The latest addition to Dell’s popular XPS series is the 15.6″ premium ultrabook, the Dell XPS9560-7001SLV-PUS. This flagship device is viewed by many, including Dell themselves, as a MacBook Pro killer. While that’s debatable, its desirable characteristics make it at least a worthy contender.
Review
Despite of it not being as visually attractive as the MacBook Pro, I can’t help but notice what a beast of a device this really is. Performance ratings are top notch, plus you get the benefit of further expanding its hardware with ease.
The Dell XPS9560-7001SLV-PUS is machine built from a single slab of aluminum to ensure maximum durability. It has a sturdy chassis and a sturdier screen, which features a Corning Gorilla Glass NBT touchscreen display.
Also, Dell’s trademarked Infinity Edge display is available for this model as well. A razor-thin screen bezel allows the 15.6″ display to fit inside a 14″ body, which in turn maximizes screen real estate without compromising portability.
Therefore, the $2000 price (at the time of this review) is well justified for this premium ultrabook. It has everything a professional would need to get the job done, at home, at work, or on the go.
Performance
The Dell XPS9560-7001SLV-PUS is powered by a 7th generation Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor. I’ve seen this unit being used in many similarly priced gaming laptops, which is encouraging for prospective buyers. This isn’t a mid-range CPU: quad core, 2.8 GHz clock speed with turbo up to 3.8 GHz and 6 megabytes of cache. It’s not exactly energy efficient, but it’s on par with mid to high end desktop processors. It will handle every program you’ll use, every task you’ll throw at it, no matter the size.
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The 15.6″ Dell XPS comes with plenty of system memory installed: 16 gigabytes of DDR4-2400MHz. This is enough for the notebook to handle programs such as Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, VM software, video editing software with ease, not to mention large data sets. However, for people who need more, Dell has left the option to further extend this amount up to 32 gigabytes, via an additional memory slot.
Storage capacity is plentiful: we’re looking at a high capacity 512-gigabyte SSD. Therefore, users get the best out of both worlds with little compromise: the high speed of a Solid State Drive is paired with half the storage space we’re seeing in modern HDD laptops.
Plus, this is no ordinary SATA3 SSD, but a much speedier PCI-Express unit, capable of reaching up to 3-4 times faster read speeds than traditional solid state drives.
Graphics and Display
Folks who would have expected the Dell feature an integrated video card are in for a pleasant surprise. The $2000 ultrabook has a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card. More specifically, we’re talking about the 4GB GDDR5 model. So, whether you’re feeling in the mood to play a game, do some heavy 3D rendering or watch 4K content, you’re in luck.
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Dell’s traditionally superior XPS display quality couldn’t have been better. The XPS9560-7001SLV-PUS comes with a 15.6″ 4K Ultra HD InfinityEdge touch display with Gorilla Corning Glass. Aside from the stunning 3840×2160 resolution, this display is the only one fitted on a laptop with 100% min. Adobe RGB. Furthermore, with the preinstalled Adobe PremierColor, every single program, webpage, video and image is automatically adjusted to better represent true colors every time.
Interface and connectivity options
I/O options should satisfy all users, since we’re seeing a wide array of ports. As is, the need to have an adapter to connect something mundane as a mouse has been limited. Here they are:
- 1 x Thunderbolt
- 2 x USB 3.0
- 1 x HDMI-out
- 1 x COMBO audio jack
- 1 x SD/XC/HC card reader
Connectivity is achieved through a premium Killer 1535 wireless card (2×2 802.11ac) and built-in Bluetooth. Also, connecting to the Internet through an Ethernet cable is possible via an adapter an the Thunderbolt port.
Portability and battery life
Considering the Dell XPS9560-7001SLV-PUS is a 15.6″ device with a dedicated video card, the weight doesn’t seem that high compared to similar models. This one weighs just 3.9 pounds and measures just 0.7 inches. It’s a slim and lightweight notebook, perfect for traveling professionals and businessmen alike.
Battery life can’t be compared to the fantastic 13.3″ XPS models, but still, a full charge will offer at least 8 hours of juice before needing to recharge again.
Final words
All in all, my opinion of the Dell XPS9560-7001SLV-PUS is a largely positive one. Despite the steep price point, Dell have managed to pack enough features, style, high-performance hardware options in a visually pleasing ultrabook. I’d recommend visual artists, traveling software/design/engineering professionals and businessmen to have a look at this model and perhaps try its unrivaled performance in real life scenarios.
