Dell XPS 13 2015 Broadwell Infinity Display Owners Thread

Can someone with a dell xps 13 UK version post pictures of the keyboard and of the charger please?

The US version has a small enter key, would love the UK version on a picture. Also the charger in us has 2 plugs, the one you can rotate and the longer one with the cable.

Thanks!

 

Man to be honest I don't think anybody wants to even touch that OS after how awfully you've been describing the trackpad is for it. I'm not raising my hand for a free trial of hell, that's for sure! LOL

 

Has anyone attempted to calibrate the display yet? I tried but I think the adaptive brightness "feature" is messing with the calibrations (Spyder3Express). I turned off the auto brightness in the power options, but there is still the lingering adaptive brightness that I don't believe anyone has figured out how to turn off. If anyone has had any success with calibration I'd love to know how you did it.

 

people are more inclined to talk about their problems instead of things which work well... I still believe the touchpad in the end works find, I have to test it in reality in a few weeks.

If other customers have good experiences, I also think those experiences deserve to be mentioned here also (not only complaints)... one personal/subjective issue having much attention in this thread might discredit the quality of the laptop (which I still believe, is overall an amazing machine!)

 

Let me just say that I would LOVE to use windows 7 on this machine, but the fact does remain that the "drivers" for the track pad are not very good. The trackpad itself is great, the OS with the every other driver is awesome. I'd say try it out and tell me what you think instead of just listening to what i say.

 

Still tinkering with the drivers... What I did so far is look for similar Synaptics version, except generic one. So I got that installed, then went back to Device Manager, look under system devices, get rid of "Synaptics SMBus Driver", and reboot. Scrolling works, but I still can't get rid of that annoying 4-5 sec freezeup. But now that I know that the dell trackpad is equivalent to Synaptics ClickPad PS/2 driver (not SMBus driver), I think that should be a good start. I can

I think my driver substitution work is going to be over very soon and just end up waiting for Dell or Synaptics to come up with an update. Heck I may even have to start look for bluetooth mouse.

 

thinking about picking this up how do you guys feel about it, and any owners with the touch display and or 1080p how does it seem.

 

What do those of you with the QHD screens think of the backlight uniformity when it's displaying white?

PC World's review mentioned something about a mustached shaped discoloration and I think mine has something similar. A darker area just below and to the left of center along with a couple of darker columns that come up from the bottom just to the right of center and go about 1/3 of the way up the screen.

I'm thinking of seeing if they'll replace the display, but if everyone's has the same issue, then I guess there's no point.
thanks

 

I will try Win 7 RE-installation this afternoon. If still touchpad issue, that means entire Win 7 platform is a no go.

Then I might cry, get a few beer, and start looking into Win 8 options. Then cry a little more.

 

I used dispcalgui in Linux with a iDisplay. It didn't change the colors all that much after calibration. I'm unsure if the brightness affected the actual calibration process.

 

I've used Dispcalgui on my desktop, I'll give it a shot. Could you possibly upload your calibration file to dropbox/google drive and share it? I wouldn't mind giving it a try. I know all displays aren't the same, but I figure the laptop hasn't been available for very long so maybe the batch is the same.

 

Just a quick update, i called dell regarding the screen dimming issue to no avail. They were very pleasant and even offered to exchange the laptop. I'm assuming that they havent heard much on the issue due to it just being released. The search for the fix continues!

Good luck on Windows 7 again Dellienware! I'm eager to hear your findings.

 

LG 31" DCI 4k

 

https://github.com/soleblaze/icc/blob/master/v4fj4-lq133m1.icc?raw=true

 

Sweet, thanks!

Did you make any adjustments in the Intel Graphics control panel to go along with that?

 

Nobody?

 

Same thing for me from someone that purchased it in NL. I hate the fact that they only post pictures of the US version on the website..

 

I'm using Linux, so I don't have that.

 

Unfortunately, lowering a resolution on a higher resolution panel (and increasing DPI accordingly) will not result in higher battery life because you're still using the same amount of physical pixels. You also run the risk of scaling issues, etc.

