XPS 12 Owners Lounge

Can't believe you got the upgraded cpu! That's 'totes amazeballs!'
My main reason for canceling is the added years warranty though.
I'm sure I won't get mine till May time now lol. Haswell chips will almost be out by then!

 

I'm glad you guys are finally receiving your orders. My replacement (screen dimming issue) is finally in shipment too. Could those of you who just received your new laptops confirm that you have no problems with screen dimming? I.E. FN+F4 or FN+ F5 and so on? I'd be grateful.

Thanks!

 

Screen seems to be dimming correctly but not used it much yet.

Only issue at the moment is the fan is annoying me its just spinning up and down but might settle when I stop installing things. (i7 might turn out to be a mistake over the i5)

I appreciate having it flat in tablet mode on the desk next to my desktop pc monitor, the viewing angles are so good I can glance down at it.

 

I can confirm mine has the faster i5-3337U 1.8GHz+ cpu

Still installing a load of stuff, not been suffering from any screen dimming issues, I've been using a bluetooth mouse so not used the touch pad too much.

My first impressions:-

Screen is excellent
Build quality and finish is real good, a very nice looking machine!
Keyboard is good although ENTER key is a bit small
Gap around screen is a bit annoying
Large bezel,screen could have been bigger without impacting the frame dimensions, easily 13"+
Quite heavy
Greasy fingerprints around base of keyboard i.e. either side of track pad
Lots of bleed from backlit keyboard - edge of keys - if viewed from acute angle I have xps12 mounted a bit higher than normal a the mo -
Fan turning but quiet as i'm installing stuff

Quite picky but overall very happy with it so far, oh and the sleeve I bought fits like a glove and looks pretty cool....

 

That was the 13" macbook air sleeve?

 

That's correct, The good reviews on Amazon are justified, i'll try to take some photos with the XPS12 a bit later...

 

I had the same brand for my Macbook Air 11" which I replaced with the XPS. The fabric is soooo squidgy great protection.

 

Can anyone tell me at what stage of the order did Dell debit your bank account? I've had an issue with my bank blocking the transaction and now it's in Pre-Production but I still havent been charged. I ordered the xps a few weeks ago and it is estimated to arrive in 2 weeks and I would be quite annoyed if they're not actually doing anything because of an issue and not contacting me.

Cheers

 

I tell you, my estimate of Dell keeps going up and up! I'm really cuffed with my experience so far

 

Found the fan is much quieter when plugged in as its not spooling up or down.

Seems its set to passive mode when on battery, then goes crazy to cool itself. But on mains it keeps it on but slower. (system cooling policy in the Processor power management advanced options)

Just noticed the screen is brighter in tablet mode, then when you switch back it dims. Both times on the maximum brightness setting. Is this by design?

EDIT: It was just the light sensor.

 

I checked my bank account same or next day (I forget exactly - it has been 5 weeks after all!) after I ordered and my account had been debited, but I'm in the UK if you are somewhere else it may be a different process.

Currys please get the name of who you are speaking to at Dell - I can never get anyone reasonable or knowledgeable whenever I call, I always get someone clueless who just checks my order status FOR ME when I already have it in front of me on my iPhone screen!

 

I've just recently noticed that when typing the mouse (trackpad) becomes temporarily disabled until you stop typing, is there a way to disable this?

 

Oh nevermind, you have to turn off Palm Rejection.

 

So Dell contacted me today and gave me a revised ESD (shipping date not even delivery date) of 2nd April, I am just speechless, I ordered this system in January!

 

Honestly, I'm one satisfied customer!

 

Removed

 

If you don't ask you don't get, that's my motto.

 

I'm just hoping I receive my laptop in good time now, and with no faults

 

wow that's crazy.. i ordered mine 5th of feb, it was shipped yesterday.

 

you in the uk? what spec you get?

 

I have the Adonit Jot Pro. I haven't used it a great deal yet, but it worked fine for the basic writing/drawing testing that I did.

 

Having WiFi issues with mine. Tried the power management setting not 100% its fixed yet.

The fans are annoying. I kinda expected it to be quieter, main annoyance is the constant spooling up and down.

I'm only typing this in Chrome and the fan is on, then it goes off, then it comes on, then gets faster and the goes off.

If it was a constant drone I think I would be happier.

My left hand is getting cold from the air its pushing!

I love the screen and the keyboard but getting tempted to send it back.

 

Well I was perfectly happy with m base model I bought at best buy. But I am planning to use my GI Bill since I just got out of the military to go back to school for IT this fall. I was afraid that the i5 and 4gb of ram may not keep up with my needs down the line. So I returned it today. I saw last night that the 8gb with the newer i7 was on sale for presidents day. I started a chat with the order guys and got a quote locked in and was able to order the i7 8gb model with free 2 day shipping for only $1,248 !! Thats only $50 more than my base model I was assured the estimated ship date of 27 Feb was correct so I really hope I don;t get caught in a delay!

