When Dell launched their dramatically redesigned XPS 13 in January 2015, the laptop-loving world went crazy (in a good way). It was smaller and lighter than other 13.3" laptops on the market yet it made no concessions to build quality, performance and materials. Of course, we couldn't wait for Dell to remake the XPS 15 in the new XPS 13's image, and now it's finally here. The Dell XPS 15 9550 has Dell's Infinity display-- there's nearly no display bezel, the glass reaches to the very edges. That makes the XPS 15 and XPS 13 look futuristic and clean. Since this is a conventional laptop that doesn't flip, separate or twist, there's no need for larger bezels to act as grab points as with a tablet. Dell claims this is the smallest 15" laptop in the world, and it's the size of a 14" model. That's even more impressive since the XPS 15 is as ever a powerhouse portable in the mobile workstation category--it has a quad core i7 CPU, dedicated NVIDIA GTX 960M graphics, two RAM slots and a 15.6" display. Machines with that much power are generally chunky, though there are a few thin and lights that compete with the XPS 15 like the 15" Retina MacBook Pro, Asus ZenBook Pro UX501 and even the 15" MSI Ghost Pro and HP Omen 15 gaming laptops. The late 2015 XPS 15 starts at $999, and the configurations most folks would want start around $1,200 to $1,700. The most expensive upgrade is the $400 4K gloss touch screen with 100% Adobe RGB coverage and 95% of NTSC. That can bring a high end XPS 15 up to the $2,000 mark. Fortunately, the 1080p matte non-touch display is no slouch, and those on a tight budget will by no means be suffering with it. That said, graphic designers, photographers and video editors will want that lush 4K high gamut panel that offers much wider color coverage than the outgoing XPS 15's 4K display. Design and Ergonomics Take the XPS 13 and a grow it a bit, and you literally have the XPS 15. The designs are that close. The lid is aluminum and the chassis is milled from a single piece of aluminum alloy (this is called unibody design). The aluminum bottom panel is removable after you unscrew several Torx T5 screws and two Phillips head screws under the service tag door. The keyboard deck is covered in Dell's signature carbon fiber for grip and softness. It's a sweet looking notebook, even if it lacks the flowing lines of the HP Spectre x360 or the MacBook Pro. All surfaces are extremely rigid and the XPS 15 Infinity feels robust and durable. The XPS 15 Infinity is a surprisingly cool and quiet machine when doing productivity work. And yes, Dell's coil whine is gone. Thin and compact laptops with this much horsepower inside are usually hot and noisy under modest to moderate load. Our quad core i7 model with 16 gigs of RAM, a 1TB Samsung 951 SSD and NVIDIA switchable graphics is silent when using MS Office, browsing the web and streaming video when unplugged. Like many Ultrabooks and slim laptops, the fan comes on when plugged into AC since charging generates heat and the laptop will run in higher performance mode. It's still a fairly soft whir that you'll only notice in a quiet room. When exporting 1080p long videos (like our YouTube video reviews) or playing Fallout 4, the fan is quite audible but not room-blasting loud. The bottom gets very warm but not burning hot. When the laptop is stressed with heavy loads, the dual fan system manages heat well and the XPS 15 didn't exceed 107F at the hottest points on the bottom. Ports and the (Future) Joys of USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 The 4.4 lb. laptop is one of the lightest 15" laptops on the market and it's slim with a taper toward the front. Port selection isn't fantastic: two USB 3.0 ports, an SD card slot, 3.5mm audio, a lock slot, HDMI 1.4 and a single USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port. A lot rides on that USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port, and it's a bit ahead of its time since USB-C adapter cables are still hard to come by and even Dell's Thunderbolt dock and small USB-C dock (HDMI, VGA and Ethernet) aren't yet available (the Thunderbolt dock is due in early 2016). I really wish Dell had included their usual mini DisplayPort rather than HDMI 1.4, or that they'd at least used HDMI 2.0. This machine is aimed at professionals who likely use high resolution external displays, including Dell's own lovely 4K monitors. The HDMI port can drive a 4K display, but at 30Hz rather than 60Hz. I tried a few USB-C to HDMI adapters, but apparently none supported HDMI 2.0, so I was again stuck with 30Hz. That slow refresh rate makes the mouse cursor look like it's stuttering across the screen (modest exaggeration) and movies look less smooth when not shown at their intended 60Hz. Fortunately, a few companies like Monoprice sell USB-C to DisplayPort adapters that will drive a 4K monitor at 60Hz (we tested it and it worked fine). If you have a 2K monitor, there's nothing to worry about since the HDMI port on the XPS 15 can drive a 2560 x 1440 monitor at 60Hz. Ethernet? Not here. You'll need a USB to Ethernet, USB-C to Ethernet adapter or Dell's upcoming dock. As a consolation, these adapters are easier to find if you visit the Mac section of your local or online store since the 12" MacBook requires the same adapters. The stereo speakers are incredibly loud but they sound distorted and buzzy at the default Dell EQ settings. Unless you've bought the laptop from a Microsoft Store and gotten the Signature Edition minus all Dell software, you'll have a Dell Audio control panel. Use it immediately to change the MaxxAudio Pro speaker enhancement setting to Music rather than the default MaxxSense. That will get rid of the over amplification of bass and treble that leads to distortion and compression. The audio software isn't all bad--when it's turned off the speakers sound anemic and timid. It's just a matter of getting the settings right. There's no Windows Hello Infrared camera here for facial recognition login, nor is there a fingerprint scanner. Keyboard and Trackpad The XPS 15's keyboard feels much like the XPS 13's. It's nicely damped, has white backlighting that contrasts nicely with the black keys and key travel is short. 1.6mm is standard key travel for (not skinny) laptops. The Microsoft Surface Book has 1.5mm travel and the Surface Pro 4 Type Cover has 1.4mm. The XPS 15 9550 has 1.3mm. As you might guess, if you're coming from a desktop keyboard, ThinkPad or older and thicker Dell laptop, it will take time to adjust to the short key travel. At first I double-pressed letters by accident on occasion and had to lighten my touch to avoid punishing my fingers. After an hour, I was on good terms with the XPS 15's keyboard. That cushioned key feel really does help, and unless you're one of those typists who literally bangs on the keys, you can come to enjoy the XPS' typing experience. That said, I wouldn't have minded if Dell made the laptop a millimeter or two thicker to improve key travel. Some folks reported problems with the spacebar being slightly tilted with the top (display side) being higher than the bottom (closer to the trackpad). Ours was indeed slightly skewed and at first tapping near the bottom of the spacebar felt mushy compared to the top and it didn't always register a press. After literally banging out 5,000 words, the spacebar seems to have seated better and I haven't missed typing spaces. It does still feel a little soft along the bottom edge when pressing down. The large glass trackpad is devilishly good. The surface texture feels just right--not too slick or sticky and the buttons hidden beneath the trackpad feel balanced in their force requirements. The new Skylake generation high end laptops and convertibles from Microsoft and Dell have improved so much that they rival the Mac's excellent trackpads. Cursor movement is precise and predictable and two-finger gestures work well. The laptop uses Microsoft's software and drivers, so customization is minimal. I noticed that some settings in Windows 10's modern settings did nothing, but the control panel mouse settings did effect change. Note that Windows updates and Dell updates improve trackpad performance, so be sure to do all available updates before passing judgment on the trackpad.

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