Review Dell XPS 16 (9640) and XPS 14 (9440) review: New looks and great performance combined with a few quirks

[Admin]

Dell has created great all-around premium laptops: just pick your ideal size and deal with a few design quirks.

Dell XPS 16 (9640) and XPS 14 (9440) review: New looks and great performance combined with a few quirks : Read more

 

[cknobman]

Unfortunately the lack of a physical key function row is a deal breaker.
I loved my last XPS for development work so much more than my current HP zbook.
But without real function keys I wont buy.

 

[Notton]

Those batteries are huge, and yet the run time is unimpressive.
What is chugging through those batteries?

 

[herrwizo]

Those batteries are huge, and yet the run time is unimpressive.
What is chugging through those batteries?

Most likely screen. 1080p usually lasts much longer... but as far as I see, there is no such option here?

 

[brandonjclark]

I'd rather work on a MBP or a MBA.

My wife would rather take the Dell because it has a touchscreen, or least her model XPS does.

I find no use for touch.

 

[BillyBuerger]

Dell seems to really like "touch" buttons. The original XPS 13 had just a couple of them for volume and CD eject maybe and they continue to try to use them. They also used them on their monitors for WAY to long. I was disappointed to see them return on the whole function row of the XPS 13 Plus but at least there was the non-plus model with normal function row keys. But the "new" XPS 13 doesn't have this option. Why do they insist on pushing these crappy touch buttons? Touch makes sense for things you are looking at directly like on your phone screen. It's terrible for things you need to push but shouldn't be looking at like keys on a keyboard.

We picked up one of these new XPS 13s for a new employee recently and I was also a bit worried about the flat keyboard keys. But I also found they weren't that bad. They're not amazing and I still will always use my own keyboard over any laptop keyboard, but at least it wasn't terrible.

 

[kaalus]

No physical function keys, weak battery life and questionable keyboard with top tier price. Stay away.

 

[blargh4]

It was depressing seeing these laptops at Best Buy a couple months back - Dell's XPS machines used to be some of the best Windows laptops you can buy, this iteration is a bad joke. Even Apple backtracked on their dumb touch bar thing and now some moron at Dell decided to do an even worse version?

 

[ThomasKinsley]

Beautiful machines. Disappointing price point. Manufacturers charge an arm and a leg because they can, not because it's worth it.

 

[snemarch]

Capacitative function key row and the stupid Copilot key? Not even going to read the rest of the review, those are enough to make me not even consider those machines.

 

[cyrusfox]

For Content consumption consumers, this is a good design , compromise for anyone doing work. Horrible design decision for professionals.

Capacitative function key row and the stupid Copilot key? Not even going to read the rest of the review, those are enough to make me not even consider those machines.

Unfortunately it appears the copilot key is required going forward for windows laptops thanks to microsoft...
Annoying they are stealing a key from the keyboard where its nearly impossible to find a laptop that has a pause/break key or function combination (AHK workarounds...), also hate how I have a powerbutton right by my delete key(HP elitebook). Capacitive touch on a physical keyboard is impractical, can't believe the esc key as well as the function keys are touch as well.

 

[subspruce]

Unfortunately the lack of a physical key function row is a deal breaker.
I loved my last XPS for development work so much more than my current HP zbook.
But without real function keys I wont buy.

Remember the touch bar on MacBook?