When will Dell refresh their XPS lineup?

[Stochastic]

Hi all,

Does anyone have a rough idea of when Dell might update their XPS lineup with Kaby Lake and Pascal? My brother is shopping for a laptop and I've recommended that he wait for the annual spec refresh. He doesn't mind waiting a few months, but I have a feeling Dell might wait until after CES to update. Thoughts?

 

[linkgoron]

Well, their last refresh was around October, and there was a Kaby Lake XPS demonstration a few days ago. I can probably see an XPS without a discrete card around October/November.

The problem is the mobile 1050 card. Nvidia has not released it yet, and (I think) the 1060 GTX mobile draws too much power to really fit inside the XPS 15 (it draws around the same as a 970m).

However, as an XPS 15 (9550) owner, there were lots of delays and some early adopter problems when they were first released, so there's a small risk involved when buying XPS right out of the gate.

 

[Stochastic]

Thanks for all the info! The 1060-1080 mobile lineup hard launched the day they were announced, so maybe a mobile 1050 is imminent? Then again, with all the FinFET-based GPU shortages maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up.

 

[fire400]

lemon-watch-technique, don't get trampled by the herd.
with XPS systems, usually good to wait, given history can sometimes repeat itself, maybe after the release date of a few months, to hear from the cry babies if the units are on a disaster policy with Dell. and the Dell techs may tell you themselves on certain models, "[D]on't [E]xpect [L]ong [L]ife."

some of the models have been extra-stellar and sweetly adored, while other models have been an unkind, nightmare.
given the price tags of the XPS, and the expensive insurance options, i'd say, save your hard-earned nickels and the aspirin from the potential head aches, and let the first-taker crowds do the testing of the 'refreshed' on the XPS.

 

[linkgoron]

Well, it seems I made a mistake.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Detailed-Kaby-Lake-Road-Map-leaked.172282.0.html

The expected launch of Intel Kaby Lake dual-core processors seems to be confirmed again. First-gen chips (with DHCP 1.4) should be released in September, chips with the new stepping (and DHCP 2.2 support) in the end of December or the start of January in combination with the quad-core processor from the S- (desktop) and H-series (mobile).

With this information, I would assume that the XPS 15 will probably refresh at around January/February. While Dell could refresh with just a new GPU, I don't think that it's likely (This is just my own speculation). So, while the new XPS 13 might be released around October, the XPS 15 will probably ship around January/Feb.

Quite interestingly, Dell is releasing new Alienware laptops with AMD 470s, so maybe they'll use AMD in their new XPS 15 as well.

 

[addverma]

In India the Dell XPS has only one option, i.e. with a 33 cms/13 inch screen. Unlike US where a 15 inch screen variant is also available. We have been stuck with the 13 inch one for a long time now in India. And considering the price point at which it is offered, it is surprising that even the highest variant is only a dual core, hyper threaded, 6th gen Core i7. I hope that Dell does refresh XPS laptop line up soon. And I also hope that Dell continues to have user replaceable SDD and RAM.

 

[hellfire88]

Well, their last refresh was around October, and there was a Kaby Lake XPS demonstration a few days ago. I can probably see an XPS without a discrete card around October/November.

The problem is the mobile 1050 card. Nvidia has not released it yet, and (I think) the 1060 GTX mobile draws too much power to really fit inside the XPS 15 (it draws around the same as a 970m).

However, as an XPS 15 (9550) owner, there were lots of delays and some early adopter problems when they were first released, so there's a small risk involved when buying XPS right out of the gate.

So its rumored that the refreshed XPS 15 will get the GTX 1050 instead of 1060? An XPS 15 with GTX 1060 would be a dream! But I guess the chassis would have trouble dissapating 100W.

 

[Bryf50]

So its rumored that the refreshed XPS 15 will get the GTX 1050 instead of 1060? An XPS 15 with GTX 1060 would be a dream! But I guess the chassis would have trouble dissapating 100W.

I'm guessing the GTX 1050 is more likely. The current 960m is a 750 ti and the 1050 is it's direct successor. Still should be a very nice performance upgrade as the 750 ti is quite old at this point.

 

[Blue_Max]

Believe me, I'm also watching Dell with great interest! A mobile 1050/1060 is exactly what I need! Preferably among the cheaper Inspiron lineup than the XPS and Alienware lines. (Charging triple for extended warranties just because of the lineup is offensive to me!)

 

[Blue_Max]

Got the info! It looks like we'll see new XPS/Alienware machines based off the GTX-10 series in mid-October!
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3114...-new-laptops-with-gtx-10-series-graphics.html

 

[Blue_Max]

Woohoo! The new Alienwares with 1060+ have just arrived!

 

[hellfire88]

7.69lbs for the 15"? Wow!

 

[Blue_Max]

7.69lbs for the 15"? Wow!

Yeah, those ones are focused on performance... small & light gaming might not reeeally happen until the new 1050 chip.

I can't justify the price either... a Latitude with GTX 960M is thinner, lighter, less conspicuous (doesn't scream "expensive gamer") and is only 30-40% of the cost, especially with 4 years of warranty + accident insurance.

 

[hellfire88]

Well MSI managed to get the GS63VR to 3.96lb with the same i7-6700hq and GTX 1060...so not sure why the Alienware 15 is almost double the weight!

And by Latitude with GTX 960m, do you mean the Dell Precision M7510 with the Quadro M2000M which is equivalent to the 960m? If so, yea I had one. I configured it to be as light as possible (smaller battery, only SSD's) and it was still 6lb. I would not want a laptop heavier than that! You can't beat the build quality on the Dell Precisions though, better than the Alienware 17R3 I had

 

[Blue_Max]

Precision, I wish! Same price as the Alienwares!

My mistake... it was the Inspiron 15 7000... still 6lbs but much better price. I'm only on about Dell these days because of their leasing options, etc. I suppose I could dump it on credit card but I hate carrying a balance on it... 12mo no-interest payments is easier for me to swallow.