Review: Dell XPS 11 review

Introduction and design

Transforming laptops are finally growing popular outside of the medical and enterprise fields and they're often aimed at. Between the tablet-friendly Windows 8.1 and touchscreens popping up on just about every device, it's clear that vendors are betting big on shape-shifting hybrid machines. To this end, Lenovo designed the back-flipping Lenovo Yoga Pro 2; meanwhile, Asus developed the Asus Transformer Pad with a display that snaps off its keyboard base. Both were interesting devices, but ultimately laptops first and tablets second.

Dell is shooting for quite the opposite with the new Dell XPS 11. Instead of a hybrid notebook that turns into a tablet, the Round Rock, Texas firm is positioning its new machine as a tablet first. If anything, the XPS 11 resembles the Microsoft Surface Pro 2, as the two share soft touch keyboards that users can lay out when they need to sit down and type.

With the Dell XPS 12's 12.5 inch, screen-swivelling design, Dell is no stranger to the transforming form factor. For the XPS 11, however, the company devised something lighter, slimmer, and smaller with an 11.6-inch screen. The result is a device that's much tighter, sturdier – sexy even. With a carbon fiber body and stunning 2560 x 1440 resolution display, the XPS 11 is a fashion statement. But is there any more to this laptop-tablet hybrid than looks?

Design

The XPS 11 features a carbon fiber chassis, which not only makes the 0.6-inch (15 millimeter) thin laptop sturdy but also adds a unique look to the notebook. The carbon weave pattern wraps the laptop's body, giving it a futuristic look more common on sports cars and stealth fighter jets.

The entire machine iscoated with a thin, rubbery substance that enhances grip when carting it around in hand. The XPS 11's resistive-touch keyboard is also coated with the same material, letting me keep a sure grip whenever I flipped the screen back into tablet mode. This flat keyboard also helps the device feel more natural as a tablet than mashing keys with my fingers on the physical chiclet keyboard of the 11-inch Lenovo Yoga 2.

Opening the clamshell reveals machined aluminium that wraps around the inside lip of the screen and base. It's a small accent that adds an extra dash of style to the XPS 11's otherwise completely black exterior. The 11.6-inch Wide Quad High-Definition (WQHD) screen, meanwhile, is fronted by a giant sheet of Corning Gorilla Glass NBT carbon fiber glass. This super tough sheet of glass adds some serious rigidity to the laptop's display, which during my testing showed very little flex.

Unfortunately, I can't say the hinge on the laptop shared the same sturdiness. While it takes a decent amount of force to reposition the display, the screen rocks up and down whenever I use the keyboard to type on my lap. The hinges are also not strong enough to stand up to the pressure of tapping on the display. These are both slight disappointments, but it's a shame the hinge is the weakest link of this overall rocksolid laptop. Luckily, the hinge is still firm enough to keep the laptop positioned when it is tented or stood up on its side like a book.

Life in 11.6 inches

Generally, 10 inches is my threshold for tablets before they grow to too bulky and heavy. Unfortunately this is also true for the Dell XPS 11. Even though the machine weighs a stark 2.5 pounds (1,130 grams), it's still rather unwieldy to hold for extended periods of time. This is especially so when holding the device vertically – it felt like balancing a see-saw in my hands.

What's more, the Dell hybrid's 16:9 aspect ratio is simply not conducive to some things I usually use a tablet for. It's perfect for watching movies and playing a few Windows Store games, but not much else. Comics on the Kindle app don't fill the screen vertically or display a two page pane horizontally, as I hoped. Books, meanwhile, are displayed with their text stretching across the entire screen, forcing me dip my neck every time I finish a page.

Specifications

The Dell XPS 11 is definitely a looker even when compared to the sleek Yoga 2 and the industrial design of the Surface Pro 2. Thanks to the Dell hybrid's carbon fiber construction, it's also the lightest of the bunch at just 2.5 pounds. All the extra plastic on the Yoga 2 ends up weighing it down to a hefty 2.9 pounds (1,315 grams). It's even a smidge lighter than the chunky, 2.55 pound (1,162 grams) Surface Pro 2 with its keyboard cover.

Even at its thickest point, the XPS 11 is also thinner and smaller than both devices – if only just slightly – at 11.8 x 7.9 x 0.4 - 0.6 inches, or 300 x 201 x 11 - 15 millimeters (W x D x H). The Yoga 2 is just a bit bigger overall, measuring 11.7 x 8.12 x 0.67 inches (298 x 206.5 x 17.2 millimeters).

The Surface Pro 2, however, beats out the Dell hybrid as the smallest device at 10.81 x 6.81 x 0.53 inches (274.5 x 173 x 13.5 millimeters). But anyone picking the XPS 11 or Microsoft's official tablet won't have any trouble slipping either device into a bag and carrying it around all day.

