XPS 12 Owners Lounge

I have seen the exact same thing on my XPS 12... when using a grey background theme.

This is an LCD panel which I thought didn't exhibit image retention problems, but I have definitely seen this clear as day. So maybe a software issue?!?

 

I have also noticed image retention for the first time only a few days ago! It is clearly visible to me now and reproducible. And I also switched to a dark background, but that was a few weeks ago.

This could either be a striking coincidence or it really is some kind of software issue, although I have no idea how a software problem could cause something like this. Since I'm still under warranty I'll keep an eye on it and see if it get's worse over time.

My XPS 12 is an Ivy Bridge model bought in march 2013.

 

Hi,
I received my XPS 12 (Haswell i7) last Wednesday. I think I have an issue with the accelerometer.
From the start, the screen would not auto-rotate in tablet mode. In the "charm bar", I cannot change the lock on screen rotation (above the brightness slider). Pressing the physical screen-rotation-lock button does not change that. That button does work, because when I manually rotate the screen and press the button, it jumps back to horizontal.
I've downloaded a bubble-level app and a tilt-maze app. Both work funny: if I gently tilt the laptop from horizontal to say 45', nothing happens. Until I shake the laptop (at 45') and then it registers the "new" tilt. Is that normal?
The only sensor in the Device Manager that sounds like an accelerometer is the "Simple Device Orientation Sensor". It appears to function normally. I've tried updating the driver (automatically search) but it tells me it has the most recent driver.
I've updated all drivers, Windows 8, etc. A dell rep spend over an hour remotely controlling my laptop trying to find the solution, without success.
Any ideas? Thanks,
a-t-1

 

does this computer get loud when you use it on a bed, because of the vents at the bottom.

 

All - quick question. Just picked up my new XPS 12 yesterday. Here's my problem, I have been trying to listen to music via google play (where all my music is - in the cloud), but I want to be able to turn the screen off... particularly in tablet mode. Am I missing something? ... is it possible? Thanks in advance.

 

NEW Problem--when I've been away from the computer for awhile and coming back to it, programs have been opened that I did open! Some of them are apps, some are things like Word...I have no idea what is going on. The only thing I can think of that is different is that I stopped putting the computer to sleep every time I close the lid...otherwise, I haven't changed anything.

Any idea what is going on???

 

IIRC the power button on the side acts exactly like the power button on any mainstream tablet.

 

Ok - so I just re-tested this. While in tablet mode, sliding the power button, does indeed just power the laptop off. Am I doing something wrong?

 

The power button on any mainstream tablet doesn't actually turn off the machine when you give it a brief press - it puts it to sleep.

That said, I don't remember whether putting the XPS 12 to sleep lets you continue listening to audio.

 

To answer my own question, I figured this out and how to do it in Windows using Disk Management. First you need to disable system protection on the drive that you want to shrink. You need to disable hibernation. You need to disable logging and the page file as well. Reboot. You should now be able to shrink the partition down to something more reasonable 50-60GB. It may say there isn't enough space and fail. Try again and it should go through. Now you can simply create a new partition from the freed up space.

 

So just to be clear on the image ghosting front, is this definitely impacting new (Haswell) XPS 12s? And if so, is it permanent or can you clear it using the static method that sometimes works for LCDs?

I am looking to replace my Alienware M14x with something smaller/lighter/longer battery life and the XPS12 was looking like the ticket until I noticed the posts here regarding the ghosting. Now I'm actually considering a MBA 13" (with additional Win8 OS) instead which is a shame as the XpS12 seems to be the better machine otherwise.

 

I did notice image ghosting on my haswell machine, but only once. It's not really noticeable unless you're specificaly looking for it.
It's fading pretty fast however.
Oh and it's definitely a hardware and not a software issue, as it is still visible after a reboot.

 

I noticed that, too, on my Ivy Bridge model, which is why I also don't believe it to be a software issue. However, depending on the color of the content displayed, it isn't fading that quickly. E.g. after using Chrome browser for a while, its white adress bar background is visible on a black desktop wallpaper for at least a minute I think.

 

Anyone at all have any thoughts on this? I am still having the problem--I will open up my machine after being away for awhile, and the app sidebar will be open on the left-hand side, any windows I had left open on the desktop will be resized, sometimes new tabs will be open...and today all of my desktop items were rearranged, too! It is like there is some ghost clicking on things while I'm gone, but it's totally bizarre since I've had this machine about 2 months and this has only been happening 1-2 weeks.

