Dell XPS 13 or ASUS Zenbook?

[lilrayray69]

I'm looking to a get a new laptop - something portable and good for school/work & general use, preferably with good battery life. So far I think I've narrowed it to the Dell XPS 13 or the ASUS Zenbook UX303LA. I'd prefer 8gb of RAM.

The XPS 13 w/ 8gb of RAM is $1,000 - http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-13-9343-laptop/pd?oc=dncwt5130s&model_id=xps-13-9343-laptop

The ASUS Zenbook US303LA is $850 - http://www.amazon.com/Zenbook-UX303...8&qid=1427634572&sr=1-1&keywords=ASUS+UX303LA

They have very close specs aside from the ports they have.

Anyone have experience with either to give some input?

 

[sanufdutta]

They have exactly the same spec but the Dell is $100 more than the ASUS.

Specificaion: Hashwell i5, 13.3" 1080p touch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD

The ASUS does have extra ports, i.e. HDMI and SD card slots. But the Dell is smaller and lighter and better looking.

 

[mrpiggy]

I have no experience with the Asus, but I do have the older 2014 model of the XPS 13. It's awesome! I do like the older model with the carbon bottom panel plate versus the current aluminum. Why? Because aluminum is cold and slippery versus soft-touch carbon when it sits on your lap when your wearing shorts. You wouldn't think it a big deal; until you want to browse on the Internet while sitting on the toilet... The current XPS 13 model does have an SD slot which mine does not.

I'm not sure on all the current panel options, but 1080P is gorgeous and is plenty large on a 13" frame. I can't imagine what the higher resolution screen option would bring beyond lower battery life on such a small frame. While I also have the touchscreen options and Win8.1 running on it, I find this touch-screen option to be ABSOLUTELY USELESS. I have the glossy screen and "any" touching of the screen means immediate and highly irritating smudges and fingerprints on the screen.

On a phone or a tablet, if I get a bothersome potato chip finger smudge on the screen, I just rub the screen on my shirt or pant leg to get most of it off. With a a laptop format, there is NO easy way to wipe the screen on my clothes if there is nothing else available to clean with. As this is a laptop and the screen cannot fold flat like a tablet, there are "no" times I feel the urge to touch the screen versus using the trackpad.

Mine has the i5 CPU and I can discern no noticeable user-perspective difference in doing anything compared to my co-workers same model XPS with the i7 CPU and am happy with my decision to save a few bucks this way.

Dell has also been thoughtful in designing this model as to be pretty easily accessable inside. The bottom plate has easily removable phillips screws and the small parts are labeled and accessible. Basically it's not all glued together like a lot of the Ultrabooks or use weird headed screws. I have already swapped the original small mSATA SSD with a much larger one. The current model use the m2 format SSD vs the mSATA like mine, but it isn't any harder to swap. I have no idea how easily the Asus opens up, but that's a consideration if you think you are going to get inside for any reason.

While I have not had to deal with Asus warrantee service for a couple years, the last time I did have dealing with it was a nightmare compared to Dell. That difference in price means I get to speak with Kevin in Kansas with a midwestern US accent versus Kevin in "India" who is completely unintelligible.

 

[lilrayray69]

Yeah I figure the extra $$$ for the Dell is for a bit better build quality, customer service, etc. I definitely don't need a touchscreen or an i7. I do wish the XPS 13 had an HDMI but they do make an adapter. Good to hear the SSD in the XPS is upgradable - I believe it is in the Zenbook as well.

I have had not-so-great laptops in the past, ones I got relatively cheap but realized that they just don't last long so this time I want to get something quality. Aesthetically I lean towards the XPS, I'm just trying to decide if it justifies the extra $$$.

Oh and the 1 thing I don't like about the XPS is the webcam placement on the bottom left of the screen - just seems awkward.

If I'm not mistaken the XPS does have long battery life, which may be a good reason to spend the extra $$$ over the Zenbook

 

[Qbah]

15h battery on the 1080p XPS 13 > *
Over 8h on heavy workload

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8983/dell-xps-13-review

For me the Dell is the easy choice if I would be getting a laptop today.

