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Dell's XPS 15 now has a beautiful edge-to-edge display

Dell released an XPS 13 earlier this year that blew everyone away. The edge-to-edge display was unlike anything we'd seen in a laptop of that size before, and the small and light form factor was designed to go head-to-head with Apple's MacBook Air. While many love 13-inch devices, there's a big group of people who opt for a larger 15-inch laptop. Dell is now bringing its much-loved design to its 15-inch XPS 15.

The first thing you notice about the XPS 15 is the edge-to-edge display. Dell has gone one step further here and added 4K; it's simply beautiful. The lack of bezels is even more noticeable on this larger display, and it's every bit as impressive as the XPS 13. Dell has also paid close attention to the color gamut of the display so it can achieve 100 percent minimum Adobe RGB. That means colors pop and viewing angles are great. The only downside is that you'll still get a glossy display at 4K, so if you want the matte option you have to pick the non-touch HD version. I'm not a fan of glossy, but I do wish Dell had a matte option with touch.

Like the XPS 13, Dell is using machined aluminum and a carbon fiber palm rest for the construction. It feels just like the XPS 13, but the weight is obviously different. Where the XPS 15 gets really interesting is what Dell is offering for pure specifications. Intel's latest Skylake processor is inside, and Dell has opted for the Core i3 version on the base model. That's probably good enough for most, but you can go all the way up to the Core i7 if you want a lot more power. Dell is also taking advantage of USB Type-C, so if you want to collect a new peripheral you can, or you can simply use the port to charge the XPS 15, too. The same port will also support Thunderbolt 3.

A USB Type-C port lets you charge up the XPS 15

Dell XPS 15 (2015) hands-on photos

It's not exactly a gaming laptop, but if you want the power of a dedicated Nvidia graphics card then you can even opt for the GTX 960M in this machine. That should run all your Steam games just fine at the right settings.

Dell is making things a little more interesting on the battery side. Models with a regular HDD will use a 56W battery, but if you opt for an SSD version you'll get 84W because the company can cram in a larger battery. That means the choice is simple: If you want better battery life then don't get the 4K touch model. Dell is promising around 10 hours of wireless web browsing for the Core i7 with 4K display, and a massive 17 hours for the Core i7 with HD display. That's a big difference.

I'm not typically a fan of larger 15-inch laptops, but they're certainly popular with consumers. Dell's XPS 15 is one of the best looking Windows machines out there, and it's really going head-to-head with the MacBook Pro this time around. Dell's new XPS 15 is available starting today from $999 and upwards. Dell is also refreshing its XPS 13 today with Skylake processors, more RAM options, a larger battery, USB Type-C, and faster SSDs starting at $799.


Dell XPS 15 (2015) hands-on photos

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