 

The screen auto-rotation issue magically fixed itself today. I still have to shake the laptop in order for the accelerometer to register the new tilt angle. Slightly annoying in games using the tilt as the controller. Makes for a good workout though. Anyone else with this issue?

 

Anyone know whether the XPS12 (Haswell) has a UASP-enabled host controller? I guess not as I can't find it anywhere.

 

On my machine it's mild enough that it took me almost a month to notice it, and I notice it only on my static desktop background -- anything where the colours are changing gets rid of it quickly. It actually fades pretty quickly even on my desktop. If it stays this way and gets no worse, I won't care.

I definitely wouldn't recommend switching to an MBA over this issue. The MBA's screen is meaningfully worse overall, and it's not even a touch screen -- it's a poor trade if screen quality is important to you. You also won't get the MBA's amazing battery life with W8, which removes probably the machine's biggest strength.

 

Haswell XPS 12 owner here. No image ghosting for me.

I'm with Caesura on this one - unless you prefer MacOS, don't switch to an MBA over this issue.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys, looks like I'll be ordering the XPS 12 then

 

Heh, Dell just announced the new XPS 13. Now I'm all like, "Ahh! Do I flip the screen enough to justify a smaller screen and heavier machine, or should I have got that?"

Of course, we all knew the XPS 13 was coming soon, so I can't say it's s surprise. In the end, even though I don't use it much I think the convertible gimmick is worth the tradeoffs, even if just for the "Oooooh" factor when people see it.

I'm also really impressed by the new XPS 15 -- I didn't think they'd take the minimal wedge design all the way up to 15 inches, but it looks great, and I bet it's relatively light. It's the first larger laptop to catch my eye in quite a while.

 

I have read this whole thread and am hopeful my new XPS12 that I just ordered is sorted and fine out of the box. I travel with work and dont have time to mess with malfunctions. Here's hoping....

 

Anyone have suggestions on the first things I should do once I unbox the computer; ie. updates, BIOS, etc? I've read 9v9's post but would like some input given I have so little time to set-up the XPS12 before I head out on a business trip. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

You know, when I got this machine I had a small existential crisis about whether the heavier machine with the smaller screen was worth it. I don't think it would have been worth it to wait, as not only does my country recieve everything after everyone else, I would also have to wait for Dell to drop the price of their i7/8/256 model (since that's what I did for the XPS 12), which would take months.

I don't think you actually have to update any of the drivers (this includes BIOS), since Dell should have put the latest version on your laptop, but it doesn't hurt to check the version (hit the start button and search "drivers" to get a list of drivers for which you can check the version) against the one on the Dell website (open "My Dell" program and hit the Drivers button that should take you directly to the relevant drivers page). If need be, update the WiFi driver as well (I think it's called Intel 7260 or something funky like that).

Fiddle around with the Dell Touchpad software. More specifically, you want to decrease "touch pressure" down to minimum (I hear this gets rid of all of the two-finger scrolling problems some people are having, and from experience it seems about right). Either that or "palm rejection". I forget which. Also get familiar with the gestures.

Make a recovery USB thing.

There have been reports of a very slow memory leak due to Synaptics' touchpad drivers. If you restart your laptop once a day (not just shutdown/turn on, but actual restart, since only the latter does a proper shut down on Windows 8), then you should be fine. If you have 8GB of RAM then you can probably get away with restarting once every 2-3 days before the leak starts to get noticeable. All of this assumes that you use the laptop every day for a significant amount of time (the memory only leaks when you're using the touchpad).

 

My two cents after owning this computer for a month.

The memory leak from the touchpad drivers is not a slow one. I can rack up close to a GB/hour if I use the touchpad exclusively and I'm using something that needs it a lot. I have a Bluetooth mouse and use it for most of the work I do knowing about the memory leak.

The Bluetooth device totally disappears after 10-12 sleep/wake cycles. I get fewer cycles if I use the touchscreen more. When that happens, I just get to a good save point and restart the computer.

My computer shipped with a bad SSD. Dell techs first replaced the MB with a better i74650U and Intel HD5000. Then they realized that the SSD was bad and sent me a new unformatted SSD with a Win8 install DVD. They sent a USB stick with Win8 the next day when they realized the XPS 12 doesn't have a DVD drive ( shudder ).

My previous computer was a SXPS 16; I had reservations about going from 16 inches full HD down to 12.5 inches full HD. Reservations eliminated; this is one of the most clear displays I've ever seen.

