Dell XPS 13 2015 Skylake Infinity Display Owners Thread

It states in the description "nur für Apple Macbook 12“ geeignet (nicht Windows fähig)" ... so I guess that's wrong and it is compatible with Windows?

 

Ignore that. It works with Windows 10. Some people and I use it with XPS 13 9350 and XPS 15 9550.

 

I need one that is available in the US

 

Thanks. I will check it out

 

Hello everyone. I have the 9350-1340SLV - 128 gb, i5 with Full HD screen.

I know people have been having display driver issues and screen freezing issues. However, I heard that it was fixed after using the Intel beta drivers and/or the new official Intel drivers.

First I tried: 15.40.12.4326 Beta Driver
-my screen does not black flash / blink rapidly, but it does blink every few minutes and is noticeable. Sometimes I get a display driver crash and recovered message. Since it didn't fully fix it,

then I tried the 15.40.12.4300 Current Driver
-got pretty much the same results. I still get blinking. Sometimes just a portion of the screen will do like a white blink and then catch up.

Is this the same issue that others with my model are having. Or do things work perfectly now with the Current or Beta drivers? I don't see people complaining about the issue much anymore, so was wondering if mine was supposed to be fixed now with the drivers. If not, maybe I have a hardware issue?

Thanks so much!

 

Hello everybody, QHD i7 256gb 9350 here.
It seems a me and lot of people have the same coil whine you are talking about, so your answer looks very interesting for me.
I tried to find an update for the network driver to try to solve the coil whine but I'm not sure which driver are you talking about.
Can you tell me exactly which driver is it?
Has anyone else tried succesfully this?
Sorry for my english and thanks in advance.

 

You are not alone I have the same model you do and have like many others the same problem.
I think is a kind of drivers conflict/issue.
Problem desappears when I disconnect wi-fi. On this forum a Dell representative says their technicians are resolving this issue:
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3519/t/19646166?pi239031352=16
BTW where did you buy yours, mine is from Microsoft Signature.

 

Got my fhd xps 13 today. So far it's working great! Battery life is amazing. (I did a clean install).

The only thing I'm noticing is that certain sounds seem to reverberate inside the laptop, making it sound like something is vibrating on the inside. The sound Windows makes when changing the volume from the taskbar does it without fail. Any thoughts on how to fix?

 

I just stopped using Edge; problem solved. Same issues on the SP4. Now I just use Edge for video playback only. Chrome for everything else. Also does wonders for battery life.

There were some recent comments about distorted windows sounds, which is likely what you're hearing. There will hopefully be an OS/Driver update soon to resolve it. For me, all other video/music playback has been great. I've just disabled OS Sounds for now.

 

I'm planning on ordering this from Dell whenever my rewards eventually show up. It's also on Amazon. The negative reviews seem to be from folks who didn't update the Thunderbolt firmware & BIOS from Dell's website. Too bad they don't tell folks to do this when it's ordered.

 

I have i7/16gb/1tb. Right of the box the screen was freezing. I updated my display driver to 20.19.15.4326 Beta driver. Since then the freezing issue has been resolved.

 

I updated my wireless network driver to the following: 1.519.0.0
Out of the box the version was one version older than the one on the DELL site.

 

I updated my wireless network driver to the following: 1.519.0.0
Out of the box the version was one version older than the one on the DELL site.

 

So I was trying to update mine with the latest Windows 10 build. Tried twice now but always getting stuck at 71%. Any one else having the same problem?

 

Usually if you reboot and try again it'll work. If not, I would just grab the ISO and use that to upgrade. It's fixed some other systems that wouldn't upgrade to TH2.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO

 

I have one of these - my laptop just arrived today but I'm out of the country so not tried yet.

Are you referring to firmware on the laptop or on this device?

 

There's a firmware for the Thunderbolt controller on the notebook itself.

