The perfect Windows computer may be very hard to find. Some laptops include lovely designs, some are very transportable, some consist of effective hardware and others exceptional battery lifestyles. A tool that mixes all of those features into one package deal would be absolutely first-rate, however thanks to the same old trade-offs of past and modern-day generation hardware, it is no longer some thing we are probable to see quickly.

….Or is it?

Sitting in the front of me is the brand new Dell XPS 13, and as far as I can tell, it ticks maximum of the aforementioned bins. It has a thirteen-inch display with a completely slender bezel, making it extremely portable. The aluminium shell with a carbon fibre-fashion indoors looks quite darn appropriate. Internally we are getting a new Intel Broadwell Core i5 CPU, that's just as powerful as before however greater electricity efficient. And battery lifestyles, at the least for the 1080p version, is rated at up to 15 hours according to Dell.

The state-of-the-art XPS 13 ($999 as reviewed, starts at $799) feels like a completely compelling product upon initial inspection. Unless the tool does not stay as much as its claims in one manner or any other, Dell might just have one of the exceptional laptops on the market. And it might finally be the computer I can happily suggest every body without throwing warning closer to one feature or every other.

For a laptop with a 13.3-inch display, the new XPS thirteen is powerful small. The footprint of the XPS thirteen is 12% smaller than the modern day thirteen-inch MacBook Pro, and quantity-smart it is just slightly large than the 11-inch MacBook Air. It's not pretty as light as the eleven-inch Air (2.4 vs 2.6 lbs), but it nevertheless manages to conquer the 13-inch version (2.98 lbs) and in shape the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro in the weight branch. The XPS 13 additionally loses out in the thinness branch to these laptops, although it's still very slim in its own right (17.5mm aside from the rubber relaxation).

From many fronts its clear that the XPS 13 is designed to cope with, and beat, the MacBook Air. Dell claims the XPS 13 is 23% smaller than the 13-inch Macbook Air with the identical display size; my math places it closer to 18%, spectacular despite the fact that. It has comparable internal hardware and capabilities to Apple's thin thirteen-inch model, consisting of a comparable fifty two Wh battery that Dell has controlled to squeeze into an eleven-inch frame: a body that Apple most effective offers 38 Wh. It also comes with a better decision show, some thing no longer tough to achieve in 2015, and higher rated battery life.

The version I received for review is the 1080p non-contact, although there's additionally a QHD+ 3200x1800 touchscreen version on offer that sacrifices some battery lifestyles and springs at a $300 top class.

How did Dell manage to squeeze a 13-inch display into something that need to only accommodate 11 inches? It's all approximately that bezel. Dell calls their five.2mm bezel around three aspects of the show an "Infinity Display", which goes a chunk overboard thinking about it is now not surely bezel-unfastened or without borderlines, but it does bring simply how appropriate the display appears.

The skinny bezels makes the pc sense like its utilizing every to be had inch of space to display content material. It's unexpected other laptop producers have not opted for a excellent slim bezel like this earlier than, as it's definitely remarkable to view pics, watch films or edit files on a near borderless display. In some ways it feels futuristic, although honestly the generation is right here these days.

The the front dealing with digicam has had to be relocated to the larger phase of bezel underneath the display, inside the bottom left corner. This isn't always a great location as it is able to create a unusual perspective whilst video chatting, though I'm happy with the trade-off for the general show enjoy.

On the opposite aspect of the show is a piece of smooth aluminium reminiscent of Apple's pc design. Of route it carries a Dell emblem instead, and the component ratio is slightly one of a kind, however it has that same robust, top rate feel as its MacBook counterpart. There's little or no flex within the complete show assembly, no matter how thin it's miles, and the herbal steel appearance is visually desirable.

The backside of the laptop continues the trend of uncovered aluminium, even though it doesn't appearance almost as satisfactory because the pinnacle. Two huge rubber strains litter up this area, leaving it searching considerably much less stylish. Luckily you might not see this facet too often, and the rubber does provide grip for utilization on a table, and sufficient top that the row of cooling vents is not inhibited. There's additionally a small flap on the lowest, branded with XPS, that famous regulatory information while you carry it up. It's a clever manner to hide those ugly trademarks brief of casting off them altogether.

Around the keyboard Dell has opted for black, soft-contact carbon fiber. It's now not as adorable because the aluminium lid from a visible standpoint, however it's miles from a cheap appearance and it feels brilliant to the touch. Aside from the keyboard and touchpad, the most effective different feature of this cleanly-designed location is the power button, which incorporates a pleasing strip of light to permit you to understand the laptop is on. A 2nd light is observed on the thin rim underneath the trackpad that activates even as charging.

The hinge at the XPS 13 is a basic one, which occupies most of the back edge of the tool to hold the device slender. The variety of motion is good, with the most perspective being slightly more than what I need for lap use. The hinge is strong as well, retaining the display at anything attitude you want even when the computer is moved. Hidden on the frame facet of the hinge is a 2nd set of vents to chill the laptop, as the Broadwell CPU requires a fan to maintain cool.

As for ports, on the left facet you get a fundamental proprietary electricity jack, mini-DisplayPort, USB and a three.5mm audio jack. On the right is every other USB port and an SD card reader. I like the inclusion of the SD card slot for effortlessly copying photographs from a digital camera, but an extra USB port might be great.

Towards the bottom of every wedge-shaped facet you may discover the facet-firing speakers. They're no longer the satisfactory I've ever heard in a computer, however they're precise sufficient for looking the occasional video. Having the audio system fire towards you instead of to the edges would be a mild development, although covering either of the speaker ports doesn't have much of an impact on audio output.