This idea was heavily proposed among users of LG G3 smartphones who wanted to lower the resolution on their QHD panel to increase battery life, but found it to be ineffective.

 

Sounds like you got a lemon panel. I never use full brightness as it is unnecessary and sometimes found it bright enough to tire my eyes out, so for sure my maximum nit is much, much higher than 190.

 

That's strange, because even when I use Chrome, the touchpad doesn't present a huge problem. It's not even close to Apple quality, but on par with the best that PCs have to offer. But yes, I agree that resting multiple fingers on the touchpad can cause the response to be wonky so I've had to train myself to keep only one finger at a time on there.

 

Seems like the only two consensus complaints so far are:

- Adaptive Brightness annoyance (IGZO tech or Dell related?)
- underperforming battery

Other complaints:

- poor Win 7 compatibility with trackpad
- backlight uniformity on QHD panel
- poor brightness levels on FHD panel


Is that a fair synopsis so far?

 

I just picked one of these up for use as a portable machine. Only two gripes:

- Even in Windows 8, the mouse can be frustrating. Why on earth eliminate the three finger gestures (forward / back) on desktop apps? Even the crappy synaptics pads on my Clevo touchpads offer three finger gestures (and they actually work)

- The screen has some quirks (1080p) I've got some nasty backlight bleed that's present, even with an image on the display. Backlight brightness definitely isn't consistent, and the auto dimming is annoying.

I'm going to dig through the registry to see if I can find some touchpad settings of some sort.

 

Is the auto-dimming annoyance present in the 1080p screens, or also on the QHD screens? (or just in some 1080p screens...)

 

i'm interested in buying the dell qhd xps 13. My only concerns are the yet-to-be-solved adaptive brightness issue, and apparently mixed opinions about the touch pad. I'm currently using a Surface Pro 3...which doesn't have the best touchpad. I just care about smooth 2-finger scrolling (don't care much about gestures). Will it be alright? Also, how annoying is the adaptive brightness issue?

 

Yeah, looks this way. I can probably live with the lower brightness. Still don't have any reply from Microsoft and there's no way to send it back, so I'll either sell it or keep it. Decided to keep it for now.

Anyway, I've gathered some impressions on my unit here: http://www.ultrabookreview.com/6151-dell-xps-13-2015-9343-review/ , in case anyone's interested. Did some battery tests as well and measured temperatures in various activities.

 

Here you go. My unit was sent to Singapore, but the plug is the UK type. Not sure if the keyboard panel on my unit is the UK or US version though.

 

I've got the Surface Pro 3 as well. Between that and this new XPS 13, I prefer the keyboard on the former than the XPS13 and find myself able to type quicker without error, the annoying key press sounds from the typecover notwithstanding. The trackpad is significantly larger on the XPS13 than the SP3 and it helps, and I find the XPS13 trackpad very slightly more responsive than the SP3. But both aren't that great IMO, as I just came off using Macbook Pros for several years.

 

Has anyone else ran into an issue where the wireless card stops detecting 5GHz signals, especially after a fresh Win 8.1 Pro install?

 

I want this system, but will probably wait for another coupon code...

 

FURTHER UPDATE (Windows 7 Pro 64bit):

What I had to do:

- Synaptics drivers from Dell.com/drivers would not install right off the bat. Yes strange.. I had to find and install generic Synaptics drivers from Synaptics website. Then tried to "update" using the latest version from Dell's site. Installed correctly that way. Navigation of touchpad is flawless. Zoom and two finger click works pretty good. My complaint with the scrolling on Win 7 is a bit less now. Not sure if this is psychological or the way I updated the drivers actually made a difference... What I want was quicker ability to scroll. Current setting is at max scroll speed, but too "slow" when I scroll and it just doesn't scroll enough in distance. So I end up having to move my fingers too many times. Scrolling itself is pretty decently smooth. So my complain has really to do with slow scrolling overall.

