XPS 12 Owners Lounge

Yes the lcd is indeed going to be a new model of panel. dell is aware of the issue and the new panels are said to be the fix we have been waiting for.:hi2:

 

When they called me with an update on Sat., I was told that the panel and MB would be replaced. I'm not sure why the MB needs replaced too.

 

Thanks. Looking forward to them replying me with a similar solution.

 

So, yesterday Dell put up a new BIOS on the Haswell XPS 12 download page... and it's the old BIOS for the Ivy Bridge model. Safe to assume that's a mistake and will be taken down soon. But, fingers crossed it means there's a new Haswell BIOS and the wrong file was just put online by accident. I keep hoping for an update to address he touchy fan similar to the update the XPS 13 eventually got.

And I assume since no one's reported it, that no one has yet managed to get the "new" display panel. Meh. Would be nice to get that finally resolved.

 

Is anyone aware of a problem with intermittent internet connection? I can maintain a wifi connection fine but it seems every 15 minutes I lose the internet access for a minute or two, so wifi shows as connected but says 'No internet access'? None of the other devices in my house have this problem so I know it's not a problem with the wifi router or isp?

Edit: Fixed the issue by setting 'HT Mode' to disabled in the advanced options as per the suggestion here. Speed is awful now though, only getting 5Mbps over wifi and my broadband speed is 50Mbps

 

Okay, so I'm reporting back very disappointed after claiming to receive one of the first "new" displays.

This really was a service nightmare... After asking for a new display model, it took about 1 month before I received the first call from a local technician.
A few days later he came by to replace my screen. I was already happy, because the logo on the top left corner of the screen didn't say "DELL", but "XPS", so it must've been another model, I thought...
After he put the laptop back together, I booted the machine and the screen was working, except it didn't react to any touch inputs anymore (!). The technician was confused, asked me to reboot, nothing changed, so he called his Dell contacts. They put him on hold and after 5 minutes waiting they told him that the part number of the display was already outdated. It was an old model... Unbelievable! They let me wait for one month only to send me an outdated screen after promising a new, fixed model without IR. And all of this was coordinated by the supervisor of my service contact. >.<

However, said technician ordered the newest display for another replacement and a colleague of his came by today to replace the screen a second time.

Well, guess what, the touchscreen worked again, but the model is exactly the same as I had from the very beginning. There are already signs of image retention and I even had problems with the screen flickering...

Does anyone know if the XPS 13 shares the same problems? I'm really tempted to ask for different model as replacement. This is starting to become unacceptable.

 

So bad news everyone this looks like its not going to be fixed anytime soon im getting my refund and should be getting a xps13 as the IR issue doesn't seem to be an issue there. I will miss my 2 in 1 but what can you do right

 

My experience today is quite similar. A Dell tech sup agent told me to wait until the end of March so that their product team would come up with a new model that would fully resolve the IR problem. Yesterday I received a call from Dell and was told that the replacement is ready to go. Just now a on-site technician came and replaced the LCD again. It's exactly the same model that has IR problem. Now I can see some signs of IR on the "new" model.

I'm starting to consider returning it for a refund. But it is long past the 30-day return window. Any possibility?

 

Yeah, that's the Ivy Bridge panel, which supposedly doesn't work on Haswell machines. I guess now we know why. The screen flickering on your new Haswell screen already has a fix, at least -- you can download a panel firmware update from the Dell site. You can also prevent it by turning off "panel self-refresh" in the Intel graphics menu.

As long as Dell cannot fix a problem under warranty, you can return the machine. They'll try to give you a different machine first, though - switching over to an XPS 13 seems to be a popular "solution."

 

So I have 2 XPS12's (his n' hers!) - Ivy Bridge models - which are affected by this IR issue. You know it's a real problem and not nit picking when the girlfriend starts moaning about it
Also affected by the touch screen not responding every now and then when in tablet mode (again on both).

Are these issues fixed by the Haswell model? Or do I have to push for a different model of laptop as the IR in particular is really starting to bother me. Other than that and the slightly lacklustre battery life, I'm enjoying the XPS12.

 

Image retention affects Haswell, too, although I've not experienced the touchscreen not responding on mine.

 

yes this is correct and the 13 is the way to go. waiting on dell for refund opions should know in 4 hrs.

 

So you requested for return and refund from Dell? How did you say to them? thanks

 

Go into the power plan advanced options and turn off USB selective suspend. It's a power-saving option that turns off USB ports when they're not in use, and sometimes doesn't properly turn them back on. Apparently, somewhere in the laptop the touch function is tied to the USB system. It might not be your problem, but it's definitely worth a try (it worked for me).