 

So apparently the Dynamic Backlight Control (DBC), as they call it, is still enabled from the factory. I was looking for more of a contrast change (hence why the test site passed), but it's really just a super subtle change of the backlight when going from a dark to bright image. And only finally noticed while using the system in a completely dark room and surfing the web.

Good news is there was a really easy fix for the QHD+ screen I have. Just ran the F/W, rebooted, and now it's definitely gone. For real this time.

Caution: Proceed at your own risk.
If you have any concerns running this firmware, then don't run it! Contact Dell Support and let them do it for you. This was just unofficially posted by another user who got it from Dell Tech Support.

Here is the post talking about it and link if you scroll way down to the bottom:
https://github.com/advancingu/XPS13Linux/issues/2#issuecomment-151708470

As noted on the post above, this is meant for the early 2015 XPS 13 (9343) QHD. but if you run the exe directly, it worked great on my late 2015 'Skylake' XPS 13 (9350) QHD model (not FHD). Other users had success as well. They're apparently the same panel.

Just download, extract, open the "CABC off" folder, run TCON_DP_REWORK_TOOL.exe as admin, and off you go.

 

anyone having issues with the audio driver? mine isn't working.
tried to install the latest realtek driver from the dell website.
after installing, windows doesn't detect anything. it just suggests i restart the laptop again.
mind you, this is after installing doing my own fresh install of w10 after the native pc install.

sucks. just when i got it all setup, the audio has malfunctioned.

any ideas?

 

Only for knowing.... Which of three is better? Which have better trackpad? Problem with hinges in Asus is already solved?

Thank you!!

 

anyone has problem with speaker crackling? I reinstalled audio driver, it did not seem to help, is there any other solution? Thank you!

 

I only had the FHD versions. the panel of the hp was the weakest with a very yellowish tint. it was also not very bright at all. I would say about 250 cd/m². what i immediately noticed furthermore was the fan always being on. You can turn it off by changing the setting in BIOS. When doing so the notebook is quiet when doing writing and stuff like that. However the fan will show up when streaming HD+ content occasionally. Trackpad was fine, however I noticed some sort of lag when scrolling in all the browsers I know of. I had not done the main W10 update by the time however, so maybe that is not a issue anymore. At the same time I had a skylake Asus V3 372 too which didn't suffer from this problems, so it could be a general Envy 13 problem.

The Asus UX303UB had a very bright display (~350 cd/m²) nice typing experience with the keyboard and a overall fine trackpad. the only thing I can complain is that klicking with the mouse was very loud. There are several people who suffer from coil whining, a issue notebookcheck.com was facing with in their latest review as well and I also could hear some sort of electrical noises. I can't say something about the hinge unfortunately because problems only occurs after several months of use and I only had it for some days. As far as I know the whole chassis of this notebook remained the same over the past years so I would assume the hinge system will not differ from the predecessors (UX303 xxx).


All in all I would say the main advantage of the XPS 13 beside its size is battery life. I hardly could get 5-6h out of the HP and the Asus (mixed usage, mainly browsing und streaming with IE11, 50%brightness) and that was, as I mentioned, with the non-touch-FHD models!

 

Several people have commented on this (including myself). Currently there is no fix, unfortunately. Will have to wait for some kind of update from Dell, Intel, or Microsoft (not sure what is causing the crackling).

 

It also seems to vary between units. On my i5/256/FHD for instance I don't have any problems at all: no crackling or rattling, everything is clear as a bell with minimal vibration even at full volume. It must be some build quality issue at root ... some components inside not being fixed properly on some units.

 

Hi everyone. One long time reader here but I only just signed up. So, I think I've made up my mind and will buy an XPS13 FHD. There's just a couple of things that I'm concerned about. I've been using Windows10 on my laptop for two months now. I absolutely HATE it. I'm not going to ruin my XPS with that awful OS. No way in hell.

1) So, has anyone installed good old Win7 on this new 9350 version without problems? And if there are/were problems, what kind of?

