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XPS 13 (9315) vs. XPS 13 (9360) in the test: What Dell has changed from 2016 to 2022

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The Dell XPS 13 is one of the best-known ultrabooks on the market and has accompanied the editors at trade fairs and other events for years. A six-year-old 9360 is now being upgraded by the latest 9315. But is the new model automatically better in all areas? A comparison of two very different XPS 13.

Table of contents

  1. What's changed since 2016

    2. < li>The second big change

    1. The XPS 13 (9315) at a glance
  2. Technical data of the three XPS 13 models
  3. The thinnest and lightest XPS 13 ever
    1. Aluminum replaces carbon fiber composite
  4. Far fewer ports than before
    1. The disadvantages become apparent when stationary
    2. Maximum minimalism harms the user
  5. The screen grows to a 16:10 format
    1. Matte panel will continue to be offered
    2. Display convinces with high brightness
  6. Modern webcam vs. potato camera
    1. 9315 against 9360 and iPhone 14 Pro Max in webcam comparison
  7. The normal keyboard is better
    1. The new touchpad is a bit larger
  8. Intel Alder Lake-U with ten cores
    1. Core i5-1230U works with four performance profiles
    2. Dell XPS 13 (9315) in the benchmark
    3. The ultra performance profile in comparison
    4. Clock and Package power in comparison
  9. Dell causes confusion with the SSD
  10. Old battery was the trigger for new purchase
    1. Battery shrinks from 60 to 51 Wh
    2. Battery life of more than 13 hours for office
    3. New power supply unit is smaller and lighter
  11. Conclusion

    12. < /ol>

    In 2016, around the IFA in September, the XPS 13 (9360) based on the then Kaby Lake-U came onto the market. The notebook found its way into the editorial offices in January 2017, shortly after the CES, to accompany trade fairs, events and other appointments from then on. The 9360 was basically a 9350 from 2015, and that in turn was a 9343 from 2014, just with new Intel processors and a larger battery.

    The choice fell on the XPS 13 because of the convincing overall package. The notebook was not only compact and light, but also offered many connections, a high-quality screen and a large battery. Where else could you find a 13.3-inch display in the body of previous 12-inch models, plus Thunderbolt, USB-A, 3.5mm jack, a card reader and a 60Wh battery? The device was even equipped with an LED display for the battery capacity. The keyboard, which is excellent from the editor's point of view, made the notebook a ready-to-use digital typewriter whenever the hottest news ran across the ticker. For the configuration with a Core i5-7200U, 8 GB LPDDR3-1866 and 256 GB SSD, 1,150 euros were called up as part of a campaign at the time.

    What has changed since 2016

    A lot has changed on the XPS 13 since then, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, depending on what you need from a notebook and what your priorities are. In 2017 the XPS 13 was available again with a Kaby Lake refresh, but the biggest change came at CES in January 2018, when the 9370 without USB-A and without a full card reader was introduced and a short time later the old model with more ports was no longer available was. As it turned out later, there were still a comparatively large number of ports with Thunderbolt, USB-C and a microSD card reader. In 2019, the webcam with the 9380 moved into the top of the lid and in 2020 the 9300 moved into the 16:10 format. Tiger Lake was the big innovation for the 9310, which was introduced in the same year, before an OLED display was offered for this variant for the first time in spring 2021.

    The second big break

    The CES 2022 in January of this year was then the stage for the 9320, the second major change after the 9370, which was no longer called XPS 13, but XPS 13 Plus (test). With that came all-new features like capacitive function keys (much like Apple's failed Touch Bar), a gap-free keyboard, a touchpad with no visible border, and Alder Lake-P instead of the more economical U processors previously found in the XPS 13 . This should only be available again in the 9315, the real successor to the 9310, which, along with Alder Lake, relies on normal input devices.

    The XPS 13 (9315) at a glance

    From now on, the editor's new everyday companion is the 9315 with a Core i5-1230U, 16 GB LPDDR5-5200, 512 GB SSD and Full HD display (1,920 × 1,200) without touch functionality. This configuration currently costs 1,399 euros directly from Dell, but the notebook was purchased as part of a Black Friday campaign for 1,050 euros in the color “Umber”, with “Sky” already being available from 999 euros, but with a significantly longer delivery time only in new Year. The table below shows the three currently available XPS 13 models.