 

Talked to a technical support supervisor. He confirmed that what I got yesterday was not a "revised" model of the LCD panel. The "revised" or "updated" version of the LCD panel will "fix the issue" as he said. The model will still be LG LP125WF1. He also mentioned to replace some other parts that will also contribute to resolve this issue.
I'm giving them one last chance to fix this.

 

hi, i am a xps 12 owner since november 2013 and just noticed this forum, so i made a account
sorry if my english is bad, i speak dutch.

to begin with:
i have a XPS 12 haswell I5 4G ram

i too had "burn-in" problems (or however you guys wanna call it)
and also a few broken pixels.
seems like alot of you guys are wondering that the new screen will solve the burn-in
well i have an answer to that:
today a dell thechician came to me to replace the lcd.
and gues what?
no more burn in, i made a black white grid with paint saved it, opened it fullscreen and left it for about 15 min and tadaaa nothing!

the problems i do have are: chrome-jump-to-top while scrolling, now and then the laptop completly freezes ( i think its a video driver problem, when i go to sleep mode and go back everything works fine, and there is no high cpu in the task manager graph so it isnt a program that freezes)

 

the scrolling issue can be resolved by updating the touchpad driver, i assume. have a try!

 

I hate to burst your bubble, but the image retention takes a few days to show up. New panels don't have it right away. (It's an easy way to tell if you're getting a new or refurbished panel.)

If in a week it's still not there, then please do let us know.

 

agreed. new panels at most would show some signs of potential image retention. but you know what happens when your warranty expires.

 

Thanks! I've updated the firmware to V1.1 now. However, I couldn't find this "panel self-refresh" option you mentioned, where can I find it?

 

i have had my panel replaced and the problem came up 3 days later talked to dell and they are giving me a refund.

 

If self-refresh is the problem, you shouldn't need to turn it off any more -- that's what the firmware update fixes. I was able to turn it back on after the firmware update, and my flickering was still fixed.

But, for the sake of information, right-click the desktop > graphics properties > power > on battery. If you haven't already, you can also turn off "Display Power Saving Technology," which is the setting that makes web pages automatically adjust their brightness depending on how white or black the screen is. If you ever go to a new website (or scroll around from a light to a dark section) and you see the colors adjust a second later, this is what's causing it. Bugged the hell out of me -- I kept thinking my eyes were broken.

 

I'm in Australia and I had my screen replaced again yesterday and the image retention issue is still apparent. Here is my story for those who might be interested...

I originally had an Ivy Bridge XPS 12 and they replaced the screen with no luck fixing the problems. After a second failed screen replacement the Dell rep believed me that all of the XPS panels were displaying image retention. The Dell rep thought the Haswell XPS 12 had a different panel so he swapped out my laptop with a new one (no complaints from me receiving a more powerful machine). The new laptop still had image retention. Fast forward a few more months and I see here that a new model panel may have been released... I asked my Dell rep to look into it and he said that a newer panel had been sourced and we arranged for a technician to replace my screen. Alas... the new panel LP125WF1 (SP)(A3), was the same as the panel I already had and it has image retention also. This new panel was manufactured on 24 Dec 2013.

So... if you are waiting on a LP125WF1 (SP)(A3) as a replacement I wouldn't get your hopes up yet. The rep checked with their part planner and confirmed that this was the latest manufactured screen in their inventory.

Perhaps there is a newer panel in a different region but at this time it isn't available in Australia.

 

would you mind telling how long have you owned this system? And is that a full refund or discounted amount?

Sry I found out that u just got this system in less than one month...no wonder you are receiving refund. lucky guy!

 

So, a question for y'all that's unrelated to the current topics of discussion. I've noticed that my two-finger scrolling is choppier on battery. Now, you'd think that addressing that would be as simple as going into the battery options and setting graphics to run at full even on battery. But, nope, that doesn't do it. I have, as far as I can find, set everything in both the battery settings and the Intel graphics interface to run at full on battery, but the difference in scrolling is still there. I mean, the scrolling on battery is still perfectly good -- it's just not buttery-smooth like it is plugged in. I'd like to have the delicious butter all the time.

What's especially odd is that I get the choppier scrolling all the time (battery or plug) when my battery setting is "power-saver," and I get buttery scrolling all the time on "high performance." I'm using what started out as the "balanced" setting. That just screams that it must be a a toggle in the power plan somewhere, but even going item-by-item I can't find it. Suggestions?

On a related note, my scrolling quality lowers even further the moment the battery drops to 19% -- this time it sometimes has a noticeable lagginess that's actually quite annoying. Clearly another power-saving measure kicking in, but I can't figure that one out either. Anyone know what's going on? All of this is happening at negligible processor load.

Dell will give you a full refund after one month, but ONLY if technical supports signs off on not being able to fix the problem.

 

My unit was acually purchased october 23 2013. Full refund offered from dell.

