A huge range of PC products means there's a best Dell laptop for every kind of user, although there's one we'd recommend above the rest. The Dell XPS 13 Plus (9320) is the company's flagship notebook in the 13-inch segment and easily one of the best Windows laptop picks, sporting the latest components and premium design. It's the best Dell laptop available now. There are plenty of other options if it's not quite what you're looking for.
Best overall: Dell XPS 13 Plus (9320)
The Dell XPS 13 (9310) is an all-around fantastic laptop and one of the best Windows laptops, but it has been usurped by the newest Dell XPS 13 Plus (9320). You can still find lots of 9310 models for sale — and you'll often find them at a reduced price as stock is blown out to make room for new models — but if you want the best you want the XPS 13 Plus.
There are a number of major changes to the XPS 13 Plus (9320), including a new keyboard deck that stretches from edge to edge. Keycaps are larger, and there are now capacitive function keys above. Below, the touchpad is now hidden beneath a full glass panel. Instead of a real click, you get modern haptic feedback. Audio is better than ever thanks to two extra speakers underneath the keyboard (along with down-firing speakers), and though the keyboard is still 720p, the IR and RGB portions have been separated for better picture quality.
Intel's 12th Gen mobile CPUs come with integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, up to 32GB of LPDDR5x-5200MHz RAM, and up to a 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 solid-state drive (SSD) with fast read and write speeds. This laptop is able to destroy daily productivity work and will handle photo editing or other light specialized work. This is all contained in an undersized aluminum chassis that has had all fat trimmed off. It comes in a frost exterior with an arctic white interior, or a platinum silver exterior with a black interior.
Display options are still essentially the same. You can get FHD+ with or without touch, as well as 3.5K OLED touch or UHD+ touch with VESA DisplayHDR 400. The high-end displays also have Dolby Vision to boost compatible content. The touch displays also have an anti-reflective finish to cut down on glare.
Pros:
- 16:10 display options and thin bezel
- Stunning look and design
- Edge-to-edge keyboard, haptic touchpad
- Strong 12th Gen Intel performance, DDR5 RAM, PCIe 4.0 SSD
- Beautiful display options
Cons:
- Webcam improved but still 720p
- Gets expensive fast
Best overall
Dell XPS 13 Plus (9320)
It's well known by this point how much we love the Dell XPS line, and the updated XPS 13 Plus (9320) is better than ever.
Best gaming: Dell Alienware m15 R7
When it comes to gaming laptops from Dell, the Alienware brand is where you want to turn for the absolute best performance and style. Not only do Alienware laptops look great with a sleek design, but they rock all the latest tech from AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA. Anything you play will look downright gorgeous on the Alienware m15's 15.6-inch FHD or QHD displays, with 165Hz, 240Hz, or 360Hz refresh rates and NVIDIA G-Sync.
The display you choose will partly depend on the performance hardware you choose. On the CPU side you can currently get an Intel 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H, AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, or AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, with up to a NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti Laptop graphics card, 64GB of DDR5-4800MHz RAM, and 4TB M.2 PCIe SSD. There are tons of ports for connecting accessories, and the M series Alienware keyboard options can land you up to Cherry MX switches and per-key lighting.
The Alienware m15 R7 does get expensive fast, but you can still check out the m15 R6 models with older performance hardware. In many cases they're not quite as expensive. But if you want the absolute best, go with the latest m15 R7. Check out more of the best gaming laptops to see how it compares.
Pros:
- 12th Gen Intel or AMD Ryzen 6000 CPUs
- Up to NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
- Tons of storage and fast DDR5 RAM
- Multiple high-end display options
- Can get per-key RGB mechanical keyboard
Cons:
- Can get really expensive
- Dell G-Series gaming laptops better for the budget
Best gaming
Dell Alienware m15 R7
Being able to configure a laptop with an NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti GPU most certainly requires magic, but the result is something exceptional.
Best budget: Dell Inspiron 15 (3511)
When your available budget doesn't cover the cost of more expensive Dell options, the Inspiron 15 3511 laptop is a great little package despite the lower price you'll pay. It comes with up to an 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7, 12GB of DDR4 RAM, and up to a 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD. This high-performance model costs only about $686, but we can go cheaper. If you're just using the laptop for standard productivity work, web browsing, and email, you can no doubt get away with the 11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 CPU, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and 256GB SSD. This model costs $350 and is on our list of the best budget laptops under $500.