Spec sheet

This is the Dell XPS 11 configuration sent to TechRadar:

• CPU: 1.5 GHz Intel Core i5-4210Y (dual-core, 3M Cache, up to 1.9 GHz with Turbo Boost)


• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4200


• RAM: 4GB DDR3L at 1600Mhz


• Screen: 11.6 inch, 2560 x 1440 resolution WQHD screen


• Storage: 256GB SSD


• Ports: 2 USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, MicroSD reader, headphone/mic jack, and security lock slot


• Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi (Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260), Bluetooth 4.0, NFC


• Camera: 1 megapixel webcam (720p HD video) and dual array digital microphones


• Weight: 2.5 pounds


• Size: 11.8 x 7.9 x 0.4 - 0.6 inches

This the highest-specification setup for the Dell XPS 11 that rings up to a grand total of $1,499 (£899), complete with the most SSD storage and fastest CPU available. The matching Australian configuration, meanwhile, is slightly more expensive at AU$2,498, thanks to a speedier 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-4300Y processor.

The XPS 11 starts at a fairer $999 (£799/AU$1,498), with the QHD display included. Every model also gets the future-proofing 802.11ac wireless and NFC connectivity features. However, the base configuration packs a tiny 80GB solid-state drive and an 1.5GHz Intel Core i3-4020Y processor.

The XPS 11 far outclasses the 11-inch Yoga 2 in terms of sharpness, which sports a standard 1366 x 768 IPS display. The 1920 x 1080 panel on the Surface Pro 2 also loses this race but it's still a respectable FHD resolution. Similarly, Dell's hybrid comes with one of the latest Core i5 Haswell chips, but these premium components also make the XPS 11 extremely pricey compared to its constituents.

For $699 (about £420/AU$754), users can get the maxed out Yoga 2 with a 2.16GHz Pentium N3520 (quad-core) processor. The Lenovo also has almost double the storage, with a standard 500GB hard disk drive. The XPS 11, however, still pulls away with a faster Core i5 chip and SSD that runs circles around that 5,400 rpm HDD.

The Surface Pro 2 is much closer in terms of competitive specifications. Packed with twice the RAM and a 256GB SSD, the Microsoft's slate rings up for $1,299 (£1,039/AU$1,469.00). However, the Surface Pro 2 comes with a slightly slower 1.3GHz Intel i5 (dual-core) CPU, but that should still be more than sufficient for tablet use and some light desktop applications.

With such a premium price, the XPS 11 runs into some significant competition outside of its 11.6 inch hybrid class. Users in the market for a lighter and cheaper dedicated laptop can pick up a dual-core, 1.7GHz Intel Core i7-powered 11-inch MacBook Air. Even with 8GB of RAM and the same 256GB SSD, this Macbook slides in under the XPS 11 asking price at $1,349 (£1,239/AU$1,649).

Performance

The Core i5 chip tucked inside of the XPS 11 offered mixed performance at best. The Dell hybrid had no hang ups while streaming 4K YouTube videos. The machine could also run DoTA 2 at a remotely playable 15 frames per second at maximum resolution with all the graphics settings maxed. In short, this is no gaming rig.

That said, the Dell XPS 11 struggled to keep up with my image editing in Lightroom and even web surfing. In either case, the laptop chugged a bit, despite being equipped with a decent amount of RAM and a quick SSD.

This could be due to the processor's Intel HD 4200 graphics not being up to snuff to drive the XPS 11's massive 2560 x 1440 resolution whilst keeping up with processor-intensive tasks. At the same time, this middling performance isn't backed up by a battery life that tops out at 3 hours and 49 minutes with regular everyday use.

• 3DMark: Ice Storm: 25,540; Cloud Gate: 2,739; Fire Strike: 351


• Cinebench CPU: 155 points


• PCMark 8 Battery Life: 3 hours, 28 minutes

The XPS 11's 1.5GHz Intel Core i5 chip scores some fairly middling marks, especially when compared to the smidge-faster 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 part inside Acer Aspire S7. Both laptops share the same 2560 x 1440 resolution and are separated by a 0.1GHz difference in processing power, but the Aspire S7 managed to consistently score almost two times higher than the Dell hybrid across the entire 3DMark suite and the Cinebench CPU test.

When compared to its direct competition, the Surface Pro 2, the Dell XPS 11 also falls considerably short. The Surface Pro 2 churned through the toughest 3DMark graphics stressing test with 640 points, while the Dell hybrid only managed to touch the 351 mark – but again, consider the Dell's much larger screen resolution. (TechRadar has yet to receive an 11-inch Lenovo Yoga 2 for a full review.)

The 2K cinema experience, minus the hitchy sound

The screen on the Dell XPS 11 is simply gorgeous. Colors representations are richly saturated, making images pop. Even better is that the display draws deep blacks, which are perfect watching for horror movies at night and playing dark, moody games without those bland streaks of gray. Speaking of games, I was pleased to play some of my favorite games on the higher-resolution screen. Because of the middling processor, you might want to turn off some of the more intense settings (like ambient occlusion) to keep the action moving along at a decent 30 fps.

While the screen presents a vivid picture, the speakers on the XPS 11 can ruin high tones. Certain high-pitched songs, like Short Change Hero, brought out the tinniness of the device's speakers. Explosions also sound garbled when they hit on this laptop. So, while a Michael Bay movie might look great playing on the Dell XPS 11, its speakers can diminish the experience.