 

I've noticed the exact same behavior on my Ivy Bridge model! Don't know how to explain it, though..

 

Thanks to both of you. Mine was purchased last September. The Dell technical sup agent told me that they will "get me a factory certified system" if they cannot fix the IR issue, but return&refund would be unlikely. According to kprambo's case, there is still chance to get full refund. Bless myself.

 

Good news guys. I have had my case escalated to the executive customer care team, people who actually know what they are talking about unlike the normal customer care.
He immediately acknowledged that they are aware of the IR issue on XPS12 models, and a new revision A01 is expected to be available in the next week ( not manufactured by LG, but he wasn't sure of the new manufacturer )
He has asked me to wait till 20th of April for a final resolution of this case and has assured that the new screen will not have IR. An option for a replacement with the XPS13 is also there, though I might ask for a refund if the new screen too is not good.
I will post pictures of the new screen once I have it delivered to my address for everyone's benefit

Edit ( 8th Apr ) : Got an email that the new screen has been shipped to my address [ Parts Sent : LCD with A01 Version and DC in Cabel ]

Will post pictures soon

 

Sweeeeet. Thanks for the update.

What I actually came here to post is that there's a new BIOS for the Haswell XPS 12. Probably just a minor compatibility tweak for 8.1 update, but you never know. I haven't installed it yet, but I'm naively hoping for a less aggressive fan.

 

so, i have my new screen for 6 days and:
no IR problems! (ok it's not a week but what difference makes one day )
yesterday i got a call from dell support with the question that everyting was fixed (i forgot to mention in my previos post that my DC jack was broken, and it got replaced)
so they could close the case.
i asked the guy from support why i don't have IR anymore and he said that the technician replaced my old LCD with the newest model. i asked wich brand it was, he said: samsung

so if you guys get the new samsung LCD, IR is GONE!

 

Yaaaay! Thanks, dude. Okay, now we know -- make sure when your screen gets replaced that it's a Samsung screen.

Any comments on the overall screen quality? IR aside, the old LG was a pretty fantastic screen. The new Samsung seems just as good? Is it as bright?

 

So I have been out of the loop a bit with regards to the Haswell XPS12, but is it another one of these common problems for the fans to ramp up? Due to lovely IR such as this:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2817750/Dell xps 12 IR.jpg

I am going to try and press for a replacement with the Haswell model, maybe I should just try for an XPS13 after all...

Cheers.

 

the brightness is pretty much the same, maybe even a little brighter. the colors seem to be "popping out" more: yellow is more yellow. ( i always had a yellow background, and after the lcd got replaced that was the first thing i noticed)


i updated the bios, but didn't notice any changes. the fan noise has never bothered me since most of the time i listen to music with headphones when i am on my laptop. so that's something you guys need to see for your own.

i also updated the trackpad driver, and the memory problems seems to be solved.

 

Awesome -- great to hear that the new screen is just as good. The BIOS changed nothing that I can see. The update notes suggest that it was primarily to support the 4210 and 4510 processors. And, yeah, the current trackpad drivers don't have the memory leak (that got fixed a while ago). If you care, you can also get more up-to-date graphics and wireless drivers from Intel's site, and newer sound drivers from Realtek.

It's not so much that the fans "ramp up" as that they're somewhat loud even on the lowest setting. There have been complaints to dell about it, and if you Google it you'll find them. The XPS 13 started the same way and it eventually got addressed in a BIOS update, but no way to know if the 12 will ever get the same. But, if you've already got the machine then you know how loud it is. It's not going to get louder -- if it's not bothering you, then you're good.

I definitely find the machine rather loud, and three motherboards have had the same problem so I'm pretty confident it's at least quite common. There's both the loud fan (even on its lowest setting) and the odd crackly noise that sometimes comes from somewhere in there. It's not a laptop I'd take to a quiet classroom or meeting. I'd prefer it not be like that, but I can live with it -- with the screen fixed, a loud-ish machine isn't a dealbreaker for me.

 

This is good news! Do you have pictures of the LCD panel before assembly? If not could you tell us the HW ID of your new samsung screen? Go to device manager --> monitors --> generic pnp monitor --> properties --> details tab --> Hardware ID. I hope it does not say "LGDxxxx" anymore!

 

Guys, wait for a day and I will post pictures of the new screen. It is supposed to be delivered tomorrow with a service call scheduled this saturday

 

nope, no pictures

so... i checked the HW ID and it's an LGD03FD... so the guy from dell didn't know what he was talking about srry for the wrong info guys
But i dont have any IR so i don't really care what brand it is.
maybe the IR is coming even later so i will look out for it.

 

Certainly the LGD03FD is on the list of known IR panels... Is it even worth hoping that it might be a revision that has been fixed?