2) How about Ubuntu? I'm running Xubuntu on a couple of machines and I'd like to install W7 and Xubuntu on my XPS. Any experience with (X)Ubuntu + XPS13?

3) Is the keyboard identical to the previous XPS13? I could save quite a lot if I ordered the laptop from Germany but then I'd "have to" change the keyboard myself and noticed that there's a Scandinavian keyboard available for at least the previous model. Unfortunately Dell hasn't answered me whether it will fit the 9350 as well and/or if they sell the Scandinavian layout for 9350 separately.

 

I managed to resolve the crackling sound problem by disabling the MaxxSense option in Dell Sound.
Give it a try.

Thanks for your answer, unfortunately it's the same driver I've already installed.
The driver's date is 30/9/2015, is it the same for you? Thanks.

 

That's more of a workaround than a fix. Regardless, I can confirm that it doesn't seem to crackle anymore. Thank you for that tip. Hopefully it does get fixed soon though. I liked having the volume set at 40-50 with MaxxSense on rather than 70-80 with it off.

 

Yes, I guess next version of Dell Sound will fix the thing.

 

Computer of the Year: Dell XPS 13 Laptop

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/computer-of-the-year-dell-1321574358687798.html?src=rss


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Today dell officially confirmed that all the FHD panels will NOT receive the firmware-update in order to get rid off the CABC-feature.

 

Interesting... to clarify, is DBC the same as what we've been calling adaptive contrast, or something else?

Me neither. Did you purchase through Dell or Microsoft Store? Also, did you perform a clean install of Windows or not?

 

in the german dell forum a thread concerning CABC was closed with the statement und link I posted the page before. So no, there is no difference. If you have the FHD model you will never be able to determine a stable brightness-level of your display by yourself.

 

At least to me the CABC hasnt been a major issue so far. I havent almost noticed it. But I cannot compare it to any other quality laptop display side by side to see how big the effect is. I also plan to do a lot of work on external display.

 

Hello - good to know I'm not still alone. Because some people's display issues seem to have corrected. I did not uninstall Edge, but I don't use it. I do use Google Chrome though, but it'll blink even before I start up Chrome.

Mine is also from the Microsoft Store.

 

Apparently the wifi/bluetooth dell broadcom adapter causes the problem.
Some xps 13 owners report that they have changed this adapter by an intel 7265 ieee ac and this flickering, and others wifi related issues, are solved.

 

Not sure if you've tried the latest Intel beta display driver from their support page. If not, I would suggest trying that first. Switching out your card will disable Bluetooth as it is not compatible with the platform. That was the message I got after a couple of days or a restart.

 

for those of you trying to perform a clean install, be wary.
not saying this'll happen to you, but after receiving my xps13qhd, i installed the latest most recent w10 from the microsoft website to get a clean start and rid myself of some associated sluggishness with the new device.
when it finished, my laptop did not detect any audio device. i tried installing the latest dell audio driver. to no avail.
tried to system restore. failed.
tried to restore to factory settings. failed.
tried to boot parted magic from a usb (thinking i could erase the ssd and get it back to factory settings). failed.
tried dell backup and restore. failed.
so pretty much no outs.

spent over two hours with dell's customer service/tech support.
tried a lot of different things. no solution.

brought it into a microsoft store today. they're performing their own checks. won't get it back for a while.
they suggested that i demand a new laptop from dell. this actually all came after installing a replacement ssd from dell because the samsung 951 shipped with the system was faulty. incidentally, i got the same error message when i installed the new ssd as well, but it seemed to function even then.

rubbish situation to put it mildly.

 

Possibly different, not sure. It seems this goes back to the previous gen XPS 13. I mean, somebody even created that test website for contrast issue. This is not a contrast issue, as that test passed perfectly before any F/W update. It's just the back-light.

So yeah, maybe different, who knows. Either way, it was very likely done for battery life considerations. So I could see battery taking a minor hit. We'll see if it's even noticeable.

