Dell XPS 13 re-review: New eighth-gen quad-core delivers performance, outstanding battery

Dell is a bit more conservative than I would like when it comes to its XPS line, hardly changing the design in the last few years. Nonetheless, it's a bit difficult to find anything glaringly wrong with the design of the XPS 13 or 15 – save for the oddly placed web camera.

For late 2017, Dell is playing it safe again with the refreshed XPS 13 9360 by upgrading the processor to the new Intel 8th generation Core i7-8550U. While clocked slightly below the latest Surface Book 2 13 the XPS 13 for Fall 2017 still benefits from those extra cores.

The RAM is also faster now with 2,133MHz instead of the slower 1,800 MHz from last year and users can opt for a solid 1TB of PCIe NVMe SSD for storage. The fingerprint reader for Windows Hello is still extra, but well worth the $25.

Dell XPS 13 specifications

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CategoryDell XPS 13 9360
ProcessorIntel Core i3 or i5, 7th GenIntel Core i7 8th Gen (NEW)
Internal StorageUp to 1TB SSD
RAM4GB, 8GB or 16GBLPDDR3 2,133 MHz
Display1080p matte non-touchQHD+ glossy full touch
GraphicsIntel HD 620
PortsUSB 3.1, 3.5mm jack, SD Card, USB-C Thunderbolt 3.1
WirelessKiller 1535Bluetooth 4.1802.11ac (Miracast enabled)
Battery60WHr
Weight2.8lbs (1.27 kg)
Dimensions11.98 x 7.88 x 0.33-0.60 in304.29 x 200.15 x 8.38-15.24 mm
ColorsSilver, Rose Gold

I spent the last few weeks with the XPS 13 (9360), and it's hard to not like this device. Not only is the processor better now – including running cooler and quieter – but the battery life is outrageously good.

With the dazzling IGZO QHD+ display pushing over 10 hours on a single charge is a cinch. All that power plus leaving the charger at home is incredible.

Eighth-gen hardware

Eighth-gen hardware

I think Dell could do better with the keyboard by at least improving it a bit and maybe squeezing in a Windows Hello IR camera. But the company is comfortable with the XPS 13's design, and it still gets the basics right for display, typing, and that Precision Touchpad.

For those looking for an ultra-compact traditional laptop, the XPS 13 still sits in our top rankings.

CPU

Geekbench 4.0 benchmarks (higher is better)

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DeviceCPUSingle coreMulti core
Dell XPS 13 (9360)i7-8550U4,69014,334
Razer Blade Stealthi7-85550U4,56714,095
Dell XPS 13 (9360)i7-6560U4,1207,829
Surface Book 2 13i7-8650U4,86214,694
Surface Laptopi5-7200U3,7257,523
HP EliteBook x360 G2i7-7600U4,4968,435
Samsung Notebook 9 15 Exti7-7500U4,3168,320
Lenovo X1 Carboni5-7300U4,1398,311
HP Spectre 13i7-7500U4,1007,469

It's quite evident that the new i7-8550U processor gives a big boost to the multi-core score due to the new quad-core design. Moreover, the single-core score gets a nice boost too. The new Microsoft Surface Book 2 13 edges out the XPS 13 slightly, but that's due to the higher-clocked chip found with the i7-8650U.

GPU

Geekbench 4.0 OpenCL (higher is better)

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DeviceCompute score
Dell XPS 13 (NEW)22,555
Surface Laptop19,256
HP Spectre x360 1528,868
Samsung Notebook 9 15 Ext23,207
HP EliteBook x360 G221,512
Lenovo X1 Carbon20,932
Dell XPS 13 (OLD)19,410
Surface Book HD52018,197
Dell Latitude 728017,827

Although this is still the same HD 620 graphics for the updated XPS 13 we can see even the OpenCL score gets a slight overall boost compared to last year's model.

PCMark

PCMark (Home Conventional 3.0)

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DeviceScore
Dell XPS 13 i73,280
Surface Book 2 133,341
Surface Laptop Core i52,494
Samsung Notebook 9 15 Ext2,998
Lenovo X1 Carbon Core i52,965
HP EliteBook x360 G22,916
Dell Latitude 72802,829
HP Spectre x360 152,472

Again, we can see how the new 8th generation Core i7 processors significantly outpace last year's models. Both the Surface Book 2 13 and XPS 13 make large strides in PCMark 8.

SSD

CrystalDiskMark (higher is better)

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DeviceReadWrite
Dell XPS 13 (NEW)1,368 MB/s847 MB/s
Dell XPS 13 (OLD)1,287 MB/s794 MB/s
Surface Book 2 131,411 MB/s1,202 MB/s
Surface Laptop423 MB/s237 MB/s
Lenovo X1 Carbon1,518 MB/s1,188 MB/s
Samsung Notebook 9 Ext1,365 MB/s1,213 MB/s
HP EliteBook x360 G21,129 MB/s916 MB/s
HP Spectre x360 151,128 MB/s862 MB/s

Dell is still using well-sourced Samsung SSD's in many of the 512GB and 1TB options for the XPS 13 resulting in above average storage performance.

Pricing still starts at $799, but that's for the older 7th generation Intel Core i3 model.

The new 8th Generation Core i7's start at $999.99 and goes up to $2,125 with 16GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, and fingerprint reader. Luckily, Dell lets you configure the XPS 13 with basically whatever you want. Oh, and that Rose Gold option is an extra $50. Bling ain't cheap.

Check out our new benchmarks, watch the video review, and read my older full review of the XPS 13 (9360) for all the nitty-gritty details!

What do you think of the Dell XPS 13? Still a great buy for straight up laptop in 2017? Let me know in comments!

See at Dell

Pros:

  • Still excellent design.
  • New 8th gen CPU is awesome.
  • Dazzling QHD+ IGZO display.
  • More configuration choices.
  • Outstanding battery life.

Cons:

  • Higher models can get expensive.
  • Still awkward web cam.
  • No pen support.
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.