Dell XPS 13

I have a 2017 Dell XPS13 that's been hammered as a developer laptop and is still going great guns. It's on its third battery, and I've just replaced the screen. I bought a newer one in 2022 and sold it again a couple of months later because, although it had a faster processor and more RAM, it felt flimsier. [...]

[...] The result is that when you drag or resize windows (or have any movement on your screen in general) your cpu/gpu spikes. While I'm sure it's not a huge deal on modern hardware, The performance penalty on my dell xps 13 from 2015 is pretty significant, and it looks like the cpu usage when dragging/resizing windows doubles on linux compared to windows 10, which makes sense. battery life also takes a serious hit. [...]

My god I had to put my Linux (Dell xps13 with Ubuntu from factory, though I installed KDE later) laptop in the drawer as I just couldn’t make it sleep with the lid down. [...] I loved that laptop but it gave me trouble after trouble (stuff like sound breaking after upgrades, Bluetooth failures and many more). [...]

I've had a Dell XPS 13 9343 (2017 model, non-Developer edition) running Fedora for years without problems. I suppose you might consider it cheating because I replaced the original Broadcom WiFi card with an Intel WiFi card, as that driver was a bit flaky in the early days (whereas the Intel driver has kernel support). Other than the pitiful 4 hour battery life, the laptop still runs fine, and mostly does what I need it to do for a permanently-docked daily driver.

I had to get a Dell XPS 13 laptop repaired in 2009. The hinge had broken (probably my fault for tossing my backpack around). [...] He quietly ignored the errant super glue residue around the hinge, my bodged attempt at a self repair. [...]

I've been using Kubuntu for years with good results. [...] That has generally worked well for me in the last 5 years. For certain timeperiods I have needed to switch to Fedora, or the Fedora KDE spin, to get access to more recent software if I'm using newer hardware. That has generally also been pretty stable but the constant stream of updates and short OS life are not really what I'm looking for in a desktop experience. There are three issues that linux still has, which are across the board: - Lack of commercial mechanical engineering software support (CAD & CAE software) - Inability to reliably suspend or sleep for laptops - Worse battery life on laptops If you are using a desktop and don't care about CAD or CAE software I think it's probably a better experience overall than windows. Laptops are still more for advanced users imho but if you go with something that has good linux support from the factory (Dell XPS 13, Framework, etc.) it will be mostly frictionless. It just sucks on that one day where you install an update, close the laptop lid, put it in your backpack, and find it absolutely cooking and near 0% when you take it out. I also have never found something that gave me the battery life I wanted with linux. [...] That is with always going for a 1080p display but using a VPN which doesn't help battery life.

I've been running my 12th Gen Intel Framework for just over a year (since I got it) with Linux (KDE Neon). Bluetooth, expansion cards, thunderbolt, wifi - literally no issues. [...] I use it all day for work (software engineering - lots of VM's and browser tabs) and all evening for Minecraft and movies. [...] Before that I had a brand new Dell XPS 13, which again I had for a little over a year, running KDE Neon. It wasn't used for work as much, but again it worked perfectly fine, including the touch screen I didn't even want on it (okay- a major issue was the battery life, which was atrocious). [...]

I bought a refurbished Dell XPS 13 9350 in... [...] Back in '22 it got a new battery after it cooked itself on a transcontinental flight and in '24 it got a new SSD with a Linux install. Will the Neo be "worth it"? [...]

Direct counterpoint: I've been a Dell XPS 13 stan for years (owned 3), and my other laptop today is a System 76. [...]

[...] Now, after suspend, the freaking keyboard is not detected. [...] And this is a laptop that came from factory with Ubuntu (Dell XPS13)! [...] I really like the KDE DE but because of this sort of problem (it has been touchpad problems and sound issues before) I am seriously considering something else, probably plain Ubuntu though I hate the defaults they come with nowadays.