Last computer darn near wrecked my back when travelling all day on a motorcycle. At over 3 pounds, this machine is a breeze for me to deal with compared to the last one. It feels like it's built a LOT better than the SXPS. Losing another 1/2 pound or so for the XPS 13 might be tempting, but getting too light might sacrifice strength, IMO. The XPS 12 is built like a tank and I have no doubt it will withstand the kind of abuse I tend to throw at my laptops.

8+ hours of use on battery is totally insane, especially when my previous SXPS could only muster 2 under the best of conditions. I hit 8 hours on this machine without even thinking about saving power.

This was the perfect buy for me. I'm not afraid of breaking it open and fixing something if I have to. I think it will get even better over time as the drivers mature.

 

*shrug* the leak is pretty slow for me, and I'm using this thing for the majority of my waking hours.

 

Me too. After bring on a lot of the time all day (with full trackpad use) I tend to be at about 50% of 8GB RAM when I turn it off at night. Now, that's not good, since it should really be only about 25%, but it's perfectly liveable. I'm definitely seeing nothing close to a GB/hour. Now, perhaps I'm actually not experiencing the touchpad memory leak at all, and it's something else instead (looking at you, Firefox...). But, assuming that I am, it raises the question of whether the leak is associated with a specific setting or behavior with the touchpad, and not its general use. What are your touchpad settings? What functions do you have on or off?

(I have touch pressure to most sensitive [all the way to the left], tap-to-click and draglock on, two-finger rightclick on, all the edge swipes disabled, and all of the three and four-finger gestures disabled except for three-finger left/right swipe. Otherwise, default or close to it.)

 

Was considering ordering an XPS 12 from the Dell UK site this afternoon when I decided to check the outlet, and found the exact same spec there for over £400 less. Bit of a no-brainer so ordered it straight away (and free delivery too!).

The only thing for me is that I currently use a Logitech MX Anywhere Mouse. It's an awesome mouse for taking with me on my travels but due to the unifying receiver taking up one of two valuable USB slots, I'm now looking towards a BT mouse instead. Does anyone have any recommendations for a mouse that doesn't tie up a USB slot? (I don't like trackpads at all, so I don't expect to use the one on the XPS12 unless I really really have to).

 

I've been happy with my Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000. It's on its second notebook now and isn't very big.

 

Great, that's actually one of the ones that caught my eye on Amazon, just added it to my basket and after finding a suitable sleeve and spare PSU, will order that. thanks!

 

I've owned an XPS 12 (haswell) for about a month. I came here to diagnose the SSD crash issue McCool posted about a while back, and based on posts here I've diagnosed a few additional issues. My current XPS 12 concerns are:
1 System crashes daily with "internal hard disk drive not found"
2. Memory leak using touchpad
3. Clear screen burn visible
4. Flakey wifi - regularly drops out at home and work although still showing as connected, need to manually disconnect and reconnect to get internet connectivity back
5. Maddening "click here to enter your most recent password" notification regularly prompting me to enter my Windows account password, even though I've entered it about a billion times

I've booked a service call to fix #1, based on what McCool said I'm prepared for the fact they may replace the motherboard which may not resolve the problem and require an additional callout to replace the SSD, but I might get sweet 5000HD graphics out of it (currently have i7-4500U). Is this likely to happen in Australia (where the 5000HD isn't offered) or is it only a states thing?

#2 I can live with as I hardly ever use the touchpad - the other touchpad glitches drive me nuts anyway so I stick with a bluetooth mouse.

#3 really concerns me because after a month I'm already seeing it clear as day, and I haven't heard of anyone getting a fix that actually resolves the problem, just a new screen to start the burn-in process again.

#4 Anyone else experienced this and found a solution?

#5 I imagine is just a Win8 issue but still drives me nuts, haven't found a fix yet.

Overall, I'm not sure I want to spend the next ~2 years dealing with a badly ghosting screen even if everything else is resolved. If there's no fix for the screen burn and I don't want to live with that, what's the policy for Dell refunding my purchase? Do I need to attempt repair 3 times or something first?

