
Better GPU and 4K screen make the XPS 15 a MacBook Pro for PC users - artsandsci
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/03/dells-new-xps-15-isnt-the-best-at-everything-but-its-not-bad-at-anything/
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BlackjackCF
I've been kind of flopping back and forth on whether or not I want to buy a
XPS 15. I can max out the specs and get a laptop that I actually want for
significantly cheaper than a Macbook Pro. However, even though the build
quality is good, I've heard some stories about the XPS 15 breaking down after
a year or so, and then... having to deal with the horrors of Dell customer
support.

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M_Grey
Dell support, and I say this having used it for years off and on, is either
seamless and painless, or mortal agony. Which you get seems to depend largely
on the quality of your last animal sacrifice to the darkest of gods. _Bleating
in background_ "Hush goat!"

~~~
StillBored
Its not just the support, its the variable quality across products (or
updates). I have one of the ~2014 venue 7pros (exact model number escapes me)
which came with win8 and I upgraded to win10. I disabled instantgo, and its a
fantasic device, the battery lasts for days with my usage patterns, it resumes
from standby in a couple seconds/etc. So, when it started having some serious
cosmetic issues early this year, so I sprung for a newer one with a slightly
newer (and in theory lower power CPU). The new one is a complete POS, the back
gets hot, the battery lasts 1/4 as long, it takes literally 10's of seconds to
wake-up and get out of the BIOS, the s3 standby options are actually disabled
(no bios support), the wifi driver gets stuck. BIOS updates, driver updates,
config changes, nothing fixes its load of issues. About the only thing that is
better is they swapped the power and windows buttons which on the old one were
inconveniently placed.

So, there are reviews of people having similar problems with the older tablet
I have until dell fixed it sometime right before I purchased mine. But, good
luck convincing dell's tech support that their firmware is a load of crap, and
isn't working right. Rather they are like, did it boot, you must have a virus,
please reinstall.. I might ask for a replacement but I suspect that won't fix
anything.

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steve918
Except there is not a 'pro' level Macbook anymore. There is just emoji-bar /
no emoji-bar.

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mixmastamyk
I wanted to buy one, but then they didn't release it with Linux as expected!
Looks like they want to upgrade you to a Precision instead. Not sure I have a
need for a workstation graphics card.

Also, I don't like the 16:9 ratio and glossy screen, sigh.

~~~
interknot
I've been exclusively using Linux (Antergos) on the XPS 15 since mid-February.
Installing was remarkably easy, though I haven't had time to mess with the
fingerprint reader or GPU switching due to work.

My _only_ complaint is that the glossy screen somehow seems more reflective
than my Macbook Pro and iMac--and FWIW I'm typing this with all three machines
on my desk right now. However, I'm not too bothered by it. IIRC the 1080p
configuration of the 9560 is matte.

~~~
kitsunesoba
I may be mistaken but my understanding was that touch panels can't reduce
glare as effectively as non-touch because they need oleophobic treatment in
addition to anti glare treatment, and this is why MacBooks of all flavors have
better glare mitigation than touch-equipped laptops.

~~~
mixmastamyk
The irony that is that I don't want touch or glossy but I do want 4k.

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rayiner
How does Dell manage to get only 2/3 the battery life of the MBP despite
having a 25% larger battery and an extra half pound of weight to work with?

~~~
Eridrus
Probably by optimising for battery life, rather than the specs & price.

A lot of the things that people on HN like about non-macbooks like 32GB of RAM
or a real GPU or a 4k screen, all use extra power.

I'm not an Apple fan by any stretch, but these things aren't free from a power
perspective, and throwing a larger battery at the problem isn't always enough
to make it equivalent.

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davidbanham
That's very surprising if the article is correct about it not charging via
USB-C. My latitude (basically just an XPS with a different NIC and GPU) does.
Dell also have a good line is USB-C docks.

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johnwheeler
PC laptops nowadays have some sorry ass keyboards, this one included. Dells
used to have scissor switch keyboards IIRC.

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smacktoward
Have they worked out the "coil whine" issues that have plagued recent Dell
laptops yet?

