Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

It has been six years since Dell first introduced its XPS Developer Edition moniker, which refers specifically to the company's XPS laptop models that ship with Ubuntu Linux (and not Windows) pre-installed. Ever since, Dell has been producing some of the best Linux "ultrabooks" in recent memory.

Ars has already put the Windows-boasting XPS 13 through its paces earlier this year since the device received a serious overhaul in 2018. Dell bumped up the hardware specs, revamped the thermal system, and introduced a new rose and white version, for instance. But how is latest edition of the premier "just works" Linux laptop doing with the added muscle?

Recently, Dell finally sent Ars the latest model of the XPS 13 DE for testing. And while Dell did put a lot of work into this latest iteration, the biggest upgrade with the latest Developer Edition is the inclusion of Ubuntu 18.04.

Specs at a glance: Dell XPS 13 DE laptop Worst Best Screen 13.3-inch FHD (1920×1080) Infinity Edge non-touch display 13.3-inch 4K UHD (3840×2160) Infinity Edge touchscreen OS Ubuntu 18.04 CPU Intel Core i5-8250U (up to 3.4GHz) Intel Core i7-8550U (up to 4.0GHz) RAM 4GB LPDDR3 16GB LPDDR3 HDD 128GB PCIe SSD 2TB PCIe SSD GPU Intel UHD Graphics 620 Networking 802.11ac [2x2], Bluetooth 4.1 Ports 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports (PowerShare DC-In, DisplayPort), 1 USB Type C 3.1 port (PowerShare DC-In, DisplayPort), headset jack, Noble lock slot, microSD card slot Size 11.9×7.8×0.46 in (302×199×11.6 mm) Weight 2.68 pounds Battery 52Whr Price $890 at Dell $1,680 at Dell

It's true that Linux users did have to wait a bit longer than Windows fans, but that delay came more from Ubuntu's release schedule than any of Dell's changes. Since 2012, the XPS DE line has always tracked Canonical's LTS releases. That meant even the XPS DE released in February of this year still shipped Ubuntu 16.04. And while I've never had a problem upgrading to the latest Ubuntu release on any of the three XPSes I've tested over the years, nothing beyond 16.04 has ever been supported by Dell.

The XPS 13 Developer Edition model 9370 changes that. The latest and greatest pre-built Linux hardware now features full support for Ubuntu 18.04, the latest (and possibly greatest) Linux OS. The change is no small footnote: the move from Ubuntu 16.04 to 18.04 means a completely new desktop, GNOME 3, a major revamp of underlying technologies (more modern GTK libraries), and a new, very different user interface to contend with. And on the hardware side, that newer tech in the XPS 13, including USB-C and Thunderbolt, all now works under Ubuntu without a hitch.

After a few weeks living with the XPS 13, I'm happy to say that, with a few small exceptions, Dell has pulled off the transition to Ubuntu 18.04 with remarkable aplomb.

Hardware

The Dell XPS 13 DE has always been an exceptionally well-built, great-looking piece of hardware. The revamped version is no exception, and the new white and rose-gold version looks pretty slick (even if it's not your style, exactly). On the rose-and-white model, the palm rest area and space around the keyboard are covered with a very nice fiberglass-like weave that gives it a bit of texture and makes for a little bit softer edge. It's noticeably easier on my wrists than the last model I used.

As the neater crowd may understand, I was hesitant to take a white laptop out and about for fear of sending Dell back a gray-brown laptop. But in the six weeks I've been using it, it hasn't picked up a single spot of dirt or a mark that didn't easily disappear with the quick swipe of a rag.

The Infinity Edge display on the XPS 13 comes in two flavors—3840×2160 touchscreen 4k or an FHD non-touch option. There's a roughly $200 difference between the two, but the big catch, as far as I could tell on the Dell website is that the 16GB RAM model is only available with the HiDPI screen. Since most developers are going to want the max RAM possible, that pretty much means you're going to get the HiDPI display.

There are two things to note about the 4K display (which is what came with the model I tested): First, it's wonderfully bright and sharp. Ubuntu's GNOME interface works well at this resolution, but keep in mind there's no half scaling—it's 2x or 1X. KDE supports arbitrary scaling, which might make Kubuntu a compelling option for some users. The downside to the HiDPI screen is that battery life isn't as good as the FHD non-touch version, and, if you're buying it with the idea of running some other distro, well, do your research. Not every desktop/distro combo is going to work well with this display (I happen to really like LXQT these days, but even the Lubuntu version did not play well with the HiDPI screen out of the box).

The 16GB model comes equipped with an 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8550U Processor (8M Cache, up to 4.0 GHz, 4 cores) and has the onboard Intel UHD Graphics 620. There are two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and Dell has made it possible to use four-lane PCI connections, which means in theory you could add an external graphics card for a better gaming experience. At least, that's possible with the Windows version. I did not test how well this works under Ubuntu because I am not a gamer, and this is a serious developer laptop (no playing games here, he says only half-kidding). I did throw some video rendering tasks at it using Blender, however, and the XPS 13 cranked through them with impressive ease.

Despite the new case color, not everything on XPS 13 comes up roses. There's still that webcam—yes, it's still at the bottom of the screen aimed up your nose. At this point, it seems safe to assume Dell isn't changing the location. As an alternative, I found some nice white electrical tape at my local hardware store and stuck it over the camera and had no further problems with it. If you're going to do any teleconferencing or the like, the $20 you spend on an external USB webcam will not be wasted.

On the upside, some of the earlier models of the XPS 13 I tested had a tendency to produce a high-pitched whine in some situations. If you read users' complaints around the Web, you'll get a mix of theories, the most likely being coil whine. Whatever it was, I have not noticed it with this model.

Aside from the aforementioned Thunderbolt ports, you'll find that, like a certain other laptop maker, the latest version of the XPS 13 ditches USB-A in favor of a USB Type C port. Technically, the XPS 13 has three USB type C ports, two of which are Thunderbolt 3 enabled and the other which is USB 3.1.

I understand this move somewhat. USB-C is the future, and users want a laptop to last a few years, which means desiring at least one USB-C port. You also aren't getting that 4mm edge with USB-A ports in there. But the USB-C future still feels a long way off. I have plenty of devices that are USB-A, and I'm not going to be replacing perfectly capable accessories just because hardware ports are disappearing. Dell does helpfully include a USB-C to A dongle, but I really did not need yet another dongle.

Other ports include a microSD card reader, headset jack, and Noble lock slot. The included power supply remains small enough that toting it around does not significantly alter the weight of your bag. Just remember to throw in that USB-C to A dongle as well (plus the USB-A to Ethernet dongle if you're hoping to use the Internet from a hotel room). That's not really criticism of Dell so much as the industry at large, but the potential daisy chain of dongles necessary to connect modern ultrabooks to any technology older than six months is quickly approaching "ridiculous."

Listing image by Scott Gilbertson