Dell XPS 13 9380 Laptop (2019 model) – Full Review

By

Mishal Shaheen

The Dell XPS 13 for 2019 was just unveiled at CES 2019, but Digital Trends got our hands on one early and have a full review with what is certain improvement on the best laptop of 2018.

How can Dell make an already great laptop even better?

We’ve always liked the Dell XPS 13 and found it as one of our favorite Windows devices. But how can Dell make an already great laptop even better? The answer to that question? Put the webcam back on top and upgrade the internals to Whiskey Lake processors to pack more punch.

Evolution of Dell laptop

For 2019, Dell has listened to feedback from consumers and is introducing a couple of big changes that make the XPS 13 better than ever. We had some hands-on time with the device to see how it’s evolved this year.

Dell XPS 13 keeps the same thin and light design

The 2019 Dell XPS 13 keeps the same thin and light design as its predecessors. Though coming in a new brighter artic white women glass carbon fiber palm rest, and new frost exterior options, the overall feel of the laptop is the same.

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New color options are outstanding

Still, the new color options are outstanding, making the soft silk-feeling palm rest areas on XPS 13 stick out from the more generic metallic or black finishes on ThinkPads and MacBooks. The new frost lid is also a departure from previous rose gold color options and provides even more choice for people looking for extra pizazz in their laptop.

Material strength

Just as with the 2018 model, we did feel just a tiny bit of chassis flex when putting extra pressure on the areas near the top of the device. It’s not something we’d expect the average person to notice, but it’s something we also noticed with the Dell’s 2018 Inspiron 7000 as. Other areas such as the lid and palm rest of the XPS 13 remain as solid as ever as Dell is using Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for maximum strength and minimal weight.

Variable torque hinge

Elsewhere, Dell has engineered a new “variable torque hinge” to make the laptop easier to open. In our hands-on time, we opened it up and closed the laptop quite a few times with just one hand. It now feels much smoother. This was always an issue with the XPS 13, and It comes as a big change from previous models, which had a tight lid and required two hands to open.