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XPS 13 Developers Edition first impressions
Hi,
My brand new XPS13 (i7/8GB/256GB) arrived today and I'd like to share my initial thoughts with you all.
- Design: nice sturdy ultrabook design with (limited) ultrabook connectivity (only 2 USB ports)
- Ubuntu 12.04 LTS runs very fast and stable (in comparison with my other Ubuntu 13.10 machine)
- Display quality is excellent, very wide viewing angles and the 1080p resolution using Ubuntu is very productive. But noticeable white 'pressure point' in the left corner when using a black background.
- Battery life: I'm getting around 6 hours (first charge) which isn't much in comparison to other Haswell based ultrabooks (the Macbook Pro retina 13 can easily get around 9-10 hours, while using a more power hungry CPU)
- Touch screen: personally I don't see the point of touchscreen when working in Ubuntu (even in Windows). When I want to swipe, I just use my tablet. Maybe a non-touch i7 would be an interesting option.
- Coil whine: I'm experiencing a high-pitched sound when my keyboard backlight is on. When turned off, it's still noticeable, but very low in intensity
- Speakers: Sound quality is decent but on regular base my left speaker makes a quite loud creaking sound.
In brief, I'm very glad a 100% Ubuntu machine is available for purchase with optimal driver support (Sputnik Team: thank you!) but I'm a little bit disappointed in the overall quality. The 'coil whine' issue and the speaker problem are well-known internet-forum topics for over a year, and still Dell isn't able to resolve those issues in the 3th iteration of the XPS 13 product. I'll wait to contact Customer Support for a repair since no clear solution for both stated problems has been found.
But, nevertheless, looking forward to the 14.04 LTS DE version!
cfaber
36 Posts
0
October 15th, 2014 21:00
Anyone else having problems with sound as well? i.e. white / electrical noise when headphones plugged in?
I'm using Linux here on mine and did find the white noise issue is partially solved by recent snd_hda_intel driver updates (landed in 3.17) however the electrical noise issue is still pretty bad.
alberto.alvarel
2 Posts
0
October 16th, 2014 05:00
I had the same problem, and reduce it to a bearable noise level doing this: http://www.ubuntulinuxguide.com/static-background-noise-ubuntu-1304/
Hope it helps you.
cfaber
36 Posts
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October 16th, 2014 12:00
Hi Terry,
Working with someone in the resolution expert center at Dell and having the laptop replaced with one known to have the corrected motherboard and bios update I can assure you that the problem hasn't been fixed.
The coil whine is still present (and loud) and other more serious issues such as loss of 2.4GHz wifi when USB3 devices are used are also still present.
DELL-Terry B
4 Operator
4 Operator
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3.5K Posts
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October 16th, 2014 12:00
I have been speaking to many of you via private message verifying if you have received the updated system boards either via a service, or shipped on your new order. Please continue to reach out to me if the electronic noise is too loud on your XPS 13 and are looking for help. If you have messaged me and have not received a reply I will be doing so shortly.
marcosnils
1 Message
0
October 21st, 2014 21:00
Hi,
I can confirm that this issue is not yet resolved. I've received my XPS 13 two days ago and the coil issue is still happening.
Honestly, I really feel disappointed about the whole purchase experience and the fact that you're stating that you've fixed an issue which you haven't.
This post was the one made me make the choice to order the computer. I'll definitely return it and go for some other brand.
Marcos.
travsformer
16 Posts
0
October 22nd, 2014 09:00
***! Sorry to hear that! Best of luck (I suggest a group hassling approach...coordinate yourselves and call Dell non-stop!!!)
Such a shame...the XPS 13 really was my favorite option, but after following up on this thread for about a month, I think I'm gonna go with another brand...
cfaber
36 Posts
0
October 22nd, 2014 10:00
What processor are you all running? I'm running i7 does anyone with i7 e4510 processors, not have this issue?
If so what BIOS version / Motherboard revision?
Tamooj
22 Posts
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October 22nd, 2014 10:00
For what it's worth, I just purchased an XPS-13 DE (came with 12.04 LTS... sigh) and I do NOT seem to have any kind of coil whine. Maybe my hearing is just old... so I'll put mic/spectrum analyzer against it to check. (conveniently, there is an android phone app for this!).
cfaber
36 Posts
0
November 3rd, 2014 10:00
I've found a simple method to eliminate the whine completely. Open up your system (You'll need a T5 Torx), find the black speaker cable next to the wireless card on the right of the case. Unplug the right side speaker. Problem solved.
Now if dell would only fix this issue, since it's still extremely annoying....
flo1023
3 Posts
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December 7th, 2014 12:00
Any news on the noise?
cfaber
36 Posts
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December 7th, 2014 13:00
The guy I was working with at dell told me engineering is unwilling to address the problem. Unplugging the right hand speaker will fix it, but you'll be down to mono sound from the laptop loud speakers (stereo still works via headphone jack)
flo1023
3 Posts
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December 7th, 2014 14:00
Ok. I'd like to buy one of these XPS13 Dev. Edition but could you still recommend me to buy it ?
I think it's a shame we have to unplug one of the speaker to fix the problem. Even if mono sound doesn't really bother me (I will not be using the sound a lot). Dell doesn't seem to do something about it...
PS : Sorry if I did some english mistakes. It's not my native language.
flo1023
3 Posts
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December 7th, 2014 16:00
Thanks for your reply. Well I guess i'm just gonna unplug the speaker then.
cfaber
36 Posts
0
December 7th, 2014 16:00
Yeah I'd buy it again. It's still better than just about anything else out there. There battery life is awesome, the screen is good, and keyboard is nice.
It has it's faults, such as the A05 BIOS is buggy, and the whine issue, but other than that it's been great.
Wolfe_BTV
3 Posts
0
December 7th, 2014 18:00
I wouldn't advise buying the XPS 13. I got mine in August and 5 months later I regret it; it's a lemon. I've tried to ignore the whine and it's extremely annoying; the sound quality with headphones is mediocre, and unplugging a speaker is a stupid thing to have to do for an ultrabook that's this expensive.
The build quaity is decent, but not as good as Lenovo or Apple. Dell tried replacing the motherboard on mine and now it doesn't sit flat, and their technician managed to strip a case screw which leaves a little gap on one corner that snags stuff.
Save your money and give it to a company that will either build you a quality ultrabook or at least work to resolve it if it's got a list of problems (or ideally both). I'm going back to Lenovo--better quality and service.