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What an amazing machine. I ordered one... in november from an external supplier. I have cancelled the order and reordered this exact SKU, it's the PERFECT combination for me. I hope one day it will be delivered...

Quote from: Adriano on February 09, 2016, 09:30:52
What an amazing machine. I ordered one... in november from an external supplier. I have cancelled the order and reordered this exact SKU, it's the PERFECT combination for me. I hope one day it will be delivered...

To those reading, I also stress the fact that the updates done by DELL are BIOS only. They have nothing to do with hardware updates, so anyone with an XPS15 can benefit from them.

You must be kidding. Are you going to pay 1800€ for a laptop with screen flickering and with 56ºC of surface temperature? So you will pay a lot of money to get your eyes burned along with your thighs. I guess you must work for Dell.

Quote from: Ramón Luerna on February 10, 2016, 08:04:48
You must be kidding. Are you going to pay 1800€ for a laptop with screen flickering and with 56ºC of surface temperature? So you will pay a lot of money to get your eyes burned along with your thighs. I guess you must work for Dell.

Your guess is wrong. You seem quite partial: if you can find me a similarly specced laptop, similar in size and weight, for a cheper price, please go ahead and link it: I'd love to see it.
Minor flickering occurs, according to the review, only at very low brightess, and very high surface temperature only in very stressful CPU + GPU load. Not even gaming can cause that kind of heat buildup, you need simultaneous furmark and Prime95 or similar.
Luckily, I use very low brightness very rarely and never use simultaneous and long CPU + GPU stresses (only light gaming).

Sure I can. Apple MacBook Pro MJLQ2LL/A 15.4" Laptop with Retina Display can be bought in Amazon.com for 1849€. Unlike Dell XPS 15, that seems more focused to play games, MacBook Pro Retina 15 is a really outstanding device for video and photo editing. It does not come with a NVDIA card (that I do not need at all having Iris Pro graphics), but it has an amazing screen with great color accuracy, great keyboard and touchpad, and a battery that will keep working long time after XPS 15 will need to operate with its battery charger (I have had XPS in the past, and I will never make the mistake of buying one of them again). When it comes to professional use, I know I can rely on my MacBook. And I do not work for Apple.

Quote from: Ramón Luerna on February 11, 2016, 17:05:07
Sure I can. Apple MacBook Pro MJLQ2LL/A 15.4" Laptop with Retina Display can be bought in Amazon.com for 1849€. Unlike Dell XPS 15, that seems more focused to play games, MacBook Pro Retina 15 is a really outstanding device for video and photo editing. It does not come with a NVDIA card (that I do not need at all having Iris Pro graphics), but it has an amazing screen with great color accuracy, great keyboard and touchpad, and a battery that will keep working long time after XPS 15 will need to operate with its battery charger (I have had XPS in the past, and I will never make the mistake of buying one of them again). When it comes to professional use, I know I can rely on my MacBook. And I do not work for Apple.

Some notes compared to the unit in review:
1) It has a different OS and little to none Linux support. Not everyone likes Mac OSX and I, for one, would be extremely crippled using it. The unit in review, imho, is the best Windows laptop available, and Linux (which is what I use) goes well with it too.
2) You are comparing apples with pears. You either need a discrete GPU, or don't. The discrete GPU in the XPS is much superior to the Iris graphics. I understand you don't need it, but others may. Even the non-Iris integrated GPU in the XPS is superior to the old Iris graphics in the Mac Pro. Deal with it.
3) The Macbook does not have USB-C ports, which are frankly amazing and a must for any up-to-date notebook. It is outdated. (damn you Lenovo!)
4) The MacBook sports a 2 genrations old processor and IGP. Do you like buying already-old devices paying them as new? I do not.
5) The Mac has half the storage space. To get to 512GB you have to shift an additional 400$. (!!!)
6) Want to upgrade something? Want to replace the battery? Have a laugh.
7) According to Notebookcheck's review the Apple's battery life is shorter once you update the Dell's BIOS. You can say whatever you want, but the numbers are there.
8) The XPS has a good keyboard and reportedly the best Windows touchpad you can find. Yet, I agree, the Mac's touchpad is unsurpassed.
9) The UHD XPS offers touchscreen, which for some may be important.
10) The UHD XPS's display is great and, though not as colour accurate as the Apple's, it has higher resolution. That's a matter of taste (I prefer just a FHD display).

