Gram 15Z975
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
4736 Points -8%
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8650U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4544 Points -11%
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Lite-On CX2-8B512-Q11
4422 Points -14%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.9 GHz, 560)
Radeon Pro 560, i7-7820HQ
4412 (4384min - 4412max) Points -14%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
4217 Points -18%
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
Vega 8, R5 2500U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
3800 Points -26%
Creative Score Accelerated v2
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
Vega M GH, i7-8809G, Intel Optane 120 GB SSDPEK1W120GA
6457 Points +2%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Vega M GL / 870, i5-8305G, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
6303 Points
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Lite-On CX2-8B512-Q11
5114 Points -19%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
5083 Points -19%
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8650U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
5065 Points -20%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.9 GHz, 560)
Radeon Pro 560, i7-7820HQ
4893 (4885min - 4914max) Points -22%
LG Gram 15Z975
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
4651 Points -26%
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
Vega 8, R5 2500U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
3428 Points -46%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4693 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
6303 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5134 points
PCMark 10 Score
4702 points
Help

Storage Devices

Upgradeable M.2 SSD with a strip of soft insulation
Upgradeable M.2 SSD with a strip of soft insulation

All current SKUs are limited to a single 256 GB M.2 SSD with no secondary storage options. Our test unit is equipped with a Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G NVMe SSD rated for sequential read and write rates of 2700 MB/s and 1050 MB/s, respectively. This exact same SSD can also be found on the newest XPS 13 9370 series. Unfortunately, we are never able to reach such high speeds when running AS SSD or CrystalDiskMark compared to our excellent scores on the XPS 13 9370. Sequential write rates cap out at around 330 MB/s even after repeat runs. The standard XPS 15 95x0 series utilizes Lite-On and Samsung SSDs and we can only hope that these will return on future XPS 15 9575 SKUs.

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

CDM 5
CDM 5
AS SSD
AS SSD
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 8 Storage
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
Lite-On CX2-8B512-Q11
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
LG Gram 15Z975
SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
Asus Zephyrus M GM501
Samsung SM961 MZVKW512HMJP m.2 PCI-e
AS SSD
138%
232%
-34%
191%
Copy Game MB/s
250.5
540
116%
1134
353%
179.8
-28%
Copy Program MB/s
174.9
411.5
135%
534
205%
141.2
-19%
Copy ISO MB/s
392.7
1272
224%
1936
393%
197.5
-50%
Score Total
1113
2810
152%
3781
240%
1003
-10%
3649
228%
Score Write
307
1022
233%
1556
407%
339
10%
1446
371%
Score Read
595
1206
103%
1493
151%
442
-26%
1471
147%
Access Time Write *
0.056
0.034
39%
0.026
54%
0.232
-314%
0.041
27%
Access Time Read *
0.146
0.034
77%
0.04
73%
0.08
45%
0.046
68%
4K-64 Write
181.2
789
335%
1262
596%
246.7
36%
1198
561%
4K-64 Read
337.1
962
185%
1206
258%
366.5
9%
1218
261%
4K Write
92.7
112.2
21%
141.1
52%
67.6
-27%
90.2
-3%
4K Read
24.78
41.34
67%
51.9
109%
26.24
6%
43.42
75%
Seq Write
334.3
1207
261%
1530
358%
248.5
-26%
1580
373%
Seq Read
2335
2026
-13%
2342
0%
488.1
-79%
2091
-10%

* ... smaller is better

Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 2732 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 349 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 275.8 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 243.4 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 2125 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 350.2 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 26.93 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 118.3 MB/s

GPU Performance

Raw graphics performance sits comfortably between the GeForce GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti according to 3DMark benchmarks to be roughly twice as fast as the GeForce MX150 in the Spectre x360 15. The GTX 1060 and Radeon RX Vega M GH in the Hades Canyon NUC are each about 40 to 45 percent faster than our Radeon RX Vega M GL. Intel unveiled the Radeon RX Vega M GL as being comparable to the GTX 1050 series and our independent 3DMark scores confirm this claim.

