Stylish but conventional, highly effective but unassuming, the Dell XPS 15 (9520) is maybe, at first look, the consummate PC for individuals who have to take some energy on the go. It is a sturdy, aluminum laptop computer with a twelfth Gen H sequence Intel processor and as much as an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti ($1,449 Â to start out, $2,399 as examined).
The XPS line, which has frequented the checklist of the greatest ultrabooks, has at all times been outlined by its almost bezel-free show, and the XPS 9520 is not any exception. That made the OLED display on our evaluation unit seem to almost float above the keyboard, however Dell nonetheless has to work on the webcam a bit.
It is also skinny, and whereas that makes the XPS transportable, it additionally cuts down on ports. You may should steadiness that towards the ability it affords to see if that is the laptop computer with the artistic skills you want.
Design of the Dell XPS 15 (9520)
The XPS 15 feels about as premium as a Home windows laptop computer will get lately. It is a stable aluminum block with a silver exterior and a reflective Dell emblem. It feels good and durable within the arms. It is such a block, in reality, that there is not any divot to open the lid together with your thumb. This can be a two-hand job.
We examined the XPS 15 with black carbon fiber weave on the within. It is also out there in white with a woven glass palm relaxation, and whereas that is putting, I might go for the carbon fiber each time. I’ve reviewed quite a few XPS 15 fashions, and this one confirms my choice: the carbon fiber is extra snug towards the wrists and palms when you sort and use the PC.Â
The show is surrounded by slim bezels on all 4 sides, which remains to be putting despite the fact that Dell has been doing it for years. Even now, typing on it, I am impressed.
There are just a few additional: a fingerprint reader is constructed into the ability button, as an illustration, although I a lot desire utilizing the IR digital camera to log in with facial recognition.
However with its 0.73-inch thick design, Â the XPS is restricted on ports. On the left facet there is a lock slot and a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, whereas the proper facet has a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-C port, an SD card reader and the headphone jack. Dell does not label the Thunderbolt 4 ports on the machine itself, so with out wanting it up on Dell’s web site (I did!), you possibly can’t inform simply from wanting.
It was that the SD card slot put the XPS 15 a lower above Apple’s MacBook Professionals. However with the newest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professionals, Apple went thicker, and now it has extra than simply an SD card slot — the Mac has HDMI. Dell is together with a dongle within the field with a USB Sort-A port and an HDMI output, which helps, however is not the identical as being on the pocket book.
The XPS 15 measures  13.56 x 9.06 x 0.73 inches and weighs 4.51 kilos. That is lighter than the 16-inch MacBook Professional (4.8 kilos) and smaller at 14.91 x 9.77 x 0 .66 inches, although that laptop computer has an even bigger display. The Gigabyte Aero 16, which additionally has a 16-inch show, is  5.07 kilos and 14.02 x 9.78 x 0.88 inches. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon, a 14-inch competitor, is a featherweight as compared at 2.43 kilos and 12.32 x 8.44 x 0.59 inches.
Dell XPS 15 (9520) Specs
| CPU | Intel Core i7-12700H |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti (4GB GDDR6, 45W max graphics energy, 1,035 MHz increase clock) |
| Reminiscence | 16GB DDR5-4800 |
| Storage | 1TB M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD |
| Show | 15.6-inch, 3456 x 2160, 16:10, OLED touchscreen |
| Networking | Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-C, 3.5mm headphone jack, SD card slot |
| Digital camera | 720p webcam |
| Battery | 86 WHr |
| Energy Adapter | 130 W |
| Working System | Home windows 11 Dwelling |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 13.56 x 9.06 x 0.73 inches / 344.4 x 230.1 x 18.54 mm |
| Weight | 4.31 kilos / 1.96 kg |
| Value (as configured) | $2,399.00 |
Productiveness Efficiency on the Dell XPS 15 (9520)
We examined the XPS 15 with an Intel Core i7-12700H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.
On Geekbench 5, an total efficiency take a look at that leans closely on the CPU, the XPS 15 achieved a single-core rating of 1,757 and a multi-core rating of 11,258. The one-core scores had been on par with the Gigabyte Aero 16 (with the identical chip) and Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Professional with M1 Max. Â However the MacBook Professional had a a lot stronger multi-core efficiency rating (12,683). The IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon (AMD Ryzen 7 5800U) fell behind in each single and multi-core efficiency.
Dell’s laptop computer copied 25GB of take a look at recordsdata at a fee of 1,637.72 MBps, simply rushing previous the Aero and the Ideapad. The MacBook Professional was sooner at 1,917.69 MBps.