I agree: Apple makes some amazing products, and if it wasn't for the terrible OS (personal opinion) and difficulty in installing Linux, I'd be a loyal customer. The new MacBook Pro will be, I'm sure, a magnificent machine. But it has not been released yet, the current version is outdated both in terms of CPU/GPU performance and in terms of ports, and offers no maintenance and upgrade options whatsoever.

Of course, overall it is a matter of taste and usecases. Neither is hugely superior or inferior. Please consider there may be people with different tastes and necessities.

By the way the Apple Mac you are considering costs 2300 euros on Apple's site. The fact that you can get it for less elsewhere means nothing: the same is or will be true of Dell's XPS too. In fact you can already find it online at prices more competitive than Dell's site.

You are right, it is a matter of taste. I bought a Dell XPS 15 and I will never buy another Dell laptop again, maybe it works for you; it did not work for me. I have had a lot of issues with that laptop, it has spent more time being repaired that being used and it was not the first Dell device I have had that failed: I had too a Dell Latitude E6410 whose motherboard broke after the warranty expired, I thought it was an isolated case and then, recently, I bought the Dell XPS 15... I wish someone had told me what I am telling you and I have not bought that computer. You say I am not partial, of course I am not, it is hard to be partial when you waste a lot of money in a device you have to retire when it is still new because it barely works. I do not mind if Dell technical service fixes it if it breaks again in a few days and I need to borrow a laptop to finish my project in time.
Maybe your brand new XPS works okay, mine did not, so I bought a MacBook Pro because I needed a device I can rely and all the people I knew that owned a Mac they had no issues with them; also, I did not care if it works with Mac OS, because I can install in my Mac Windows using Boot Camp or Linux if I wanted to. So far I can tell you it has been working flawlessly, that is more I can tell from the Dell XPS 15 I have collecting dust in my garage.

Quote from: Ramón Luerna on February 12, 2016, 16:57:15
You are right, it is a matter of taste. I bought a Dell XPS 15 and I will never buy another Dell laptop again, maybe it works for you; it did not work for me. I have had a lot of issues with that laptop, it has spent more time being repaired that being used and it was not the first Dell device I have had that failed: I had too a Dell Latitude E6410 whose motherboard broke after the warranty expired, I thought it was an isolated case and then, recently, I bought the Dell XPS 15... I wish someone had told me what I am telling you and I have not bought that computer. You say I am not partial, of course I am not, it is hard to be partial when you waste a lot of money in a device you have to retire when it is still new because it barely works. I do not mind if Dell technical service fixes it if it breaks again in a few days and I need to borrow a laptop to finish my project in time.
Maybe your brand new XPS works okay, mine did not, so I bought a MacBook Pro because I needed a device I can rely and all the people I knew that owned a Mac they had no issues with them; also, I did not care if it works with Mac OS, because I can install in my Mac Windows using Boot Camp or Linux if I wanted to. So far I can tell you it has been working flawlessly, that is more I can tell from the Dell XPS 15 I have collecting dust in my garage.

I guess it was the previous version of the XPS, or you would have at least 1yr of warranty. So I don't see the point in bashing this product based on experiences with the previous version.
With the Mac you are paying a premium, and you get a product that meets high standards. We all know that Apple is among the best for reliability (and among the worst for repair prices), but there are many brands that can compete (e.g. Samsung). I've never had anything but excellent experience with Dell laptops, but their customer care and support, at least in EU, totally suck. But Dell's next day repair warranty is actually excellent and quite cheap. Still, I usually don't base my decisions on such a limited sample size as personal experience only allows.

