XPS 13 (2015) i7/FHD coming to Europe (Dell suggests on phone) -- which one to choose?

Last month my old XPS 13 (3 months old) had many problems (coil whine being one of them). After many repairs and phone talks with Dell, they offered me to replace it with new XPS 13... Last friday I got phone call from guy from Dell and he asks me which model I want. I live in Holland/Europe.

On his computer, he sees the option for a i7/FHD(1080p). This is strange, I thought, since on the EU websites there is no mention of the FHD models. This might suggest that the FHD models are coming to EU very soon... He will ask his supervisor for confirmation and will contact me when he has more information.

The i7/FHD/?8?GB/256SSD option would also be unique to EU. The best one can get in the USA is i5/FHD/8GB/256SSD.

I am free to choose the model I want as replacement. The QHD+ models are the most expensive. On the one hand, I think, let's exploit the nice situation, and take the most expensive one. But if I take the cheaper FHD option I lose around 400 euros (=difference with original buy). On the other hand, choosing the QHD+, I am afraid of (1) scaling issues, (2) too much reflection/glare, (3) battery life is probably a bit lower.

Can someone with the QHD+ confirm that he truly enjoys it? Will the touch support be really that essential in future versions of Windows?

So, my post is double. On the one hand, I want to tell you guys the potentially good news: the 1080p screens might be coming to EU very very soon... On the other hand, I need some advice to make the best decision the following days.

 

Take the most expensive one and sell it. Use the money to buy what you want and keep the difference as a profit.

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As I had no choice, I have the QHD+ panel and I don't like it, I'm planning on sending it back and the QHD+ screen is the main reason (touchpad and fan noise are the others). I don't find the touch useful because it's a conventional laptop design and while the super high resolution looks great in the touch interface, the extreme scaling in the desktop mode to make the resolution workable can make the screen ugly and the effect is very inconsistent. Some items look blurry, some too small, some like they're the wrong aspect ratio and in some text looks oddly mis-sized. I haven't used the 1080p screen but I had no issues with the 11in 1080p panel on the Vaio Duo 11 so I think it would be fine on the XPS 13.

John

 

I got my QHD+ today and I love it, I was contemplating sending it back before it was delivered as I bought it on my credit card and was thinking I really shouldn't buy it if I don't have the cash. But just half an hour with it and there is no way this thing is ever leaving me.

A bit of background about me as I may not fit in to your average laptop users. The last laptop I had was a Inspiron bought in 2005 and even then it was a year old, it was slow and the heat that this thing produced was insane and it put me off laptops for a long time. I bought a desktop in 2007 and have been happy with it ever since. My job is basically evaluating smartphones and tablets for use in enterprise and even though I love the Surface Pro it didn't meat my needs. I have to yet find any issue with the trackpad infact it is one of the better ones that I have used.

The screen is beautiful, I will agree you do see a lot of scalling issues with 3rd party apps but that can only improve over time, the apps that are optimised look beautiful. It is well built and it really is all just screen.

The fan was on and off while I uninstalled Macafee, installed Windows updates and ran spyware scans, but just streaming music and surfing the web I haven't heard it once. I really love this thing but then I haven't had a personal laptop in almost 8 years so expectations are probably a lot different from yours.

The speakers should also get a mention for such a compact device I wasn't expecting much but they are pretty impressive.

 

Thanks for your reply!

(1) If you scale Windows to 200% or 150%, you would say that the Windows/Desktop interface is comfortable use.

(2) How much glare/reflection do you notice. On my previous laptop I could see my own reflection in the screen when reading a white PDF document. If the laptop was off, the screen was basically just a mirror. Maybe the "high brightness potentiality" on this XPS 13 counters somehow the reflections when at locations with a lot of light?

(3) p.s. how much "fits" on a dekstop? Perpaps someone can be so kind to upload a screenshot of the desktop (e.g. on http://tinypic.com )

 

hmm I would be surprised if it turned out to be the FHD with the i7. Would be very unusual to have a model over here that isn't on offer in the US, considering all the FHD options they have over there not being replicated over here. I have the FHD on order due to it being matte & not liking the scaling options on my last QHD laptop the lenovo 2 pro (although things will have improved since). Good luck and let us know what they eventually offer you.

 

On the Dutch website there are currently one i5 + three i7 models. There are no i3 options as on USA website, so there is realistic chance they offer also i7/i5 with FHD? I will keep you guys updated.

 

1) Scaling is set to 250 out of the box and I think it looks very comfortable, on my desktop which runs at 1650x900 (I think) I have scaling set to 125. I have have not felt at all uncomfortable with the desktop interface. However some 3rd party apps have looked hideous.

2) In the office i didn't notice much and now at home I don't notice any but I can tell in outdoor situation it will be a challenge.

3) http://i59.tinypic.com/4k7k7r.png

 

?? There has always been an i3 version on the Dell US site. The $799 version mentioned in every review! http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-13-9343-laptop/pd?ref=PD_OC

 

I wanted to say:
There are no i3 options [on the EU website] as on USA website, so there is realistic chance they offer also i7/i5 with FHD? I will keep you guys updated.

 

I was told by a Dell salesperson that the FHD version will be available in the UK in approx 2 months time. I'll probably go for the FHD option, but am a little concerned by reports from some users complaining that the screen is too dim. The QHD screen is 400 nits. I hope the FHD option will be close to this.

