Keeping up with the competition is one of the most important aspects of any business. When it comes to technology, a lot of businesses have not had time to keep up with all the changes that the modern world has brought.
Many businesses have been relying on more outdated hardware and software that slows their operations down and is difficult for them to manage. For this reason, it is more important than ever for businesses to ensure that they are investing in the latest and greatest technology so that they can stay on top of their game.
With this in mind, choosing the right laptop for your business can make or break you. It will either be an amazing tool that helps you get ahead or just another point where your competition surpasses you. Luckily, there are a lot of amazing laptops on the market and you just need to find the best one for your business.
The Dell XPS 13 (9310) laptop is one of these amazing machines that can help any business get ahead. With all the power, portability, and style they could ever want, this is a great tool for businesses from every field, and today we're ready to hunker down and tell you everything you need to know about it on this review of the Dell XPS9310-7368SLV-PUS.
Who's this laptop for?
Businesspeople - If you're looking for a high-quality and durable machine that will last you many years without needing expensive repair services then this model within the XPS 13 series is a great choice.
Photo Editors - The versatility of this laptop and its innovative design make it possible for anyone to get creative with editing without any problems. On top of that, the high-resolution display provides crisp images which is certainly a plus in this field.
Travelers - Due to the lightweight and compact design, traveling with this laptop is much smoother than it is with many other models out there. Plus, its long battery life makes it less of an issue if you find yourself somewhere far away from an outlet for a longer period than anticipated.
Dell XPS9310-7368SLV-PUS Review
Design
When it comes down to the design, it's quite clear that Dell wasn't looking to cut corners but rather was very invested in delivering a high-end, slick and compelling laptop design. With a minimalist platinum silver chassis and a black carbon palm rest, this laptop is just about as elegant as you're going to get in the high-end segment.
The display of the laptop is a 13.4-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200) InfinityEdge Touch Anti-Reflective 500-Nit Display screen. You already know this.
But, what does this actually mean?
Well, for starters, it means the display comes with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 which is fantastic. This means that you have plenty of room to work on documents or watch movies and enjoy better detail thanks to the higher resolution.
The 'InfinityEdge' aspect of the screen is also pretty impressive, this aspect refers to the thin bezels around the display. A Full HD+ resolution on a laptop with such slim bezels will create a very immersive viewing experience and let you focus on the content you're looking at rather than getting distracted by the bezels - not that that's ever actually happened to anyone ever XD -.
The screen also has touch capabilities, so that you can interact with your machine in new and exciting ways. However, we should note that this isn't a convertible so removing the display and using the laptop in tablet mode isn't really an option.
Lastly, the anti-reflective 500 nit display is simply fantastic for outdoor use. When you're working in an environment where there's plenty of light flowing around, it can be hard to see your screen, but with this display, that problem is nonexistent thanks to those 500 nits brightness and the anti-reflective screen.
Finally, the display also features Dolby Vision technology, meaning the content viewed is more accurate with darker blacks and more vivid colors, making this a great option if you're looking to choose a laptop for photo editing.
What's a normal screen in a laptop like?
A standard laptop display would be something like 1920 x 1080 resolution, which is very low in comparison to the Full HD+ on this machine. The screen will also only be able to produce 72% of the colors that you can with the standard sRGB display. Whilst brightness will typically move along the lines of 300-400 nits, meaning this display offers a substantial amount of additional brightness.
What about eye fatigue?
That's also not really an issue thanks to the implementation of the Eyesafe technology which substantially reduces blue light emissions to improve your viewing experience when you need to stare at the screen for prolonged periods of time.
Keyboard and Trackpad
The keyboard on this laptop is fantastic. If you're a touch typist you're absolutely going to love it as it delivers just the right amount of feedback that you feel comfortable typing on it for hours on end. It goes without saying at this price range that it's backlit.
As far as the trackpad is concerned, it's a Precision Touchpad that provides an exceptional way to interact with the laptop. It gives you responsive feedback and is sensitive enough to make your experience using it as smooth as possible.
The fingerprint reader on this laptop also deserves a mention here, because whilst we're not entirely sure why they've decided to include it, they have done so in a way that works.
Typically, fingerprint readers are placed on the side of a laptop's keyboard or within the trackpad but here it is built into the power button which makes sense because you can't really have a more standard location than having your finger on the power button already. Since it's built into this spot, you simply tap your finger down onto the reader and that's it.
Performance
Performance-wise, the XPS9310-7368SLV is on par with what we've come to expect from the high-end laptops of the brand.
In that regard, when we look under the hood we've got an 11th generation Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor that is accompanied by 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB SSD, and Intel Iris Xe Graphics graphics which all work together to deliver an impressive computing experience.
But, what does this mean in plain English?