I can't scroll this webpage to read it unless I plug my laptop in. Scroll events have a lag time measured in whole seconds, then the page scrolls down by either a fraction of a line or by multiple paragraphs, so I can't keep track of where I was reading. Plugging in my laptop, which changes the power mode, makes the webpage barely usable, but my cooling fans are spun up to full speed now. This is using Chrome on a Dell XPS 13 with an 11th gen Core i7 and 16GB RAM.

The older Intel-based Dell XPS 13 machines have the same footprint as some 11 inch Chromebooks. Some models have thermal quirks that cause a shutdown, which is easily addressed by lowering the CPU frequency. Battery life is pretty good (but I replaced the batteries before I realized the CPU issue was the culprit).

[...] motherboard failed and I was sent a replacement 2. keyboard/touchpad started having a issue losing connection which I still need to submit a ticket for). [...] The linux experience has been about the same as on a Dell XPS 13 with the consistent issues being poor battery life and an inability to sleep properly. [...]

[...] All of the Windows ones have horrible throttling problems, my $3k dell xps 13z was just terrible. [...]

Dell XPS13 developer edition, comes preinstalled with Ubuntu. This one is 2023 but I’ve been running XPS13 dev edition since 2014 and have been pretty happy with them. I’ve also seen/heard good things about frame.work for Linux.

but somehow Jetbrains manages to get slow even on a M3 Max with 36GB RAM. [...] That surprises me, given that I don't have any performance issues at all on my first gen dell xps 13. [...]

I was given a 2023 Dell XPS 13 for work. [...] For some reason, the MOBO was dying slowly after a year. [...] Lenovo-wise: My personal Thinkpad X1 Extreme was a champ for 7+ years, and a few P series I've used over the years since 2021 were also great. [...]

Yet after 14 years you still have it and use it? Quality also went down while with later models - back in 2014 I was laptop shopping, based on the X2xx series reputation I tested an X240 and it was crap, even the keyboard was super bad, I ended up getting a Dell xps13 whose keyboard was miles better and it still works today.

I switched about 2 years ago using my Dell XPS 13. No hardware issues and everything is just a bit less buggy. I wrote about it back then:

[...] I am currently using a Moto G Play 2024 I bought new for $120. [...] When my laptop (2017 Dell XPS 13, Fedora 41, $200 at a pawn shop) dies I will buy a Samsung and use Dex, because that as well is more than most people need. [...]

This is the greatest I've felt about my tech's longevity in a while. Compare to my previous laptop, a Dell XPS 13 that died just past my credit card's extended warranty (2 years in) because its soldered-on RAM failed. I managed to pull the SSD and the rest is just a slim aluminum brick now.

If I can't buy that, maybe I'll just get another Dell XPS 13. I've had 12 years out of this one and it's still good.

Dell XPS 13. I had one, was my daily driver for five years, til the battery could no longer hold a charge

Touchscreen is one of those things that sound nice, but in my experience are not so useful. [...] Before having a framework 13 I had a dell xps 13 with touchscreen for about ten years. [...] But hey, the rest of the specs of the screen alone make it still a nice upgrade possibility for the future :)

I added liquid metal to my Dell XPS 13 a few years back, I was very happy with the performance increase. [...]

[...] I rolled a lenovo x1 as my daily driver about 5 years ago. [...] The Dell xps13 was similarly fine (except for coil whine which I am told is not os specific). The only thing that didn’t work was trackpad smooth scrolling and pointer precision.

The fingerprint sensors in the Framework laptops already have open source drivers. This is for the sensors used in some older but still recent laptops from other manufacturers. I have a Dell XPS 13 from 2018 with an unsupported Goodix fingerprint sensor; I expect this would work with that.

As someone who always favors the smaller laptops that don't require me to gear up an entire backpack just to do a bit of work on the go, I'd argue that the difference between a 10" and 13" screen is not nearly as much as it sounds. I've found the Dell XPS 13's to be an excellent choice for stowing in my service bag so I have a small-but-functional machine on a job site. That and the Dell XPS 13 just has better hardware all around, when stood up against the Chuwi. [...]

[...] The screen died right after the warranty expired. [...] Dell XPS 13 was the 2nd worst.

