Benchmarks: Vitals and Battery Life
A powerful CPU thankfully doesn't come at the expense of heat or noise. CPU temperature is comfortably kept in check after a demanding stress test, and the laptop doesn't become particularly hot. Better still, fan noise is barely noticeable during everyday tasks, and it isn't particularly loud when the going gets tough, either.
There's always something to spoil the party though, isn't there? Dell reckons the XPS 15 can last "up to 17 hours" when configured with a 1080p display, but our 4K review sample doesn't get remotely close to that.
To test longevity, we loop a high-definition movie clip with 50 per cent screen brightness and flight mode enabled, timing how long it takes each laptop to succumb to hibernation. In this scenario, the Dell machine managed to keep going for less than five hours. Battery life is a weak point and the premium 4K model will struggle to get through a full working day.