    Technical data of the three XPS 13 models

    < figure class="text-asset"> Dell XPS 13 (9315) Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9315 2n1) Dell XPS 13 Plus (9320) CPU Intel Core i5-1230U
    Intel Core i7-1250U Intel Core i5-1240P
    Intel Core i7-1260P
    Intel Core i7-1270P
    Intel Core i7-1280P GPU Intel Iris Xe Graphics RAM 8GB LPDDR5-5200
    16GB LPDDR5-5200
    32GB LPDDR5-5200 8GB LPDDR5-5200
    16GB LPDDR5-5200 8GB LPDDR5-5200
    16GB LPDDR5-5200
    32GB LPDDR5-5200 SSD 256GB, PCIe 3.0 x4
    512 GB, PCIe 4.0 x4
    1 TB, PCIe 4.0 x4 256 GB, PCIe 3.0 x4
    512 GB, PCIe 4.0 x4
    1 TB, PCIe 4.0 x4
    2 TB, PCIe 4.0 x4 Display 13, 4″, LCD, 1,920 × 1,200, non-touch, matt, 500 cd/m², 2,000:1, 100% sRGB
    13.4″, LCD, 1,920 × 1,200, touch, glossy, 500 cd/m², 2,000 :1, 100% sRGB
    13.4″, LCD, 3840 × 2400, Touch, Glossy, 500 cd/m², 1650:1, 90% DCI-P3 13.3″ LCD, 2880 × 1920, Touch, Glossy, 500 cd/m², 1800 :1, 100% sRGB, Gorilla Glass 7, stylus support 13.4″, LCD, 1,920 × 1,200, non-touch, matt, 500 cd/m², 2,000:1, 100% sRGB
    13.4″, LCD 1920 × 1200 Touch Glossy 500 cd/m² 2000:1 100% sRGB
    13.4″ LCD 3840 × 2400 Touch Glossy 500 cd/m² 1650:1 90 % DCI-P3
    13.4″, OLED, 3,456 × 2,160, touch, glossy, 400 cd/m², 100,000:1, 100% DCI-P3 Connections 2 × Thunderbolt 4 battery 51 Wh 49.5 Wh 55 Wh Wireless connectivity Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, 5G (optional) Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 Camera 720p webcam, IR camera for Windows Hello 1080p webcam, IR camera for Windows Hello, 11 MP camera (rear ) 720p webcam, IR camera for Windows Hello Dimensions (W × D × H) 295.4 × 199.4 × 13.99 mm 292.5 × 201.2 × 15.2 mm (with keyboard) 295.3 × 199.04 × 15.28 mm Weight from 1.17 kg from 1.30 kg (with keyboard) from 1.24 kg Operating system Windows 11, Ubuntu 20.04 (Developer Edition) Windows 11 Windows 11, Ubuntu 20.04 (Developer Edition) Miscellaneous Stereo speakers, fingerprint sensor Price from 1,249 euros from 1,599 euros from 1,899 euros Availability since June 16, 2022 summer 2022 spring 2022 and lightest XPS 13 ever

    The current XPS 13 with the model number 9315 is the thinnest and lightest XPS 13 ever. The manufacturer specifies the notebook at 1.17 kg, for the test device exactly 1,164 g were measured on the kitchen scales. The laptop is only 13.99 mm in height, and 295.4 × 199.4 mm are specified for width and depth. In comparison, the roughly six-year-old XPS 13 (9360) weighs exactly 1,242 g and measures 304 × 201 × 15 mm. The differences are small on paper, but are noticeable in practice. For the “rapid reporter” who rushes from one appointment to the next at trade fairs, every gram less in his backpack is a gain in comfort and every millimeter less creates space for other things or simply less pressure in his luggage.

    Aluminium replaces carbon fiber composite

    The case of the XPS 13 is now made entirely of aluminum and convinces with a very high quality finish. Small Torx T4 screws on the underside allow access to the hardware in order to change the SSD or the battery. This possibility already existed with the 9360, whose chassis still used a carbon fiber composite material for areas such as the palm rest and the light metal instead only for the lid and the underside. The XPS 13 was already known for its very good workmanship, but the new version looks even more like it was made from one piece. After six years of use, the old model started to squeak on the back right in the area of ​​the hinge, but the device has done its job for many years without any loss of quality, so that the longevity, with the exception of the battery, deserves the highest marks.

    1. Dell XPS 13 (9315)

    Image 1 of 5

    Das XPS 13 (9315) measures only 13.99 mm
    The XPS 13 (9315) in the color Umber
    The XPS 13 (9315) in Umber color
    The 9360 still came with carbon fiber composite

    Far fewer connections than before

    The latest iteration of the XPS 13 buys the thinnest and lightest chassis ever at a significant loss in connectivity. The continued minimalism comes as no surprise after the 9370 and 9300 had presented accordingly. The 9315 now doesn't even offer a headphone jack or a microSD card reader. If you look at the old 9360 in comparison, there was still 1 × Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), 2 × USB-A, 1 × 3.5 mm jack, a full SD card reader and a dedicated power supply connector . The 9315 only offers 2 × Thunderbolt 4 distributed over one port per side.

