Dell’s XPS 13 lineup has been one of the top laptops of the past few years. Fast forward to 2019 and the company is trying to continue that success by relaunching the XPS 13 2-in-1 with the 7390 which has a new design and better specs.
Design & Hardware
If you’ve used or seen the most recent XPS 13, then the new Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (7390) should very familiar. Gone are the display bezels and awkward nose cam from the 2017 model (the 9365) and in with razor-thin bezels that are barely noticeable.
The laptop is thinner than before thanks to the new 10th Gen Intel chips and innovations that Dell has made.
The 13.4-inch InfinityEdge display on the XPS 13 2-in-1 offers a 16:10 aspect ratio and there’s a 2.25mm webcam at the top of the display. Screen options for the XPS 13 2-in-1 include a Full HD+ touch or UltraSharp 4K Ultra HD+ touchscreen.
The model of the XPS 13 2-in-1 (2019) came with the Full HD+ touchscreen that still offers Dolby Vision support.
The 1080p display on the XPS 13 2-in-1 (2019) looks great but there seems to be a constant issue that occurs on all recent XPS laptops which the screen would dim when automatic brightness was set to off.
The speakers on the XPS 13 2-in-1 (2019) sound good but nothing that will blow you away. One of the highlights of XPS laptops is the new MagLev keyboard and this time around, Dell choose a different type of keyboard mechanism that is more in line with the recent Macbook Air.
The keys go edge-to-edge and feel great when typing on them and there’s a good clicking sensation when hitting each key. That could be due to the plastic nature of the keys rather than a metal Macbook Air keyboard. The trackpad on the XPS 13 2-in-1 (2019) is larger than before and is a good size for a 13-inch laptop.
In the upper right corner of the keyboard is the laptop’s power button that also acts as a fingerprint reader for Windows Hello support. The fingerprint reader is fairly quick and can get you logged in no time. Unlike the standard XPS 13, the webcam on the new 2-in-1 doesn’t have IR for face recognition.
Powering the XPS 13 2-in-1 (2019) is the latest 10th Gen Intel Core processors with an option to up to an Intel Core i7. The model I tested came equipped with an i7-1065G7, 16GB of RAM Intel Iris Plus Graphics and a 512GB SSD.
Just like the previous XPS 13 2-in-1, the new one comes with the latest Dell Active Pen that lets you take notes, draw and more. I found myself using it with Windows Ink to annotate on-screen and also for drawing.
The pen is very smooth to use and works just as well as the Surface Pen and Apple Pencil. When not in use, the Dell Active Pen just magnetically attaches to the right side of the laptop.
I had no performance issues when using the XPS 13 2-in-1 (2019) but there was the occasional heating up but nothing too intense. The laptop also came with a Killer AX1650 (2×2) Wi-Fi card that supports WiFi 6, which offers improved connectivity with a compatible router.
For ports, the XPS 13 2-in-1 (2019) comes with two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, headphone jack and microSD card slot. Dell does include a USB-C to USB-A adapter in the box. The front of the device has a white LED light that is used to show when the battery is being charged.
Dell says the XPS 13 2-in-1 (2019) can get up to 16 hours of battery life but I was getting closer to 10-12 hours and sometimes less.
The new XPS 13 2-in-1 (2019) comes in Frost White and Platinum Silver colour options and starts at $1,399 CAD. The one that I tested goes for around $1,800 to $2,199 CAD.
Software
The XPS 13 2-in-1 (2019) comes with Windows 10 (version 1909). The laptop was able to handle most tasks with ease.
The laptop does come with a few Dell pre-installed apps including:
- Dell Customer Connect
- Dell Digital Delivery
- Dell Mobile Connect
- Dell Power Manager
- Dell Update
- My Dell
The rest of the pre-installed apps are from Microsoft and other ones from Intel, Killer and more.
Final Thoughts
The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (2019) is a great laptop that is super portable, offers great specs and fun to use included stylus.
Pros
- Solid battery life
- The new MagLev keyboard offers a great typing experience
- Good display
- Great performance (thanks to Intel Ice Lake)
- Comes with a stylus
- Windows Hello support via the fingerprint reader
Cons
- Limited ports
- The not-so-bright keyboard backlight
- Screen dimming issues
TheCanadianTechie 