*Update: I am even more getting used to the scrolling. You just need to control how fast you are scrolling. It sure is different from the previous gen, but I could see this work out for me. I am getting a lot more used to it and my complaint is now getting smaller with scrolling in Win 7

- Video drivers had some issues so I had to download straight from the Intel support site. There is small "issue" when I start my computer. The "Welcome" blue screen isn't actually full screen. It looks like lower resolution and not full sized screen, with big black spaces on all four corners. I tried reinstalling, but no go. Not sure what the issue is, but functionality wise, it's fine for now. I will try to fix the issue later.


So overall, my RE-installation of Windows 7 appears to be worth it at the moment. I will spend another day to play around with the touchpad to ensure that the issues I had before will not pop up this time (reverting back settings and needing to re-install the driver itself).

For battery life, I will play around more. Fan noise continues to be a major issue. It could be either bad thermal system or just bios needing update with revised fan speed profile... But it's like embarrassing in a library setting...

Battery life:

This is what I noticed for laptops across different OEMs and Win 7 & 8. When computer is idle (1~3% cpu usage), just simple moving of the touchpad will spike up the cpu to 15-20%. Try for yourself! I am sure its the windows/drivers thing. I think this is why there is discrepancy between setting up a software to simulate usage and ACTUAL usage that actually uses touchpad that spikes up cpu usage. I am 99% sure this is why the advertised battery life is always so darn high...


Oh and yes the speakers continue to be very good. I am actually VERY satisfied with speakers as an ultrabook. It's great actually ultrabooks!

Overall, buy it. If you can make Win 8 work for you, good for you. IF you must use Win 7, just expect to use a lot of touchscreen to scroll. (Just to scroll, navigation with touchpad is no issue at all!)

 

That's the whole point of Microsoft's Precision Touchpad initiative: Dell (really Alps, Synaptics, etc.) and other OEMS never got the touchpad drivers right when it came to modern multitouch units. Microsoft's Precision Touchpad driver is more fluid and precise because it maps the pointer and such in a way similar to a touchscreen.

I think it's great: let the hardware makers do what they do best, make hardware, and let MS certify the trackpad performance and manage drivers.

 

Problems with 2015 Broadwell i7 XPS 13 M.2 SSD PM851

Generally I really am liking this system. But I have a question/problem potential issue with the SSD. I am noticing inconsistent test results with the SSD. I have the 512 GB, Samsung F/W EXT25D0Q and I believe that is an older firmware that may have problems. Can anyone else confirm? The more research I do on the PM851 the more I am unsure. It seems that the most recent firmware is EXT49D0Q. Which really kind of annoys me that for a top of the line system, I have to update the firmware which was released back in July 2014.

Any ideas or problems or just general thoughts?

 

This is a great idea, but we need Microsoft to not get lazy on the software. I love that it's fluid, but we are losing a ton of customization options found in the standard Synaptics drivers (defining gestures, dead zones, etc) On top of that, the scrolling is just as bad in Chrome as my Synaptics Clevo touchpad with custom drivers (mac hater's two finger scroll mod.) Internet explorer is awesome, as are most Windows UI elements, but in its current state....I would prefer the standard Synaptics drivers.

 

Hi,

I live in Singapore as well and find that Dell SG overcharges for the same laptop sold in other markets (US, Canada, etc). Where did you get yours from? How much did you pay for shipping and import taxes?

 

Cool thanks! Can you also post a picture of the keyboard, please? UK keyboard has a £ sign

 

Cool thanks! Can you also post a picture of the keyboard, please? UK keyboard has a £ sign

 

I dont know how about the smartphones but here is a test result from czech website run on Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro (QHD+ display) in different resolutions:
http://www.cnews.cz/clanky/jak-se-meni-vydrz-s-ruznym-rozlisenim-displeje-notebooku-test/strana/0/1

In short - battery life - web surfing:
3200 x 1800 (native) - 260 min. (4hrs 20 min.) - average consumption 12,66 W
1920 x 1080 - 393 min. (6 hrs 33 min.) - average consumption 8,24 W
1600 x 900 - 454 min. (7hrs 34 min.) - average consumption 7,14 W

I havent seen such test from any other website. I find it interesting because getting extra 70 % battery life time is a huge gain. I guess it has a lot to with the graphics usage. As you can see there is not a huge gap between 900p and 1080p but still it is extra 15 % (I state % rather than time difference because with the Dell's IGZO the difference in battery life would probably be even bigger).