    USB-A and jack make way for Thunderbolt 4
    USB-A and SD are no longer available on the 9315 (above)

    The disadvantages appear stationary

    The reduced connections only play a subordinate role on the go, because you can work without an external mouse or monitor and the occasional interaction with older USB sticks can be handled via a USB-A adapter. At home or in the office, the situation looks a little different because a Logitech G502 X (test) used there still uses USB-A, a monitor is connected via USB-C and, as a rule, the power supply unit is also connected. One connection is omitted for the mouse, for the monitor orthe power supply the other, effectively missing a port. Ultimately, a Thunderbolt dock has to be purchased for stationary work in the specific scenario, because the displays currently used do not support charging via the same cable. The SD card reader still plays a role primarily in the office these days, while smartphones have taken over the job of the large DSLR with their memory cards on the road Minimalism harms the user

    Nevertheless, despite the mental scourge of having done everything right with the new purchase, which regularly accompanies a cocktail of joy and initial doubts when purchasing new hardware, one shouldn't sugarcoat oneself that the reduced connections are definitely a harsh incision. Dell has to ask itself whether it was really worth doing away with almost all the notebook's ports for a few grams and millimeters less over the last few years. Even Apple has recently understood that maximum minimalism ultimately finds its limits with the complaining user, whose current MacBook Pro again offers more interfaces for creative professionals. On the other hand, it can be said that the XPS 13 is more in the league of a MacBook Air, which still uses MagSafe for charging and thus does not lose any of the two Thunderbolt ports and also offers a 3.5 mm jack. Strictly speaking, the current XPS 13 now corresponds more closely to the earlier MacBook 12″.

    The screen grows into 16:10 format

    Luckily, Dell's obsession with being thin doesn't affect the screen or the input devices. In terms of the display, the opposite is even the case, because since the 9300 model presented in 2020, the notebook has had a screen in the higher 16:10 instead of 16:9 format and thus comes to 13.4 instead of 13.3 inches and a resolution 1,920 × 1,200 pixels instead of 1,920 × 1,080 pixels. 120 pixels more in height doesn't sound like much at first, but the gain is particularly noticeable in the office environment, where every line of additional text is welcome.

    1. The new 9315 (right) uses 16:10 instead of 16:9 in the 9360 (left)

    Image 1 of 3

    Matte display remains blank from annoying reflections
    XPS 13 (9315) loses the “chin” underneath the screen

    Matte panel will continue to be offered

    The selection of screens is also pleasing, because in addition to two touch displays with Full HD or Ultra HD, Dell also offers a matte (!) Full HD screen without touch, which was deliberately chosen for the new work device. From the editor's point of view, touch and 4K are not needed on 13.4 inches. In addition, the quadruple number of pixels ensures a noticeably higher consumption, which should always be avoided on the go. In addition, the two touch displays are only available with a glossy glass cover, which provides a bit more brilliance but is accompanied by annoying reflections.

    Display convinces with high brightness

    The manufacturer advertises all three available screens with a brightness of 500 cd/m², which the test device almost achieved with an average of 495 cd/m² from nine measuring fields with a spot landing. The homogeneity is excellent at 98 percent, only small deviations of 508 cd/m² at the top and a minimum of 475 cd/m² at the top left could be determined, although no special backlight with several zones is used. With a black value of 0.263 cd/m², the contrast achieves a good 1,882:1.

    Charts

Maximum brightness

Unit: Luminance (cd/m²) Minimum brightness

Unit: Luminance (cd/m²) Contrast

Unit: Contrast Homogeneity

Unit: percent

But the 9360 was also measured again and still delivered good results for such an old notebook. Six years ago, an average of 430 cd/m², an even illumination of 94 percent and a very high contrast of 2,363:1 were announcements that even today some premium notebooks still fail to achieve.

Modern webcam vs. potato camera

How Dell has made the XPS 13 smaller and smaller over the last few years is also shown by the screen bezel, which only takes up a few millimeters all around after the 9360 had a huge “chin” at the bottom. Compared to other notebooks from 2016, the old XPS 13 already had surprisingly narrow bezels, which meant that there was only room for the webcam on the bottom left near the hinge. Despite the narrow frame, the new 9315 places the camera at the top of the chassis, ensuring a normal viewing angle in Skype and Zoom calls. In addition, it is a Windows Hello camera that can also be used for biometric login.

9315 versus 9360 and iPhone 14 Pro Max in webcam comparison

On paper only, the old 9360 and the new 9315 are two 720p webcams, but the differences in quality are dramatic. The current model achieves a significantly higher image and, above all, sound quality, quite apart from the normal viewing angle. The video below shows a comparison between the 9315 from 2022, the 9360 from 2016 and most recently the selfie camera of the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The resolution of only 1,280 × 720 pixels instead of Full HD is still a point of criticism and the picture is too noisy despite good lighting in the photo studio, but on the whole the XPS 13 is well suited for video calls and is characterized in particular by the good microphone quality off.

