13.3" Dell XPS13-9343 FHD Ultrabook
via Amazon
Slim and powerful 2015 model XPS13-9343 is the newest ultrabook by Dell, that happens to be the first infinity display in the world- a 13.3 inch Full HD WLED backlit infinity display which means an almost borderless 13 inch display fit into the body of an 11 inch computer (23% smaller than a Macbook Air with the same 13 inch screen size) and has the latest 5th generation i5 processor, outstandingly long battery life, lightweight but superior build quality and design, better touchpad than competitors and is offered at a relatively affordable price unlike the many exotic computers that are often outside the budget of most consumers. It is suitable for daily use at home or office as well as more demanding applications and some gaming.
Dell XPS13 comes with the dual core Broadwell Intel i5-5200U processor at 2.2GHz base speed with turbo boost that takes the speed up to 2.7GHz and hyper threading with two cores handling four threads in parallel, 4GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz for sufficient multitasking, 128GB Solid State Drive for boot-ups in seconds, also helped with the Intel Rapid Start Technology and faster overall performance plus 20GB of free Cloud based Dropbox for a year (to have access to your files wherever you are and to keep your important files safe) and the usual 64-bit Windows 8.1 operating system that you’ll be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for free very soon. You’ll feel the difference of the new ultra low voltage i5-5200U processor with a TDP of 15 watts, in speed and better graphics performance as compared to the previous 4th generation processors like i5-4200U and 4210U and compares well to the Haswell i5-4300U.
As the world’s first infinity display with innovative design- 3 sided almost borderless very thin 5.2mm bezel (the thinnest frame ever on any laptop) increasing the space for screen, the 13.3 inch WLED backlit Full HD vibrant display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, Intel HD Graphics 5500 and IGZO2 IPS panel with wider viewing angles up to 170 degrees, offers very clear and sharp images (and you have the option to get the Ultra HD version) with higher brightness so you can comfortably watch videos or do your work comfortably outside- darker darks and brighter brights. Audio quality is not the best though but not very loud and you might need to use headphones or external speakers. Although Intel HD 5500 is like the mid-range version of Broadwell GPU’s, it is up to 25% faster than the previous Intel HD 4400 and offers performance slightly below the discrete NVIDIA GeForce 820M. But despite the improved integrated graphics power of Intel HD 5500, the new Dell XPS can not be labeled as a gaming computer- sure you will be able to play the latest games but at very low settings.
Silver metallic DELL XPS13 weighs only 2.6 pounds and measures 11.98 x 7.88 x (0.33-0.60) inches so it is extremely slim, lightweight and compact- beats most other computers in its class, including the Macbook Air. The 52 WHr, 4-cell Li-Polymer battery is claimed to offer up to super long lasting- impressive 15 hrs of battery life despite the bright high resolution screen depending on how you use the computer. It looks a lot like the Dell 7000 series, quite nice but not all that special but when you open the display lid you come across nicely textured soft-touch carbon fibre interior that looks and feels completely different to anything you may have seen so far and the super thin- less than a quarter inch display bezel is the thing that stands out most and makes Dell XPS the computer that comes closest to edge-to-edge display. Despite its compact size, spaced out keys on the backlit keyboard have a solid feel with firm bottom and the backlighting on keyboard with only two brightness levels turns on automatically when the computer is in use. Four inches wide and two inches deep Precision touchpad that supports multiple gestures feels very fluid- smooth, intuitive and responsive- almost like the touchpad on Macbook.
Conclusion: Premium aluminium construction Dell XPS13-9343 with the smallest 13 inch display and the slimmest almost non-existent bezels (first infinity display on the planet) appears to be a very impressive powerful piece of art with so many pros outweighing its small flaws, such as the lack of Ethernet with RJ-45 or HDMI but the faster 802.11ac wireless with wider coverage and a mini DisplayPort, sound quality not being the best with not so loud speakers and not having a discrete graphics card but an integrated Intel HD 5500 which can compete with some low-end discrete cards. It comes with Miracast enabled 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, 2x USB 3.0 ports with Powershare, Mini DisplayPort, 3-in-1 Memory Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC), Microphone Input / Headphone Output Combo Port and 1 x Noble Lock. It offers superior portability due to its 2.6 pound weight and compact size of an 11 inch machine, 5th generation Broadwell Intel Core i5-5200U, up to 15 hours of battery life (Energy Star 6.0 certified meaning more power efficient than before), no pre-installed junkware, cool to touch palm rest, solid feel and durability and superior Full HD display with IPS panel for larger viewing angles and sharp images even outdoors due to high brightness. You have the option to get the Ultra HD touchscreen version paying a few hundred more but that one offers roughly 3 hour less battery life. Overall it is a wonderful ultrabook that is well ahead of its competitors in different ways and is offered with a reasonable price tag within more customers’ reach.
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