 

[RossMAN]

lilrayray69,

If you have a Microsoft Store near you, check out the Dell XPS 13 in person ... it's an awesome laptop.

 

[Kaido]

lilrayray69,

If you have a Microsoft Store near you, check out the Dell XPS 13 in person ... it's an awesome laptop.

Is that the new one with the infinity bezel? That thing looks amazing :thumbsup:

 

[lilrayray69]

lilrayray69,

If you have a Microsoft Store near you, check out the Dell XPS 13 in person ... it's an awesome laptop.

Hey there actually is a Microsoft Store near me, I had no idea. I'll go check it out today or tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[mrpiggy]

Oh and the 1 thing I don't like about the XPS is the webcam placement on the bottom left of the screen - just seems awkward.

You might want to check if the camera placement is the same with the 1080P screen as it is with the higher resolution screen. I know they had to move it for the higher resolution screen because of size constraints, but the 1080P screen is slightly smaller and on the older models, it is at the center top of screen. So they may (or may not) have the same placement with the current model 1080P screens.

I never even use the thing, so forgot about it.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I went thru this process and ended-up purchasing a refurb Latitude E7440 Ultrabook. 14" 1080p IPS screen, 16gb of ram, 128gb SSD with i5 processor for under $900 with removable battery and 3 year onsite warranty. Got during one of Dell's big sales outlet sales.

 

[midwestfisherman]

I've had the 2015 Dell XPS 13 for roughly a month now. I can tell you its the best laptop I've ever owned. Very happy with it!

 

[Trombe]

XPS13 out of those two. Only other competition IMO for that price range is the HP Spectre X360 which can be bough at a discount direct from HP for 150 off 900+ order, I believe the coupon code is Spring15 which would make a 1080p touch 8gb ram 256gb ssd model 850 plus tax, but it's heavier. I would pick based on your desire for toouch screen or not, the XPS touch screen upgrade costs too much IMO.

 

[Slick5150]

I too have had the XPS 13 (i5, 8gb, 256gb, FHD) for about a month now and agree it's the best laptop I've ever owned. Excellent battery life. Great screen (didn't need touchscreen, though you can get one on it). Can't beat how small/portable it is.

My one nitpick of it was the fan noise got annoying, but they really tweaked the fan settings with last week's BIOS update and now I don't even notice it.

 

[lilrayray69]

I ordered an XPS 13 - i5, 8gb, 128gb SSD, 1080p non-touchscreen, cost about $1,000

It seems Dell takes a while to get these shipped out, estimated delivery date is 4/13 ;-\.

Excited to get it though, will post back once I have it and have used it a while

 

[TwiceOver]

I ordered an XPS 13 - i5, 8gb, 128gb SSD, 1080p non-touchscreen, cost about $1,000

It seems Dell takes a while to get these shipped out, estimated delivery date is 4/13 ;-\.

Excited to get it though, will post back once I have it and have used it a while

Can't tell you how many times I've gotten a shipment notification email the day the package is put on my desk.

I'm torn. I really wanted to buy an XPS 13, and it was probably my notebook of choice for this year's purchase. But I dont need all that power and the Surface 3 is pulling me in.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Have some interest in the XPS 13 as well.

Also waiting on the new, updated Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 14.

Main difference for me is that the Lenovo has dedicated nVidia graphics. The most "intense" thing I do graphically is PhotoShop CS5 suite. Would nVidia help me much if gaming on the laptop means nothing to me?

Edit:
-The Lenovo also offers easier teardown, SSD/RAM upgrades.
-The 8GB limit on the XPS worries me a little.
-But from what I can tell the screen, keyboard and trackpad of the DELL might be better.
-I would order the DELL with the 256GB SSD and of course would reformat and install Win7 out of the box. I would do this in either case, especially with recent news from Lenovo.

