Dell XPS 13 Plus review: Beauty vs. usability

I have never seen a laptop like the XPS 13 Plus. It's similar to Dell sending a computer back in time. There are no gaps between the keys on the keyboard. Underneath the wrist rest, there is a hidden trackpad and a row of function keys.

The most computing power ever in a 13-inch Dell ultraportable should make the XPS 13 Plus perfect. It's not quite. It's an admirable achievement, but it feels like Dell's designers focused on style.

• A stunning design
• Excellent wide keyboard
• Fast performance for a 13-inch ultraportable
• Gorgeous OLED screen

• Invisible trackpad can be frustrating to use
• Capacitive function keys are tough to see outside
• No headphone jack
• Only two USB-C ports

It's one of those things that you take for one. When I first got my hands on the XPS 13 Plus, I was floored by its unusual design and worried that it could cause headaches. The sensation of clicking without moving is delivered by the piezo motor in the trackpad area. The wrist rest is just a piece of glass.

It's not a new thing for trackpads to have a sense of touch. They've been used by Apple for a long time, and they're starting to show up in other Windows laptops. Since they can't trap gunk, laptops can be more reliable. It feels strange on the XPS 13 Plus. You can't tell when you're in the trackpad zone without pressing down or looking for a mouse. The trackpad and wrist rest are different with other notebooks. It's not something we think about a lot, but it goes a long way to make us feel confident as we browse the web or scroll through documents.

Just right-clicking can feel like a trial and error. Is my hand too far to the left? Is there too much towards the right? It shouldn't be hard to do something simple with a laptop that's meant to represent the future. It feels like a party trick that can impress your friends, but will make your life harder. Even after using the XPS 13 Plus for a week, I still can't seem to get the trackpad to work.

The keyboard of the 13 Plus is better. The entire width of the computer has no gaps between the keys. Dell's machine goes even farther to the edge than HP's, despite the similarities. My large hands can spread out like they do on a desktop keyboard, thanks to the result. The typing experience still feels responsive despite the small amount of key travel.

It's not hard to imagine future keyboards using similar mechanisms to deliver a deeper typing sensation after seeing the trackpad's Haptics. The function row of the XPS 13 Plus could feel more like traditional keys if that technology is used. I didn't mind the function row but I wish it was more visible outside. It tends to get washed out in the sun. One Engadget staffer has had to replace the function keys on multiple occasions. It could be a sign of the quality of the build or it could be that the buttons are not very durable.

The XPS 13 Plus is a typical XPS 13 when it's closed. The case is made of aluminum and looks as good as ever. If you look closely, you'll see that there's not a jack on the side. It's a baffling decision that Dell removed that from this year's XPS 13. I don't think the new quad-speaker array can make up for that.

There isn't a way to charge the computer if you have both of the plugs plugged in. Dell has no excuse if Apple can squeeze a 3.5 millimeter jack in the new MacBook Air, which is the same weight as the XPS 13 Plus. The model is a tad heavier than the regular one.

If you want to get a 4K screen in an XPS this year, the 13 Plus is the only other option. The standard XPS 13 has only one display resolution. 400 nits of brightness is offered by our review unit, which is equipped with a 3.5K screen. I'm curious to see how the 500-nit 4K variant performs, since it looks like it's as good as all the other XPS screens. Our review model's display was fine outdoors, but a little more brightness would make it look better in the sun.

The Plus has a Dell's razor-thinInfinity Edge screen. The effect of having an almost border-less screen is still amazing, but I wish Dell had pushed things more with this design. It's hard to tell the difference between the two models. The situation is a little better. The top screen is larger than the others because it has a Windows Hello IR module and a 720p webcam. The camera still looks better than what we've seen from Dell before, but I would have liked to see it reach1080p.

You can't see the last major upgrade in the XPS 13 Plus. Last year's XPS 13 had 15- watt 11th-gen chips, whereas this year's is powered by Intel's 28- watt 12th-gen processor. If you want to do serious work, this is the small XPS for you. Dell claims that the 12th-gen chips on the standard XPS 13 are as fast as the previous 11th-gen ones. It's clear that Dell is positioning the smaller XPS 13 as a more efficient system for less demanding consumers.

Intel's Core i7-1280P is the fastest chip on the market. Six performance cores and eight efficiency cores make up the hybrid 14-coreCPU. It proved to be worthy in our tests. The XPS 13 Plus was close to the larger XPS 15 in GeekBench 5.

It also beat the new Yoga 9i in Cinebench R23. The graphics card doesn't help games at all. I wouldn't be able to play the game in high definition, but I'm pretty sure a less demanding game would be more enjoyable.

In its "Ultra Performance" thermal mode, the XPS 13 Plus spins up the fans to let it run hotter. Quiet mode can be used to reduce heat and noise. I couldn't use the laptop on my lap outside because it was too warm. It was well above 90 degrees in Atlanta, so I'm not going to hold that against the XPS 13 Plus. I would like the battery life to be better. The system only lasted 12 and a half hours in performance mode and 9 and a half hours in optimal mode. The 2020 XPS 13 took 16 hours to complete.

The more powerful XPS 15 and 17 were better suited to creatives who needed to edit video or audio, while the more basic XPS 13 was better suited to people who wanted to get basic work done. Dell has an ultraportable that can throw down some processing power. Is anyone really interested in that on a smaller screen? It's best suited for someone who wants to experiment with a souped-up XPS 13 or someone who wants to experiment with a futuristic design. I think it's a good idea to test out the XPS 13 Plus before committing to it. It could become a problem for daily use.

There is a 1,920 by 1,200 (FHD+) screen for the XPS 13 Plus at a starting price of $1,200. If you're planning to keep the laptop for four years or more, I'd recommend increasing the amount of memory to 16 gigabytes and the amount of storage to 1 to 2 terabytes. It will cost at least $1,799.

Dell deserves a lot of credit for trying to push laptop designs forward with the XPS 13 Plus. There are a lot of great ideas in this computer that could be adopted by competitors. I hope Dell is able to deal with the potential problems with the device. Don't make the future of computing feel backwards.