In his Dell Inspiron 15 3511 review, staff writer Sean Endicott noted that the laptop offered plenty of legacy ports and a build quality higher than expected, and that the price was hard to beat.
This all means you're getting an affordable laptop that's more than happy to work through documents, email, and browsing online. For the price, this is a great deal if you don't plan on doing too much.
Pros:
- High build quality (for the price)
- Wide range of legacy ports
- Large 15.6-inch screen
- Low starting price
Cons:
- No USB-C port
- Trackpad can feel a bit loose at the corners
- You get what you pay for
Best budget
Dell Inspiron 15 (3511)
When the budget is at the forefront of your decision-making, the Dell Inspiron 15 3000 is a great option.
Best for creatives: Dell XPS 15 (9520)
Dell's refreshed XPS 15 9520 is still the laptop we love, albeit with updated hardware inside. Get up to an 12th Gen Intel i9-12900HK CPU, 64GB of DDR5-4800MHz RAM, and a 2TB PCIe SSD, plus there's the option to include an NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti GPU with 4GB of GDDR6 VRAM. It looks like models ship from the factory with PCIe 3.0 storage, but you can do an upgrade to PCIe 4.0 if you need the extra speed.
It still has a wide selection of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4, USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2), SD card reader, and 3.5mm headphone jack, making it easy to connect all of the very best XPS 15 accessories. The keyboard is comfortable, the touchpad is enormous, and quad speakers with outstanding audio flank the keys.
There are three displays from which to choose. The most basic screen is still quite impressive; it has a 1920x1200 (FHD+) resolution, non-touch panel, and 500 nits brightness. Stepping up into a 3456x2160 (3.5K) resolution lands you touch functionality, OLED, anti-reflective finish, and 400 nits brightness. And finally, the 3840x2400 (UHD+) touch model has up to 500 nits brightness and an anti-reflective finish.
If you love the idea of the XPS 13 but want to add extra performance in the form of Intel's H-series CPUs and NVIDIA dedicated graphics, this is the way to go. Not only is this PC one of our favorite Dell laptops, but it also sits atop our list of the very best 15-inch laptops.
Pros:
- Displays with 16:10 aspect ratio
- Gorgeous FHD+, 3.5K OLED, and UHD+ screen options
- Powerful performance from 12th Gen Intel CPUs
- Top-firing speakers
- Good keyboard and touchpad
Cons:
- Can get pricey
Best for creatives
Dell XPS 15 (9520)
The XPS 15 has everything you need to be productive on the go, sporting a larger display than the XPS 13 for more screen real estate.
Best business: Dell Latitude 14 (9430)
Dell announced the new Latitude 9430 at the end of March, and it's the new best pick if you want a business laptop. Dell calls this laptop "ultra-premium," and the price reflects that. However, it has the features and design to keep up with the best business laptops on the market.
It comes with 12th Gen Intel Core i5-1245U or Core i7-1265U CPUs, it has 16GB of LPDDR5-5200MHz RAM, and you can get up to a 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe (Class 35) SSD for storage. The laptop comes standard with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, but you can also add a 4G LTE and 5G modem to stay connected everywhere.
You can get the Latitude 9430 in notebook or 2-in-1 convertible form depending on your needs. The display is available in FHD+ or QHD+ resolutions, each with a proximity sensor and IR camera installed above for human presence detection. The laptop has plenty of ports, and it should land you excellent battery life.
Pros:
- Tons of security options
- Premium build quality
- 12th Gen Intel Core CPUs
- Can get 2-in-1 or notebook form
- Good battery life
Cons:
- Quite expensive
Best business
Dell Latitude 14 (9430)
Dell's Latitude 14 9430 is available in a notebook or 2-in-1 form factor with all the added security and business features you'd expect.