The normal keyboard is the better

Compared to the last tested XPS 13 Plus (9320), the 9315 comes with a classic keyboard, i.e. without a “zero lattice” structure, which arranges the keys next to each other without any gaps. As a result, the keys are slightly smaller, although they are no smaller than on other normal keyboards, but they are easier to hit because you can no longer touch the adjacent key in the edge area. In the case of the XPS 13 Plus, the “target” is larger, but the new arrangement initially requires the user to get used to something that is not necessary with the XPS 13.

  1. < figure class="gallery__figure"> The new keyboard is great for typing

Image 1 of 3 < /figure>

The input devices are a big plus of the 9315
Fingerprint sensor on the top right of the keyboard

The keyboard, too, shows how Dell was able to reduce the size of the notebook by a few millimeters with its keys stretching all the way to the edge of the case. There are no losses in terms of the layout. Compared to the 9360, some keys like Enter, Shift and Control or the Caps Lock key are even larger. There is also a power button with an integrated fingerprint sensor on the top right, which can be used as an alternative to the camera for biometric login and was just as reliable in the test as it worked. The 9360 and 9315 are almost on par in terms of drop, volume and generally the subjective typing feel, but the new representative has a somewhat harder and louder keystroke. The keyboard offers a backlight with two levels of brightness, which provides a good contrast when “Umber” is selected.

New touchpad is slightly larger< /h3>

The new touchpad is slightly larger, but 11.2 × 6.3 cm instead of 10.5 × 6 cm does not represent a significant improvement. With its frameless integration, the XPS 13 Plus measures 11.5 × 7.5 cm and offers thus slightly more area. It's still a more traditional touchpad on the 9315, with very good gliding and solid clicks, but it doesn't provide haptic feedback or click anywhere like Apple's. The upper 20 to 25 percent of the surface only accepts touch commands, but no clicks, because that's where the touchpad's suspension is installed.

The new touchpad (left) falls slightly larger

Intel Alder Lake-U with ten cores

An Intel Alder Lake-U works under the hood of the XPS 13 (9315), after the XPS 13 Plus (9320) had an Alder Lake-P and the XPS 13 (9360) still relied on Kaby Lake-U. Measured by the CPU class, the 9315 is the true successor to the 9310 and 9300 and thus also to the 9360, because only the 9320, with the P models from Intel's portfolio, offered a higher performance class for the first time. The test device uses the Core i5-1230U, which provides two P-cores with Hyper-Threading and thus four threads as well as eight E-cores without Hyper-Threading, so that a total of twelve threads can be processed. The configuration chosen by the editors also offers 16 GB LPDDR5-5200 and a 512 GB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD.

Core i5-1230U works with four performance profiles

It also applies to the new XPS 13 (9315) that the performance depends on the selected performance profile, which can be set via the My Dell app. The profiles run under the names “Cooling”, “Optimized”, “Quiet” and “Ultra performance” and change the settings for PL1 (permanent power consumption) and PL2 (maximum permitted power consumption) and for the cooling or the fans. The “Cooling” profile keeps the notebook as cool as possible, making it louder and reducing performance because only the temperature is in focus. “Optimized” is meant to strike a balance and is the default, while “Quiet” reduces both cooling and performance. This profile only focuses on the volume, which inevitably throttles the performance. With “Ultra Performance”, the fans can turn up to full speed, the volume increases sharply and the performance is at its highest. The following PL1 and PL2 values ​​were determined for the XPS 13.

Profile PL1 PL2 Cooling 12W 29W Optimized 15W 29W Quiet 12W 29W Ultra Performance 25 W 29 W

Dell XPS 13 (9315) in benchmark

Because Dell uses the “Optimized” profile by default, which allows 29 watts for a short time and 15 watts for a long time, it was used for all benchmarks. Individual benchmarks were also carried out in the “Ultra Performance” profile to show the maximum performance of the notebook. Since the standard profile is capped at 15 watts, the benchmarks are correspondingly sobering or mediocre, but within the expected range. A U processor with only two P-cores simply can't do more with the corresponding PL1 limit.

