Dell xps 13 9350 i5 review

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From the outside, the Dell XPS 13 (model 9350) is very clean-looking. It is the quintessential business laptop, which looks durable and classy, thanks to its aluminum shell. It feels heavier than it looks, probably because of the more compact body. At 2.8 lbs, it is considered to be an ultra-light or, at least, a thin & light.

Although not the absolute thinnest, The XPS 13 can easily compete with laptops like the Lenovo YOGA 900. There’s a small difference which is partly due to the bump that the XPS 13 has in the back (to allow the air intake to function). In my opinion, a light weight is more important than thinness when it comes to real-world use – that’s what you need to focus on if you carry a laptop all the time.

Dell XPS 13 (top) and Lenovo Yoga 900 (bottom)

I liked the smaller form-factor because it allowed me to carry this laptop in a smaller backpack which was just a little too small for a classic 13”. If I need to work in a crowded space (tradeshows like CES are the worst), like using a sling bag like the Maxpedition Lunada GearSlinger because I can quickly sling it in front of me so that I don’t inadvertently bump into someone.

When I go to places like MWC (Barcelona) where pickpockets are literally hunting journalists, it helps a little having my stuff in front of me. These sling bags tend to be just too small for regular 13.3” laptops, but your luck will vary with the brand. These are high-quality bags but were not designed for computer products.

I like that the XPS 13 isn’t prone to fingerprints or greasy hands in general. Both the aluminum shell and the soft-paint area around the keyboard and trackpad stay clean and non-slippery.

Ports

This is pretty much all I need, and I’m just waiting for even more USB-C/Thunderbolt options to appear. I haven’t had a chance to test a Thunderbolt display with the XPS 13, but the USB-C docks are one of the most interesting things for “desk” work. Dell has some cool docks too.

This is pretty much all I need, and I’m just waiting for even more USB-C/Thunderbolt options to appear. I haven’t had a chance to test a Thunderbolt display with the XPS 13, but the USB-C docks are one of the most interesting things for “desk” work. Dell has some cool docks too.

Keyboard

Of course, the laptop key travel (how deep the key goes) is relatively short but remains within the norm for this category. I like the backlighting which makes keys clearly legible in a dark environment.

I typed some articles at CES with this laptop, and I’m pretty happy with the tactile feedback, although I would not “rave” about it. The MacBook Pro remains the reference for me (even though I’m a “PC guy”).

That said, I think that Dell can improve this in a couple of ways: I may suggest adding a very subtle curvature on the keys. Secondly, improving the tactile feedback would be nice – that’s pretty much all there is to a great keyboard.

Trackpad

Display

"YOU WILL LOVE IT"It uses an IPS display, which brings wide angle viewability without color distortion. The black levels are very good, and the colors are well saturated as well.

At 278 NIT, the screen is plenty bright, and I found myself using it at 25% most of the time. Your own usage may vary, mainly depending on where you are. For my part, I mostly work under artificial lighting (conferences, tradeshows) and not outdoors.

Talking about outdoor usage, keep in mind that this display has a reflective treatment. It’s great under regular or dim lighting conditions because it makes the contrast and saturation seem better. However, if you work in a very bright environment (outdoors, photo studio, near a window), you will have more glare. The solution to that is to use a matte display – but that’s not an option here, and in general, I recommend the reflective glass to most people.

Internal hardware

Our unit is a Dell XPS 13 Touch (Model 9350) which uses an Intel Core i5-6200U (2.3GHz – 2.4GHz) processor with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage. It is priced at $1449.99 on Dell.com at the time of publication. The non-touch version has a 1080p display and goes for $1149.99. The 128GB non-touch model is worth $999.99.

For performance/price and value/price, would normally use the 128GB version’s price, but the 256 GB storage should be faster because it is a PCI-E SSD (vs. the 128GB SATA SSD). This will impact storage and system benchmarks.

The upgrade to 8GB/256GB/Core i7-6500U (up to 3.1GHz) will raise the price to 1649.99. We will also use this to compare with the Lenovo YOGA 900 and other potential competitors.