 

@james1974_397uk

There is a good comparison below by Lisa of MobileTechReview between the FHD & QHD models & you can see that the QHD is a degree brighter, but it may well be that the FHD is just fine in everyday use. It's a pity you can't see these dell products in a store in the UK before pressing the button on a purchase!

 

It has been confirmed yesterday evening, he could select option:

i7-5600, 256SSD, 8GB RAM, FHD

(more SSD was not possible)

 

This is contrary to what UK Dell Business Telephone Sales told me about 5 minutes ago;

"The FHD model is US only and will never come to the UK". He also said it won't be coming to the EU. Ever.

I'm not sure whether to believe him or not.

 

I also don't know for sure it will be public.... much didn't make sense to me... the FHD was more expensive then the QHD+... this makes me think it is just "custom made" option available to Dell support, and you pay like 500 euro for the screen extra (e.g. same price you would pay for a repair unit).

On the other hand, if they ship the FHD to Europe for custom made situations, why could they not do this for everybody?

 

I'm in the UK and I've got a formal quote (via business division) for an FHD i7 with 5600 - so it does exist - but it's no cheaper than the website price for the QHD version, no idea why... just wanted to clear up at least a piece of this puzzle...

 

@velvetjoker: I have the same quote/configuration (also via business division).

Do you have any more info whether it is a matte/non-reflective screen? They only knew that it was 1080p. The 1080p reviews in the USA were anti-glare/anti-reflection, so I would expect...

however... Dell configurations seem so illogical/paradoxal that I don't trust common sense anymore.

 

I came across this pricing info on a Finnish forum regarding the new XPS 13 in Finland:

XPS1315DKC DELL XPS 13 I7/FHD/8GB/256SSD/8.1P/3NBD
Price: 1711€ inc. VAT 24%

XPS1325DKC DELL XPS 13 I7/QHD+T/8/256SSD/8.1P/3NBD
Price: 1943€ inc. VAT 24%

XPS1345DKC DELL XPS 13 I7/QHD+T/8/512SSD/8.1P/3NBD
Price: 2109€ inc. VAT 24%

Deliveries starting on the 5th of March. This suggests that only the high-end models would be up on sale, but there would be an FHD model available as well.

The prices, however, seem completely outrageous in spite of the VAT. Granted, Dell only sells their products through retailers here in Finland, but even next door in Sweden the middle spec model is 400+ € cheaper on today's exchange rates...

Edit: It looks like the prices above include a 3-year Next Business Day support service, which probably accounts for around 300 € ($378 in the US).

 

Algoth mistä foorumilta löysit ko hinnat? Järjettömiä jos noi on oikeet hinnat.

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Wooohooo..... The FHD version is now available in the UK

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-13-9343-laptop/pd?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

 

FullHD models now available in The Netherlands

 

Don't get this laptop. It's riddled with tiny problems. With the screen, there are dead/stuck pixels and grainy textures, with the trackpad there is bad scrolling and some people complaining of an 'uneven' trackpad, with the unit itself it overheats quickly and the fans stay on constantly thus reducing the battery life to merely a few hours. Not to mention the poor ventilation design also causing throttling in the i7 cpu, thus removing any benefit derived from that cpu.
Finally, Dell support is extremely lacking and downright indifferent towards customers unless you pitch in ~$150 more for their basic business warranty, in which case they also do not do replacements but send a technician with a timeframe like "He'll be there anytime between 9AM and 5:30PM within 2 to 5 business days". Upon asking which day so I can stay home from work, they don't have that information and expect me to be ready any day, which is stupid.

For the money ($1600+) I should've gotten a mac or a surface pro.

 

Same in the UK, I returned my XPS 13 and since bought a Latitude 12 (E7240, an outlet one with the 1080p screen which strangely you can't get on the main site) and I much prefer the 1080p screen compared to the QHD+ as it still looks sharp and detailed but without any of the scaling issues of the super high resolution screen.

ankit255 - I agree with most of what you've typed as those are some of the reasons I put the XPS 13 back (although I had no issues with Dell support). I just wish they'd made it a bit thicker so it could have a proper cooling system, even when the machine was doing low cpu tasks like windows updates or an on access AV scan the fan would kick to life and the way it revved up and down was irritating. I don't regret sending mine back at all, some aspects like the touchpad can perhaps be fixed in time (having no settings for it at all is daft) but others like the thermal design I think will just get worse in time.

John

 

The way I see it is this.. On a QHD you can always set your resolution to 1080, however on a FHD you will never get QHD resolution.

 

Not really, while you can technically run 1080p on a QHD+ screen you end up with a soft image because the number of pixels cannot exactly scale to the physical transistors in the screen - you'd need a 4K screen for that as it has exactly four times as many pixels. That said, 1600x900 should be exactly half the resolution of the QHD+ screen and therefore look sharp as one pixel maps to exactly four but in practice I found that didn't work as well as expected as the image was still soft.

 

It may not be as sharp but it is very acceptable, and once MS get a version of Windows that handles proper DPI scaling, you are ready to go. Plus I find I'm using the touchscreen more and more as I get used to the laptop.

If you find the text soft, have you run Clear Type setup?

 

Microsoft already have a version of Windows that handles scaling properly (windows 8) however it is only in the touch interface, it is likely the desktop interface will never handle scaling properly. I wouldn't say the softness is acceptable, it looks horrible and it's not an issue just with text - it's an inherent problem with TFT displays that they can't handle different resolutions. Comparatively a 1080p display gives a pin sharp display in all interfaces, I much rather that than a super high resolution display that's only usable in the Windows touch interface without ugly scaling or unacceptable levels of softness.