DELL XPS 12 vs Surface Pro

[cashcar1979]

How many users out there are looking at the Surface Pro? Currenlty, I feel the Dell XPS 12 represents the premium Win8 tablet/convertible experience on the market. The XPS 12 ($1,199 USD) comes with an Intel Core i5, 4gb of memory, a 128gb SSD drive, and stunning 1920x1080P 12.5" screen. I get about 6 hours of battery life, and the unit weights about 3 pounds. The Surface Pro - once similarly equipped (128gb SSD + Type/Touch cover) will be in the $1099 ballpark. Which would you buy? Is the smaller size of the Surface Pro an intriguing option? Or would you prefer the full fledged convertible abilities of the XPS 12 and its larger screen?

Disclaimer - I currently own the Dell XPS 12, and it is probably my favorite computing device to date. I also am a fan of the Surface design, but felt Windows RT was half baked, thus opted to purchase the XPS 12.

 

[gsquared]

I could buy three Acer W500's from Craigslist, install new 128 Gb mSATA III drives on them and load Win 8 Pro for the price of one of those machines. The machines above may be just a bit faster but not worth that kind of price difference.

 

[cashcar1979]

Quite an Apples to Oranges compre dont you thing? Huge difference in terms of build quality IMO. Plus I could use the argument of buying any aged device of Craiglist being a cheaper alternative. Are you also going to update the 1280x1000 screen to 1920x1080P resolution?

 

[gsquared]

My point is although those machines are nice, they are not worthy of that price point.

 

[cashcar1979]

Your opinion...but I feel they are worthy. I'll pay for top tier quality. Probably the same reason many buy Macbooks. Its just nice to see devices come out that rival Apple build quality.

 

[vivekforbes]

I am also having same confusion even though i like surface pro lot the thing i am worried is screen size. I feel screen size is very small because i do lot of coding, documentation work and watching movies. Which device you guys suggest?

Please give your thoughts..

 

[edoug]

Wow, how are you getting 6hrs out of it??? I think I'm lucky to get about 4hrs.

 

[edoug]

I have a SurfaceRT with Type Cover, I have a Dell XPS 12, I've played with a Surface Pro. Here's my thought:

XPS 12 is the way to go unless you really, really want a stylus...which has its uses.

The keyboard on the XPS12 is far superior to the type cover. It has back illuminated keys, its larger sized, it disappears when you go into full tablet mode. The Surface type cover, while nice, can't compare to one with enough depth to give as satisfying a keystroke. I don't like folding the keyboard under (exposed) when you want to use the Surface in "pure tablet" mode --though I think this is where the pen would be at its best advantage and to me detaching the keyboard is nice but not as practical if you're not walking with a bag to stow it in. I also find the clamshell design of the XPS makes it much more comfortable and solid when used as a LAP-top. The touch and type covers seems awkward to me when resting on my lap instead of on a table.

The screen on the XPS is much larger than the Surface which to my slightly aging eyes is a good thing, or at least makes the side by side apps more enjoyable. I've no issue either way around the quality of the display. Both are bright enough, both have good viewing angles. The XPS has a physical Win Button under the display while the surface uses a synaptic one and I don't have a strong feeling in either direction around that.

One interesting bit though around the viewing angle: with the kickstand, the Surface basically offers two angles, flat on the table and kickstand angle while the XPS can be tilted back slightly farther than surface (it cannot lay flat with keyboard exposed). At its maximum angle the XPS is delicately balanced -a touch to the screen is going to cause the XPS to rock backwards where the Surface will hold firm thanks to the kickstand.
The XPS has two USB both located on the right hand side --more comfortable for a physical mouse, while the Surface Pro has one on the left hand side. Both sport Bluetooth, both sport at least decent Wifi connectivity.

With the XPS, there are slightly more options around SSD and RAM -mine has a full 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM though I stopped at the i5 and not the i7. The Surface has the removable card, but I feel less confidence in putting data on the card than the internal SSD. I've not looked at expected lifetime of the internal SSD v. the SD card...anyone have insight on that?

Hope this helps.

 

[prlundberg]

For that price I bought a desktop PC/server and a surface RT and ended up with a better PC and a better mobile device than either the Pro or the XPS. For my use. But that may not work for everybody.

If I had to choose between these two it would come down to my specific needs. The form factors are pretty different, a lot of it would be personal preference. If I really needed that much power in a tablet, I'd probably go for the bigger screen and more laptop-like XPS.