Charts

Edit Performance Rating CPUs – Single-Core Inflow Charts All None

Unit: Percent Edit Performance Rating CPUs – Multi-Core Input Charts All None

< ul class="chart__groups toggle-body-container" id="chart-groups-131923">

    • Intel Core i9-12900K max
      max. W, UHD 770, DDR5-4800CL3899
    • Intel Core i9-12900K
      241 W, UHD 770, DDR5-4800CL3898
    • Medion Erazer Major X10
      Core i7-12700H, Arc A730M, Turbo67
    • Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022)
      Ryzen 9 6900HS, RX 6800S, Turbo63

      • < li class="chart__row">Asus ROG Strix G15 (2021)
      Ryzen 9 5900HX, RX 6800M, Turbo58

  • Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i (2022)
    Core i7-1280P, Iris Xe, Performance56
  • Asus Zenbook 13S (2022)
    Ryzen 7 6800U, 680M, Performance51
  • Core i5-10600K
    xxx W, DDR4-266649
  • Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 G1
    Ryzen 5 6650U Pro, 660M, performance48< /li>
  • AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
    142W, w/o iGPU , DDR4-293348
  • Lenovo Yoga Slim 7
    Ryzen 7 4800U, Vega8, DDR4…45
  • Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
    Core i7-1255U, 16GB LPDDR5X-426640
  • Dell XPS 13 (9315) (Optimized)
    Core i5 -1230U, 16GB LPDDR5-520031
  • Dell XPS 13 (9360)
    Core i5-7200U, 8GB LPDDR3-186615

    • Unit: Percent Edit Performance Rating (i)GPU Inflow Charts All None

    Unit: percent 3DMark 2.22.7359 – Time Spy

    Unit: frames per second (FPS) 3DMark 2.22.7359 – Wild Life Extreme Unlimited

    Unit: Points 7-Zip 22.01 – Decompression

    Unit: Points 7-Zip 22.01 – Compression

    Unit: MIPS Adobe Premiere Pro 22.5

    Unit: Minutes, Seconds Agisoft Metashape 1.8.4

    unit : Minutes, Seconds Blender Benchmark 3.2.1

    Unit: Points Cinebench R23 – Multi -Core

    Unit: Points Cinebench R23 – Single-Core

    < /ul> Unit: Points Geekbench 5.4.5 – Single-Core Total

    Unit: Score Geekbench 5.4.5 – Single Core Crypto

    Unit: Score Geekbench 5.4.5 – Single-Core Integer

    Unit: Points Geekbench 5.4.5 – Single-Core Floating Point

    Unit: Points Geekbench 5.4.5 – Multi-Core Total

    Unit: Score Geekbench 5.4.5 – Multi-Core Crypto

    Unit: Points Geekbench 5.4.5 – Multi-Core Integer

    Unit: Points Geekbench 5.4.5 – Multi-Core Floating Point

    Unit: Score GFXBench 5.0.5 – Aztec Ruins 4K Offscreen (Vulkan)

    Unit: frames per second (FPS) HandBrake Nightly (2022090501) – 2160p60 H.264 to 2160p30 H.265

    Unit: Minutes, Seconds HandBrake Nightly (2022090501) – 2160p60 H.264 to 2160p30 AV1

    Unit: minutes, seconds IrfanView 4.60

    Unit: minutes, seconds JetStream 2.1

    Unit: Points PCMark 10 2.1.2563

    Unit: Points PCMark 10 2.1.2563 – Excel

    Unit: Points PCMark 10 2.1.2563 – PowerPoint

    Unit: Points PCMark 10 2.1.2563 – Word

    Unit: Points WebXPRT 4

    Unit: points y-cruncher 0.7.10 build 9513

    Unit: minutes, seconds

    In the sum of all benchmarks, the XPS 13 (9315) in the “Optimized” profile delivers 71 percent higher single-core performance than the XPS 13 (9360), which in turn was deliberately tested in the ultra-performance profile of the time in order to achieve comparable results at all. The 9315 thus achieves 6 percent more single-core performance than the recently tested Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 with Core i7-1255U.

    In the multi-core comparison, the new representative delivers 105 percent more performance than the old 9360 and still 78 percent of the performance of a Surface Laptop 5 with a Core i7-1255U. iGPU performance has also increased dramatically over the last few years, so the Iris Xe Graphics now offers 214 percent more performance than the old HD Graphics 620. The Iris Xe Graphics with 96 instead of 80 EUs in the Surface Laptop 5 has an additional 37 percent more performance.

    The ultra-performance profile in comparison

    The Ultra Performance profile, which was used in tests in Adobe Premiere Pro, Cinebench R23, Geekbench and in HandBrake (H.265 only), shows that significantly more CPU performance can be called up when required, to determine the change from 15 Show Watt PL1 to 25 Watt PL1. The processor can thus permanently treat itself to 10 watts or 67 percent more, which is particularly noticeable in the multi-core benchmarks.

