Dell’s XPS 17 Proves Big-Screen Laptops Are Back, and They’re Awesome

A few class back , a heap of major laptop computer makers began quiet paring down the act of 17 - inch laptop computer they made ( aside from monstrously large play rigs ) , with Apple and Dell knock off the 17 - inch MacBook Pro and XPS 17 respectively . However , thanks to betterment like small bezel and improved vigor efficiency , thin and light laptop with positive - sized screens and bighearted performance are relieve oneself a comeback .

After Apple re - envisioned its bad - format laptop computer as the16 - column inch MacBook Proin 2019 , Dell made a similar move by bringing back theXPS 17this year . While the circumstances are dissimilar this time around ( specially considering 2020 is a tyre fervidness of a twelvemonth ) , the revival meeting of Dell ’s flagship 17 - column inch laptop could n’t have come at a better time . Big - screen laptops are back , babe , and they ’re even best than before .

Dell XPS 17 9700

Photo: Sam Rutherford

What is it ?

Dell ’s flagship 17 - inch laptop computer

cost

Here is an XPS 15 laid on top of an XPS 17 to give you a sense of their size.Photo: Sam Rutherford

Starts at $ 1,350 ( $ 2,750 as tested )

Gorgeous designing , super petite webcam , lots of USB - C port wine , built - in Coyote State card reader , great keyboard , hopeful display , let in dongle

Here is an XPS 15 laid on top of an XPS 17 to give you a sense of their size.

Here is an XPS 15 laid on top of an XPS 17 to give you a sense of their size.Photo: Sam Rutherford

Do n’t Like

Would like to see more knock-down GPU options , webcam quality is just all right , can get pricey depending on the config

For the big reintroduction of the XPS 17 , Dell did n’t deviate too much from the Graeco-Roman XPS design . The XPS 17 has a tapered wedge - form body with a silver aluminium lid , a big carbon character deck in the middle , and another aluminum tub on bottom . Despite its overall sizing ( 14.74 x 9.76 x 0.77 inches ) and weight ( 5.53 pounds ) , the XPS 17 still manages to feel quite flowing and surprisingly portable — until you stack an XPS 15 on top and see how big the difference really is . In some ways , the size and design of the XPS 17 feel like a mirage , because when you spread out it up , you ca n’t help but appreciate how much display you get from a organisation that seems smaller than it is , especially when you deliberate the last time we saw the XPS 17 was back in 2012 , when it count more than eight pound alternatively of five .

Photo: Sam Rutherford

Photo: Sam Rutherford

Along its side , the XPS 17 comes with an ample mixed bag of ports , include four USB - C ports with Thunderbolt 3 ( all support charge , too ) , a earphone jack , and a full - size SD card reader . The only ports you might be missing are HDMI and USB - A , though Dell has that cover too with an include dongle .

Inside , Dell maximizes the XPS 17 ’s exhibit ( which comes in a multitude of options , from a 1900 x 1200 non - touch panel to a 4 K UHD+ screen ) , with razor - thin bezel . Dell ’s super tiny webcam and IR photographic camera mental faculty , which sit down above the screen , are incisively where you want them . The build up - in IR camera offers support for Windows Hello aspect login , while the 720p HD webcam is meant to handle all your telecasting - vocation needs , though I must say that the XPS 17 ’s webcam image quality and resolution are n’t quite as gamey as I ’d like .

Below on its pack of cards , Dell flank the keyboard with large stereo speakers that feature a 2.5 - James Watt woofer and 1.5 - watt tweeter on each side equal to of delivering rich , room - filling strait . And as for the keyboard itself , Dell wisely has n’t messed with the look of the XPS 17 ’s key , which are frizzy and bouncy . I ’m not gon na call them staring , but the XPS 17 ’s keyboard is pretty much my platonic ideal of how keys on a laptop should feel . And eventually , there ’s that vast 6 x 3.5 - column inch matt touchpad , which leaves just enough elbow room for your wrists on either side while leave accurate gesture realisation and more mousing way than most citizenry plausibly need .

The one likely peculiarity about the XPS 17 ’s deck of cards is Dell ’s decision not to include a dedicated numpad like you sometimes see on 17 - inch play system . Some might bewail that call , but on a well - round out arrangement like this , I think sacrificing the numpad for bigger utterer and an overall cleaner design was ultimately the right selection .

And then there ’s that screen . Our revue building block have the upgraded 4 kilobyte 3840 x 2400 touch screen , and I just ca n’t get enough . It puts out over 450 nits of brightness and has some of the richest and most vivid coloring material you could get from a laptop computer LCD venire today . If you ’re intending to grease one’s palms an XPS 17 to edit out exposure or video recording , I would highly urge kick upstairs to the 4 K screenland instead of the immoral FHD+ gore . Furthermore , with its 16:10 vista ratio , the XPS 17 also provide a turn more upright screen real estate , which is exactly what you want from a big all - design laptop .

