This is STILL the laptop to beat... right? - Dell XPS 15 (2023)

The Dell XPS 15 is usually Alex's go-to Windows laptop, but after a few years of minimal updates, is it still an easy recommendation, or has Dell let the XPS line go stagnant?

Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group.

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CHAPTERS
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0:00 Still the best?
0:20 Unboxing
1:18 Design impressions and IO
2:45 Sponsor - Keeper
3:20 Specs
4:44 Display impressions and Labs testing results
6:41 Gaming - Valheim
7:41 Labs' performance testing results
8:49 Trackpad and keyboard impressions
10:15 Speaker impressions and comparisons
11:51 Battery test results
12:57 Pricing
14:05 Webcam and microphone impressions
14:31 Teardown
15:44 Overall thoughts
16:14 Outro

[SlyMcfly]

I wish I had as much joy about something, like Alex has joy for Dell XPSs

[rodrigoambriz]

The real issue with this computer is the thermal management but there was no mention of it.

[ei..]

As a heads up, DON'T go with the 4070 model! It's a 100+ watt card, but in the xps it has a tdp of under 50W. If you need a good gpu, look elsewhere, or stick with the 4060 instead.

[Ecipse..]

XPS 15 has shitty io and thermal, but the real dealbreaker is the pricing. For the i7 4060 model in the UK, they charge £2, 149. This is INSANE compared to the competition from Lenovo and Asus.

[rustler]

My old XPS 9560 is still going strong, and it's shocking to me because I normally upgrade electronics more frequently. However, there has been nothing that drives me to do so with this computer: the screen still looks great, the battery lasts long enough for my use, and the power is more than adequate for the basic tasks it performs.
Also, there is no other company that I have found that matches the warranty of Dell for Windows computers. Every time I had an issue with mine it was fixed within three days. Sometimes even the next day.

[FrinkyDinky]

I was considering getting an xps last week. But the lack of I/O was literally the one and only deal breaker for me.

[Javadamutt]

I would love to see a laptop shootout. XPS Vs HP Vs Lenovo Vs MacBook Vs Frmaework

[Rdebo_]

Honestly, a must-do for these laptops is to open them up and repaste them with a high-quality thermal paste. You can also upgrade the thermal pads or use TG-PP10 for any chiplets for a little extra performance. Honeywell PTM7950 is also an option.
The stock application of paste oftentimes sucks, so this should help with idle temps, fan ramping, and frequency drops at peak.

[Stevieboy]

I would love to see this next to the Framework 16, as this is what I (and other viewers) are probably deciding between.

[klassyken]

Would be great to see a comparison of Lenovo Slim Pro 9i ( MINI LED) and ASUS zenbook Pro OLED.

[MrWage]

Gotta say the notch on the Macbook Pro has never bothered me. I don't own one (I own an Air) but the space where the notch is at is taken up by the menu bar, so its not like you're losing screen real estate.

[benoitlabatut]

11:02 I don't know if it is done on purpose but the XPS display and the screen behind it aligning perfectly is so soooo so satisfying !!

[JediDropBear]

Not hearing Alex mention Windows modern standby felt weird, it had become such a mainstay in his laptop reviews aha.
Also I don't remember hearing if it was ever fixed after those Windows devs started to look into it?

[Piketom]

The battery life is the reason I went MacBook Pro rather than Dell. I really, really wish intel would invest in a truly power efficient architecture for high end laptops. Windows laptops just can’t compete with Apple. I routinely get 12 - 15 hours of screen on time from my 16” MacBook Pro with the display above half brightness.

[wateriver]

I have the 2022 version. For those of you that are in university, don’t get this for the battery life. It’ll last about five hours. About three hours when the screen brightness is at 100%. And you’ll be doing that a lot if you find yourself in well lit classrooms or in places with outside lighting coming in from windows. Keyboard is great, trackpad is great, and it is quite a looker especially with a dbrand skin.

[xavierjiang]

hp's laptop *kept* the barrel jack, so they can still feed lots of power, but it also come with Thunderbolts for connectivity. That's how things should actually go.

[Jskins]

Purchased this 3 years ago because of you and and it may be one of the better buys I have ever made, thanks!

[BlindMango]

Been using XPS laptops for 11 years now. XPS laptops get a redesign every 4 years, so I'd expect something next year (usually in the summer)

[TrioLOLGamers]

I hope you'll also start talking about BIOS settings for upgradability: for example HP is well known to lock down everything, even fan profiles and RAM timing with the risk of messing everything up when trying to upgrade...

[elichai]

Would love to see a comparison between the new XPS 15 and the new Framework 16