Dell XPS 12 Convertible Ultrabook Review

Tablets are extremely popular right now, but many users still need a more powerful machine to do serious work. For people who don't want two devices but desire the touch screen controls and convenience of a tablet, as well as the productivity capabilities of a notebook in a single machine, a convertible ultrabook may be a good fit.

We're starting to see more and more ultrabooks that convert from a traditional laptop into a tablet. Not long ago, we took a closer look at Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga 13 Ultrabook which features a touchscreen display with a dual-articulating hinge that allows the machine to convert to tablet mode. Today, we're going to take a hands-on look at Dell's XPS 12 convertible ultrabook, which takes a different approach.

Dell's XPS 12 features a display that's surrounded by a thin silver bezel. As you can see from the photos, the display rotates on a hinge located in the middle of this bezel. The machine runs on Windows 8 and takes full advantage of the operating system's touch capabilities with its touch display.

Dell offers various configuration options with the XPS 12. We're testing one of the lower-end models with a Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB solid state drive. Other configurations feature up to a Core i7-3517U processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB solid state hard drive.

Dell XPS 12 Ultrabook Specifications & Features As Tested