Problems with Dell XPS 13?

S

starfish11040

New Member
I am considering buying this computer. But after during considerable research I have a few questions.
Firstly, it has very high ratings in both Consumer Reports and every ratings website I have seen (Engadget, CNET, Laptop mag, PC World, Wall Street Journal, etc.). The average rating is 8.6.

I was disappointed when I saw the customer ratings. On Amazon 44% gave it one star (53% one or two stars). The majority of the complaints were about the poor trackpad, lousy wifi reception, and serious problems using the touch screen.
I should point out that these complaints are about the latest version which is the 9350. It came out in the latter part of 2015. The earlier version, the 9343, has much better customer ratings but the complaints are similar (trackpad, wifi, touch screen). Also, judging from the dates of the ratings websites reviews, some but not all, were for the 9343.
The 9343 has been discontinued by Dell but is still available for purchase elsewhere.

What initially attracted me, and still attracts me, to this computer is the 13" screen in an 11" body.

Can those of you with XPS 13 experience comment on this and on the difference between the 9343 and the 9350?
 
I really wouldn't recommend Dells in general anymore unless you plan on buying a business class dell system. Retail Dell systems are just horrible anymore. As you can see the reviews doesn't give it a good rating. HP isn't any better. Go with something like an Asus or even an Acer.
 
Yeah ever since Dell started selling their computers in chains like Best Buy is when their consumer quality really went to hell.
 
starfish11040 said:
Can those of you with XPS 13 experience comment on this and on the difference between the 9343 and the 9350?
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I can't speak for the 13 but a work colleague of mine has the 15 and it's really nice. He's not had any of the problems you mentioned, maybe they don't affect the 15 though. Though I do remember finding the touchpad a little slow, might just be because I'm not used to it though (I don't like touchpads anyway, I always use the TrackPoint on my ThinkPad which is one reason I use ThinkPads, just depends what you're used to!)

A lot of the professional reviews rate it highly, seems like a nice laptop to me and having seen and used this XPS 15 I'd say the 13 is probably quite nice too. I have another colleague who has looking to replace his Surface Pro 3 with one but ended up going with a Surface Pro 4 instead. Something like a Surface Pro 4 might be an option for you. If you want a better keyboard than what the Surface has to offer then maybe look at the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, they're 14" and rated very highly. I've been a ThinkPad owner all my life (Surfaces for the past year or two as well) and I swear by them, great machines.

At the end of the day the reviews are useful to a point. Sounds like you want it so bite the bullet and buy it if you've looked at alternatives and decided they're not for you. If it's disappointing then you can return or sell it - a hassle I know, but...

What brands do you actually like @voyagerfan99? Not Dell or HP it seems. In my experience both Dell's and HP's offerings seem nicer than Asus'. Maybe that's just me though.
 
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I like Dell Latitude and Precision models as well as HP elitebook models.
 
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