[...] It also has balanced USB ports on each side with being able to charge on the left and right. [...] I have been using it and at the moment will not go back to other OEMs. [...] Apple (PPC) was the laptop that died the fast after the warranty expired, Dell XPS 13 was the second fastest to die. [...]

I had a 2020 dell XPS 13 on which I installed Fedora. Battery life was an atrocious 4 hours at best, I tried out all the power management tools as well. [...]

[...] Windows Voice Typing (v11 24H2, Dell XPS 13 9340) What is the first recorded eclipse in human history i'm not asking 1 like the first occurred but the first ridden record we have of an eclipse Windows mistakes were: -"1" should be "when" -"ridden" should be "written" -No punctuation

[...] I ran a bootstrapped software company and they didn't fail me. After that I briefly had a Samsung ultrabook (that was semi-reliable) and then a Dell XPS 13 that one day had a screen crack when I opened it. Then I switched to MacBooks when M1 came out: first keys got stuck in my M1, then the screen bezel spontaneously cracked on an M2 just when the warranty ended and I was in Europe. Apparently now Apple laptops are luxury items, you have to wipe the keyboard from dust before closing the lid. [...]

Dell XPS 13 - died just out of warranty with probably 10 hours of usage. Giant waste of money. [...] Spent 10 months battling with support after constant issues, got a replacement and sold it immediately.

I have a Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition from work that came with Ubuntu 20.04 preinstalled. [...]

Here's my massive pet peeve around PCs that I don't even believe that the Dell XPS 13 has resolved: All those computers charge over USB-C with the full force of the port. [...] But the second the battery is completely drained, the port cannot revive that computer. [...] Only Apple allows you to use only USB-C as a charger.

[...] I was quite surprised to see just how well everything worked, and, in fact, these devices have given me much less trouble than my i7-1165G7 Dell XPS 13". [...]

When building your next PC stick to a motherboard that uses Intel for everything (or as many things as possible). When selecting a laptop choose one that provides Linux support out of the box, eg Dell XPS 13. I've done the above and never once had a driver issue on Linux.

System76 claims 14 hours, and I managed 11 hours in our battery drain test (looping a 1080p video). [...] I've been mulling a Framework for a while but what's held be back so far is that the battery life is 9-10 hours after tuning, and I'd love it to be longer. [...] My Dell XPS 13 feels like it needs to go onto the charger every 4 hours so this would be a huge improvement.

I bought second hand Dell XPS 13 for our 6 year old. [...]

I bought a second hand Dell XPS 13" (fairly new) and installed Fedora on it. [...]

[...] I bought one and it arrived DOA. [...] Spent real money and bought a Thinkpad.

I got the XPS 13 (16 GB) in Storm color. [...]

I had 2 driver issues that almost killed this laptop. So it might not kill the Neo, but it might kill itself.

My xps died as soon as dell care plus ended and gave me years of troubles (without dell care plus I would have been screwed). [...] only 14hrs with dynamic refreshing rate? [...]

About a month ago I setup Omarchy on an 8 year-old Dell XPS 13 and I've been using it as my dev machine daily since then. So far it's been an excellent experience. I've barely scratched the surface, but I'm really enjoying the Hyprland window manager.

Friday night off and I'm... fixing my laptop, lol Screen is busted, parts don't seem available... (Dell XPS 13, 9315, non-touch, 1920x1200)

I own the very first mainstream laptop with Thunderbolt 3 (long before Apple announced support), the second generation Dell XPS 13 and it works fine on macbook chargers. Sad to hear that there is a regression.

Still trying to figure out why my Dell XPS 13 laptop will not connect to internet via Ethernet. I got a bit further and actually saw the Ethernet indicator and "Identifying network" only for it to fail. [...]

I really loved my Dell XPS 13 with Skylake when I bought it in 2015, so I figured I'd upgrade to the Meteor Lake version when I left Intel. [...] The keyboard doesn't feel right and the invisible trackpad is the worse I've ever used in a modern laptop. [...]