Performance

Regarding performance, you can expect most laptops using the same Intel Core processors to land within 5% of one another, even when comparing Core i5 and Core i7 versions – this isn’t as great as one may think. Just look at the raw numbers:

Performance / price

Absolute benchmark numbers are deceiving. When it comes to performance, it’s all about the ratio between performance and price, or performance and weight. That is the real differentiator. The data shows that while the Dell performs well, its performance level can be seen as a bit pricey when compared to others. The HP Envy 13-td000 (Core i5) is priced very competitively — but that one may have a harder time to compete with the Dell design (subjective matter).

Performance / weight

The Dell XPS 13 (9350) comes back roaring when we look at performance from a mobility (weight) standpoint. It shows a good mix of light weight (2.8 lbs) and speed, which is challenged by the Yoga 900, but not as much by the HP Envy 13t-d000.

It’s great, but when compared to a specialized laptop such as the Microsoft Surface 4 Pro, pretty much everyone else will lose. The Surface 4 Pro does, however, have other tradeoffs that you may or may not want. That’s why we think most people won’t choose between the XPS 13 and the Surface 4 Pro.

Battery life

When it comes to battery life, the single most important factor is the battery’s capacity. Computers in this category run on very comparable hardware (CPU, GPU) and software (Windows 10), so unless the OEM has done something truly horrible (or wonderful), the capacity of the battery is the main differentiator. There are a few ways to look at it: absolute capacity, capacity relative to the price and weight. All three are important for different reasons.

The absolute capacity will pretty much dictate how long the computer will stay alive with YOUR usage pattern. Most synthetic battery benchmarks will show unrealistic numbers, so much so that the common wisdom is “take whatever the OEM says, and divide by two”. These synthetic tests should not be used to estimate real-world usage, but “lab” tests to isolate a specific piece of the computer.

The Dell XPS 13 (9350) has a 56Wh battery, which is a great capacity. It also has a decent capacity for the price, and for the weight. It’s not “the best” in any of these, but it performs well-enough in all those aspects.

Conclusion (excellent)

The Dell XPS 13 (9350) is an excellent laptop. I had a great time using it at CES 2016 and to me, there’s no situation that’s more “real world” than that. I appreciate very much that the chassis is smaller than other 13.3 laptops, and I liked the very good industrial design and the solid feel it has.

The XPS 13 (9350) is comfortable to use and is objectively the equivalent of a real 13.3 laptop. I was reasonably happy with the keyboard, and the display is beautiful – no doubt about that.

Other laptops have slightly better keyboards, a slightly larger battery, or can feel a bit more comfortable, but for everything else, the XPS 13 is extremely competitive.

This computer is a great “do-it-all” computer that I have no problem recommending if you like the design. The compact size and design are its best features. You may want to look at the Yoga 900 for its 360-degree and larger battery, or the HP Envy 13t for its affordability. But if you decide to pick up the Dell XPS 13, you will be happy.

Is Dell XPS 13 i5 worth it?

The Dell XPS 13 has long been one of the top recommendations for Windows users looking for a MacBook Air alternative. The model I reviewed in 2020 was one of the best gadgets I've ever reviewed; everything from the screen to the build to the performance and battery life was exceptionally strong.

What is the spec of Dell XPS 13 9350?

Dell XPS 13 9350 is a Windows 10 laptop with a 13.30-inch display that has a resolution of 3200x1800 pixels. It is powered by a Core i5 processor and it comes with 8GB of RAM. The Dell XPS 13 9350 packs 128GB of SSD storage.

Is Dell XPS 13 discontinued?

Now discontinued, the XPS 13 2-in-1 is still available at retailers but may be harder to find as Dell moves 2-in-1 functionality to its Inspiron line of laptops.

Does XPS 13 run hot?

Temperatures are lower in more mundane use, like web browsing, but still high. Keyboard temperatures generally range between 90 to 100 degrees F (32.2 to 37.7 C) when the laptop's power mode is set to Optimized, and the hotspot on the laptop's bottom hits 105 F (40.6 C). That's still too much.