Best performance: Dell Precision 15 5570 workstation
If the Precision 5570 and the XPS 15 were next to each other, you'd have a hard time telling them apart. The sleek chassis with top-firing speakers, the display without bezel, the comfortable keyboard, and the Precision touchpad are all pretty much identical. But inside is where the difference can be found. Dell classifies this laptop as a workstation, so you can expect performance at the top level.
The Precision 5570 is available with up to Intel's 12th Gen Core i9-12900H CPU, as well as an NVIDIA RTX A2000 discrete GPU with 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. These are complemented by up to 64GB of DDR5-4800MHz RAM and up to a 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD. You're going to get a lot of power out of this laptop.
There are a couple of display options available. The baseline is an FHD+ screen with 500 nits brightness, 100% sRGB, low blue light, and an IR camera above. Stepping up, you can get UHD+ with HDR 400, touch, 100% AdobeRGB, and an IR camera. Ports include dual Thunderbolt 4, USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2), an SD card reader, and a 3.5mm audio jack. If you need a laptop for design and creation apps, definitely consider this one. There aren't many downsides, though the price climbs quickly.
Pros:
- Workstation-level performance
- Killer good looks
- Awesome display options
- Tons of configurations
- Excellent typing, pointing, and audio
Cons:
- Expensive
Best performance
Dell Precision 15 (5570) workstation
If you need raw power akin to a workstation, you'll want to move up to the Precision range of notebooks from Dell.
Best 17-inch laptop: Dell XPS 17 (9720)
The Dell XPS 17 turns everything up to 11. The screen is gorgeous and delivers an experience no other laptop can match. It's simply stunning, and if you do photo or video editing or any task where accurate color detail is required, you're going to love it. It's the main reason to buy the XPS 17.
Performance is also exceptional. Dell gives you the 17-inch display size with up to an RTX 3060 discrete laptop GPU to go with it, delivering some serious processing power. With the latest 9720 models you can get up to a 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900HK CPU, 64GB of dual-channel DDR5 RAM, and a 2TB M.2 PCIe SSD.
Typing, using the giant trackpad, and powerful audio performance are also superb. There are some drawbacks, however. The battery life is a little on the weak side (around 6-8 hours depending on usage). You shouldn't expect a lot more though when using a laptop with a giant 4K display, 14-core processor, and gaming-level GPU. We found it good enough to do productivity work lasting the usual working hours. It's also massive and a little heavy.
Pros:
- 17-inch, 16:10 HDR 400 display is gobsmacking delightful
- Excellent keyboard, trackpad
- Powerful quad audio
- 12th Gen Intel CPUs and RTX-level graphics
- Looks fantastic, feels great
Cons:
- Heavy and dense
- Below-average web camera; IR is finicky
- Expensive
Best 17-inch laptop
Dell XPS 17 (9720)
The XPS 17 is a monster of a laptop with parts that outshine every other mobile PC on the market. It may be heavy, but it's no wimp.
Bottom line
The Dell XPS 13 Plus (9320) remains the top Dell laptop choice for most people, though there are plenty of other options when it comes to specialized interests. This industry-leading 13-inch notebook is stunning, has more than enough performance, but can get a little pricey. There are options for people who want to go up to a 17-inch display, for people who want to get some gaming in, or those who need a productivity machine.
Dell is one of the leading laptop manufacturers out there for a reason — it has a laptop for just about everybody. If you're looking to get in on this action but want to save some money, don't forget to have a look at our selection of the best Dell laptop deals available now.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Rich Edmonds is a staff reviewer at Windows Central, which means he tests out more software and hardware than he cares to remember. Joining Mobile Nations in 2010, you can usually find him inside a PC case tinkering around when not at a screen fighting with Grammarly to use British words. Hit him up on Twitter: @RichEdmonds.
Daniel Rubino is the executive editor of Windows Central. He has been covering Microsoft since 2009, back when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Surface, HoloLens, Xbox, and future computing visions. Follow him on Twitter: @daniel_rubino.
Cale Hunt is a staff writer at Windows Central. He focuses mainly on PC, laptop, accessory coverage, and the emerging world of VR. He is an avid PC gamer and multi-platform user and spends most of his time either tinkering with or writing about tech.
source https://www.windowscentral.com/best-dell-laptop
0 Comments