 

Has anyone here tested the wifi speed using 802.11ac? The following review says it's very slow:

Review: XPS 12

Bit of a concern, as the 802.11ac support is a key selling point for me

 

1. Once I got a good SSD, it's been great. I'm a little pissed that I didn't get a Samsung SSD as advertised, but I suspect that's why I might have got the upgrade on the MB, being a faithful xps owner since Gen1.
2. Yep, see it when I use the touchpad. I've contacted everyone I can at Dell to address this. I'm using a Bluetooth mouse for most point and click stuff anyway for now.
3. Have not seen this yet at all, none, zip nada. If you're getting this, hold Dell accountable. You're in the XPS support tier; make them work for the extra money you paid for this rig!
4. Have had very good luck here so far (hope I didn't just jinx myself).
5. Didn't see this with the original image or with the fresh install on a blank SSD (which you might have to do if you get a new SSD).

BTW, if you get a MB upgrade, you will have to rely on Intel's website to get your HD5000 Drivers.

 

Thanks for the reply. Had a Dell tech out just now who tried swapping out the SSD, and immediately got the same error I got ("internal hard disk...") so they need to come back in a few days with a motherboard replacement. He also told me he's been with Dell for 3 months and the new XPS machines are having a lot of issues, most commonly hard drive and LCD burn. So that's not very encouraging.

Re #4, I've selected "Troubleshoot problems" when the wifi drops (and it's not dropping for anyone else in the office) and W8 eventually fixes it and diagnoses the problem as "Default Gateway not available". Any ideas what this might be and how I can fix it?

 

I had two issues with my Haswell XPS 12:

1. Two finger touchpad scrolling "jumpy"
- I have solved this by adjusting "Touch Pressure" in the touchpad settings all the way down based on the advice from this forum. No jumping since then
2. Unstable Wifi
- This seems to have completely disappeared after I've upgraded to Windows 8.1. If you go down that path make sure to get the 8.1 beta drivers for the graphics card from Intel.

 

The burn-in appears to be universal. There are threads on other forums (including Dell's) where there is literally not a single poster who does not have the problem, and there are many reported cases of multiple replacement screens in a row having the same problem (and no reported cases that I've seen of a replacement not having the issue). For the people here who claim not to have it (one of whom was me), I suspect it is simply a matter of degree and of desktop wallpaper color. I didn't notice it myself until I switched to a wallpaper that made it apparent -- but on my new wallpaper, it's plain as day. I don't much care now, but if it gets meaningfully worse I'll be unhappy.

It can be easy to miss (and to avoid) depending on your usage patterns. I only see it as a thin line at the top from my minimal Firefox toolbar. I'm not seeing it (yet) from MS Word, fortunately, perhaps because I have it set to grey instead of white. I have the Windows taskbar set to auto-hide, so it's not a static presence on the screen. If I were using a browser with no static toolbar (still waiting, Firefox modern UI...), I wouldn't be noticing anything.

*edit* and to be clear, yes, it's definitely "image-retention" and not "burn-in," which would be permanent. "Burn-in" is how people often describe this, however (and whether that's a widening meaning to the old term or a misuse doesn't really change anything).

 

Lately I've been getting a few "somethingsomething Graphic Driver has crashed and successfully recovered" notifications from the tray. Anyone got any ideas what this could be?

 

Let's be clear here. It is not burn-in (that's what comes later!), this is image retention and goes quickly in my (short) experience with the XPS 12. I still don't understand how you get image retention on modern LCDs - I thought this was a thing of ATMs in the 80's etc...

Anyways, if it gets more noticeable, I will be contacting Dell for sure. It is not good enough, premium laptop or not.

 

Well, there's nothing Dell can do about it. According to the thread on the Dell forums, they'll cheerfully replace your screen (perhaps several times) and then your motherboard, but it won't fix anything because it seems to be a design flaw in the screen. This might be a useful way to get the improved MB, but the image retention won't get solved.

Fingers crossed a software update can fix it. You'd think there'd be a way to, I dunno, insert invisible black frames, or something, to at least mitigate the problem, the way TVs do to prevent ghosting? If the problem really is unfixable, Dell will almost certainly have the screen's manufacturer change something at some point, so perhaps waiting six months for a new screen might work.

Or Firefox could just finish its W8 browser, so I don't have a toolbar to retain in the first place...

 

I don't have much hope they'll do this, as image retention was a problem on the XPS 12 2012 edition, they've had a year to fix it before releasing the 2013 edition, but here it still is as bad as ever.

I'll ask again, anyone know the process for a refund from Dell? I bought directly from them online.

 

^Ha. Ha. HAHAHAHAHAHA.

