CES 2016: Dell Booth Tour
by Brett Howse on January 11, 2016 9:00 AM EST
In 2015, Dell’s CES product launch included the redesigned XPS 13, arguably one of the best Windows laptops on the market today. With the launch of Skylake, the XPS 13 is now upgraded, as is its XPS 15 sibling, which now features the same infinity bezel as the XPS 13.
But Dell didn’t even show these products off this year. Dell decided to gamble, and focus instead on its business lineup for CES 2016. They had a couple of products that made that gamble pay off. Let’s take a look.
First off, the star of the show, at least for me, was the new Dell UltraSharp 30 OLED display. This is the world’s first 30-inch UHD OLED computer display, and it is stunning in person. Pictures don’t really do it justice, but the incredible contrast and wide color gamut make this display a step above any LCD. Since it is OLED, the contrast ratio is effectively infinite, since the OLED pixels can actually turn off to display black, rather than the muddy gray that is typical of many LCDs. It also features a USB-C connection, so it can power a laptop while receiving the 3840x2160 video input, for easy docking. The one major drawback is price, since Dell will be selling this for $4999 initially when it goes on sale in March.
Dell also decided to take everything that was great about the XPS 13, and pack it into their business lineup. They launched the new Dell Latitude 13 7000 Series laptop at CES, and it even goes beyond the XPS line. It’s very light, at just 2.48 lbs, and will be available with a carbon fiber lid, which is 40-ton carbon fiber. The keyboard is a more traditional Latitude model, and with my brief time with it, it felt really good. There was good travel, despite the thin chassis, and key pressure was nice and firm. The display is the same InfinityEdge bezel as the XPS 13, reducing the overall footprint of the device quite a bit. It has USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 available, and as a business machine it can be configured with a smartcard reader, fingerprint reader, RFID reader, and includes Dell’s security and encryption software. It goes on sale in the USA starting on March 8th, for $1299 and up.
Dell also revamped their Latitude 12 7000, and despite a similar name to the Ultrabook mentioned above, the Latitude 12 is a convertible tablet. Dell offers a couple of docking options, with the first being a keyboard cover, and the latter being a more traditional keyboard. I wasn’t a big fan of the traditional keyboard, despite it having a nicer keyboard itself, it offered only a single viewing position which I think is a pretty bit compromise. The 12.5-inch tablet can be outfitted with a UHD display, and is powered by Core m.
Dell Latitude 11
Dell Latitude 12
Dell also showed off a couple of other devices, but the final one that caught my eye was the Alienware 13, which now will be offered with an OLED display. On the gaming side, OLED will offer much better response times, with Dell calling out a figure of 0.1 ms response for this panel, compared to 6-20 ms on an LCD. Once again the richness of the color, and the amazing contrast, really made this laptop stand out. Dell is going to be selling the OLED version starting at $1599.
While it was mostly business devices, there were a couple of other classes thrown in as well, and for 2016, Dell continues to showcase some amazing looking devices and peripherals.
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zepi - Monday, January 11, 2016 - link
There are rumours on internet that the 4K OLED display would support 120Hz refresh.Naturally this wouldn't work on dp1.2. Is there any indication that the monitor in question would support dp1.3 over usb-c alternate mode or some other hint that would prove the 120Hz refresh.
nathanddrews - Monday, January 11, 2016 - link
Three possibilities that I can think of:1. USB C alternate mode
2. DP 1.3 (launch date is still 2-3 months away)
3. It only does "up to 120Hz" at non-4K resolutions. 1080p, 1440p, etc. Several 4K HDTVs on the market currently do 4K60 and 1080p120 over HDMI. It would be disappointing - especially for $5,000 - but possible.
nathanddrews - Monday, January 11, 2016 - link
Oops, fourth option:4. DP 1.2 MST
ToTTenTranz - Monday, January 11, 2016 - link
The fourth picture is actually from the Latitude 11 5000 tablet, which isn't mentioned in the text.And I think it's worth mentioning that tablet because it goes against the Surface 3 size and price-wise but it carries a Skylake Core m3.
dsumanik - Monday, January 11, 2016 - link
Is it just me or is anandtech really sliding these days? It seems as if the CES coverage was very sparse, and what was reported was incorrect/.mised up etc. Signs of trouble brewing within AT?BrokenCrayons - Monday, January 11, 2016 - link
I don't think it's just you that notices a decline in quality, but not because things are actually "sliding" as you might say. I think people are unable to resist seeking out minor problems as an indicator of things falling apart since the Purch...um...purchase and Anand's departure. Those are big changes that honestly haven't hurt anything with respect to review quality, but I'm sure people want to make a typo or error out to be an indicator of some horrible, looming demise. It's a very natural, human thing to do, but that doesn't mean there really is a problem.HollyDOL - Tuesday, January 12, 2016 - link
Indirectly there can be slight temporary decline in quality. You won't find many authors with Anand Lal Shimpi talent. And the new ones need to gain experience. So I'd consider it just a generational change. Alas when Purch and Anand's departure came in fast pace one after other I was worried too. Luckily those worries seem to be unfounded.imaheadcase - Monday, January 11, 2016 - link
I'm actually it talks with a dell rep to get that 30inch OLED. :D He told me they will only have 100 available though in march, others won't come tell June.InternetLurker01 - Monday, January 11, 2016 - link
Sorry to inconvenience you this but would it be possible for you to ask that rep if Dell plans on "refreshing" the XPS 15 Skylake with inifinity edge display?The reason I ask this is because they did announce at the CES that XPS 13 will be getting a rather significant refresh with IRIS graphics being offered with their "high-end" gold edition.
I'm in the market for the XPS 15 and I would very much rather wait for the "refreshed" xps 15 with the Iris graphics as well if they are planning on doing the same with the XPS 15.
And yes, I am aware that XPS 15 comes with an option to get the Nvidia 960M but a refresh is a refresh and I'd much rather get the latest and the greatest.
So far every article I have searched on-line along with various messaged left by others on forums on Reddit, or Notebookreviews have had satisfactory answers. Quite frankly, I don't think anyone knows at this point in time.
Thanks in advance.
nils_ - Monday, January 11, 2016 - link
I'd be interested in the 15" XPS with Iris Pro instead of Nvidia. Saves a bit of energy and I don't use my laptop for gaming or anything graphics intensive...