The basic model of the Dell XPS 15 with the Core i5 is simply too expensive

In our detailed review, the basic version of the new Dell XPS 15 did not leave a particularly good impression. The Core i5-11400H that is used comes from the current Intel Tiger Lake generation and also offers sufficient performance for most applications with its six cores. However, the Turbo capabilities are very disappointing, despite the powerful cooling that is identical to that of the faster models of the XPS 15 with a dedicated graphics card. Not even the nominal 45 watts are available. During constant CPU load, only about 38 watts are available, and in combined load situations (CPU & iGPU) it is only 34 watts. Even the optional Ultra Performance mode hardly changes anything here, so it is fairly unnecessary. On the other hand, at least the fans remain turned off or very quiet in many situations.

In addition, the Core i5-11400H is only equipped with a slimmed down integrated GPU (UHD Graphics Xe with 16 EUs), which performs only at the level of the old UHD Graphics 630. For comparison, the current iGPU of the mobile U series processors (Iris Xe Graphics G7) offers three times the performance. Considering the price of 1600 Euros (~$1863), the CPU/GPU performance is therefore disappointing. It would have been better if Dell had used the new Core i7-11370H, which offers the significantly faster Iris Xe Graphics even though it only has four CPU cores. 

We already know the bright Full-HD display (16:10) from the predecessor. With its matte surface it is also very well suited for using it outdoors. The subjective image impression is very good, and the small sRGB color space is completely covered. However, the slow response times lead to some visible ghosting, for example of the mouse pointer. Away from the outlet, the battery life is also limited by the smaller 56-Wh battery. We would have preferred to also see the 86-Wh battery of the more expensive model here.

Overall, the basic model of the XPS 15 appears to be configured fairly carelessly, and the Core i5-11400H is not very impressive together with the low power limit. With a Core i7-11370H, the larger battery, and the matte 16:10 panel, you would get a significantly better overall package at a not much higher expense. If it has to be an XPS because of the display, it would be worthwhile to either spend a little more money and get a model with the i7-11800H and the RTX 3050 GPU (from 2050 Euros, ~$2387) or simply get the XPS 15 9500 predecessor, which Dell continues to sell for 1250 Euros (~$1456). Even though the old quad-core processor offers slightly less performance, this should hardly be noticeable with everyday tasks. For more computing intensive tasks, the new i5-11400H is also not the best choice. The competitors, particularly those with AMD CPUs, simply offer significantly more performance here. You can find all the additional information on the Dell XPS 15 in our extensive reviews:

• Dell XPS 15 9510 (Tiger Lake Core i5, iGPU, FHD IPS) review
• Dell XPS 15 9510 (Tiger Lake Core i7, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, 3.5K-OLED) review
• Dell XPS 15 9500 (Comet Lake Core i5, iGPU, FHD IPS) review