 

[lilrayray69]

I would order the DELL with the 256GB SSD and of course would reformat and install Win7 out of the box. I would do this in either case, especially with recent news from Lenovo.

What news would that be? I haven't used Win8 much but thought 8.1 was supposed to be fine - was thinking of trying it out for a while before reformatting for Win7.

 

[RossMAN]

What news would that be? I haven't used Win8 much but thought 8.1 was supposed to be fine - was thinking of trying it out for a while before reformatting for Win7.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/05/lenovo-yoga-3-11-14-thinkpad-yoga-12-14-15/

Meanwhile, though the 14-inch version technically rocks a larger screen than its predecessor, it has roughly the same footprint and nearly the same weight: 3.5 pounds. Either way, both new machines come standard with a 1080p touchscreen and 802.11ac WiFi, and can be configured with up to 8GB of RAM and either an SSD (128/256GB) or a 500GB hybrid hard drive. Look for them this month, starting at $699 and $799, respectively.

 

[lilrayray69]

I got the XPS 13 today, it's very nice! I am impressed by how well built it is.

I do think I am going to reformat it with Win7, just don't like Win8. Hopefully Dell has drivers up for Win7

 

[GTRagnarok]

The Dell XPS is the one to beat right now, IMO. The only thing stopping me from selling my MBP and buying it is Skylake and USB Type-C coming this year. Once Dell updates it with these things, I'll be all over it. I just really wish it had 8GB RAM minimum.

 

[lilrayray69]

The Dell XPS is the one to beat right now, IMO. The only thing stopping me from selling my MBP and buying it is Skylake and USB Type-C coming this year. Once Dell updates it with these things, I'll be all over it. I just really wish it had 8GB RAM minimum.

Yeah Skylake & USB-C would be nice but I feel like there's always something to wait for, I was finally ready to buy something so I went for it
I think they should start at 8gb minimum too, but you can easily just pick the 8gb version. I wish the price on the touch screen model wasn't sooo much higher, and that you could go for their Quad-HD display without the touchscreen.

I have had some time with it now, it's a great laptop. Can't say enough about the build quality. Lighter than I even expected it to be.
Performance wise it is quite fast. Boots up very, very fast especially with Win8. I switched it to Win7 so boot time is a little slower but still reasonably fast.

The keyboard is nice, it doesn't feel cramped. The backlight is nice, enough to be functional but still look kind of classy. I like how the laptop doesn't have a whole lot going on at once, it's a simple, sleek, and elegant design without anything cluttering it up.

I haven't found a way to get it so Win7 shows some of the laptop functions on-screen like volume and brightness control when you use the F keys, but it's designed to come with Win8 soo.

The display is great. I don't think you would need anything beyond 1080p on a screen of this size anyway. I'd be curious to see the FHD vs. their Quad HD side-by-side to see if there really is much of a difference.
The speakers are actually surprisingly alright, they bump some sound out at decent quality for such a little laptop.

Battery life seems good, haven't had a lot of time to test it though.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Which screen did you get again?

Still wonder if Intel graphics is enough for Photoshop/InDesign work on the go vs. dedicated. Or does it matter?

 

[touchstone]

I would go with a laptop that had more than 128GB storage, but that said the dell is superior.

 

[lilrayray69]

I just got the regular non-touch 1080p screen.

I would guess you'd want a dedicated GPU for Photoshop but I don't know too much about it.

I did only get the 128gb SSD, seems enough for now but I do believe it's up-gradable if needed.

 

[midwestfisherman]

I just got the regular non-touch 1080p screen.

I would guess you'd want a dedicated GPU for Photoshop but I don't know too much about it.

I did only get the 128gb SSD, seems enough for now but I do believe it's up-gradable if needed.

You can upgrade it. The 128gb that mine came with is a Samsung 851 SATA 3 M.2 (22x80x2.4mm).

I've been looking at 256gb drives and they seem pretty reasonable now.

NOTE: One heads up, unrelated to the drive is, Dell just released a bios update which fixes the fan issue. It's an easy install.