Dell XPS 14 (Summer 2012)

The new Dell XPS 14 (Summer 2012) ($1,499 direct) is approximately the same size and a bit heavier than its mainstream laptop predecessor, the Dell XPS 14z ($1,299 direct, 4 stars). Along the way the system has improved its looks, lost an optical drive, and gained some battery capability with some extra weight. This time the XPS 14 has joined the ultrabook ranks, and must be judged along those lines. It's still a system made for people who need just a bit more computing power than they can get with the average laptop. Ultimately, it's a hefty performance ultrabook that has appeal, but only to a more niche audience, rather than the general population.

Design and Features
Dell has improved the XPS 14's design, making it sleeker and less clunky looking than the previous Dell XPS 14z, which had large speaker grilles flanking and clashing with the contrasting silver-colored keyboard. The new system's chiclet-style black keyboard with concave keys matches the dark gray surrounding bezel better. An aluminum ring surrounds the system, highlighting its I/O ports. The new touchpad is now made of a glass surface, with integrated left and right mouse buttons. Using the new touchpad with two-finger swipes to scroll was smooth and not "grabby" like it is on some touchpads. The keyboard is backlit, as you would expect on a $1,499 system. The XPS 14's arrow keys are half convex (up and down) and half concave (left and right). This matches other Dell ultrabooks like the Dell Inspiron 14z ($799 direct, 4 stars). Basically, the system looks like a big brother to the Dell XPS 13 ($999.99 direct, 4 stars). The XPS 14's lid is silver-colored aluminum, but if you order the WWAN-equipped model you'll get black leather on the lid. All XPS 14 models share the silicone-covered aluminum base and dark grey magnesium palm rest with "soft touch paint."

The XPS 14 comes with a 14-inch widescreen LED backlit panel, as its name suggests. The display comes with a seamless piece of Gorilla Glass protecting it.?Although it's not a 1,920-by-1,080 true 1080p HD panel, the screen's 1,600-by-900 resolution is better than that of most other 13- and 14-inch panels. Most of those come in a 1,366-by-768 resolution, which is sufficient for 720p HD. Using the XPS 14 will let you?see more on a website or?blow up a picture more clearly than?will a system with a lower-resolution screen.

The system's I/O ports punch through the XPS 14's machined-aluminum ring surround. The ports are plentiful for an ultrabook or other ultraportable. The system comes with two USB 3.0 ports (one of which is a PowerShare charging port), a HDMI port, Mini DisplayPort, Ethernet, Kensington lock port, 3-in-1 card reader, and a headset/headphone jack. This trounces the XPS 13, which lacks HDMI, card reader, and Ethernet. The XPS 14 is 0.8 by 13.2 by 9.2 inches (HWD), so it's larger in all dimensions compared to the Editors' Choice for ultrabooks, the HP Folio 13-1020us ($899.99 list, 4 stars). Strangely enough, it's very close to the dimensions of the Dell XPS 14z (0.9 by 13.19 by 9.21 inches), though the new model still looks better.

Like the previous model, the new XPS 14 supports WiDi using its built-in Intel 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and WiDi software. It's up to you to get a compatible WiDi adapter for your TV. The new XPS 14 doesn't have an optical drive, though the older XPS 14z had one in the same-size package. Optical drives may be less important these days, but it's disappointing that Dell couldn't make the system even thinner without the drive.

The XPS 14 weights a portly 4.7 pounds by itself, and 5.6 pounds with the AC adapter. It's not heinous, but it's more than a pound heavier than the 3.3-pound HP Folio 13-1020US and over two pounds heavier than the 2.5-pound Toshiba Portege Z835-P370 ($1,049.99 list, 4 stars). Granted, the Toshiba Z835-P370 felt flimsier due to its lower weight and ultra-thin chassis. You'll definitely feel the extra heft of the XPS 14 whether you're traveling across the room or across the country.

