Dell XPS 12 Review: A Jack of All Trades Flipscreen Ultrabook
by Jarred Walton on February 22, 2013 2:13 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
- Dell
- XPS
- Intel Insider
- Ultraportable
- hybrids
- Ultrabook
Dell XPS 12: Everything to Everyone?
When dell first launched their XPS brand—prior to acquiring Alienware—the XPS acronym stood for Xtreme Performance System. (Back then, it was considered really cool to use the letter X, so Extreme becomes Xtreme and we get an X rather than an E—though I suppose we’re not really any better about this in 2013.) The XPS line was Dell’s highest performance line, but over time it started to lose its luster. In 2005, Dell tried to reassert XPS dominance over companies like Alienware and Falcon Northwest, but when they later purchased Alienware the need for the XPS brand became questionable. We had Studio XPS for a bit, then XPS totally disappeared (around 2009), but now it’s back with a new role.
No longer is XPS the top performance consumer brand, as that task falls to Alienware; instead, XPS is a premium consumer line, generally offering better build quality and materials than the Inspiron line and with configurations that straddle the fence between high-end and budget offerings. Some businesses may also opt for XPS systems, as they tend to look a little nicer than the typical business laptops and they should offer similar reliability. Or at least, that’s the theory of it. The reality is that we’ve seen some good XPS offerings since the relaunch, but we’ve also seen some disappointing units with mediocre displays and very little other than appearance to set them apart from the Inspiron line.
Thankfully, that’s not the case with the XPS 12 Duo. Build quality has been generally good of late with the XPS laptops we’ve reviewed, and while there were certainly flaws I found a lot to like in the initial XPS 15 and 15z. The more recent XPS 15 was a different matter, as the combination of a 35W quad-core processor with a GT 640M GPU proved to be more than the cooling could handle, and rampant throttling was the result. I thought Dell would eventually address the problem with a BIOS update, but that never came and so the “detailed first look” ended up as the final review. [Whoops! Let me wipe the egg off my face….] Temperatures were also a concern with the XPS 13 when we reviewed that Ultrabook, so you can bet we’ll be investigating that area with the XPS 12 Duo. But first, let’s start with the specifications rundown.
Dell XPS 12 Duo Specifications | |
Processor |
Intel i7-3517U (Dual-core 1.90-3.00GHz, 4MB L3, 22nm, 17W) |
Chipset | HM76 |
Memory |
8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1333 (9-9-9-24-1T) Note: RAM is soldered onto motherboard |
Graphics |
Intel HD 4000 (16 EUs, up to 1150MHz) |
Display |
12.5" Glossy 16:9 1080p (1920x1080) (LG LP125WF1) |
Storage | 256GB Micron C400 mSATA |
Optical Drive | N/A |
Networking |
802.11n WiFi (Intel Advanced-N 6235) (Dual-band 2x2:2 300Mbps capable) Bluetooth 4.0 (Intel) |
Audio |
Realtek ALC275 Stereo Speakers Headphone/Microphone combo jack |
Battery/Power |
6-cell, 8.3V, ~5690mAh, ~47Wh 65W Max AC Adapter |
Front Side | N/A |
Left Side |
Volume Rocker Buttons Power Button Headphone/Microphone Jack Screen Orientation Lock Button |
Right Side |
1 x USB 3.0 (Powered when Sleeping) 1 x USB 3.0 Mini-DisplayPort AC Power Connection |
Back Side |
N/A (Exhaust vent located on bottom) |
Operating System | Windows 8 64-bit |
Dimensions |
12.48" x 8.46" x 0.59-0.79" (WxDxH) (317mm x 215mm x 15-20mm) |
Weight | 3.35 lbs (1.52kg) |
Extras |
HD Webcam 80-Key Backlit Keyboard |
Warranty |
1-year limited warranty standard 3-year available ($199 upgrade for "Good" service) |
Price |
$1199 Base Model (Core i5, 4GB, 128GB SSD) $1699 Tested (Core i7, 8GB, 256GB SSD) |
As is so often the case with review units, we have the top-end model of the XPS 12 Duo in house for review. That means we get an i7-3517U processor, 8GB RAM (4GB soldered onto the motherboard), and a 256GB SSD. As mentioned already, Dell is also using a 12.5” 1080p IPS display, which is one of the standout items of the spec sheet. Overall, the specs match up pretty well against the Acer S7; the major differences are the battery capacity (Dell has 34% more battery capacity), I/O ports (Dell doesn’t have any sort of flash memory reader), and the dimensions. Not surprisingly, the XPS 12 Duo is closer to the maximum dimensions Intel allows with a sub-14” Ultrabook, but the hybrid tablet aspect and other elements could very well make up for the increased thickness.
