Hands On With the Dell XPS 18

Dell today announced the availability of its new XPS 18 Portable All-in-One desktop PC.

Like the Sony Vaio Tap 20 and Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon, the XPS 18 exists in the space between the tablet and all-in-one desktop form factors. The XPS 18 is centered on its 18.4-inch touch screen, but has an Intel Pentium processor, based on Intel Core technology. It's aimed at the user who needs a full Windows 8 PC, albeit one that can move around the house from room to room while still operating.

The XPS 18 base unit comes with an Intel Pentium 2117U processor, but XPS 18 models can be configured with a selection of Core i3, i5, and i7 processors during the purchase process. The system comes with either 4GB or 8GB of memory, 320-500GB hard drive, 32-512GB mSATA SSD, and Intel integrated graphics. The system comes with two USB 3.0 ports and a single USB 2.0 ports for a keyboard/mouse USB transceiver. The XPS 18 weighs about five pounds and is around-the-house portable, with a claimed five-hour battery life.

The XPS 18 has built-in kickstands for desktop use with or without a wireless keyboard/mouse setup. Dell will also offer a $49 desktop stand with tilt and recharge functions. The system has a webcam on the same side as the screen, but no backward-facing camera, so it's not meant to be a mobile tablet. Instead, the XPS 18 is meant for the home roamer, carrying the system from bedroom to den to kitchen. The system is only 0.69 inches thick, much slimmer than the Sony Vaio Tap 20.

It's interesting that Dell is willing to enter such an untested segment of the market. While the Vaio Tap 20 blazed the trail for portable all-in-one desktops, there haven't been too many other direct competitors yet. Windows 8 practically screams for a touch screen, and the inclusion of a 10-point touch screen on the XPS 18 is, in our opinion, absolutely necessary for a sharable system like this.

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The XPS 18 is as light as a large laptop (5 pounds), which makes it a much better candidate for carrying around the house than the 11-pound Tap 20 or the 18-pound IdeaCentre Horizon. You can argue that the Tap 20 has a better stand with tilt mechanism, but we'll hold off on our final summation until we can get the XPS 18 into the PCMag Labs for testing. Look for the review of this and other systems on PCMag.com.