Computer Shopper - UK (2020-04)

ISSUE386|COMPUTER SHOPPER|APRIL2020 19

THEXPS 13 haslongbeenoneofour
favouritelaptops,andthe 2 -in-1versiontake
thatwinningformulaandaddsafold-aroun
screen,giving youthe option of working in
tablet, ‘stand’or‘tent’modes, as well as the
regular clamshell format.
The latest updateofthe XPS132-in-
looks verysimilar to the previousiteration,
but it introduces afew keyupgrades as well
Forone,Dell has made the move from
eighth-generation to 10th-generation Intel
processors, so you getthe power and
performancebenefits of thelatest 10nm
fabrication process.
The webcam has also at last been moved
to the topofthe display bezel, as on the
standard XPS13, rather than pointingup
from beneath the screen.And the screen
itself has changed shape,going from a
letterboxed 16:9 ratio to aslightlysquarer
16:10 format.Wireless networking,meanwh
hasbeen upgraded to the latest 802.11ax
standard, also knownasWi-Fi 6.

CASHING IN

TheXPS 13 2-in-1isoffered in four
configurations. Thecheapest comes withan
Intel Corei5-1035G1 CPU and a1,920x1,
touchscreenfor £1,429.That mayseemsteep
foranentry-level model, but it includes 8GB
of RAM anda256GBSSD.
The next model up is theone we tested,
which is identicalsavefor aCorei7-1065G
CPU. Meanwhile,the toptwo configurations
usethe sameCorei7processor butpartner it
with an enhanced screen, which quadruples
the standard resolution to 3,840x2,400, and
have either 16GB of RAM with a512GB SSDor

32GB of RAMwith1TB of storage.These will
set you back £1,919 and£2,319 respectively,so
our review spec couldpotentially deliver the
best balanceofCPU performance and cost.
As with allDell’s XPS13systems, the 2-in-
featuresaneye-catching InfinityEdge display,
which means it hasreally thin bezels. It looks
great, it’s fully touch-enabledand it letsDell
squeeze a13.4in screen intoarelatively small
chassis, measuring296x207x13mm at the rear
and tapering to athicknessofjust 7mmatthe
front. It’sawonderfully portablepackage,
although at 1.33kg it’s alittle weightier than
most traditional laptops of asimilarsize.

FLIP FEED
The definingfeature of the2-in-1 is its

y,y

beyond around 185°, thekeyboard and

touchpad are automatically disabled, anda

little notification pops up invitingyou to

switch Windows intotablet mode.Pivotit

backintoastandardlaptop positionand your

input devices become active once again. It’s

simpleand fuss-free, andthat’s agood thing.

On thesubject of thekeyboard, however,

this doesn’t physically recedeorlock, so –as

withmanyotherconvertibles–holding the

2-in-1 in tablet mode,withthe keys at the rear,

feels alittle odd. It’s not toojarring, however,

as the keys are low profile with minimaltravel

distance. Theystill feel beautifully crispand

positive to typeon, however.

Indeed, we’d go so farastosay it’s one of

the best-feeling laptop keyboards we’ve ever

tried, andthe layoutisagreeablyspacious,

too. The only realproblem is the half-height

Page Up and Down keys,which aresituated

hardupagainst theleft and right cursor keys.

It’sannoyinglyeasytohit these by accident

and make your cursorinstantlyleap off to

someunexpectedplace, but your fingers will

get used to it after afew days.

It’s hard to faultthe touchpad, too. While

it’snot quite as huge as thepad on the

MicrosoftSurface Laptop 313.5in (Shopper

385), its 112x67mm dimensionsfeelperfectly

py g,

but ourtaps and swipes were pickedup

perfectlyall across itssurface.

APORTSHORT

One aspect of theXPS 13 2-in-1that might be

more controversialisits physical connectivity

–orrather,its lack thereof. As with the

design,the 20192-in-1 completely eschews

full-size USB connectors, offering apairof

Type-C sockets (one at each side) for

connecting peripherals and charging.

To be fair,these arebothUSB3.

connectors with supportfor Thunderbolt 3,

so they’re as fast and versatile as youcould

askfor,but if you wanttohook up anyUSB

Type-Adevices, you’llneed an adaptor.The

only other sockets on offer are amicroSD

card slot andaheadphone jack.

Another slightcompromise is the

webcam.It’simpressive that Dell has

managed to cram a720psensor intothe

tiny upperbezel above thescreenbut, in

use,wefound theimage softand noisy:

it’s finefor chatting with friends, butfor

vlogging you’ll want something better.

Similarly,the speakers areperfectly clear,

but atouch on the tinny side,and not exactly

loud. Still, at least the built-in microphone is

surprisingly cleanand warm.

Onefinal noteondesign: while the plain

blacktouchpadand subtlypatterned

wrist-rests look stylish andfeelpleasingly

warm to the touch, we foundtheyquickly

became visiblysmudged with finger- and

palmprints. This doesn’taffect thefunctioning

of the laptop in any way, butifyou want to

es

d

e

l.

d

ile,

not overlystiff and,whenyou fold it back physical clicks register betterinits lower half,

Every convertible design has its trade-offs, but the XPS 13

2-in-1isthe mostattractivetakewe’veseen on the idea

wraparound hinge but, in truth, there’s nota
lot to sayabout this. It feels suitablyfirm but

roomy,and finger-trackingisimpeccably

smooth andprecise.It’shinged at the top, so

show off your shiny new convertible,be

preparedtogive it awipe down.