 

That is a shame. Since the days I've had the 9343, I have always longed for the disable of its CABC. I simply learned to live with it and accept it since there was no other Ultrabook that has the same battery life, power, build quality & matte display. But ever since the news came out about the QHD+ variant being fixed with a simple .exe file, I have started to long for it again. I have started to nitpick about the display again and get annoyed again every now and then whenever the screen dims.

There are times when the entire screen gets really dimmed just because a small window, with black background on it, is opened together with all other windows. Just because 25% of the display has a dark area on it, it dims its entire self. This what annoys me the most since this particular behavior of CABC fails a lot.

Dell still is trying to avoid costs here. We all know now that the CABC on the XPS 13 can be disabled by having a modified panel firmware. There is no required alteration on the hardware that should be done physically. However, the process to flash the 1080p panel's firmware is another story, and may seem to require Sharp doing the work. It is a shame that Dell and Sharp did not communicate well. No proper disclosure has been made by Sharp, while Dell not taking care of Quality. The IGZO panel having this intrusive auto dimming so called "feature" obviously was not disclosed to Dell and it seems that it is only now that Dell is fully aware of it. This makes me mad.

 

How do I verify if I have the latest Intel Thunderbolt Controller Driver?

 

Well said!! On my otherwise perfect 9350, I also am very resentful that I now have to adjust my scrolling behavior, so as not to allow a dark image to appear onto the screen while I am still reading a large bit of text. Very mad about this.

 

Yes, this is the case. I tried two different Intel cards, one of which Dell actually has drivers for, and Bluetooth would not function normally on my 9350 until I put the Broadcom card back in.

 

Have any of you noticed that "Windows Audio Device Graph Isolation" sometimes uses ~3% cpu all the time?
I have tried to disable all Maxx audio Enhancements, but with no result. Any suggestions?
3% is a lot, when the computer normally idles at ~1%..

 

Yeah, I have that, too. But killing & disabling the Maxx Audio stuff seems to solve the problem for me without any noticable issues.

 

I know I was pretty up in arms about CABC when I started reading about this laptop, but now that I have the FHD 9350, I can honestly say, it's hardly noticeable. Don't let that be a deal breaker if you're looking at this computer.

In other news, I've had mine for about 3 weeks now. It works fine for the most part. I'll get brief display driver crash every now and then. The trackpad still works fine. It seems to handle games well, played Tribes: Ascend and Team Fortress 2 for 4 hours straight on it without issue, though I was using a laptop cooler just to be safe.

The audio is amazing.

Every now and then I will come across a strange bug, but they never seem to repeat. The laptop might make a strange sound if I'm opening it up from sleep mode, that happened 2 out of 30 times. Last night when I turned it on, everything except Google Chrome would open up, again second time out of 30 times. It's easy to shrug off because it doesn't happen often, but I would like to have a better understanding of what happened there in the first place.

 

What exactly do you mean by "Killing & disabling"? When I disable MaxxAudio enhancements in the Dell Audio settings, the cpu usage remains at ~3%.

 

You'd need to disable it from starting up. Go to Task Manager, Startup Tab, and disable Waves MaxxAudio there. Reboot and you're done.

 

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/laptops/ultraportable-laptops/1404207/dell-xps-13-late-2015-review

 

I don't understand... In that review they are testing the QHD model and I read : In our battery test, the XPS 13 lasted 11 hours and 30 minutes, which is an improvement on the older model.

I was thinking to order FHD because of battery life but I don't understand nothing...

Can you tell me the real FHD and QHD battery life?

Thank you

 

Battery reports always vary, with anything and everything. Although that is on the high-side for QHD, they didn't say what their "battery tests" comprised of. If it's mostly idle, light use, dim screen... 11+ hours isn't impossible.

For me, with i5/QHD, video playback is around 9 hours @ 75% brightness. Moderate and active use, around 25-75% brightness, lots of browser tabs, YouTube, RDP... averaging around 6.5 to 7 hours over the past few days.