    Charts

    Adobe Premiere Pro 22.5

  • 4K60/8K24 + Effects/Color Grading to 4K60 H.265 (Hardware):
    • Medion Erazer Major X10
      Core i7-12700H, Arc A730M, Turbo1:19
    • GeForce RTX 3060
      Core i5-10600K, DDR4 -26661:32
    • Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022)
      Ryzen 9 6900HS, RX 6800S, Turbo1:45
    • Asus ROG Strix G15 (2021)
      Ryzen 9 5900HX, RX 6800M, Turbo1:46
    • GeForce RTX 3050
      Core i5-10600K, DDR4-26662:42
    • Intel Arc A380
      Core i5-10600K, DDR4-26663:00
    • Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022), iGPU
      Ryzen 9 6900HS, 680M, Turbo3:44
    • Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i (2022)
      Core i7-1280P, Iris Xe, Performance3:52
    • Medion Erazer Major X10, iGPU
      Core i7- 12700H, Iris Xe, Turbo4:11
    • Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
      Core i7-1255U, 16 GB LPDDR5X-42664:35
    • Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 G1
      Ryzen 5 6650U Pro, 660M, Performance4:48
    • Asus Zenbook 13S (2022)
      Ryzen 7 6800U, 680M, performance5:01
    • Lenovo Yoga Slim 7
      Ryzen 7 4800U, Vega8 , DDR4…5:57
    • Dell XPS 13 (9315) (Ultra Performance)
      Core i5-1230U, 16GB LPDDR5-52006 :06
    • Intel Core i9-12900K
      241W, UHD 770, DDR5-4800CL386:37
    • Asus ROG Strix G15 ( 2021), iGPU
      Ryzen 9 5900HX, Vega8, Turbo7:11
    • Dell XPS 13 (9315) (Optimized)
      Core i5-1230U, 16GB LPDDR5-52007:25
    • Dell XPS 13 (9360)< /strong>
      Core i5-7200U, 8GB LPDDR3-186618:02

    • Unit: Minutes, Seconds Cinebench R23 – Single-Core

    Unit: Score Cinebench R23 – Multi-Core

    < /ul> Unit: Points Geekbench 5.4.5 – Single-Core Total

    Unit: Score Geekbench 5.4.5 – Single-Core Crypto

    Unit: Points Geekbench 5.4.5 – Single-Core Integer

    Unit: Points Geekbench 5.4.5 – Single-Core Floating Point

    Unit: Points Geekbench 5.4.5 – Multi-Core Total

    Unit: Score Geekbench 5.4.5 – Multi-Core Crypto

    Unit: Points Geekbench 5.4.5 – Multi-Core Integer

    Unit: Points Geekbench 5.4.5 – Multi-Core Floating Point

    Unit: Points HandBrake Nightly (2022090501) – 2160p60 H .264 to 2160p30 H.265

  • GPU :
    • AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
      142 W, w/o iGPU , DDR4-29330:00
    • Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
      Core i7-1255U, 16GB LPDDR5X-42661:07
    • Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022)
      Ryzen 9 6900HS, RX 6800S, Turbo1:25
    • Dell XPS 13 (9315) (Optimized)
      Core i5-1230U, 16GB LPDDR5-52001:34
    • Dell XPS 13 (9315) (Ultra Performance)
      Core i5-1230U, 16GB LPDDR5-52001:35
    • Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022), iGPU
      Ryzen 9 6900HS, 680M, Turbo1:36
    • GeForce RTX 3060
      Core i5-10600K, DDR4-26661:43
    • Intel Arc A380
      Core i5-10600K, DDR4-26661:45
    • Asus Zenbook 13S (2022)
      Ryzen 7 6800U, 680M, performance1:47
    • GeForce RTX 3050
      Core i5-10600K, DDR4-26661:47
    • Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 G1
      Ryzen 5 6650U Pro, 660M, performance1:48
    • Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i (2022)
      Core i7-1280P, Iris Xe, performance 1:48
    • Medion Erazer Major X10
      Core i7-12700H, Arc A730M, Turbo1:49
    • Medion Erazer Major X10, iGPU
      Core i7-12700H, Iris Xe, Turbo1:49
    • Asus ROG Strix G15 (2021)
      Ryzen 9 5900HX, RX 6800M, Turbo1:52
    • Lenovo Yoga Slim 7
      Ryzen 7 4800U, Vega8, DDR4…2:14
    • Asus ROG Strix G15 (2021), iGPU
      Ryzen 9 5900HX, Vega8, Turbo2:16
    • Lenovo ThinkPad X13s
      Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 33:58
    • Intel Core i9-12900K
      241 W, UHD 770, DDR5-4800CL384:39
    • Dell XPS 13 (9360)
      Core i5-7200U, 8 GB LPDDR3-18665: 11

    • Unit: minutes, seconds

    In Adobe Premiere Pro, the performance can be doubled or the rendering time can be halved using the CPU. The GPU benefits little from the higher power consumption, but still performs 18 percent better. In Cinebench R23 there is 45 percent more single-core and 31 percent more multi-core performance than with the standard profile. In this mode, Geekbench attests the CPU a 10 percent higher single-core and exactly 50 percent higher multi-core performance. HandBrake also recorded a significant gain, where rendering on the CPU runs 39 percent faster. If the GPU is used, the performance does not change, since both profiles render the file in about 95 seconds.

