Dell XPS 13, solid as a rock

Last time I wrote about a laptop was back in 2014 when I gave my initial feedback on the Acer Aspire V5 - a budget Ultrabook. Since 2016 I've been using the Dell XPS 13 9360 as my daily personal system. About 10 years ago this was one of the flagship models and originally shipped with Ubuntu 16.04. I've moved on to several newer operating systems since then, but the XPS keeps on kicking.

It came with an Intel Core i7-7500U Processor, 16GB of LPDDR3 RAM, and a 512GB NVMe M.2 solid state drive. The InfinityEdge QHD+ screen with a 3200 x 1800 resolution looks great even when compared to contemporary models. The backlit keyboard and touchpad still feel good and work well. A few number keys occasionally need a double-press but that's about it. The I/O ports, including the Thunderbolt 3, USB-C, USB 3.0, and SD card slots all work without any issues and don't freeze up. A much newer Lenovo laptop which I've been using for work has had many stability issues with ports and expansion dongles, but not the Dell. The headphone/microphone jack has been a blessing. I prefer using my old but trusty Sony headphones over Bluetooth earbuds or USB headphones when I really want to enjoy music. With the slim design measuring between 9-15mm and a weight of less than 3 lbs, this laptop has been a great traveling companion.

The XPS 13 is not without fault though. The thin bezel design of the screen looks great, but with space lacking at the top, Dell placed the camera below the screen on the left hand side. This makes me look pretty awkward on conference calls and is probably my biggest gripe with the system. Unless the laptop is on a pedestal, people are looking either at the ceiling or up my nose, and taking video calls is just not comfortable. The original power adapter still works, but I had to replace the internal battery a couple of times - this seems about right for a laptop this old. The original Dell battery lasted 5 years before it was completely useless. The first $30 aftermarket replacement battery lasted about 3 years before it needed replacement. The battery swap is very simple and batteries usually come with instructions and a set of screwdrivers to get the job done.

The bottom line is that after 10 years with the Dell XPS 13, I see little to no need to upgrade until it completely fails. I don't play any demanding games on it, and don't do compute intensive AI work. For daily usage, web browsing, and occasional development in Python or JS this system is more than adequate. While I don't have specific numbers for Dell, this isn't good news for the laptop/desktop market segments. Looking at the total sales volumes over the last couple decades, shipments peaked at around 350 Million in 2010, and have been steadily declining ever since, with the exceptions of the COVID pandemic years. Last year's shipments were about 250 Million to put things into perspective. Hopefully the likes of Dell will not go down the path of home appliance makers and deliver products which seem to last ever shorter no matter the price, just to boost their sales.