PC_Advisor_Issue_264_July_2017

Reviews
(720p) webcam with dual mics,
802.11ac 2x2 Wi-Fi connectivity and
powerful stereo speakers. There
are two cameras that sit oddly
at the base of the screen (due to
the InfinityEdge display) that are
Windows Hello-ready (the tech
that allows for retinal security
identification). Bar the still debatably
annoying lack of a USB-A port or
full-size SD slot, this laptop won’t
disappoint with the functionality on
show compared with other barer
ultrabooks on the market.
Display
There are two screen options when
you buy an XPS 13 2-in-1: a 1080p
display or a more pixel-dense QHD+
one with 3200x1800 pixels. This is
the ‘step below’ 4K, and there’s an
argument to be made that 4K in a
13in laptop is overkill anyway.
Dell sent us the 1080p version
and, consistent with it being the
cheaper option, its performance
is very good if not quite worldbeating.
To the naked eye colours
look well-saturated and fairly deep,
but our colorimeter tells us it
actually only covers 85.6 percent
or sRGB, 61.6 percent of Adobe
RGB and 64.2 percent or DCI P3.
Graphics professionals who
need wide colour gamut coverage
should check out the QHD+
version or something like the 4K
Razer Blade Stealth, which has
incredibly rich display colours.
We don’t think anyone else needs
to worry, though, particularly as
the good 1100:1 contrast keeps
the screen looking punchy.
The backlight maxes-out at
305cd/m 2 , which again isn’t a
class-leading statistic, but was
enough to let us use the Dell XPS
13 2-in-1 out in the park to write
some of this review. It does use
some potentially annoying auto
brightness management you can’t
switch it off, but that’s probably
more an annoyance to laptop
testers than real people.
Performance
Perhaps the most serious reason to
consider not buying the XPS 13 2-in-1
outside of its price is the kind of
processor it uses. All versions have
Core i-series processors, but they
are Intel’s Y-series ones.
These are the most power-frugal
of Intel’s premium laptop chips,
with less raw power on tap than
the corresponding U-series Core i5
or i7. U-series chips are what you’ll
find in the majority of thin laptops,
as only ultra-ultra skinny ones tend
to use the kind seen here. You may
have bumped into them before
when they were called ‘Core M’,
in previous generations.
The good news is that for
everyday use and general
productivity tasks, one of these
July 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 29