    Clock and package power compared

    The clock and package power diagrams show what changes in CPU behavior when a different profile is selected. The up to 4.4 GHz specified by Intel are reserved for the ultra-performance profile, which repeatedly achieves this value in the Cinebench R23 single-core. In the standard profile, there is a short peak of 4.3 GHz at the start, but then a maximum of 3.9 GHz or an average of 2.6 GHz. In the standard profile, whose PL2 briefly allows 29 watts with multi-core load, the notebook achieves 21.4 watts in the single-core test and 15 watts to often only 8 watts in the Cinebench R23 single-core test over the long term.

    Charts

    CPU Clock (Single-Core) 01.0002.0003.0004.0005.0006.000MHz 150100150200250300seconds

    CPU Clock (Multi-Core) 01.0002.0003.0004.0005.000MHz 150100150200250300seconds

    CPU Package Power (Single-Core) 04080120160200Watt (W) 150100150200250300seconds

    CPU Package Power (Multi-Core) 0100200300400Watt (W ) 150100150200250300 seconds

    The Cinebench R23 multi-core test shows up to 4.1 GHz in the standard “Optimized” profile, but these are only peaks apart from the usually usual 2.2 GHz. The ultra-performance profile also only reaches 4.1 instead of 4.4 GHz in the multi-core benchmark, but generally has higher clock rates available, which, however, decrease over time with permanent load. The multi-core clock rate gradually decreases and also ends up at 2.2 GHz after almost 5 minutes of constant load. Before that, however, clock rates of almost 3 GHz are maintained over longer phases, which explains the 31 percent higher performance. The fact that the PL2 of 29 watts is briefly reached is shown by the package power under multi-core load, which later holds the expected 15 watts of the PL1 in the optimized profile, but not permanently the values ​​determined in HWiNFO with the ultra-performance profile 25 watts PL1 creates. This shows that Dell's ultra-performance profile ultimately fails due to the cooling, because the device falls below the 25 watt mark after about a minute of load. After 5 minutes of constant load, not only are the clock rates identical to the standard profile, but also the package power with 15 watts.

    Dell is causing confusion at the SSD

    For the SSD, Dell relies on a 512 GB model, at least in the test device, which, according to the first data sheet that the manufacturer distributed to the press for the launch in spring, is supposed to be connected via PCIe 4.0 x4, which also applies to the 1 TB variant should apply, while the 256 GB SSD was only specified with PCIe 3.0 x4 according to this data sheet. If you look at the German configurator, however, all SSDs are incorrectly described there as “NVMe x2 solid state drives”.

    CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4

    CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4 – Read SEQ1M Q8T1

    Unit: Megabytes per second (MB/s) CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4 – Read SEQ1M Q1T1

    Unit: megabytes per second (MB/s) CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4 – Write RND4K Q32T1

    Unit: megabytes per second (MB/s) CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4 – Write RND4K Q1T1

    Unit: megabytes per second (MB/s)

    HWiNFO reports the SSD as “Phison ESE2A044-512”, which, however, does not provide any suitable results in Google and cannot be found on Phison itself either. The SSD gets up to 3.43 GB/s and 2.24 GB/s in sequential read and write in CrystalDiskMark, which casts doubt on Dell's specification of “NVMe x2 solid state drive”. The current PCIe solutions from Phison could be a variant with PCIe 3.0 x4 or PCIe 4.0 x4, but this could not be clarified.

    Old battery was the trigger for a new purchase

    The primary reason for purchasing the new notebook was the “used” battery of the old XPS 13. After six years of use, Dell's Power Manager app still reports an allegedly “good” battery status, but that doesn't agree in any way with the experiences in match the practice. Just recently, the supposedly fully charged notebook switched itself off after just a few minutes without a power supply. There were first signs of this a good year ago, when the device suddenly switched off with 30 to 40 percent remaining capacity.

    The old XPS 13 (9360) with a defective battery from the inside

    The XPS 13 can now only be used as a stationary computer. New batteries for the XPS 13 can also be found under the model number PW23Y, but ultimately the Kaby Lake platform is of course no longer up-to-date, so a new laptop had to be purchased.

    Battery shrinks from 60 to 51Wh

    In the 9360, the battery still had 60 Wh, in the current 9315 it is only 51 Wh, so that the new lightness is also bought through adjustments in this area. Dell had already adjusted the battery to 52 Wh on the 9370, and it was the same size on the 9380 and 9300. In contrast, the XPS 13 Plus has 55 Wh, while the current XPS 13 2-in-1 only has 49.5 Wh.