Well, it means you've got a state-of-the-art laptop with top-notch internals that will allow you to do just about anything you can think of.
And we say "just about" because the only real limit to this laptop is the lack of a dedicated graphics card which would improve performance on graphically demanding apps but at the expense of both battery life and a thicker design.
Is 16 GB of RAM enough? Will I be able to multitask comfortably?
In short, yes. Sure, if you're a professional or someone who's used to having every single app open at the same time we can see how 16 GB of RAM might feel restrictive but for most use cases it should be more than enough.
If the laptop had 8 GB then we'd be singing a different tune for hardcore multitaskers but seeing that that's not the case we can hardly imagine a scenario where you truly need more RAM.
What about the 512 GB of storage space?
Well, it depends on your needs but for most people out there, yes 512 GB will be more than enough to store all their files and have some room to spare for a few large games.
So, how's the day-to-day performance on the Dell XPS 13 (9310)?
In terms of default performance, we're looking at a laptop that performs well in just about any scenario and will allow you to do anything that you need without issue.
That means anything from Photoshop to running virtual machines to having dozens of tabs open at any given time, the XPS 13 definitely has our backs on that front.
However, we should reiterate that if you're going to use graphics-intensive software on a regular basis then you should really consider the possibility of a laptop with dedicated graphics.
Gaming on the Dell XPS 13 XPS9310-7368SLV
When it comes to what this laptop is capable of with regards to gaming, you have some options which we'll go over briefly here:
Option 1 - Casual Gaming
If you want to play some casual games or maybe a few light titles, rest assured this laptop should be more than enough for your needs.
Just like other laptops with an integrated graphics card, the performance is not going to blow your socks off since it's primarily there so that you can have a smooth experience on non-graphically demanding titles.
That said, if you're the type of person who would rather play a few casual games on their laptop than an actual desktop gaming PC then this is going to be your go-to as it'll perform just about how you'd expect and won't be lacking for raw power.
Option 2 - Casual Gaming + Work
If you want to play a few casual games on the side but also have some productivity work to do, you've got options.
You can either try to run both at the same time or just keep your work apps closed while you're playing. Either way, we'd recommend dedicating a separate partition of storage space for games and files if possible.
By doing that, you'll be able to get the best of both worlds since casual games are hardly resource-intensive but productivity software might be a bit of a different beast and can slow things down if you don't have enough storage space.
Option 3 - Hardcore Gaming
If you're a hardcore gamer and want something that'll handle the latest titles then we have some bad news for you.
For one, while Dell has released many different versions of the XPS 13 over the years, none of them come with dedicated graphics cards which means if you want this type of performance you'll need to look at other laptops.
Furthermore, even if you were able to get a higher-end version of the XPS 13 with a dedicated card, it would likely be too much for this laptop to handle and as such we advise against trying anything like that regardless of how much money you're willing to spend.
Ultimately, it's just not a laptop for hardcore gaming.
Battery life & Connectivity Options
The battery life on this laptop is very good. You'll be able to get anything between 6 hours and a little over 8 hours depending on how you use it so in general, we're looking at solid numbers here.
As far as connectivity goes, Dell has prescinded a lot of ports, opting to slim down the laptop as much as possible in its place.
Specifically, this model features a couple of Thunderbolt 3 ports, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader. Can't say we're surprised, but throwing an HDMI port in there or a standard USB Type-A port wouldn't have killed them, even if it would've produced a slightly thicker design.
They do, however, have the courtesy of shipping the laptop with a USB Type-C port to a USB Type-A adapter which is certainly appreciated to avoid frustrating customers from the get-go from that point of view.
As you'd expect on a high-end laptop, both WiFi and Bluetooth standards are state-of-the-art with WiFi 6 connectivity and Bluetooth 5.1.
Extra features worth pointing out
- The engineers designed a dual airflow system to rapidly dissipate heat across a wider surface area, employed two thermal pipes in the hinge for exhaust, and even more high-tech design to pack the maximum potential of performance into such a thin form.
- Dell Mobile Connect makes it possible to answer a call, text, or receive notification on your PC.
- The built-in lid sensor lets you open the lid and power up quickly at any time, regardless of whether or not you are plugged in.
- The laptop's Intel Dynamic Tuning Technology provides adaptive performance.
Bottom Line
It's no surprise that the Dell XPS9310-7368SLV-PUS laptop is so popular amongst business laptops. With a 13.4-inch FHD+ InfinityEdge display, 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor, and 16 GB LPDDR4X RAM memory, there is little this laptop can't handle when it comes to productivity work or even casual gaming.
Overall, If you're looking for a high-quality and durable machine that will last you many years without needing expensive repair services then this model within the XPS 13 series is a great choice that's bound to boost your productivity and satisfy your every computing need.