Editor’s Rating: 8 / 10
In terms of design, beauty, and performance, this can easily rival Apple’s line of MacBooks
The Good
It’s a powerful laptop; there’s no doubt about it. With the vast array of component selection, you can either turn it into a powerful mid-range or a complete high-end business machine.
The Bad
Choosing the high-end parts will instantly turn this laptop into an expensive mobile PC. It’s a bit justified, though—in the sense that you’re going to have the latest consumer-grade products and future proof yourself.
Detailed Review Of Dell XPS 13 7390 (2019, XPS7390-7681SLV-PUS)
Laptops have different names, numbers, product codes, and almost random improvements and removed features. It can go crazy when you start researching and looking for reviews. And we hope that you’ve come to the right page, and it’s the 2019 model of the XPS 7390 you’re eyeing.
The XPS 13 7390 (2019) is a newer version/rerelease by Dell. Its available parts are shuffled and far more potent than its predecessor. Fortunately, the max price point didn’t move as much, although it’s Dell we’re talking about (this company loves to shift prices constantly). You can check Dell’s laptops here, by the way.
Once you’ve confirmed that you’re looking at the right product, let’s proceed with demystifying it. We want to prevent you from making the wrong investment and blame yourself later. Now, wear your reading glasses—it’s going to be a long one.
Dell XPS 13 7390 (2019, XPS7390-7681SLV-PUS) Configuration In Review
Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10710U | RAM: Up to 16 GB | Storage: 1 TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD | Graphics: Intel UHD | Display: 13.3-inch touch display | Operating System: Windows 10 Home | Battery Life: 10 hours | Weight: 2.93 pounds | Other Features: Fingerprint
Early Adopter
We’re back at it again with Dell. And this time, it wants to take the spot as one of the first laptop suppliers to use Intel’s first 10th gen CPU, the i7 10710U. There are three essential things that you should know about this processor.
First, it’s part of the U series. These are processors built for laptops and have a lower power consumption rate. They have a TDP (Thermal Design Power) typically around 15 watts. It means that they consume less power, consistently perform, and don’t heat up as much in exchange for not using their chips’ maximum potential.
Second, this processor is under the Comet Lake group of Intel processors. There are two groups of 10th gen processors: Icy Lake and Comet Lake. Icy Lake uses the new 10nm lithography, while Comet Lake uses the previous 14nm used by previous Intel CPUs. When it comes to lithography size, smaller numbers are definitely better, but can be expensive and aren’t always necessary for users.
Since this processor uses the 14nm, which are used by 9th gen CPUs, its processing performance limits will be almost similar to 9th gen processors. It will also have the previous integrated graphics, but it has some improvements like faster memory access and Wi-Fi 6.
The Comet Lake has a more significant number of cores and threads, particularly the i7 ones. They also have a higher memory cache and a better max turbo boost frequency. Go here to know more about laptops that use i7 CPUs.
Third, it’s the best you can get when it comes to power consumption, heat, and performance balance.
XPS 13 is an ENERGY STAR® certified device.
As with other Comet Lake CPUs, this comes with the Intel UHD Graphics. Icy Lakes CPUs are using the new Iris integrated graphics. If you want to focus on graphics capabilities, it’s better than you get a laptop with Icy Lake. If you’re going to focus on reliability, CPU performance, and power management, then this laptop is for you.
Just a quick note: we don’t talk about VRAM or video memory when it comes to integrated graphics. Please understand that integrated graphics don’t have exclusive memory. They get a share of the system’s memory or RAM instead.
Configure Your Own XPS
Boy, this is one of many laptops that come with multiple options. What we can say is that you can easily shave off $500 if you want the mid-range specs (it can become a laptop under the $1,000 mark). And know that you’ll spend a premium if you decide to max up everything.
The good thing is that whatever you choose or whatever your budget is, you will still get the slick and slim look of this laptop. There are also three colors to choose from Platinum Silver, Rose Gold, and Frost White.
We’ll be forthright here: this laptop made us wow in terms of design. It’s refreshing to see a palm rest made of carbon fiber. It looks pleasant (despite carbon fiber designs being already on almost everything).