 

Also if anyone is having issues with the touch screen randomly stopping responding until you put it to sleep and bring it bac, I fixed mine. I went to device manager and in input devices the very first USB (NOT HID) device listed right click it and click properties and under power management turn off the option to put it to sleep. Works great.

Another thing, how have you guys fixed the rotation? I noticed auto rotate always gets turned back on after a reboot. And with that happening sometimes I can't get it to rotate back to landscape.

ANNND WHERE in the world is the windows 8 product key?! It's not under the little silver door on the back of my base model I had. If I have to restore windows from a generic windows 8 media disc I don't know where to get my key. But I am old school. Is it stored in firmware or the bios or something these days?

 

Yes inside the UEFI (BIOS), You can extract it with some tools but I don't remember where to find them, of course you won't need it becouse to do a fresh install just go in the right corner of your desktop --> settings --> edit PC settings --> general --> Start over (labels may differ becouse I have a italian version of Windows 8)

 

LOL@you won't need it!!

On a different more serious note I am getting royally peed off at that fact that people who ordered WAY after me have had their systems shipped! Also the fact that whenever I call and demand discounts/upgrades/vouchers/faster shipping for my troubles they always say NO! I'm waiting until tomorrow my 'EDD' (yeah right) and then I'm really gonna unleash my wrath on Dell customer services - I've had enough now and fed up of playing nice.

King chris, sorry you're having the annoying fan issue that's not good and I've ordered the same spec as you so I'm expecting that issue aswell now, after all the trouble it's taking me to get the damn thing I can see it going straight back before its backside touches my coffee table :/

 

It depends on your location as to how long it will take to arrive, in the UK the XPS12 is made in China and that seems to be where all the delays are. In the USA they are made in Tennessee and the delays are much less. There is also a manufacturing plant in Poland. I'm in the UK and it took 6 weeks + 1 day!
I was tempted by the i7 but in the end i went for the i5 with 8GB 256GB SSD as I would rather have extra battery life and lower fan noise than the extra processing power that i may never use. It sounds like i have made the right choice.

Can anyone recommend a good finger friendly photo viewing application similar to QuickPic on Android???

 

I'm still working on it. I'm using the default factory install (from the Small Business Line) as it seems to not have any excess junk,

Found the "antimalware service executable" some part of the security scanner is kicking the CPU up to 50%+ when idle for a few minutes. Will swap it for NOD32.

The free CPU upgrade might be be part of the problem? I'm thinking Dell optimised the cooling for the slower model and did not adjust it for the faster CPU.

Is your fan on high with 30% CPU usage?

But ultimately I'm not sure, need to search for more feedback from other owners.

 

As promised some photos of sleeve I bought off Amazon (UK) for the XPS12, it actually for the MBA but it fits great, it has a type of memory foam that takes a while to return to its normal shape, so when the laptop is inserted it moulds to it preventing it from slipping and not to mention adding great shock protection. It's available in different colour combinations...



LArobe MacBook Air - Black + White: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

 

A few more photos of the XPS12 for those of you still waiting. These one show a few of my minor dislikes:-
1] Gap between screen & Bezel
2] Fingerprints on area below keypad
3] light bleed from keyboard illumination when view from bottom - a bit distracting...

But overall it is the best looking laptop I have seen and is very fast even with the i5 option...

 

Are you sure the US model is assembled in Tennessee? That is where I live so mine would not have much of a delay lol.

Thanks for the UEFI tip. I would rather extract the product key for my records in case I have ro re-install from DVD media or something and it won't detect my key. Any tips on how to extract it before I go searching?

 

How about just creating a USB recover key (which backs up the entire Dell Recovery Image 32GB USB stick required) so if anything goes Peat Tong you just use the USB stick to recover it.

Alternative you can use a product like License key crawler that will show you the Product Key currently activated within Windows.

 

Well that's what the Dell rep told me on the phone and it seems like you guys over there have a shorter wait or it appears that way???

 

So I used the Dell support tile to update some drivers and now the auto rotate no longer works & the checkbox to enable it under Display resolution has disappeared!!!
I tried rolling back the driver in Device manager under HID sensors which stated it couldn't start, it improved things in that a load of sensors appeared but still no Auto rotation or checkbox...Any ideas???

 

I need a favour from you guys please if you get a spare minute - if anyone has got anything free from dell because of hassle over delayed deliveries/problems/issues please can you post it here. It's just that I remember reading things about upgraded warranties/£50 discount vouchers etc on this forum but I've tried reading back and I can't find where it was posted (this thread is SOOO long)

It's just that I'm going to call up dell tomorrow, the guy who has been emailing me has completely denied that dell ever give upgrades to delivery/premium phone service/accidental damage warranty or give any discounts or vouchers at all EVER and it will be good if I am armed with information to the contrary before I call up.

Thanks in advance

 

Doesn't matter Strawberrypeach if you were promised £50 voucher (like I was), all they do is refuse to acknowledge any information about it when you ask about how to redeem it.

Fecking lairs.

 

............