The base model of the XPS 12 Duo starts at $1200 and comes with an i5-3317U, 4GB RAM, and a 128GB SSD. Pricing is usually a major factor when people are shopping for a new laptop, and $1200 is likely a lot higher than most will be willing to pay. That’s going to be a problem, and we would expect a system carrying a price like this to basically get every element right, which is unfortunately not the case. The various upgrades that are available only make the situation worse. For $200 more, Dell will sell you an i7-3517U with 8GB RAM, $1500 will get you the i5-3317U with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD, or you can get the whole enchilada (like our review system) for “only” $1700. Yikes!
I’m not sure why companies insist on trying to milk their customers like this, but frankly there’s no point in even offering a 4GB model at this stage; we’re talking about $27 for 2x2GB compared to $45 for 2x4GB at retail, and with a starting price well north of $1000 we expect 8GB standard. Dell also looks to be charging roughly $250 for the 256GB SSD upgrade; granted, compact SSDs are more expensive than 2.5” models, but a new 256GB mSATA SSD will generally cost less than $300 and a 128GB model is under $150, so we’d like the upgrade cost to be closer to $100. And rounding out the pricing the CPU upgrade is also a premium charge, since Intel quotes $225 for the i5 compared to $346 for the i7 (and there’s no way Dell is paying anywhere near those prices).
As much as there is to like with the XPS 12 Duo, I find myself at the same conclusion I came to with the Acer S7: this is a good Ultrabook, but who is going to pay Apple prices (or even higher than Apple prices) for Dell hardware? Apple has built a premium brand name over the years and their user base is willing to support their prices, but there simply aren’t any Apple compatible laptops (unless you want to try and make your own Hackintosh/HackBook). In the Windows world, alternatives are a dime a dozen, so you can’t get away with the same premiums even if you’re making premium hardware. My gut feeling is that the XPS 12, like the S7, is priced about $200 too high on the base model, and about $400 too high for the top configuration we’re reviewing. But if we just ignore pricing for a bit, how does the XPS 12 fare in day-to-day use?
59 Comments
View All Comments
trekker99 - Friday, February 22, 2013 - link
I have no problems with the wifi, so it could be dodgy hardware. There was a wireless driver update in mid Jan also.Agree on the touchpad though, The driver update in late Jan helps somewhat.
retrospooty - Friday, February 22, 2013 - link
"’I'm no longer confident that our testing procedure works properly for Windows 8 laptops. "Its not you its Dell. I just set up an XPS 13 with the new 1080p option yesterday (for one of our users, not mine). Absolutely brilliant laptop in every way, except the LCD. Great res, but the color is just... wrong. I never really noticed it before, but I then looked at some other Dell's. We use mostly enterprise class Latitudes at work. I checked 6 others of various models and ages. They all sucked. Even the more expensive ones with high res screens were awful in Win 7 as well.
Termie - Friday, February 22, 2013 - link
Jarred - I agree with you that 8GB should now be standard, but you have a mistake on the first page: "$45 for 2x8GB at retail" - that should say 2x4GB. Also, memory prices are actually rising very quickly, so right now that's more like $50. Nonetheless, it's a great point, so I wanted to make sure your message doesn't get lost in that typo.JarredWalton - Friday, February 22, 2013 - link
Fixed, thanks!ssj3gohan - Friday, February 22, 2013 - link
I don't understand why laptop/tablet manufacturers even bother with 2x2 2.4/5GHz-only wireless-N if you can get 3x3 with dual frontends (i.e. simultaneous 2.4 and 5GHz communication, not just different bands on one or the other) for just a couple dollars extra BOM?I wasn't surprised to find a subpar wireless module (as a matter of fact, exactly the same as in the xps 12) in my budget laptop. There every dollar matters. Not in the XPS...
guidryp - Friday, February 22, 2013 - link
What's to understand?Same reason they use a third rate trackpad, same reason for small size of RAM, with expensive upgrade costs:
They are in this to make money.
$50 saved on production, using cheaper components in several areas, is $ 50 000 000 of additional profit on a million units.
Last I checked registered charities weren't building consumer electronics.
Every make of Consumer electronics does this (as do most other consumer goods).
CeriseCogburn - Monday, March 4, 2013 - link
That's a great excuse for making another unsatisfactory piece of crap. They really do have everyone brainwashed like robotic retards.The era of the brand new high end junk, it's top of the.... and every flappy lipped turd pub economist knows why they did it...
Crap is crap and they charge $50 more anyway.
jhoff80 - Friday, February 22, 2013 - link
Honestly? It could be much worse. At least this has a generally stable Intel Wireless card.The Surface Pro, supposedly Microsoft's flagship device, uses Marvell wireless and Bluetooth, and there's nothing but issues there.
The same goes for the Surface RT's Marvell Wifi, which maybe, possibly, supposedly, is going to finally get a Wifi fix in the firmware in March.
Egg - Friday, February 22, 2013 - link
"while ARM and Atom can run a light OS like Atom fine"While I'd love to have a truly light OS on a microkernel, I think Android was meant here.
JarredWalton - Friday, February 22, 2013 - link
Yup, fixed. Thanks!