Touch keyboard or touchscreen?

Dell made a lot of conceits to design the XPS 11 as a tablet first and laptop second. Nowhere else on this machine is this philosophy more evident than the keyboard. The resistive touch keyboard was made to be as unintrusive as possible, saving users from awkwardly squishing the keyboard while holding the device as a tablet. While Dell has succeeded in this endeavour, touch typing was extremely aggravating on the XPS 11.

Like Microsoft's Surface keyboard cover, this keyboard requires mashing on the buttons for anything to register. This grew tiring after a while, especially when balancing the laptop on my lap, as each keystroke caused the laptop to bounce up and down. My biggest gripe with the keyboard: the lack of a definitive transition marking the end of the space bar and other essential buttons, like the Windows key. Rather than hitting the spacebar, I would often just hit an area of rubber between the actual key and the trackpad. The rest of the keyboard is etched with bits of black plastic marking the end of the keys. A simple trough to mark the bottom edge would have easily fixed the issue.

Thankfully, the far more accurate touchscreen was just a poke away to save me from the XPS 11's fussy touch keyboard. The laptop's trackpad also was perfectly usable and sizable for dragging the mouse around the Dell hybrid's expansive WQHD display.

Bundled Software

Dell packed on a few pounds of bundled software with the XPS 11. Luckily, there's nothing too superfluous, as every bit of included software has its own use.

• Dell Backup and Recovery: While Windows 8.1 already has a backup and recovery agent, this Dell client adds an extra bit of security in case of virus attacks and accidental file deletions.


• Dell Digital Delivery: This enables users to purchase, download, and update certain apps like Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and Acrobat X, avoiding update sites.


• Dell Smart Assist Configuration Utility: This tool allows users to customize how often the laptop pulls updates while it is in smart sleep mode.


• Dell Update: An easy download tool that pulls driver and software updates automatically.


• My Dell: An easier way to view your Dell XPS 11 configuration without having to mull around the Windows device manager or tap into your Windows Experience Index.


• PC Checkup: A built-in hardware diagnostic tool for tracking system changes and a drive space manager for those precious gigabytes.


• PocketCloud: A free cloud solution that connects with your Google account to access files and apps across other Windows PCs and Mac machines.

Verdict

Premium looks and design cost a pretty penny. If you seek a gorgeous-looking and feeling laptop-tablet hybrid, the Dell XPS 11 is a fashion model in its class. The Lenovo Yoga 2 is a lovely rubberized machine, and the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 has an exquisitely-made magnesium frame. These rivals have their own appealing characteristics, but the XPS 11 feels like it's in a whole other level as a truly luxury item.

We liked

I loved the carbon fiber body of the XPS 11. It's a material you don't see very often on electronics – aside from the faux-patterned back of the Motorola Droid Maxx – and at the same time it does not look gaudy like carbon fiber rims on a minivan. Instead, it's subtly implemented to add strength and personality to the laptop, matching form with function.

When I opened up the laptop for the first time, I was greeted by an equally beautiful screen with lavishly deep colors just begging to display high-resolution content. And with 802.11ac Wi-Fi built-in, the XPS 11 is prepared for the advent of beyond-HD streaming.

We disliked

While I could gush on for days about the Dell XPS 11's body, the same rubbery coating is also extremely susceptible to scuffing and scratches. Already a smudge magnet for oily fingerprints, this exterior developed some scars by simply sliding it across an unsanded wooden bench.

Then there's that keyboard. It's an admirable effort on Dell's part to eliminate the awkwardness of gripping the device against a keyboard in tablet mode, and it works. However, when I actually sat down to work on this review, my typing experience devolved from "This is okay" to "I just need to get used to it," and eventually hatred.

It's also disheartening that this premium laptop does not have the performance chops to back up its gorgeous screen. While most tablets deliver a mix of battery life and enough power to deal with everyday web browsing, the Dell XPS 11 pours all its energy into powering that sharp display, sacrificing battery life and performance.

Final Verdict

Dell set out to make a tablet device first that could convert into a laptop when users needed it, and it has succeeded, partially, with the XPS 11. Last year, the Dell XPS 12 turned heads with its unorthodox screen-swiveling design. This new hybrid laptop is an evolutionary step that's lighter and more refined. While it's not treading any new ground already covered by the Yoga 2, the XPS 11 is more than a carbon copy, thanks to its build quality and high-resolution screen.

There's a lot to consider before picking up an XPS 11. It works somewhat as a tablet and much less so as a laptop, with some big caveats for both use cases. The Yoga 2 is a much more balanced tablet-laptop hybrid that offers a physical keyboard for those who can get over touching buttons on the hybrid's backside. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 2 is a smaller but similar tablet.

With the XPS 11's high price point, there are dedicated laptops to consider with such a large budget, including the Acer Aspire S7 and 11-inch MacBook Air. With all its trade-offs, the Dell XPS 11 is simply too expensive to recommend outright, but if you have the cash to burn, this hybrid is a looker with an equally beautiful screen.

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