 

Oh well.... don't trust what Dell say......

BTW, my XPS 12 was "IR free" for about 2 weeks. Around 1.5 to 2 weeks time, I could start seeing IR on lower brightness (none or very faint on full brightness). Try setting your brightness to about 50% or so and run the IR test by marco (google it). 3 weeks and on, it begin to show faintly. 2 months later... IR in as little as 1 minute....

 

There's a chance. Someone reported a page or two ago that Dell said it would be the same panel number but without the IR. I'm more nervous that the tech support people are so bogglingly uninformed -- we're getting our information about all of this from them in the first place, after all.

 

This is getting more and more confusing. After my screen got replaced 2 times, I ended up with the same model again {LP125WF1 (SP)(A3)}, which is said to be the newest. So the Dell guy apologized and claimed it was a logistical mistake. I didn't believe him and asked again whether it was really logistical or if there's no new model out there. I further wrote that this problem exists since the first Ivy Bridge model and wasn't fixed on a single known laptop yet. I've told him that I've seen cases where Dell would exchange the laptop with another model (e.g. XPS 13) and if there's no contemporary solution to this, I would like to know if he could offer me the same.

His answer was pretty clear. He discussed the situation with his supervisor and is now offering me an exchange.

That means to me that the customer service is NOT aware of any upcoming display models without the image retention problems (at least not the European team).

And now I'm visiting this forum again and someone is excited about a new Samsung display, which he didn't get... another one is waiting for an "A01" model, which would be the oldest known revision...
I stopped believing... That's why I'm getting an XPS 13

 

By panel number I think you might mean part number. The part number could logically stay the same (and did), ex. HD7F8 (9Q23 LCD number) CN-0HD7F8-12963-419-2421-A00, and the "new" one that I got is the same number except ending with A01. The panel number would be more difficult to stay the same as they more than likely vary by manufacture date, supplies used, manufacturing facility, minor revisions, etc. In my experience LGD03BD is all manufactured in June 2013, usually ranging between the 11th and 21st. All were affected by the issue. I think the actual fixed LCDs will show up with new LG IDs, and until then we cannot trust the Dell reps and the new A01 panels. Dell has been relabeling A00 panels as A01. Two people have had proof so far, me and another user on the support forum. Both of my panels were LGD03BD and one was labeled A00 and the other A01. Both were manufactured in June 2013 (before the "fixed" panels were even announced). We can still hope though that it is fixed, but the history says otherwise. I think the best solution at this point is to push for an XPS 13.

 

Yeah, I have no interest in a 13. The hybrid form-factor is the only reason I don't own a Samsung Ativ Plus instead. (And there's no way in hell I'm getting an XPS 11 -- I need key travel.) Dell swears to me that a fix is almost here. I'll give them a shot. If they can't fix it, I'll ask for a refund. Will be interesting to see what happens then. In theory, if it's under warranty and they can't fix it, that's a refund.

I just have trouble believing that Dell would be intentionally lying to us about this. I mean, I'll believe that they would lie -- that's totally plausible. But I don't see what this particular lie would get them. Every time they send a repair guy to pointlessly switch out a panel, that's costing Dell money. They can't think we'll magically not notice the IR on the second panel -- a customer who notices it once will notice it again. So, what would the point of lying be? I suppose an occasional customer will accidentally time-out his warranty before demanding a replacement, but that wouldn't happen often enough for multiple vacuous parts-replacements to be worthwhile.

So, in the end, I suspect there probably is a solution of some sort coming, and what we're seeing is tech support not letting on to how little they know about the timing of that solution (or simply how little access they actually have to parts information beyond "replacement panel"). That is, I suspect we're seeing incompetence, rather than lies. The distinction probably won't matter in the end, though.

 

Received the panel - it was manufactured by LG so I have refused service. I will post an update on Dell's response soon

 

Is it an A01 panel? If so I'd give it a try. If not go with your original plan and don't even bother.

 

I was told that it is a different manufacturer ( over email ) , so I have escalated within Dell to get this "new" panel. They are yet to reply

 

Hi guys.
the onsite technician is on his way to perform the 3rd replacement. This morning he called me and we confirmed the model of the "revised" LCD panel - still LG, still A00. Since I told the tech support supervisor I would give them one last chance for the replacement, I'm accepting this as the last service. However I doubt if it will work.
I'm not interested in XPS 13 since I need a convertible.

 

If it doesn't work and you work out getting a refund, have you considered the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro? It's a really good machine; I had the original and it's still solid. The keyboard on the 2 isn't as good though; screen and price are excellent.

 

If I got the refund, I'd most probably go for a Surface Pro 2....I think that a Wacom digitizer is great. However, Lenovo's thinkpad Yoga is too expensive, even if I got a full refund from Dell.