Dell XPS 13 9370 (2018) Review: Spun Glass, Killer Looks And Speed
Dell has been updating its XPS line of laptops at a brisk clip as of late. Though we just showed you a recent update of the highly decorated Dell XPS 13 here, with Intel 8th Gen Kaby Lake R technology on board, we're back again today with yet another update to the XPS 13 family, and this time its beauty is not just skin-deep.
What you're looking at above is the Rose Gold version of the latest XPS 13 with its Alpine White, woven glass fiber keyboard deck. The material for the palm rest is comprised of woven crystaline silicon fiber for low weight, high tensile strength and durability, combined with textured lattice fibers that provides a smooth, slightly hatched appearance and feel that's very premium. In addition, Dell treated the surface with a stain resistant UV coating that will prevent discoloration over time and resist marks. Though we didn't attempt the test on our own, we watched a Dell rep mark the palm rest area with a black Sharpie marker, and even after letting it sit for a minute to soak in, he was able to wipe if off relatively easily with just his finger.
We should also note early here, that a black/carbon fiber and Platinum Silver version of the machine is also available with the same new design language and internal updates as well.
The rest of the XPS 13's chassis is cut from a single slab of aluminum for a solid, durable construction. Let's take you on a quick video tour of the Dell XPS 13 (9370) in Alpine White and Rose Gold. Then we'll dive in for a detailed look at the hardware and software, and finally its performance profile, which may just be the most interesting salient feature of the machine overall...
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| Processor Options | 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U (8MB Cache, up to 4.0GHz) |
| Display |
13.3" UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) IGZO IPS InfinityEdge Touch, 400 nits, 1500:1 contrast ratio, 100% sRGB |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 620 |
| Memory |
16GB LPDDR3 2133MHz (On board) |
| Storage |
1TB PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive |
| Optical | External Options Only |
| Ethernet | N/A |
| WiFi |
Killer 1435 Wireless-AC 2x2 + Bluetooth 4.1 |
| Interface (Left) |
2 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C), Battery Gauge Button, Lock Port, Speaker |
| Interface (Right) |
MicroSD Slot, USB-C 3.1 With Power Share, Headset Jack, Speaker |
| Interface (Back) | N/A |
| Webcam |
HD (720p) Webcam With Quad Array Digital Mics, Windows Hello Infrared Camera |
| Operating System |
Windows 10 Home 64-Bit |
| Battery | 4-cell Lithium Ion (52 WHr) |
| Dimensions | Height: 0.33-0.6” (9-15mm) / Width: 11.98” (304mm) / Depth: 7.88” (200mm) |
| Weight |
2.68 pounds (Starting Weight) w/ Touch Display |
| Warranty |
1 Year Limited Hardware Warranty |
| Pricing | Starting At $999 Base - $2,499 As Configured |
With the Rose Gold and Alpine White variant of the XPS 13, Dell also bundles in white accessories to match the machine's color profile. There's an elegant, white AC adapter included, as well as a white USB-C to standard USB dongle. Our particular machine was fully loaded with an Ultra HD 4K InfinityEdge multi-touch display, with the thinnest of bezels, a 1TB NVMe Solid State Drive, and 16GB of RAM supporting its quad-core Intel Core i7-8550U 8th Gen processor, which tops out at a snappy 4GHz Turbo speed. Finally, backing all that technology up is a slightly smaller 52 Whr battery, versus the 60 Whr power plant in the 2017 model we tested back in November. Will that smaller battery hold back the machine to any significant degree?
We were wondering that too, and we'll have answers for you on the pages ahead. But first, let's get up close and personal with this sleek, new Dell XPS slab-o-technology...
We were wondering that too, and we'll have answers for you on the pages ahead. But first, let's get up close and personal with this sleek, new Dell XPS slab-o-technology...
