The Dell XPS 15 now has an RTX 3000 GPU, a much-needed upgrade to a well-deserving notebook. Oh, and it also has an OLED display option. That’s correct. The latest Dell XPS 15 OLED (2021) is one of the first laptops that use OLED technology. And what a magnificent adaption it is.
The Dell XPS series and organic LED technology are a match made in heaven, and the Dell XPS 15 OLED is evidence. It may be the ideal laptop to persuade people to get on the OLED trend: its lovely thin aluminum chassis is the right container for a vivid 3,456 x 2,160 Oled screen with Dolby Vision compatibility.
And it reduces the rest of the improvements like Tiger Lake-H CPUs, RTX 3050/3050 Ti graphics, and a lighter design.
Even if there aren’t many alternatives right now, the Dell XPS 15 OLED is one of the finest ways to jump into this new OLED laptop craze, even if it is a little more pricey. The cheapest OLED display setup, which includes an 11th-generation Core i7, RTX 3050 Ti, and 16GB RAM, costs $1,959. Meanwhile, the top-tier version with an 11th-generation Core i9 processor and 64GB of RAM would set you back $4,507 in the United States and £3,223 in the United Kingdom and Australia. The main difference would be that the maximum US configuration comes with 8TB of storage, while the UK and Australia only have 2TB.
Regardless of configuration, those are hefty pricing for average users, and if you’re not inclined to pay as much, you’ll be relieved to hear there are non-OLED solutions available. This implies that the new Dell XPS 15 OLED (2021) is still available for as little as $1,273 / £1,499. You won’t be able to use the touch Oled screen, but the 15.6-inch 1920 x 1200 InfinityEdge screen with 500 nits of brightness is fantastic.
If you choose an OLED model, keep in mind that you’re primarily paying for the Oled display, while more powerful competitors are priced similarly. For example, the MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021), whose base configuration costs $1,999 for the more capable M1 Pro with an 8-Core CPU and a 14-Core GPU, and Apple’s iconic Liquid Retina XDR display.
The Razer Blade 15 offers even greater value, costing $1,799 for a setup comparable to the Dell XPS 15 OLED (2021) but with a more powerful RTX 3060 and no OLED panel. However, if you want the OLED variant, it will cost you $3,399.
The Dell XPS 15 OLED (2021) features the same CNC-machined, scratch-resistant aluminum chassis with carbon fiber or glass fiber inside as its predecessor, and it’s just as slim and portable, measuring 13.57 x 9.06 x 0.71 inches. It’s also just as lovely, with the customary black on sterling silver and arctic white on frost tones and the finely woven palm rests that provide a touch of sophistication.
It is, however, somewhat lighter than the 2021 version, with the OLED model weighing 4.31 pounds and the non-touch variant beginning at 3.99 pounds. It won’t be as simple to transport as the Dell XPS 13, but the little weight reduction is significant.
Naturally, both the infrared sensor and the fingerprint scanner are present for Windows Hello and fingerprint logins. The connectors from its predecessor remain. That two Thunderbolt ports with PD and DP Alt Mode, one USB-C port with PD and DP Alt Mode, a stiletto lock slot, a 3.5mm headset jack, and a full-sized Sd card slot for artistic users. However, those Thunderbolt ports have been updated from Thunderbolt 3 to 4, allowing them to accommodate two 4K monitors or one 8K display.
The keyboard and touchpad are excellent as usual. However, they may seem too big for people accustomed to smaller laptops. The illuminated keys are pleasant to type on, with more resistance than rocker switches, but not enough to impair accuracy or speed. The trackpad has a luxury feel to it and is equally as snappy. It’s also rather large, so you’ll have lots of room to work with while developing material. The only drawback is that it is so large that some people will forget to remove their pinky and ring fingers from it. Otherwise, it may result in unintentional presses.
This laptop is rather loud, which is unique for a laptop. There are two 2.5W floor standing speakers and two 1.5W tweeters, which fire upward, giving this laptop plenty of stereo strength. The audio quality is also excellent, being clean and clear, bright, and has lots of basses—songs by Twin Shadow sound unique. However, the midrange is a little shallow, but the highs are quite apparent. And while it does become slightly distorted at higher levels, it isn’t too horrible.
The 3456 x 2160 OLED screen is an amazing stunner, with 400 nits of luminance, a 100,000:1 dynamic contrast, and 100% DCI-P3 color coverage, making it ideal for photographers and video editing. Because this is an OLED panel, you’re getting not only deep and brilliant colors but also deeper blacks, which stands out.
If that isn’t enough, Dolby Vision compatibility dramatically improves the dynamic range for Dolby Vision movies like Enola Holmes and Squid Game, maintaining the colors rich while gaining a lot of detail in very bright and dark situations. We don’t think we’ve ever had such a good viewing experience on a laptop as we did with the Dell XPS 15 OLED.
And, of course, the touch functionality remains as snappy and intuitive as it has always been.
The Dell XPS 15 OLED (2021) is aimed at more demanding consumers, including an Intel Core i7 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU and 16GB of RAM. It’s a decent boost over the GTX 1650 Ti in the Dell XPS 15 (2020), but is it enough for creative professionals?
The Dell XPS 15 OLED flies through certain demanding activities, such as when you have over 20 browser tabs open, some of which are streaming shows, Spotify, and Microsoft Outlook. It’s quick while remaining calm under pressure.
However, even the RTX 3050 Ti is no competition for the RTX 3060 in the XPS 17. It fared far better than its predecessor. However, it fared much worse than its bigger equivalent. This should come as no surprise. It runs easily in Adobe Photoshop but isn’t as quick while processing 10 or more high-resolution photographs in Adobe Lightroom. It seems slightly slow on pace with our 2019 MacBook Pro 13-inch, which only has Intel Iris Plus graphics.
While Dell promises that the XPS 15’s 1080p setup would last more than 13 hours, the OLED variant is only certified for 9 hours and 13 minutes. Unfortunately, it does considerably worse in our battery testing.
It barely lasts 7 hours and 11 mins which replicates various real-world tasks, and 6 hours and 37 mins in looping video playback Because this is an OLED laptop, you might be able to get a little more power out of it if you use Windows Dark Mode. However, it will not be something to write home about.
With the M1 Version MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) boasting up to 21 hours of battery life, the Dell XPS 15 (2021) is falling behind. However, it is only as power-efficient as its internal parts, implying that Intel and Nvidia still have some work.
If you intend on having a lot of video conferences, the mic and webcam on this laptop are just as vital as anything else. And the XPS 15 performs admirably.
Voices are picked up well by the dual-array mics. You can move across the room and still hear the man on the other end of your Skype conference. There appears to be some ambient rejection as well.
Unfortunately, the 720p camera isn’t the best. You’ll sound clear to folks on the other end of the phone conversation, especially during the day when there’s lots of natural illumination to work with. However, anticipate a big noise and lost features in dark and bright places while using low or artificial illumination. If you want high-quality pictures for business meetings or streaming material, you should consider purchasing a dedicated camera with a more excellent resolution and wider dynamic range.
Overall, the Dell XPS 15 OLED is a fantastic computer that successfully bridges the gap between stylish ultraportable, and muscular gaming laptops. Its more powerful features aren’t the only reason to buy this expensive laptop. The stunning 3.5K OLED panel is much more enticing. The Dell XPS 15 OLED demonstrates that Dell never ceases to innovate.
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