We use Handbrake to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. Tha took the XPS 15 5 minutes and 42 seconds, only one second forward of the Aero 16 with the identical CPU. The MacBook Professional with M1 Max beat it at 4:48.Â
Our stress take a look at consists of operating Cinebench R23 for twenty runs back-to-back. The XPS 15 began at a rating of 11,760.82 and vacillated, principally, inside just a few hundred factors The CPU’s efficiency cores ran at a mean of two.6 GHz and the effectivity cores clocked at 1.6 GHz. It ran at a mean of 81.87 levels Celsius (179.37 levels Fahrenheit).Â
After all, with the RTX 3050 Ti, the Dell XPS 15 can deal with some photograph or video modifying, in addition to fundamental gaming. Â On 3DMark Hearth Strike, it earned a rating of 9,534, falling wanting the Aero’s RTX 3070 Ti (20,917), however beating AMD’s built-in Vega graphics within the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon (3,561).
Show on the XPS 15
The 15-inch OLED touchscreen on the XPS 15 all however floats above the keyboard. Its skinny bezels impress even supposing so many different laptop producers have been shrinking the bars round their panels. Â The 16:10 side ratio supplies loads of room for work, exhibiting extra content material with much less scrolling.
The OLED display has a decision of 3456 x 2160, which isn’t fairly 4K, however fairly shut (4K, at minimal, is  often outlined as 3840 x 2160. 16:9 screens usually bump that to 3840 x 2400 because of the additional peak.)
Dell’s panel is vivid and vibrant, albeit not probably the most luminous round. I used it to observe a 4K open supply movie we use in testing, Tears of Metal, and within the opening scene, as a rocket booster’s pink flames turned a blinding white, they stood out properly even towards a grey sky.
The XPS 15 lined 85.9% of the DCI-P3 gamut and 123% of the sRGB gamut. That surpasses each the Gigabyte Aero 16 (which additionally makes use of OLED) and the MacBook Professional (which has a mini-LED show). The Ideapad Slim 7 Carbon received out right here at 139.3 p.c of the DCI-P3 gamut and 197% of the sRGB gamut.
Del”s display measured 382 nits on our lightmeter, beating the Aero  however falling barely behind the IdeaPad (400 nits) and much behind the MacBook Professional (501 nits). In my use,  I did not have a difficulty with brightness, however having the choice is good, particularly when you’re a artistic on the go.
The OLED display measures 60 Hz, which remains to be pretty widespread. Apple’s mini-LED show goes as much as 120 Hz with ProMotion turned on.
Keyboard and Touchpad on the Dell XPS 15 (9520)
Dell’s keyboard has chiclet keys which might be first rate, albeit a bit gentle and squishy for my tastes. My solely actual concern, nonetheless, is the half-height up and down arrow keys. I want Dell would swap to an “inverted T” for the arrows.
I typed rapidly and precisely on the monkeytype typing take a look at, hitting 109 phrases per minute with a 98% accuracy fee.
The keys are backlit with white lighting, which may be managed by a operate on the F5 key. Oddly sufficient, the F9 key has no different operate in any respect. I feel Dell could be prudent to place a full set of media keys (it solely has play/pause, however not subsequent or final keys) and to get rid of the shortcut for adjusting second display settings in Home windows.
The keyboard is good and roomy, which I at all times admire. It was responsive and labored with all of Home windows 11’s most complex gestures. It clicks a bit gentle, however I used to be capable of get used to that fairly rapidly.
Audio on the Dell XPS 15 (9520)
The audio system on the XPS 15 are fairly good by laptop computer requirements. Positive, they get loud, however in addition they had been well-tuned and balanced.
The sounds of The Fairly Reckless’ “25” stuffed my house, and did not distort until I topped out the quantity choices. The vocals, strings, and rums additionally sounded nice. The bass was a bit weak, however I used to be even capable of carry a bit extra of that out by taking part in with some dials and equalizers within the included Waves MaxxAudioPro app.
However that sound got here at an odd price: the XPS 15 actually vibrated as I performed music. I might really feel it with my arms on the wrist relaxation and even via the keys on the keyboard after I touched them lengthy sufficient. This occurs to some extent on most laptops, (audio system work via vibrations, in spite of everything), however it’s significantly noticeable on this technique.
Upgradeability of the Dell XPS 15 (9520)
The XPS 15’s backside casing is held down by eight Torx T5 screws. Dell ought to take into account switching to Philips heads. We had one screw strip, which isn’t a great state of affairs.Â
You may want one thing to pry the casing off of the system with. Dell’s upkeep guide (opens in new tab)recommends separating the left facet, then the proper facet, earlier than pulling the bottom off.
The RAM is slotted, so you possibly can improve or exchange that later. There are two M.2 SSD slots (each are beneath warmth shielding), so if yours solely has one stuffed, you possibly can at all times add extra storage down the road. The battery can also be replaceable.