@ touchpad drivers - I hope they will be able to come with more efficient driver or I would even prefer basic one (not multitouch), I would be fine with basic vertical scrolling and better battery life. As I said Asus had the same problem with the UX32LA Zenbook (and there was a big difference between some "test results" and reality). Try for yourself with your own multitouch touchpads if you have other notebooks nearby.

 

@airmt I've tested that several times on several different laptops with QHD and QHD+ panels. There's only a marginal (to none existing) battery life difference between running the screen at native resolution or anything lower. And it's normal, because as others said above, you're still lighting the same number of physical pixels (3200 x 1800 in this case), just display content differently.

 

According to http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonev...2015-laptop-review-now-if-it-only-ran-os-x/2/ they were able to extend battery life by 2 hours by limiting windows indexing. Has anyone tried this? I just tried disabling it but I'm not sure how turning off indexing will affect performance down the road... ?

 

MikeTLB, I don't believe your statement to be entirely accurate. First of all extrahardware.cz is quite a respectable site in Czech republic and I think there is no reason for them to fabricate such results. In the article they claim that battery results don't differ much when displaying static content (I guess something like reading PDF or word editing) but when the screen displays dynamic content they vary a lot.

From the article:

"All the measurements were done on ultrabook Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro in the position „stand“ – the keyboard was surface down and the display rotated backwards, open to 270 °. Updated Google Chrome in Windows 8.1 mode was used (which is compatible with high DPI) and the computer was constantly refreshing the Cnews.cz web page every 20 seconds. The brightness was all the down, balanced poer profile and adaptive brightness off. Windows 8.1 were updated and every reading was done twice and the results are the average of the two. There were no open apps in the backround and the reading was started after a reboot of the system."

Since the test was aimed at displaying dynamic content (which web browsing really is) it is no surprise that such a task uses more battery at higher resolutions. Although it is not entirely accurate a similar thing is when computer games graphics require more power and energy at higher resolutions as there is more pixels to calculate. I don't mean to disprove your own tests but maybe your test setup or methodology was different.

 

Mine was ordered through Dell-SG, so the price of my unit when I ordered 3 weeks ago is likely what one would see off the local Dell web site now (around $2.1K with the 2 year complete care).

 

Here you go. Looks like it's the US keyboard.

 

Is the seemingly unchangeable adaptive brightness (auto brightness) situation a deal breaker by any means? Concerned about buying the laptop because of it.

 

I dont think so. I mean for me, i know its there and to be honest it helps on the battery life but sometimes if not most of the times i want full blast brightness. They should atleast give you the option for it. I believe its a firmware/bios thing where maybe a future update will include it. Again, i suggest you stop by the microsoft store and see the laptop in person to get a good feel before you buy. The only regret i have at the moment is only going for the 4gig ram/128gig ssd version. Pondering ordering from Dell the 8gig/256ssd non touch.

 

edited for double post.

 

I was able to get just under 13 hours of life out of it last night
1/2 the time with 50% brightness
the rest on its lowest setting.
I did web browsing, listening to music, watching youtube videos, windows remote desktop.

I this was after uninstalling all dell software especially dell backup which was using a lot of my CPU time.

 

dell has a new driver update. that may be the fix. didnt bother me though.

 

Can anyone recommend a sleeve for this laptop that does not cost ~50$ like the original?
I need a sleeve that will go into my backpack.
The problem is that this laptop is ~11-12" long and I don't know if it will fit in some 11.6" rated sleeves.

 

I bought the i5 non-touchscreen version from the Microsoft store. I love it.

The first thing I did was install Classic Shell, so I don't have to deal with the insanely convoluted Windows 8/8.1 interface.

I discovered a way to boost my battery life significantly by simply turning off Bluetooth.

One way to get there is: Charms Menu > Settings > Change PC Settings > Bluetooth

Give it a try if you do not need Bluetooth all the time.