See our dedicated page on the Radeon RX Vega M GL for more technical information and benchmarks.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Ice Storm Unlimited
Ice Storm Unlimited
Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Ultra
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Asus FX503VM-EH73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
11483 Points +56%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
10349 Points +41%
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH, i7-8809G
10248 Points +39%
Asus Zenbook Pro UX550VE-DB71T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
7457 Points +1%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL / 870, i5-8305G
7355 Points
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
6074 Points -17%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
4361 Points -41%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i5-8550U
3563 Points -52%
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 2500U
2310 Points -69%
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ
1903 Points -74%
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics
Asus FX503VM-EH73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
5373 Points +68%
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH, i7-8809G
4405 Points +38%
Asus Zenbook Pro UX550VE-DB71T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
3649 Points +14%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL / 870, i5-8305G
3192 Points
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
2699 Points -15%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
2038 Points -36%
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 2500U
1043 Points -67%
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ
822 Points -74%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score
Asus FX503VM-EH73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
9739 Points +56%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
8949 Points +44%
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH, i7-8809G
8506 Points +36%
Asus Zenbook Pro UX550VE-DB71T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
6564 Points +5%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL / 870, i5-8305G
6235 Points
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
5524 Points -11%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
3994 Points -36%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i5-8550U
3217 Points -48%
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 2500U
2123 Points -66%
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ
1836 Points -71%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Asus FX503VM-EH73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
14550 Points +48%
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH, i7-8809G
14302 Points +45%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
13279 Points +35%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL / 870, i5-8305G
9862 Points
Asus Zenbook Pro UX550VE-DB71T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
9240 Points -6%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
5289 Points -46%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i5-8550U
4564 Points -54%
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 2500U
3549 Points -64%
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ
3220 Points -67%
1280x720 Performance Combined
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH, i7-8809G
10391 Points +33%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
8762 Points +13%
Asus Zenbook Pro UX550VE-DB71T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
8503 Points +9%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL / 870, i5-8305G
7788 Points
Asus FX503VM-EH73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
7696 Points -1%
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ
5515 Points -29%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i5-8550U
4184 Points -46%
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ
2784 Points -64%
HP Envy x360 15-bq102ng
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 2500U
2683 Points -66%
3DMark 06 Standard Score
16707 points
3DMark 11 Performance
9326 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
111847 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
21322 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
6235 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
3052 points
Help

Gaming Performance

The standard XPS 15 9560 is powerful enough to run all current titles and the XPS 15 9575 is no different. Most titles are playable at native 1080p on low-medium settings not unlike the GTX 1050. Frame rates, however, will vary wildly between 30 and 60 FPS depending on the title. We recommend engaging V-Sync as the screen tearing and ghosting can both be quite distracting when together.

Furthermore, not all tested titles would run perfectly. Both Middle-earth: Shadow of War and Destiny 2 would only run at fixed resolutions and so our results for these games are not recorded below. Dirt 4 and Final Fantasy XV would also run abnormally slow no matter the graphical settings. These are fortunately the exception instead of the rule as most games run without any issues on the brand new Intel-AMD processor. Current popular titles like PUBG, Fortnite, and LoL are generally undemanding and a more perfect fit for Kaby Lake-G gamers.

Rise of the Tomb Raider - 1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x
Asus FX503VM-EH73
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U128G1002
57 fps +80%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577 4K
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, SK hynix SC311 M.2
45.3 fps +43%
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK
Vega M GH, i7-8809G, Intel Optane 120 GB SSDPEK1W120GA
40.8 fps +29%
Asus Zenbook Pro UX550VE-DB71T
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
39 fps +23%
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Vega M GL / 870, i5-8305G, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
31.7 fps
Acer Nitro 5 Spin NP515-51-86CX
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i5-8550U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
30 (28min - 34max) fps -5%
Asus G501VW-FY081T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
21.5 fps -32%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480-20L6S01V00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
18.6 fps -41%
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK
Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB
8.9 fps -72%
low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 202.7 172 152 51.7
Metro: Last Light (2013) 105.8 80.9 40.8
Thief (2014) 78.8 72.6 41.1
The Witcher 3 (2015) 77.8 43.8 23.7
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 111 97 53
Metal Gear Solid V (2015) 60 60 60 54
Fallout 4 (2015) 86.1 45.2 36
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 131.1 79.7 40.6 31.7
Ashes of the Singularity (2016) 54.1 36.4 32.3
Overwatch (2016) 184.3 108.2 50
Mafia 3 (2016) 45 34 24
Prey (2017) 135 86.6 69.1 61
Dirt 4 (2017) 40.9 16.3 9.7
F1 2017 (2017) 80 65 39
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 9