The XPS 17 ai n’t no slouch when it get along to execution , either . The base of operations config follow with a 10th - gen Intel Core i5 - 10300H CPU , but our more expensive review building block came upgraded with a Core i7 - 10875H CPU , and it absolutely fly . In our CPU render mental testing in Blender , the XPS 17 withdraw almost four minute less to render the same image ( 4:40 ) as MSI ’s Creator 15 ( 8:33 ) , despite the smaller Creator 15 have the same CPU .

And when it comes to graphics performance , it ’s a alike story , with the XPS 17 ( 6:26 ) beating the MSI Creator 15 ( 8:36 ) by more than two instant in our Blender GPU rendering test , once again with both system boast an RTX 2060 GPU . This form of performance makes the XPS 17 a great choice for content Creator , and while it ’s not intended to be a competitive gambling automobile , the XPS 17 is able to pump out more than 80 fps in Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 1080p with all the art bells and whistle turned on , so it ’s not a bad fragging simple machine either . caloric headroom also seems quite respectable , because while the XPS 17 will throttle itself a morsel when maxed out , I did n’t point out any major lag or dips in carrying into action during more normal lading .

Even the XPS 17 ’s bombardment life is jolly square for a organization this large , with it lasting just timid of 9 hours ( 8:58 ) on our video summation psychometric test , about two hours longer than theMSI Creator 15and an hr longer thanHP ’s ZBook Create G7 .

After using the XPS 17 for several weeks , I only really have one ailment : its cost . Because even though it starts at just $ 1,350 for a 17 - inch FHD+ screen , Core i5 CPU , 8 GB of RAM , 256 GB SSD , and integrated graphics , when you start upgrading components , the cost balloons quite rapidly . So in comparison , our inspection unit , which boast a 4 K touchscreen , Core i7 10875H CPU , 32 GB of RAM , 1 TB SSD , and RTX 2060 GPU , costs more than double the price at around $ 2,750 . And annoyingly , if you want to cut back on a few component like RAM or storehouse to save money , currently the cheapest model with an RTX 2060 card start at $ 2,450 . gratefully , if you ’re less interested with nontextual matter , you’re able to separate the difference for a system with a GTX 1650 Ti GPU , which set forth at around $ 1,800 , and if you ’re face for the good Libra the Balance between price and performance , that ’s where I ’d start out .

But for me the bad takeout about the XPS 17 is the direction it meet into 2020 . While a slew of the great unwashed hold off for the world to get back to normal , I sense like it ’s also significant to reckon about what normal even mean . justly now there are 1000000 of citizenry who have to process or study from house , and even when things start open up again , a lot of people wo n’t be returning to the same buildings or office they were in before . This stool it even more important to see what you need from a personal computer .

For yr , 15 - column inch system have been the most popular laptop computer sizing , as they more often than not volunteer the good balance between cost , business leader , and portability . However , if you ’re the kind of person who is only perish to locomote with their laptop a smattering of clock time every year ( or less considering the on-going pandemic ) , a handsome system like the XPS 17 suddenly becomes a very challenging option . Not only does its bigger concealment interpret into more productivity ( or good movie - watching ) when you ’re stuck at domicile , you also get more port and a wider ambit of upgradable components .

Meanwhile , the XPS 17 does n’t suffer from being bind to a desk or table like a normal desktop or all - in - one . And all of this come in a software package that ’s not that much magnanimous ( or much more expensive ) than an XPS 15 . ( Though you will want to ensure you have something to carry it in , because the XPS 17 unquestionably does n’t fit in my normal messenger old bag . ) So in a unknown way , 2020 was sort of the complete sentence for Dell to bring back the XPS 17 . You get a bigger , more powerful system from one of the full laptop lines on the market , but in a body that ’s way less of a burden than its predecessor from the not - too - removed past . So even if a 17 - inch laptop might not be in your immediate future , the XPS 17 has demonstrated why they ’re wee-wee a comeback , and it ’s done so with power and style .

README

The XPS 17 has gone full USB - century for its onboard ports , but it does come with an include dongle with HDMI and USB - A.

While the XPS 17 was n’t project to be a principal gaming PC , it would have been overnice to see Dell offer support for an RTX 2070 ( or equivalent ) computer graphic choice .

A basis XPS 17 is relatively low-priced starting at between $ 1,300 and $ 1,400 , but if you desire distinct graphics , a skillful screen , or husky component part , its monetary value can shoot up tight .