"I usually don't base my decisions on such a limited sample size as personal experience only allows", you wrote, so you trust more other people's opinion than yours. Funny, you would be good material for a sect. I prefer to follow my senses and my experience to avoid repeating mistakes. It is your money, you wanna waste it in a 1800€ frying pan, it is up to you.

Quote from: Ramón Luerna on February 13, 2016, 07:48:25
"I usually don't base my decisions on such a limited sample size as personal experience only allows", you wrote, so you trust more other people's opinion than yours. Funny, you would be good material for a sect. I prefer to follow my senses and my experience to avoid repeating mistakes. It is your money, you wanna waste it in a 1800€ frying pan, it is up to you.

Is it even worth it to reply to your gratuitous and disgusting offenses?
I'm a scientist, and I trust analysis carried out on thousands of notebook more than the experience gained from 2. The sample size matters, this is basic statistics, not rocket science. Even a *whatever-maker* fanboy should be able to understand this.
Reliability records exist, and people can read them and choose accordingly. For me, the added realiability from Apple compared to Dell usually does not balance the premium they ask and the closedness of the system. Especially when considered that longer and stronger next-day warranties offered by Dell, Lenovo and the likes cover me very well, still keeping the cost under Apple's machines at comparable specs.

In this case, considering the 500 euro price gap (buying from the manufacturer, as most companies - mine included - do) and the fact that the Mac sports outdated silicon, it's no brainer. With those 500 euros, if I want, I can buy a 4 year next day on site full cover warranty, also covering accidental damage. And I will not  have to worry about reliability.
At the same total price the Apple offers a 1-year, not on site, not accidental-damage-covered warranty. Even if the specs where to be considered on par, which for me they are not, the difference is remarkable.

Now you tell me the Dell's pricing is not competitive. And it's me who should be "material for a sect"!

Humm, I can be wrong, but I detect some passive aggressive behavior, so, yes, you are right, Dell XPS it is the best computer ever. End of discussion.

Quote from: Ramón Luerna on February 13, 2016, 13:06:49
Humm, I can be wrong, but I detect some passive aggressive behavior, so, yes, you are right, Dell XPS it is the best computer ever. End of discussion.

You insult me and I should be the aggressive one? How mature. I never said it was the best computer ever, I just provided a tons of info on why it is not overpriced. Go figure, you did not even remotely manage to disprove what I said, and you were not able to provide any kind of convincing data supporting your thesis, let alone any kind of reasonong.
Sorry but I'll not waste any more time discussing with yet another Apple fanboy.

So what about Display Response Times? Looks pretty bad according to the review, at least 93% devices are better. Does it make make the machine not usable for gaming?

what is the SKU #.

Does anyone knows where I can get one of this in Europe? Everywhere I search for FHD I find only the i5 version.

Is not it a shortcoming that it does not have HDMI 2.0 it has only 1.4?
Will there be a test with 1TB Toshiba SSD?

Quote from: Pinewood on February 28, 2016, 22:18:09
Is not it a shortcoming that it does not have HDMI 2.0 it has only 1.4?
Will there be a test with 1TB Toshiba SSD?

Well, not really, The Thunderbolt Port can do that anyway. Also, 4K is practically non-existent in the media, you'll only really find 4K on TV and Games, which is useless as the 960M can't game on 4K and external GPU through the Thunderbolt port would work better with a display through the eGPU. The eGPU can also add a 4K HDMI Port (2.0).

No, notebookcheck.net only reviews the devices with their standard hardware inside as third party hardware on the internet have loads of different products. Suggestion: Look at the PM951 (The SSD on the XPS 15) on a different site that specifically review SSDs.

Quote from: Bogdan on February 28, 2016, 15:28:53
Does anyone knows where I can get one of this in Europe? Everywhere I search for FHD I find only the i5 version.