 

[KoukiFC3S]

The atom tablets are a lot slower than the i5/i7 ones.

I feel that a bigger device like the XPS 12 is too big & heavy for a tablet. I bought the Sony Vaio 11 2 weeks ago. Amazing device! i7, 8GB ram, 256GB SSD for $1500. But unfortunately it has a huge bezel and is quite heavy so I never used it as a tablet.

When my Pro came in I exchanged the Sony for it. The Pro is a great middle ground between a tablet and a laptop. Small enough to use on the couch in Metro mode, but also powerful enough to run Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop.

 

[edoug]

the XPS isn't the most mobile tablet, I agree. For me (and I think its design) it was more laptop upgrade/replacement than tablet. I'll need to check out the Sony.

 

[rdubmu]

I saw the Sony hybrid where it flips down on top of the keyboard. I have to say the keyboard itself is horrible
Sent from my Windows 8 device using Board Express Pro

 

[vivekforbes]

Thanks for your comments. I think i can go with xps 12. How is the front camera for skype video calls?

 

[iosub]

After testing dell, Sony, Acer
I bought a Lenovo yoga 13.. Best convertible!

 

[guilou0875]

what's the battery life on your xps 12?

I have the surface pro I get around 4hrs. I'm trying to get used to it, but I'm debating if I should to take it back and get the xps 12.
The SPro is very nice, especially when I use it with the minidisplay adapter I can connect it to my HD TV and with BT Keyboard and mouse, I just find myself not using it as a tablet and tend to use my ipad more, due the weight, agronomic, and the battery life on the surface. my other choice will be the dell inspiron 14z 6G ram, 500GB HD + 32SSD...save myself $500
I like the xps line, my last laptop was a xps 1340, I did like it a lot.

 

[Keith Wallace]

You could also look at getting a Lenovo Yoga, if you like that. It can function as a laptop (its screen folds all the way back), or you could see about the VivoTab (I think there's a Windows 8 Pro version). I thought the XPS 12 was cool and all, but not worth the extra $200. The Yoga's $1,000 and has the same internals as the Surface Pro and XPS 12.

 

[vivekforbes]

You could also look at getting a Lenovo Yoga, if you like that. It can function as a laptop (its screen folds all the way back), or you could see about the VivoTab (I think there's a Windows 8 Pro version). I thought the XPS 12 was cool and all, but not worth the extra $200. The Yoga's $1,000 and has the same internals as the Surface Pro and XPS 12.

I think $1000 vesion comes with Core i3 instead of i5. In their website they didnt mention about 1000$ version. It starts around $1149.

 

[unstoppablekem]

I'm in the same boat. I want to buy one for my grandpa, either the surface pro or xps 12 (purchased from Microsoft store), and I don't know which one to get. I would loe pictures comparing the two, or something better.

 

[edoug]

Ok, long story but: I had an xps12, now I have a surface pro...so here are my new round of opinions:

I personally am finding my surface pro battery better than I found my xps. (I believe though my xps had issues...part of the long story I won't go into).

I've spent a fair amount if time using the stylus with the pro and I like that a lot. I use the type cover also, but it can't compare to the xps keyboard for either speed, quality, backlight illumination, or comfort actually on the lap. If these things matter a lot, the xps for you.

The surface w stylus is good enough for meeting notes if you aren't writing a lot.

The xps has two USB ports to the surface one. If you ever need to use Ethernet and not WiFi (which I do) and need to access a file on USB (which sometimes I do), you will be frustrated.

All that said, I'm a fan of the overall compactness and power mix in the surface.

If only the Dell Latitude 10 had an i3 or i5 offering or the surface had that second USB!

 

[unstoppablekem]

Ok, long story but: I had an xps12, now I have a surface pro...so here are my new round of opinions:

I personally am finding my surface pro battery better than I found my xps. (I believe though my xps had issues...part of the long story I won't go into).

I've spent a fair amount if time using the stylus with the pro and I like that a lot. I use the type cover also, but it can't compare to the xps keyboard for either speed, quality, backlight illumination, or comfort actually on the lap. If these things matter a lot, the xps for you.

The surface w stylus is good enough for meeting notes if you aren't writing a lot.

The xps has two USB ports to the surface one. If you ever need to use Ethernet and not WiFi (which I do) and need to access a file on USB (which sometimes I do), you will be frustrated.

All that said, I'm a fan of the overall compactness and power mix in the surface.

If only the Dell Latitude 10 had an i3 or i5 offering or the surface had that second USB!

So there is no USB to Ethernet?