Stress Test

We stress the notebook with synthetic loads to identify for any potential throttling or stability issues. When running Prime95 to stress the CPU, the processor can be observed running as fast as 3.4 GHz before quickly reaching 77 C and dropping to a steady 3.0 to 3.1 GHz range to maintain a cooler core temperature of 62 C. The results here are in line with our CineBench loop test above where the first score is the highest before declining slightly throughout subsequent runs. Running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously will throttle the CPU and GPU down to 1.7 GHz and <715 MHz, respectively, to maintain a relatively cool core temperature of 68 C. In comparison, the 15.6-inch Yoga 720 tops out at around 80 V to 90 C during similar high loads.

Running Witcher 3 is more representative of real-world gaming conditions. The CPU and GPU can be observed running stably at 3.3 GHz and 1011 MHz, respectively. 1011 MHz is also the Burst clock rate of the GPU and so the XPS is able to maintain the maximum rated clock rate when gaming. Frame rates are steady when gaming with no recurring dips save for a small but anomalous drop to 37 FPS near the beginning of the test.

Running on batteries will throttle the GPU while the CPU remains unaffected even after enabling High Performance and maximum GPU performance through various menus. A 3DMark 11 run on battery power returns Physics and Graphics scores of 8175 and 5524 points, respectively, compared to 8182 and 9862 points when on mains.

System idle
System idle
Witcher 3 stress
Witcher 3 stress
Prime95 stress (first few minutes)
Prime95 stress (first few minutes)
Prime95 stress (>20 minutes)
Prime95 stress (>20 minutes)
FurMark stress
FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
0123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748Tooltip
The Witcher 3 high
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C)
Prime95 Stress 3.0 - 3.1 -- 62
FurMark Stress -- 715 - 836 62
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 1.7 550 - 715 68
Witcher 3 Stress 3.3 - 3.4 1011 70

Emissions

System Noise

The standard XPS 15 is known for its high performance-per-volume with its HQ-class CPU and GTX 1050 GPU. Unfortunately, it has also become notorious for its loud fans and high temperatures because of all that processing power in such a small volume. Dell has responded directly to these criticisms by upping the number of heat pipes from 2 to 3, upping the number of blades per fan, and teaming up with GORE Technologies to reduce surface temperatures through new thermal insulation.

Has all that effort paid off? In terms of fan noise, we can comfortably say that the fans of the XPS 15 9575 are generally quieter and much less likely to pulse during low-medium loads compared to the XPS 15 9560. Both fans will idle during low loads like word processing or browsing for a completely silent experience. Running the first benchmark scene of 3DMark 06 results in a fan noise of 35 dB(A) compared to 47 dB(A) on the XPS 15 9560 to suggest improved automatic fan behavior between the two models.

Higher loads like gaming are also significantly quieter on the XPS 15 2-on-1 compared to the standard XPS 15. Although not as quiet as the Inspiron 15 7577 with the GTX 1060 Max-Q or Spectre x360 15 with the weaker GeForce MX150, 44 dB(A) is at least more bearable compared to the screeching 50+ dB(A) range on the XPS 15 9560. The fans are not constant, however, as they can periodically pulsate between 35 dB(A) and 44 dB(A) when gaming or running extreme loads. A steadier fan noise is always preferable when gaming and we wish there was a software tool to set a fixed speed instead.

Coil whine or electronic noise is not present on our unit even when placing an ear directly on the keyboard.