The UK site has the i7 as stock. And it costs £1200, with 16GB Ram, FHD screen (non-touch) and 512GB NVMe SSD

Quote from: Vlad on February 16, 2016, 18:00:11
So what about Display Response Times? Looks pretty bad according to the review, at least 93% devices are better. Does it make make the machine not usable for gaming?

Guess so, but you can connect a display either through the HDMI port or TB3 Port. If your connecting an external GPU, You can connect a display to that (GPU) instead.

Do you know if that revised version is up an running in france, or is it still the old version with the 56 wh battery?
see here: http://www.dell.com/fr/p/xps-15-9550-laptop/pd?ref=PD_OC
There is no clear information about the battery, only this part
Hauteur : 11-17 mm (0,45-0,66") | Largeur : 357 mm (14,06") | Profondeur : 235 mm (9,27") | Poids de départ : 1,78 kg (3,9 livres)2 avec batterie 56 Wh, disque dur SSD et écran non tactile ; 2 kg (4,4 livres)2 avec batterie 84 Wh, disque dur SSD et écran tactile

That is still as well on US site, expect that for us site, it is clearly specified underneath.

Thank you, regards.

hi, what holding me is this:

ot work well on linux ?
and what distro ?
if u use a debian or a deb. derivate u encountered some issue or problem during daily use ?

tks a tons
D.

Ey! Did you read those assholes? I had a Mac. Bullshit! I know a friend who has paid 1900 euros for an XPS and he is regretting it. None of them where right! XPS is a fucking overrated computer just like Apple MacBooks!

Quote from: Cyril on March 04, 2016, 00:21:16
Do you know if that revised version is up an running in france, or is it still the old version with the 56 wh battery?
see here: http://www.dell.com/fr/p/xps-15-9550-laptop/pd?ref=PD_OC
There is no clear information about the battery, only this part
Hauteur : 11-17 mm (0,45-0,66") | Largeur : 357 mm (14,06") | Profondeur : 235 mm (9,27") | Poids de départ : 1,78 kg (3,9 livres)2 avec batterie 56 Wh, disque dur SSD et écran non tactile ; 2 kg (4,4 livres)2 avec batterie 84 Wh, disque dur SSD et écran tactile

That is still as well on US site, expect that for us site, it is clearly specified underneath.

Thank you, regards.

My version using a SSD and i7/FHD uses the bigger battery (84w), All versions using a HDD have the smaller battery (54w)

I have this exact model. Typing on it right now. Just before it goes back to Dell. The screen flicker is frustrating, meaning it can be headache inducing when working in low light. Dell Support claim to know nothing about this. My Bluetooth mouse stutters all the time. The wifi signal is weak - I cannot watch a low res YouTube video on this thing in my kitchen, whilst my 3 year old Asus laptop can stream 1080p without hitches. Oh, and fingerprints all over the places...my trackpad looks gross, and requires a good wipe down after every use.
It's a lovely machine, fast, light, great trackpad...but has just enough quirks and frustrations to make it not worth the money I've paid for it.

Great review you guys, thanks!

One thing I'm trying to figure out: the changes/improvements to the xps 15 (throttling, etc) -- Do we have reason to believe that these changes/improvements will be reflected across the board, with other models? The i5 XPS 2016 for example... Will it still suffer from throttling? Or are the changes that Dell has made just firmware/driver stuff that can updated after the fact. Bottom line is that I'm wanting to make sure my machine doesn't deal with the same throttling issues, but I don't really want/need THIS model with the i7. Are these issues being patched across all SKUs?

Thanks!

in the intro, it was rather disingenuous of you to say that better life has improved over your previous review, because in fact it hasn't. the previous review had 6+ hours on the 56Wh battery, here you're on the 84Wh giving 9hrs. but 56/84*9 = 6. so in fact, no improvement (probably slightly worse). looking at the dell website, only the top two highest models come with 84Wh battery.

Does the FHD panel on the XPS 15 still have this crazy adaptive brightness stuff that can't be turned off?