Dell's customer service is top-notch. However, their finance team sucks butts. I bought an i7/8/256 model online after it fell in price drastically, but at that point i already had an i5/4/128 model that I also bought online. So I returned the latter and am waiting for a refund.

Problem is, I returned it 6 weeks ago and I still haven't gotten my refund. I'm currently grappling with their South Pacific sales team. They acknowledge that I deserve the refund, and have sent it twice, but it has not yet gone through. Methinks there are as-of-yet unforeseen problems on their end.

As a non-NewZealander (presumably), you might have better luck than me though. If you wanna get started, you can try the Sales Livechat channels found somewhere on the Dell website, and they'll walk you through the entire process.

---

As for the image retention thing, I'm experiencing nothing of the sort. In fact, I haven't seen complaints about it in this thread until a few days ago. Maybe I got lucky.

 

If you've had it less than a month, you can return it just by asking. For more than a month, they get to try to fix it repeatedly before they'll consider a refund, but they'll give you one eventually. They'll sometimes let you switch to a different model faster than they'll allow a refund -- if you like the idea, you might try to get an XPS 13 instead (assuming that panel doesn't have the issue, of course).

 

Hi, I just wondered what this laptop was like to use as a Tablet? I am going traveling next year and will be going on lots of trains / coaches.
I will mainly use it in tablet mode to use as an e-reader and watch films. Do you think the XPS 12 would be sufficient for this?
I know a lot of people have mentioned it's a but on the heavy side for tablet use. So I just wanted to hear peoples opinions, if possible?

The 4th Gen CPUs with the XPS 12s are now available in the Dell outlet store, so looks to be a good deal.

I will see what reviews / price tags the Yoga Pro 2 and the Dell XPS 11 get before I purchase, but for the price the XPS 12 looks a good option for me.

Thanks a lot.

 

Hardware-wise, as a tablet it works quite well. Bright detailed screen, 7 hours battery life for tasks like e-reading, and it's not as wieldy as an iPad but it's fine for holding in your lap, doesn't get too hot or loud. Main difference between it and a proper tablet is you won't be stuffing this in a carry bag with other stuff or carrying it under your arm to the cafe - you'll want to have it in a proper laptop case when you're not using it.

Windows 8 apps and touch friendliness is another story, but there's plenty of e-reader and video apps for the metro interface that will work fine.

 

Update: I finally got the money. Apparently, there are some conventions that weren't followed by Dell's finance team for depositing money into a New Zealand account.

 

Silly question, but is there an easy way to check for driver updates on Dell laptops? At the moment either I use device manager and check driver versions or the My Dell software (the same method)... and then I need to go to the Dell support site, find the driver, download it, then install. Surely there must be some piece of software which will automate this and let me know of driver updates?

Cheers!

 

Good spot on the Haswell XPS12s in the outlet.

Anyways on to your question... it is doable in tablet mode, I use it like this often when lounging on the couch. You won't be able to do this without being able to rest the laptop on your legs IMO - it's just too heavy (comparatively) and unweidly. The thing is that 16:9 looks fine in landscape, pop in to portrait mode and it looks ridiculously long and slim. So definitely a "lap" jobby for me. That said, I do use it and am glad the laptop has this form factor as well.

However for travel, for me the XPS12 is just a little too heavy, too big, and just too damned nice. I originally thought that I'd use my XPS12 also for this purpose, but now I think I'll probably go for a much cheaper Android tablet or something with a detachable keyboard. Something which I won't mind getting scuffed up or banged around (or even stolen!).

Regards.

 

If you're worried about this thing getting scuffed up or banged up, then a nice thin Macbook Air sleeve will help you out there.

That said, is it easy to scuff this thing up at all? Surely the Carbon Fibre on this thing is good for something?

 

On the topic of sleeves: How snug is the fit in a nice Macbook Air sleeve (13" I presume!)?

Any other sleeve recommendations?

Cheers

 

Agreed, I ordered my 4500U Haswell XPS12 from the Outlet last weekend and UKMail tried delivering it this morning while I was out (need to go pick it up tomorrow morning). I was about to buy a brand new one when I noticed the refurbs and saved over £400 for the exact same spec. I've had Dell refurbs before and those were all 'as new' so I'm hoping this will be the same.

 

The carbon fiber is "good for" being lighter than metal but just as strong. However, it can be scratched just fine -- it's got a clear coating on it that will scuff like anything else would. I actually watched a Dell service tech put several ugly scratches into my previous unit while taking out the screws...