Triple heat pipes with graphite heat spreaders
Triple heat pipes with graphite heat spreaders
Twin 50 mm fans are of the same diameter as the fans on the XPS 15 9560
Twin 50 mm fans are of the same diameter as the fans on the XPS 15 9560

Noise Level

Idle
27.8 / 27.8 / 27.8 dB(A)
HDD
27.8 dB(A)
Load
35 / 44.2 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 27.8 dB(A)
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
Vega M GL / 870, i5-8305G, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Lite-On CX2-8B512-Q11
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8650U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i5-7300HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.9 GHz, 560)
Radeon Pro 560, i7-7820HQ
Noise
-12%
-0%
-4%
2%
-5%
off / environment *
27.8
28.4
-2%
28.4
-2%
29.1
-5%
28
-1%
30.8
-11%
Idle Minimum *
27.8
29
-4%
28.4
-2%
29.1
-5%
28
-1%
31
-12%
Idle Average *
27.8
29
-4%
28.4
-2%
29.1
-5%
28
-1%
31
-12%
Idle Maximum *
27.8
32.2
-16%
28.4
-2%
29.1
-5%
28
-1%
31
-12%
Load Average *
35
47.1
-35%
41.6
-19%
35.7
-2%
30.3
13%
31.3
11%
Witcher 3 ultra *
44.2
52
-18%
36.1
18%
39.5
11%
Load Maximum *
44.2
47.1
-7%
41.6
6%
45.3
-2%
46.5
-5%
41.8
5%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

Rear exhaust when running Witcher 3
Rear exhaust when running Witcher 3

Dell has been trumpeting its GORE insulation as being a first in the laptop industry. As seen by our images below, the thin black film is lined across the inside of the bottom plate to direct heat out of the device and ultimately lower the surface temperature of the XPS.

When idling, hot spots can be identified near the top left of the notebook base nearest the 65 W Intel-AMD CPU. These quadrants can be as warm as 29 C whereas the palm rests can be 24 C. Gaming or extreme loads will cause these same hot spots to grow as warm as 45 C near the WASD keys or 40 C on the bottom panel. In comparison, hot spots on the XPS 15 9560 can become as warm as 53 C and 44 C on the top and bottom, respectively, when subjected to similar demanding loads. The new insulators certainly have an effect, albeit nothing miraculous. Even so, the Dell runs much cooler than the competing Acer Nitro 5 convertible where surfaces can grow as warm as 47 C on both sides during similar demanding loads.

Our main complaint about the surface temperature is that the WASD keys will become very warm when gaming since it is close to the hot spot. Manufacturers like MSI avoid placing processors directly underneath the WASD keys for this reason to make gaming more comfortable. Expect sweaty fingers during longer gaming sessions on the XPS convertible when compared to the original XPS 15.

Special insulation across the rear of the unit promises a thermal conductivity lower than air
Special insulation across the rear of the unit promises a thermal conductivity lower than air
Close-up of GORE insulators. The material is glued to the back panel instead of the motherboard
Close-up of GORE insulators. The material is glued to the back panel instead of the motherboard
System idle (top)
System idle (top)
System idle (bottom)
System idle (bottom)
Witcher 3 stress (top)
Witcher 3 stress (top)
Witcher 3 stress (bottom)
Witcher 3 stress (bottom)
Maximum stress (top)
Maximum stress (top)
Maximum stress (bottom)
Maximum stress (bottom)
Max. Load
 44.6 °C
112 F
44.8 °C
113 F
31 °C
88 F
 
 42.4 °C
108 F
39 °C
102 F
25.4 °C
78 F
 
 28 °C
82 F
25 °C
77 F
23.2 °C
74 F
 
Maximum: 44.8 °C = 113 F
Average: 33.7 °C = 93 F
30 °C
86 F
35.2 °C
95 F
40 °C
104 F
28.2 °C
83 F
33.8 °C
93 F
36.6 °C
98 F
26.4 °C
80 F
29.6 °C
85 F
33.2 °C
92 F
Maximum: 40 °C = 104 F
Average: 32.6 °C = 91 F
Power Supply (max.)  48.2 °C = 119 F | Room Temperature 21 °C = 70 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 33.7 °C / 93 F, compared to the average of 31.2 °C / 88 F for the devices in the class Multimedia.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 44.8 °C / 113 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 40 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.2 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 36.7 °C / 98 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 31.2 °C / 88.2 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-2.4 °C / -4.4 F).