    Charts

    PCMark 10 Modern Office 200 cd/m²

    Unit: hours, minutes YouTube streaming 200 cd/m²

    Unit: hours, minutes

    Battery life of more than 13 hours for Office

    With the new XPS 13 (9315), a runtime of 13:32 hours was achieved in the PCMark 10 Modern Office benchmark, which runs Word, browser and video telephony. That's at least three hours more than the 9300 (test). At just over 10 hours, YouTube streaming in the Edge browser is a good hour worse than with the old model two and a half years ago.

    How the notebook performed at trade fairs and other external appointments will have to be seen first. The first ordeal will be in a few weeks on the way to or during the CES in Las Vegas, where sockets on the plane and in the halls are actively avoided in order to be able to better evaluate the running times in everyday life.

    New power pack is smaller and lighter

    Something about the power supply has also changed in six years: size, weight and connection. Dell still includes a 45-watt power supply with the notebook, but it now only weighs 142 g instead of 160 g, measures 6.0 × 2.2 cm instead of 8.7 × 2.2 cm and uses USB-C instead of the proprietary barrel connector uses. There is no additional USB port to charge additional devices, like the ones last found on the Surface Laptop 5's power adapter. Also, regardless of the color you choose, Dell ships the notebook with a blue-black AC adapter that goes more with the sky color than the umber color.

    Conclusion

    While the old XPS 13 with the model number 9360 was already one of the most compact and lightest notebooks on the market, the new 9315 is only a lightweight, as it has become even smaller and lighter. Dell collects several plus points for the mobility, but at the same time the rigid and very high-quality case. Hardly any other notebook is such an inconspicuous companion in the backpack as the new XPS 13. The manufacturer has done a great job with the new chassis made entirely of aluminum.

    An XPS 13 has so far stood for the always successful balancing act between mobility and productivity. Now, however, the focus is only on mobility, because with two Thunderbolt 4 you get a lot of flexibility per connection, but only two sockets that are missing USB-A, 3.5 mm jack and the SD card reader. However, some older ports are no longer necessary in 2022, such as the jack, which has not been used once on the 9360. With the 9315, it is not the type of connection (Thunderbolt) that is criticized, but rather the number (two) that is not sufficient in everyday stationary use. A Thunderbolt dock will therefore inevitably make it onto the editor's desk, because only one port is currently free when loading.

    XPS 13 (9315) (left) and XPS 13 (9360) (right) in comparison

    But then again, there is nothing to complain about in areas such as the display. With its 16:10 format, the new 13.4-inch panel provides more space to work and simply looks very good thanks to its matt surface and high brightness. In 2022, it is not a matter of course that a manufacturer will still keep a non-touch display with regular Full HD resolution in its range and offer it with an anti-glare coating. The 4K option with touch is a power hog that shouldn't be ordered on this model.

    Dell's input devices are just as good, and we're already looking forward to the next longer texts that need to be typed quickly and accurately in the heat of the moment. The fingerprint sensor on the top right of the keyboard also gets a thumbs up, as does the Windows Hello camera and the good microphones.

    As expected, the performance is mediocre, which is not surprising for an Intel Core i5 from the U class and was foreseeable before the purchase and was consciously accepted, since more performance is simply not required for everyday requirements. With the ultra performance profile, however, you can tickle around 50 percent more multi-core performance out of the device, depending on the requirement, although at some point the cooling can no longer keep up with the heat development.

    A concluding conclusion for the battery is not exactly easy, since not enough practical experience could be gained on the go. The 9315 seems to have a long office runtime, which is more important in everyday life than the runtimes when streaming. Nevertheless, the battery is also a point that was better in the 9360 with 60 Wh than in the 9315 with 51 Wh. The tiresome topic of “mobility vs. productivity” comes up again here due to Dell's sometimes strange decisions.

    All in all, from the editorial point of view, the 9315 is the better XPS 13 than the 9320 aka XPS 13 Plus (test). Whether it is also a better XPS 13 than the old 9360 has to be answered with “it depends”, but from the editor's point of view it is ultimately true. Apart from the greatly reduced connections, the 9315 is a better notebook in every respect than the 9360. The purchase may have been the right decision, but the purchase decision was significantly influenced by a Black Friday offer for 1,050 euros instead of the usual 1,400 euros.< /p> Dell XPS 13 (9315) (i5, 16 GB, 512 GB, FHD Non-Touch) Notebook product group, 12/16/2022

    ComputerBase purchased the Dell XPS 13 (9315) and Dell XPS 13 (9360) themselves. The manufacturer did not influence the test report.

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