Dell’s XPS 13 Plus is a gorgeous ultraportable, but it surely has no headphone jack | Engadget

But after all, minimalism additionally means slicing out extraneous design components, which on this case means the headphone jack and mini-SD card slot from the usual XPS 13. It’s not too shocking to see Dell cleansing up its port state of affairs, however dropping the headphone jack appears notably egregious for a machine that is meant to be a super-powered XPS 13.

When we pressed Dell representatives on the difficulty, they famous that loads of smartphones are additionally dropping the nifty 3.5mm jack. While that is true, telephones are additionally a really completely different use case. It makes extra sense to wi-fi buds or headphones on the go, however I’d wager many individuals have a pleasant pair of wired headphones by their computer systems. Part of me additionally wonders if the Dell reps have ever tried to attach random Bluetooth headphones Windows. It’s not almost so simple as it’s on telephones.

During our temporary hands-on time with the XPS 13 Plus, I additionally seen that its new haptic touchpad may result in some usability points. You cannot truly really feel the place the touchpad begins and ends, which led to some missed clicks whereas I used to be searching the online and poking round Windows. I additionally often had bother differentiating between left and proper clicks, because it was onerous to evaluate the place the middle of the touchpad was. I’d wager you’d get used to it over time, however that is not precisely person pleasant. Dell could have been higher off utilizing a skinny Apple-esque border across the touchpads, which nonetheless appears fairly modern on MacBooks.

Despite my reservations round a few of Dell’s design selections, the XPS 13 Plus nonetheless appears and seems like an improve from the usual XPS 13. (That laptop computer is not going wherever both, however Dell is not saying any updates for CES.) The massive borderless keyboard is a touch-typist’s dream, and the Infinity Edge show nonetheless appears unbelievable. You’ll additionally have the ability to select between OLED and LCD display choices, as you’d count on. Dell managed to squeeze 4 audio system into the XPS 13 Plus as nicely, a primary for its 13-inch ultraportables.

Dell says it is concentrating on a $1,200 beginning worth for the XPS 13 Plus — a bit greater than the XPS 13 — and that it is planning to ship the pocket book this spring.

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