Speakers

Stereo speakers near the front corners
Stereo speakers near the front corners

Sound quality from the dual 1 W speakers is passable but clearly lacking in bass and range. Microphone measurements show that lower frequencies are poorly reproduced and music subsequently suffers from a treble-heavy "tin can" quality that's not uncommon on cheaper notebooks. Maximum volume is loud enough to fill a small-medium conference room but it will also cause the palm rests to vibrate slightly.

The system is supposed to come with the Waves MaxxAudio software pre-installed according to the product page not unlike on the XPS 15 9560. Strangely, our unit is inexplicably lacking this software.

XPS 15 9575 (Red: System idle, Pink: Pink noise)
XPS 15 9575 (Red: System idle, Pink: Pink noise)
XPS 15 9560
XPS 15 9560
Lenovo Yoga 720 15IKB
Lenovo Yoga 720 15IKB
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2036.4372535.733.23133.233.24032.634.75031.7346330.933.38031.531.11002931.312528.433.716028.341.820027.745.525026.851.231526.355.54002660.350025.264.763024.86780024.268.110002467.9125023.364.3160023.461.720002360.7250022.861.531502358.440002357.4500022.959.8630022.766.1800022.8661000022.758.41250022.653.41600022.849.9SPL35.675.7N2.537.7median 23.4median 59.8Delta1.37.335.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseDell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305GApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (68.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 16.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.5% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.8% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (8.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 78% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 16% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 63% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 30% 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%

Energy Management

Battery Life

Users can expect 9.5 hours of continuous web surfing when set to the Balanced power profile and a backlight brightness of 150 nits (setting 5/10). This is about two hours longer than the XPS 15 9560 when subjected to similar WLAN conditions which is impressive considering that the XPS 15 9560 integrates a larger battery (97 Wh vs. 75 Wh). Dell advertises a runtime of 15 hours, but we are unable to reach anywhere near this claim even when idling on desktop on the lowest brightness setting and with the Power Saver profile active.

Generic or third party USB Type-C chargers can be used to charge the XPS 2-in-1 so long as the output is at least 45 W. In other words, the typical smartphone wall adapter will not work while a USB Type-C charger designed for a laptop should work if needed. A pop-up message will warn users that the battery will slowly drain during higher loads since the AC adapter alone is insufficient.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
11h 03min
WiFi Websurfing
9h 24min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 18min
Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G
i5-8305G, Vega M GL / 870, 75 Wh
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, 97 Wh
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
i5-8550U, GeForce MX150, 79.2 Wh
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2017 (2.9 GHz, 560)
i7-7820HQ, Radeon Pro 560,  Wh
LG Gram 15Z975
i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620, 60 Wh
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
i5-7300HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, 56 Wh
Battery Runtime
11%
35%
3%
36%
-1%
Reader / Idle
663
831
25%
934
41%
1078
63%
659
-1%
WiFi v1.3
564
434
-23%
511
-9%
677
20%
435
-23%
416
-26%
Load
78
103
32%
136
74%
67
-14%
131
68%
96
23%
Witcher 3 ultra
76

Pros

+ consistently strong CPU and GPU performance; no major throttling
+ rigid chassis and lid; familiar aluminum XPS design
+ bright display backlight; almost full sRGB coverage
+ cooler surface temperatures than the XPS 15 9560
+ cooler core temperatures than the XPS 15 9560
+ 4x USB Type-C ports, 2x full-lane Thunderbolt 3
+ accessible internals; upgradeable M.2 SSD
+ quieter fans than the XPS 15 9560
+ Power button fingerprint reader
+ long battery life

