FEBRUARY 2020 PCWorld 45each with an hour-
long encode before
letting the laptops
continue charging,
with the systems
idling at the desktop.
To show the
disparity between
brick sizes, we
recorded power
consumed at the
wall using a pair of
watt meters.
In the graphic
belong, you can see
the HP’s power output in red and the Dell’s in
purple. The HP used 65 watts until HandBrake
completed and then dropped down to about
45 watts as it continued to charge quickly.
Once the battery was filled beyond 90
percent, the charge rate gradually tapered off.
With its smaller brick, the Dell ran at a
maximum of 48 watts and then dropped off
once Handbrake was done. It continued to
charge harder until it also reached above 90
percent, where it tapered off to preserve
battery longevity.
Based on our test, the HP has a big
advantage in charge rates and performance
with a dead battery, but it comes at the cost of
a little more weight. The Dell is at a
disadvantage, but still charges up reasonably
fast despite the smaller brick. In the end, you
get a lighter brick as well. One last word: The
Dell’s charging system does support using a
larger power brick, and with the HP’s USB-C
in place used up to 65 watts.
While we’d prefer a more powerful brick,
we understand that this probably isn’t
something most people would prioritize
above having less weight in their bag. We’ll
just call it a tie.
Winner: TiePORTS
This one is fairly easy. The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
offers two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a microSD
slot and a combo headset jack. The HP also
offers two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a microSD
slot and a combo headset jack. The thing that
pushes it over to the HP is the inclusion of a
USB Type-A port. You know, the good old
rectangular slot you can’t live without.The HP’s larger 65-watt power brick let it run and charge faster than the Dell’s
45-watt brick. Beyond about 20 percent though, the Dell’s performance lead
comes back, and it charges to 93 percent in about 2.5 hours.