Dell XPS 13 9360 FHD i5 Notebook Review

[Redaktion]

Quiet evolution. The Kaby Lake i5-equipped version of Dell's XPS 13 subnotebook with FHD display impresses with outstanding battery live, great performance and top-notch ergonomics. The display, however, falls a tad short of our lofty expectations.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-XPS-13-9360-FHD-i5-Notebook-Review.183736.0.html

[Joost van Boxmeer]

I have visited Notebookcheck for quite some years now, to keep up to date with the technology that is out there and - on moments of purchase - as a reference to find the best notebooks.

Lately however I am questioning the reliability of the reviews.
This last review of the dell XPS 13 9360 pulled the trigger to write my concerns.
Two notebooks, identical build, other display, other processor.
So I expect a difference in these mentioned areas. But the differences show in areas where you would expect the same rating:
Audio, Camera, Chassis, Keyboard, Pointing Device...

To some degree, small differences, in other areas (Audio, Camera) bigger ones.

Notebookcheck, a piece of advice, try to align / synchronize your reviewers to come up with a more balanced percentage of the aspect you are reviewing.

In my opinion, it will result in a more credible result. Keep up the good work!

[Bernie Pechlaner]

Hi Joost,

Thanks for reading our review and providing feedback. A few comments: please keep in mind that many of the scores are calculated automatically - and it's not any easy science. Sometimes, the measurements are not quite the same between the notebooks - even though the components are supposedly identical. That of course can skew the result.
And let's not forget that editors are human as well - one reviewer might not completely agree with the other and give a different rating for the keyboard. That's going to happen with any area that's more subjective - and there are quite a few of those when it comes to laptops (typing feedback, keyboard layout, graininess of the webcam in low-light conditions,...). Sometimes the BIOS or the drivers have been updated by the manufacturer from one review to the next, which can also alter the results (big one here is temperature/fan control)....and the list goes on.

That said, we'll certainly try and do our best!

Thanks!

Bernie

[Kavpeny]

Bernie,

I do not wish to come across as overly critical, but your scoring system is in dire need of an overhaul. It is, to put it in primitive terms, quite flawed. For example, upon comparison between your reviews of two different models of the Dell XPS 13-9360 (QHD i7 and FHD i5), every single parameter differs in some form or another (including a bizzare difference of 52% vs 72% for camera), despite the fact that most parameters should be the same.

I understand the fact that reviews are subjective, and that different writers have differing views. However, when you are giving a numeric rating, you are making the statistic quantitative, and quantitative statistics are only useful if they are measured against a standard metric.

Otherwise, the result is that when performing comparisons between models (which is what most users do), your ratings will end up being misleading. My point is further proved by the fact that the NotebookCheck staff itself provides top 10 lists on the basis of the % ratings. If your ratings, are, as you say, subjective, then none of your top 10 ranking lists are valid for the very same reason.

To avoid misrepresenting information and thereby confusion, either apply a standardized measurement scheme for all parameters, or drop the numeric rating system altogether.

I apologize if my criticism or suggestion sounds arrogant. I have been a long-time reader of this website, and find it one of the more credible sources, with well-detailed and thorough analyses. The rating system appears to be the only flaw with the site's reviews, hence I implore you to revise it in some form.

Yours truly,
Kavpeny

[Kavpeny]

Bernie,

I do not wish to come across as overly critical, but your scoring system is in dire need of an overhaul. It is, to put it in primitive terms, quite flawed. For example, upon comparison between your reviews of two different models of the Dell XPS 13-9360 (QHD i7 and FHD i5), every single parameter differs in some form or another (including a bizzare difference of 52% vs 72% for camera), despite the fact that most parameters should be the same.

I understand the fact that reviews are subjective, and that different writers have differing views. However, when you are giving a numeric rating, you are making the statistic quantitative, and quantitative statistics are only useful if they are measured against a standard metric.

Otherwise, the result is that when performing comparisons between models (which is what most users do), your ratings will end up being misleading. My point is further proved by the fact that the NotebookCheck staff itself provides top 10 lists on the basis of the % ratings. If your ratings, are, as you say, subjective, then none of your top 10 ranking lists are valid for the very same reason.

To avoid misrepresenting information and thereby confusion, either apply a standardized measurement scheme for all parameters, or drop the numeric rating system altogether.

I apologize if my criticism or suggestion sounds arrogant. I have been a long-time reader of this website, and find it one of the more credible sources, with well-detailed and thorough analyses. The rating system appears to be the only flaw with the site's reviews, hence I implore you to revise it in some form.

Yours truly,
Kavpeny

[Felix Tillmann]

Thanks for the thorough review!

I've got a question regarding the difference between the i5 7200u and i7 7500u versions of this Laptop.

I'm thinking of getting the FHD version and my question is, what the differences will be between the two processors with otherwise identical system components Especially regarding battery life and heat production and fan noise.

I don't mind the extra 100€ I would pay here in Europe if it makes the system a bit more future proof. But if I'm compromising battery life or if the i7 will produce noticably more heat, then the i5 would be my preferred option.

All the comparrisons I've found so far were with different Displays. And of Course the increased pixel count QHD version is also going to tax the processor more.

What differnces can I expect when all the other components are the same?

Thanks for your answers!

[Dominic Possingham]

hello im just wondering if the CABC-technology is disablable in the new kaby lake models, or is it still only in the QHD that it is able to be turned off? also how noticable is this technology. im fine with a hd screen but does the CABC-technology have a large negative impact on viewing experiences?
thankyou

[Jay.rn]

Hi and thank you for your in-depth review of Dell XPS 13.
Needless to say it's a very good laptop with stylish design and great performance, however, I've failed to notice any comment on the coil whine issue which is mostly seen in this model.

Here's a video showing the problem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmyU0L2XoOk

I've been using Dell XPS 15 for a year a now and never had such a problem, but it seems like in XPS 13 which is very compact and the CPU is not "HQ" and it's  "U" instead, they are more prone to heat and coil whine issues.
I've browsed through Dell community and found this topic regarding the coil whine in Dell XPS 13 Kaby Lake. It looks like Dell Engineers still haven't found a solution for that.

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19992657

Finally, this problem is not only limited to XPS 13 laptops with Kaby Lake CPUs but also it has been seen in former models with Sky Lake processors too.

I hope you mention this problem in your reviews, Thank you! :)

[Enaith]

According to this review:

http://laptopmedia.com/review/dell-xps-13-9630-late-2016-review-the-best-just-got-better/

there is PWM detectable. Does anyone know, whether this is true or not?

[dthrp]

Notebookcheck's test results reveal heavy display variations (esp contrast ratio) within previous and differently specced models of the XPS 13. Does Dell use different panel manufacturers for this line like Lenovo? Can anybody confirm this?

[dthrp]

Please review the 2017 LG Gram 13" or 14"

[Brian Robinson]

Hi there,

Did you guys ever retest the color space with a different unit or perhaps figure out why the reading came out to 72%? I just bought this laptop and am wondering if that's really true for this model? Any updates?