Cons

- forced Kaby Lake-G; no Kaby Lake, Kaby Lake-R, GeForce, or Coffee Lake-H options
- must rely on adapters for USB Type-A, HDMI, RJ-45, and more
- grease will accumulate very quickly on the black surfaces
- pulse-width modulation on lower brightness levels
- slow black-white and gray-gray response times
- smaller battery capacity than the XPS 15 9560
- slow write performance from Toshiba SSD
- Maglev keys feel awkward when gaming
- select games run slower than expected
- very warm WASD keys when gaming
- no more secondary HDD options
- suboptimal webcam placement
- soft clickpad keys
- no SIM options
- soldered RAM
- pricey

Verdict

In review: Dell XPS 15 9575 Core i5-8305G
In review: Dell XPS 15 9575 Core i5-8305G

The XPS 15 9575 is supposed to translate the standard XPS 15 9560 into a formidable convertible without sacrificing what makes the original so popular. From this perspective, the new XPS is a success as it certainly feels like a classic XPS 15 in terms of quality and rigidity but with the added versatility of a 2-in-1 form factor. It's good to see that the chassis remains as strong as ever in the transition to a thinner design. If you love the XPS 15 9560, then the XPS 15 9575 will feel very familiar.

Performance-wise, the Core i5-8305G CPU and Radeon RX Vega M GL GPU are comparable to the Core i7-7700HQ and GTX 1050, respectively, often by just single-digit percentage points in benchmarks. Dell is absolutely aware of this as the current XPS 15 9560 configuration with the i7-7700HQ CPU and GTX 1050 GPU retails for exactly the same price of $1500 USD as our XPS 15 9575 configuration but with twice the RAM (8 GB vs. 16 GB) and twice the storage (256 GB vs. 512 GB). Thus, there's no question that users are paying a premium for the convertible form factor, touchscreen, and unique Kaby Lake-G SoC of the XPS 15 9575. We've queried Dell multiple times on a potential Kaby Lake-R or GeForce version of the XPS convertible, but the focus at the moment is solely on providing the best Kaby Lake-G experience possible and the 9575 has certainly met our expectations on that front.

The price and spec differences are obvious, but what about temperatures, noise, and battery life? To our surprise, the XPS 15 9575 runs cooler, quieter, and sometimes longer than the XPS 15 9560 when browsing, word processing, or gaming. It's an achievement worth praising because the XPS convertible is on par with the XPS 15 in terms of CPU and GPU power while simultaneously being thinner and with a smaller battery.

The forced Maglev keyboard is hit or miss. It's a significant change from the XPS 15 9560 and it doesn't work as well for the smaller half-sized Arrow keys or Function keys compared to the main QWERTY keys. We believe that an integrated NumPad like on the 2018 Spectre x360 15 would have been far more useful for productivity. The moderate-heavy ghosting, full reliance on USB Type-C, presence of pulse-width modulation, heavy weight, spongy trackpad, fixed RAM, fingerprint-prone surfaces, and more limited storage options round up the list of notable disadvantages. Gaming capabilities are good but far behind the GTX 1050 in some titles where further optimization is required.

Dell's latest XPS convertible is home to a lot of firsts and nearly all are home runs. Kaby Lake-G is comparable to the GeForce GTX 1050 and Core i7-7700HQ while being cooler and quieter than the XPS 15 9560. On the other hand, the Maglev keys are a mixed bag and the NVMe Toshiba SSD is generally slower than an equivalent Samsung PM961. Be ready to carry USB Type-C adapters everywhere you go and a cleaning cloth to keep those dark keys free of grease.

Dell XPS 15 9575 i5-8305G - 04/22/2018 v6(old)
Allen Ngo

Chassis
95 / 98 → 97%
Keyboard
85%
Pointing Device
86%
Connectivity
47 / 81 → 58%
Weight
63 / 20-67 → 91%
Battery
92%
Display
84%
Games Performance
89 / 85 → 100%
Application Performance
94 / 92 → 100%
Temperature
89%
Noise
92 / 95 → 97%
Audio
50%
Camera
56 / 85 → 66%
Average
79%
87%
Multimedia - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Dell XPS 15 9575 (i5-8305G, Vega M GL, FHD) Convertible Review
Allen Ngo, 2018-04-22 (Update: 2019-03-20)