The extra heft doesn't apply to the XPS 14's software load; that's fairly light. The system comes with Skype preloaded as well as a 30-day trial version of McAfee SecurityCenter. The other preloaded software like Office Starter, Adobe Reader X, and WebCam Central are useful additions. The 1.3-megapixel webcam comes with dual-array microphones for easy Web conferencing (via Skype or the messaging client of your choice). The system's 500GB hard drive is supplemented by a 32GB mSATA SSD, for the Intel Smart Response Technology aspect of ultrabook certification. Dell offers a 512GB SSD-only option for $1,999.

Performance
The XPS 14's third-generation Intel Core i7-3517U processor, 8GB of DDR2 memory, and Nvidia GeForce GT 630M help contribute to speedy multimedia benchmark results. The system took only 1 minute 48 seconds to complete the Handbrake video encode test and 4:05 for the Photoshop CS5 test. These are much faster than the times for the second-generation Intel Core i5-2467M-powered HP Folio 13-1020us (which scored 2:29 in Handbrake, 5:24 in CS5) as well as the third-generation Intel Core i5-3317U?powered Dell Inpiron 14z (which scored 1:58 in Handbrake, 4:35 in CS5) and Sony VAIO T13 (SVT13112FXS) ($799 direct, 4 stars) (which scored 2:03 in Handbrake, 4:40 in CS5). In addition to a higher base clock speed, the i7-3517U can use Turbo Boost to run at up to 3GHz for a short period of time. The XPS 14 is one of the systems you should look at if you're trying to complete photo or video hobby projects quickly.

The XPS 14 (Summer 2012) comes with an Nvidia GeForce GT 630M discrete GPU, which works instead of the integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics in the Core i7 processor to give users a bit more 3D oomph when they need it. It's not a lot of oomph, since Intel HD Graphics 4000?is good for about 20fps on Crysis at medium settings on the Sony VAIO T13 and the GT 630M only increases that to 27fps in the XPS 14. It's much the same on the Lost Planet 2 test at middle quality: 13fps for the Sony T13, 29fps for the XPS 14. It is a somewhat significant numerical increase, but?the increase in playability isn't. We like to see at least 35 to 45fps at both tests to even consider them moderately playable, and at least 60 fps to call it smoothly playable. The mSATA SSD helped the XPS 14?earn a very good 3,348 score on the PCMark7 test, which measures the system's ability to handle mundane tasks. This is very close to the 3,150?that the HP Folio 13-1020us achieved,?so both should feel similarly speedy while Web browsing, using office apps, and during other day-to-day operations. The speed comes at an aural cost, however.?Although the system worked hard at topping the other ultrabooks on the benchmark tests, the system's cooling fans unerringly spooled up to full blast. This means that you'll want to have noise-cancelling headphones handy if you're into 3D games, video processing, or photo editing.

In terms of day-to-day operations, you'll get much of the day untethered with the XPS 14's 69Wh battery.?Although it's not replaceable, the built-in battery is good for 9 hours 37 minutes of battery life. That's not quite "all-day" battery life, but it's pretty good for a segment that gets anywhere from 5 hours up to 9 hours of battery life. That's certainly better than the 8:47 that the HP Folio 13-1020us got and much, much better than the 6:06 that the Dell Inspiron 14z scored.

The Dell XPS 14 certainly wins points for styling, screen resolution, Core i7 power, and battery life. But?those wins are tempered by the system's merely?okay 3D performance, bulky size and weight, and high price. The XPS 14 will appeal to those who want just a bit more and are prepared to pay more than a bit for it. Is the XPS 14 better than the Editors' Choice HP Folio 13-1020us? On a performance basis, yes. Is it $600 better than the HP Folio 13-1020us? Not really, especially since the XPS 14 is over a pound heavier yet has less than an hour more battery life. It's not quite the decisive trade-off that would unseat the current champ. Call the Dell XPS 14 a decent system for people who want more performance and are willing to endure more weight as a trade-off for quicker computing.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE
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