The XPS 13 has become the gold standard for 13-inch laptops but I had two gripes that Dell has finally fixed: sound and face ID.
Two things that needed fixing:
—Sound:
The XPS 13 9300 now has a solid sound system (and same for the Dell XPS 13 7390 and 7390 2-in-1). Both the XPS 13 and XPS 15 for too long had tinny sound that was, to be blunt, awful.
The XPS 13 9300 now has both good bass and mid-range and gets loud without distortion.
And the Waves MaxxAudio equalizer, which was preinstalled on my system, is a essential part of getting great sound from the XPS. Make sure this is running on your XPS 13.
—Face ID:
The XPS 13 has been a thin-display-bezel trend setter. That’s important because it reduces the overall size of the laptop making it more portable as well as more aesthetically appealing.
But there was one thing missing: a Windows Hello Face ID (facial recognition) camera in the top bezel. That’s there now without sacrificing any thinness. (The 9300 also has a fingerprint reader built into the power button.)
Everything else:
Dell is in an enviable position of pursuing perfection with the XPS 13. It’s a gorgeous laptop that equals or exceeds everything you expect in a best-of-the-best laptop on every metric including performance, display, and keyboard.
Now that Dell has mastered the 13-inch laptop, it is apparently aiming to do the same thing with the upcoming 2020 15-inch XPS 9500 and 17-inch XPS 9700, which are reportedly imminent.