Dell was cool, then it sucked, now it’s cool again. The XPS line as of late has been popular with photographers as it offers a great alternative to the Macbook Pro. At CES, Dell announced their much-awaited update to their XPS 15 laptop with specs that could entice in the loyal OSX users.
[REWIND: LACIE REVEALS NEW RUGGED & D2 WITH THUNDERBOLT & USB-C | MADE FOR MACBOOK?]
The updated Dell is powered by the 7th generation Intel Core processors, or Kaby Lake. Kaby Lake processors, in short, offer better performance for the same power consumption as the ones found in the new MacBook Pros, with the ability to decode 4K content, and native USB 3.1 support.
Along with the new processor, Dell has updated the GPU in it laptop with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 with 4GB GDDR5 RAM. In contrast, the previous model had a GTX 960M, which is similar to the one in the new Surface Studio. Since the new Dell XPS 15 9560 will retain the chassis of its predecessor, it will support similar InfinityEdge display – a virtually borderless display that maximizes screen space, with a bezel measuring 5.7mm
The screen will be available in two variants: an IPS FHD (1920×1080) and an IGZO UHD (3840×2160) with 100% AdobeRGB color gamut and touch support. Physical dimensions of the unit also remain intact with the predecessor, with a thickness of 17mm and weight of around 4.4 lbs depending on configuration.
For the MacBook Pro convert, the Dell XPS 9650 has 2 USB 3.0 type A ports, Full sized HDMI, Thunderbolt 3 and an SD card reader. It looks like Dell retained the user serviceable parts of last year’s model meaning that the PCIE SSD and RAM are replaceable, with RAM maxing out at 32 GB.
Dell also bumped the battery on the high-end model from 84WHr to a 97Whr – just shy of the legal FCC limit for air travel. Combined with the efficiencies with Kaby Lake and battery life should be outstanding.
Like in the previous generation, Dell is offering the XPS 15 with many variations and a starting price point of $999. Of course, that is relying on integrated graphics, a Full HD non-touch display, a dual-core Core i3 processor and 8GB of RAM.
So. MacBook Pro beater?
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