But since this is the only laptop we saw going with this (correct us if we’re wrong), it’s an exciting surprise—not to mention that the color themes just go well with it. Even without checking the specs, you’ll know that it’s a premium business laptop only by looking at it.
Overall Impression
At this point, you can always opt for a 1 TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD. We’re talking about a high-end business laptop here. And if you’re ready to pull all the stops, you might be thinking about future-proofing your machine.
If you plan to have this for the next five to eight years, then maxing everything up is the way to go.
Also, do note that despite SSD or NVMe being a newer tech than old HDD, they can still have bad sectors and degrade over time. Thankfully, it’s not a sudden occurrence, and it takes a lot of time.
Think of SSDs as a box of crayons. The more you use a red crayon, the faster it’ll be out of the box. The same goes for file locations in SSDs. The more your computer uses one sector, the quicker that file location will go down.
As the drive degrades, the file capacity will slowly go down (and we’re talking about years). Because of that, you need to have more significant storage to offset this kind of concern to make sure that this will last you a very, very long time.
On the other hand, we don’t know if you’ve read a review about the XPS’s predecessors before, but you should know that they had a camera on the bottom of the display. And we would say that it was interesting.
Whenever someone uses that camera, it shows a very unflattering angle of the user. Since Dell placed the cam that way, people nicknamed it as the nose cam—for obvious reasons.
Do you see that quote just below this paragraph? That’s from Dell’s webpage for the XPS 13 7390. Thankfully, the guys at Dell realized how silly the positioning was and put the webcam back to the top of the display—front and center, as they said.
Improved camera location: We pushed innovation to its limits to create the most innovative HD webcam housed in the top of the famed InfinityEdge display—now front and center.
Lastly, we’ll be a bit blunt: Dell only slightly altered this laptop’s specs and its configuration based on its predecessors. It’s not a big deal, but we believe that you should know if you’re planning to check the whole series out.
Critic Reviews
PCMag.com: 4.5 / 5.0
Packing Intel’s latest 10th Generation “Comet Lake” CPUs (now, with up to six cores), the newest rev of Dell’s XPS 13 is one of the most potent and best-designed ultraportables you can buy.
TechRadar.com: 5.0 / 5.0
With its much-improved webcam and longer battery life, the Dell XPS 13 is still among the very best the world over, even if it may not have our sought-after ‘Best in Class’ label anymore.
CNET.com: 8.7 / 10.0
It’s nearly impossible to find anything to dislike about this 13-inch tiny powerhouse, at least in the pricey high-end configuration tested here.
Buy It If…
You have two options: max out the specs and ensure that you’ll have a good laptop for five to ten years. You might have noticed that we’re continually stressing this out. Buying a computer can be quite a frustrating process.
At least every three months, a better laptop will come along with a lower price. And it sucks to miss out and regret that after only 100 days, your computer starts to devalue. That’s why you should understand the concept of future-proofing. Buy the best laptop now, and never become anxious that something better has come out.
However, it isn’t bad if you want to skimp out on every initial enhancement and get a beautiful notebook that you can upgrade later on. Regardless, you’ll have a lightweight laptop that has a crisp display. It’s also power-efficient, and it hosts some of the modern must-have techs you need, such as Thunderbolt and Wi-Fi 6.
Don’t Buy It If…
Never buy this if you’re budget conscious and you want performance. If you max out every part, it will be much better to get a different premium laptop. Those fancy new computers might be cheaper than this because of some compromises the manufacturer has made, and you might be able to live with those.
Dell XPS 13 7390 (2019, XPS7390-7681SLV-PUS) Alternatives
- Dell Latitude 7390: Almost the 2-in-1 version of the XPS. It has a straightforward and unnerving design, and Dell markets it to office workers and executives.
- ASUS Vivobook Flip 14: Another 2-in-1 ideal for maximizing your bang for the buck.
- LG Gram 14: This is a premium laptop. Its battery life is comparable with the XPS, and the XPS outshines it a bit when it comes to performance, but it has a larger screen, and it’s as light as the XPS!
Verdict
There’s a high chance that you’re in the engineering or architecture industry if you’re checking out this laptop. If you want to see more laptops that perform well with CAD programs, click the link!