 

Thanks so much! I'm so grateful you wrote down everyone's names aswell because that confirms I'm not just making the whole thing up!

I intend to have everything recorded by email as well as I don't trust dell to keep their word unless I have it in writing.

Once again thanks - you're a star!

UPDATE: hmmm I just checked my order status and it's now in production, which is strange as I just spoke to dell yesterday and they said they don't have ANY screens and won't be getting any for at least 15 days. Perhaps they are fed up with my whinging and don't want to give me anything for free so they have changed my status online to shut me up!

 

Same here strawberrypeach. I just placed my order Feb 19th and now this afternoon on Feb 20th I am already showing in production. I hope things continue to move fast. My current EDD is March 5th. i7 8gb model.

 

Guys I almost bought a refurb i7/8GB model. But then I thought maybe buying new is a better option because there might have been some minor fix in the previously mentioned issue like touchpad noise and such. I'm currently chatting with a dell rep online and he/she would only offer me 2% off... With the tax I'm looking at nearly $1500, which is kind of far away from the refurb model.

My question is, was any of you able to find a better deal than 2% off a new machine? Also, if not, am i better off getting one of the refurb model for about less than 1200ish?

Thanks in advance!

 

They did the same thing to me (N.B. I'm in Belgium) . I got a call from Dell France to promise me a voucher, but I never received the email. When I asked the Dutch Dell helpdesk, they indeed reacted surprised and asked me the name of the person who promised me (as if I was making things up). I explained them (via the twitter helpdesk) that I didn't remember the name, but I gave them the telephone number (I still had it in the call history of my mobile phone). Result: I did receive the voucher!
Strange way of working at Dell... :-\

 

I searched for 'dell voucher codes' on google and found a 10% off code. With quidco there was also 5% cashback. I then found out my company has a 20% code
Never buy Dell for full price, always wait till you find an offer code, theyre doing different ones all the time

 

You are kidding me! Mine is i7/8gb/256 and its still in pre production grrrrr
Are you both i7/8gb/256 and in the UK?
Did I hear a ways back, they can go into in-production but its the something to do with McAfee? I took the 2p Mcaffe off!

@strawberrypeach Any time peach!

 

I don't know how, but someone's got my real name and has quoted my posts on this forum and the deals I've had, to Dell.
Dell have contacted me and asked me not to reveal information relating to my order.
I gather someone at Dell has gotten into trouble, which i feel awful about as theyve been so helpful to me.

 

Hi guys just a suggestion for those who having issues with the XPS 12, I decided to return mine and get the new XPS 13 with 1080p instead as the touchscreen was more a luxury rather than a necessity and I can say I much prefer the XPS 13 than the 12.

Its cheaper, less touchpad issues, the palm rest and trackpad seems to be made better and picks up MUCH less smudge (you guys with the XPS 12 probably know that the coating rubs off very quickly), speakers sounds better maybe due to better placement, and the screen is much thinner with less potential to go wrong with less cheaper plastic/moving parts involved.

The best part is I ordered last week Thursday and got it this week Monday, so only 4 days to get delivered (in the UK).

I ordered the i7 3537u/8gb/256 model which isn't listed on the UK website but a link for it can be found by goggling the spec and can be purchased which is very odd, could be the reason I got it so quick.

 

Eek that may have been me! But I didn't give your name, I don't even know your name! I didn't even say anything about the forum I just said that you were a friend of mine and had been offered what they have refused me, I did mention the reps you had spoken to but that's all I said! And tbh they can't tell you what not to talk about, it's not like you posted your order number online! As far as they know from me you just mentioned to a friend what you had been offered for your inconvenience.

Sorry if it causes you any bother but tbh I hardly gave them any info at all and Deffo not your name or the forum

 

That's very scary... Hopefully it's not the forum that leaked ur real name. Otherwise, everything smells so fishy around here

 

That's some very good point. I also like the screen to be a lil larger than 12.5"... However I would really love to use tablet mode on bed, or writing some notes in class.

Has anyone found any good software in Windows for notetaking (using a "iPad type" stylus)? If there's not good app support for note taking in Windows (say, similar to Notability on iPad) in Windows. I might as well just get an xps13.

 

Dont be sorry at all, its a public forum, people can say what they want

 

Hi,

I have placed an order on 16 January and the expected delivery date is 28 February. I ordered the i7, 8g, 256gb configuration. However, this configuration is no longer available on the website of Dell (the Netherlands) . I find this very strange and decided to contact Dell. After talking with three different divisions of Dell they referred me to the online chat. There I spoke with Samir Hamsi and he told me that the i7 is sold out and they will not sell it due to a lack of supply. I find this very hard to believe because there was no supply whatsoever (hence the waiting period of approximately 6 weeks) and I refuse to believe that a new system will no longer be sold just 2 or 3 months after the first sale due to being sold out... I am afraid that the i7 configuration will no longer be sold due to manufacturing problems or something similar.

Does anyone of you know something about the i7 no longer being sold?!

Cheers,

Yones