Dell XPS 13 9370 (2018) Review: Spun Glass, Killer Looks And Speed

Performance Summary: The latest Dell XPS 13 (9370) for 2018 is an excellent performer in all respects. The Toshiba NVMe solid state drive in the machine offers strong throughput that approaches 3GB/s reads and 1GB/s writes. Battery life is also very good, especially considering the top-end configuration we tested, which features a true quad-core Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 4K, multi-touch display. The machine's performance in all of the benchmarks was also best-of-class. Graphics performance wasn't quite up to snuff in comparison to a discrete NVIDIA GPU or AMD's Ryzen Mobile processor with Vega-based graphics, but versus other ultrabooks that utilize Intel's integrated graphics engine, the new XPS 13 rocked. In virtually all of our benchmarks, the Dell XPS 13 (9370) finished at or near the top of the charts. This machine is arguably one of the fastest 13-inch ultrabooks we have tested to date. It also maintained that performance with minimal throttling over a longer duration, versus other machines we've tested, and it did so while maintaining a cool and quiet demeanor.


In a nutshell, almost everything about the new Dell XPS 13 (9307) for 2018 has been refined and improved. Dell refreshed the machine with Intel's 8th Gen Kaby Lake R series, but it also retooled the XPS 13's cooling solution, so it offers up as much performance as a 13-inch machine could possibly muster with Intel's new 15 Watt, quad-core laptop CPUs. Dell also improved on the XPS 13's industrial design, which was a tall order to fill. The new Alpine White, woven spun glass and Rose Gold combination is a real head-turner, and it feels as good as it looks -- so function was certainly not sacrificed for form here. And again, a black/carbon fiber and Platinum Silver version of the machine is also available, if white and Rose Gold is not your jam. Regardless, this machine's ultra-clean lines, premium materials, and build quality only make it that much more of a pleasure to lay your geek mitts on. 


And if that weren't enough, Dell took its already fantastic 13-inch IGZO IPS InfinityEdge display, punched up its brightness to 400 nits, expanded its contrast ratio, and even shaved a millimeter or two off its already razer-thin bezels. Dell's 4K panel option with this machine is just sublime. The Dell XPS 13 (9370) for 2018 brings the kind of innovative materials and performance solutions we have yet to see in any other laptop to date, based on Intel 8th Gen Core processor technology. You've got spun glass, killer good looks, and speed. What's not to love?