Dell XPS 13 9300 Laptop Review – Smaller, but slower CPU

[Redaktion]

Displays with 16:10 aspect ratios were mostly reserved for Apple laptops the last couple of years, but Dell now returns to this format with the brand-new XPS 13 9300. How does the entry-level version of the new XPS 13 9300 perform? Read our review below to find out.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-XPS-13-9300-Laptop-Review-Smaller-but-slower-CPU.458539.0.html

[Suraj]

Wow what a review. This is how a real review is done. Not most of the nonsense we find on YouTube.

[Michou]

Wow what a review. This is how a real review is done. Not most of the nonsense we find on YouTube.

One of the reviewers on YouTube says that this XPS 13 9300 (i7 UHD version) is a noisy laptop..

[fastr]

I've been waiting for this review for a while, and it was worth the wait as always. Thank you for being so extensive and thorough in your tests.

I have a small suggestion. In the CPU performance section, you state "but the new XPS 13 9300 is clearly beaten by both the XPS 13 9380[...]". Now when looking at the Cinebench scores this statement seems contradictory with the results as the 9300 shows +12% and +-0% in single and multicore scores respectively. Only after careful examination of the Cinebench loop graph we notice that the older 9380 model indeed sustains a better average score of 614 versus 526. I think this average is a better reflection of a real-world performance of the laptop and should be emphasized over the first run score (which is not even always the peak score).

On a related note, could you let us know if Dell undervolts the CPU by default like some manufacturers do, and if not, what kind of undervolting is achievable with your unit ? Thanks again

[_MT_]

Run of the mill laptops shouldn't be factory undervolted at all (too much work to ensure stability) and as far as I know, in the case of Dell, not even the Alienware line of laptops, where you might expect it, is factory undervolted. Undervolting potential is always a lottery unless the manufacturer specifically bins the chips. And even then, volume can be a problem so the top bins might have to be pretty wide. They might be avoiding the worst for Alienware, but I don't think they have a top bin for them (and certainly not for the XPS). Frankly, if you're interested, forums are the better source. It's a question of statistics. You need samples. A lot of them.

The clearly beaten statement is in a paragraph talking about continuous Cinebench performance. It's hardly surprising it pertains to that particular test and not the first run. And while I value these longer tests, I wouldn't say it's relevant to the typical user. It's not like it's a gaming laptop where I would want to ensure the benchmarks are long enough as gaming sessions are easily tens of minutes if not hours long. A five minute benchmark might be misleading. For ordinary use, how many people actually run tasks that take 10, 15, 20 minutes? On a tiny laptop that's trying to cook itself. Usually, you get bursts like loading up a web page. Video playback is the typical continuous load for which you have hardware acceleration (without it, the laptop would be dead in no time).

[weystrom]

This is the model to get, people. I ordered the i7 4K one and returned it almost instantly, it just runs too hot and battery life is very poor (plus it had some QA issues).

I guess it's kinda my fault for ordering the 4K model, but it looks really nice and I wanted a beselless display, you can see on the photos here that there's still a plastic besel on FHD screen.

Anyways, if you're considering picking up the 4K machine, think twice.

[Loulou]

The palm rest don't collect smudges and finger prints like its predecessor??

[Anthony]

Great review, thanks.
Why there is no mention that this laptop takes 45 seconds too cold boot? It looks like it has some issue with BIOS that delays its start significantly. There are forums with users complaining about it but Dell doesn't want to admit it. It is a great device but has its flows and review like this should mention it too.
Dell sent me a replacement because they know there is an issue. 2nd one has exactly the same problem as expected.