Battery Life on the Dell XPS 15 (9520)
The XPS 15 did fairly properly on our battery take a look at, particularly with each an OLED display and a discrete graphics card. It lasted for 9 hours and 43 minutes on our workload, which includes consistently looking the online, streaming movies and operating OpenGL assessments with the show set at 150 nits.
That simply exceeded the Aero 16, which ran for five:04. The IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon was in the identical ballpark because the XPS 15 at 9:56.
However Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Professional, with its Arm-based M1 Max proved way more environment friendly, operating for 15 hours and 31 minutes on the take a look at. The XPS 15 will final a workday, and is kind of good for a PC. However Apple has it outpaced.
Warmth on the Dell XPS 15 (9520)
We measure warmth whereas stress testing laptops. On this case, that meant taking temperatures  throughout the Cinebench R23 gauntlet.
On the middle of the keyboard, between the G and H keys, the XPS 15 measured 42.2 levels Celsius (107.96 levels Fahrenheit).
The most popular level on the underside of the laptop computer was an exhaust port that measured 43.6 levels Celsius (110.48 levels Fahrenheit).
Webcam on the Dell XPS 15 (9520)
The XPS 15 has among the thinnest borders I’ve seen on a 15-inch pocket book, however that leaves little room for a digital camera. Dell nonetheless has a subpar 720p lens above the show. For those who plan to make loads of calls, take into account shopping for one of many greatest webcams.
It really works, and you can use it in a pinch. However this lens does not seize a ton of element and is not the very best at colour accuracy. My bead appeared drawn onto my face, my navy blue shirt appeared nearly black, and there was loads of grain in photos and video calls.Â
I think about that a part of the difficulty right here, because it has been for just a few years, is that Dell wanted to make a tiny digital camera to squeeze it above the display. Now it must work on making it sharper.
The digital camera works with IR sensors for Home windows Hiya login. I discovered that to be a quick and straightforward technique to log into Home windows 11.
Software program and Guarantee on the XPS 15 (9520)
Dell has a bit extra software program on the XPS 15 than I might like. I feel the corporate wants to take a look at its present suite and take into account what is important, what may be mixed, and what may be lower altogether.
My Dell is a simple place to seek out your Dell Service tag and a few guarantee information, however it’s in any other case a glorified instruction guide. Â Probably the most helpful of Dell’s preloaded functions is PremierColor, Â which helps you to modify colour, calibration, colour temperature and swap between completely different gamuts. I feel artistic professionals will get good use out of this, however others will not really want to the touch it until they need a hotter show at evening.
There are just a few apps which might be simply straight up bloatware. Dell Buyer Join is supposed to feed you  surveys, although none had been out there after I tried out the XPS 15. Dell has additionally gone into the Edge browser and added bookmarks for McAfee Safety in addition to a number of Dell websites, together with its assist web page, refurbished {hardware} and its retailer. I really feel it cheapens the expertise when laptop computer producers do that, and Dell should not be doing something low-cost to the XPS 15.
There are some Intel apps on right here, which is par for the course on laptops with its chips, in addition to Killer Intelligence Middle to investigate your community and prioritize various kinds of internet site visitors.
After all, there’s additionally the extras included in Home windows 11, like shortcuts to Spotify, Disney Plus and Adobe Inventive Specific.
Dell XPS 15 (9520) Configurations
Our XPS 15 take a look at unit got here with an Intel Core i7-12700H,Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, an OLED, 3456 x 2160 touchscreen and a black carbon fiber palm relaxation. As of this writing, that goes for $2,399.
The most cost effective model you can get has a Core i5-12500H, built-in graphics, 8GB of RAM (in single-channel), a 512GB SSD and a 1920 x 1200 non-touch display.
The white woven glass palm relaxation is accessible solely in restricted configurations with the Core i7, discrete graphics and 16B or extra RAM.Â
You’ll be able to high out the XPS 15 for $3,399 with a Core i9-12900HK, RTX 3050 Ti, 64GB of RAM, 2TB of storage and both the OLED display or a 3840 x 2400 LCD show.
Backside Line
The Dell XPS 15 9520 is stylish as at all times, and highly effective in addition. The mixture of a twelfth Gen Intel H-series processor and RTX 3050 Ti will try this. With its OLED choice, you additionally get a vivid display, even when others measure brighter.
These searching for a bit extra energy and a equally premium design could also be turning to the MacBook Professional. We reviewed the 16-inch model with an M1 Max at $4,299, which included extra RAM and reminiscence, however you can get that down cheaper with an M1 Professional. The place you’d actually win out with the Mac is battery life.
On the PC facet you can get related efficiency from the Gigabyte Aero 16, which fits as much as an RTX 3070 Ti when you want stronger graphics. That one does not have an SD card slot, which is necessary for some artistic staff, although, and does not final as lengthy on a cost.
The XPS 15 9520 continues to face out as a jack of all trades, offering those that want plenty of energy and portability with a stable choice.
