Problems with Dell XPS 13 since day 1

I have owned my Dell XPS 13 7390 since August 2020. I bought it new because I was starting law school and knew that a PC would meet more of my word processing and file organization needs than a Mac. Full disclosure: I am not a tech junkie, and I don’t have any upgrades on my computer because I don’t really use my computer for anything that requires higher performance, like photo/video editing or graphics-intensive games. I simply use my computer for Zoom classes and to browse the internet, create and organize Microsoft Office files, and things of that nature.

From the start, I have had problems with this laptop. One of the first problems was an issue with my microphone not picking up my voice on Zoom calls. This would happen sporadically, and often people would report to me that all of a sudden, in the middle of the call, they could only hear me very faintly. I would try to adjust my position in relation to the microphone, sign out and back in, and adjust the sound settings on my computer and microphone, but most of the time, none of these tactics worked. I also made sure to update my drivers regularly. Even a year and a half later and after several calls to Dell during my warranty period, I am still having this microphone problem on occasion.

Also, despite this being a new computer, the battery only lasts 4-5 hours off the charger, even when I’m only doing standard word processing or internet browsing activities (i.e. no Zoom, no gaming). My partner’s XPS 13 is about 7-8 years old and his battery consistently lasted 8-10 hours or so until very recently. I learned that Dell had substituted 4-cell batteries in the newer models (the older ones, like my partner’s, had 8-cell batteries), which is probably the reason for that, but that is something to at least be aware of if you are considering purchasing this laptop.

Finally, the most recent and most problematic issue I’ve had is that my laptop will randomly shut down while I am using it or while it has been idle for 20-30 minutes (if, for example, I am doing work, but get up briefly to go eat something and intend to return soon after). The laptop is always plugged in, so it’s not that it dies from lack of battery—it simply crashes on its own, and then I have a blue screen error that says my desktop failed to load properly, or something to that effect. Once when my computer crashed like this, it also noted a keyboard setup failure. Sometimes my documents will be auto-recovered, but on at least one occasion, I had been working in PDF and the changes I had made since my last save were not recovered. I make an effort to save regularly, but it’s frustrating that my laptop crashes in the middle of use at all. Thankfully, my laptop did NOT crash while I was writing my finals, but I was aware of a significant possibility that that could happen at any moment. That is not the kind of laptop I want to be working with.

One other note: sometimes, in Zoom classes, my screen will flicker black and then back on again. It doesn’t necessarily kick me out of the Zoom class, but the screen flickering of course prevents me from taking notes and cuts out sound. It’s disruptive and indicative of a problem with the computer. This happens whether or not I am plugged in with the charger and whether or not I am using an external keyboard. I have not been able to diagnose the problem.

Since Dell only extends its warranty to users for a year, the tech team refused to help me with these issues when I called them in December 2021 without me paying $100 for their one-time services. I have made my own attempts to update drivers, update the software, and protect my computer from viruses and other unwanted issues, and I have tried to follow best practices with regards to computer care (i.e., turning it off and unplugging it from the charger when I stop work for the day, every day). I’m frustrated with the ongoing issues I’ve had with this computer and, frankly, with Dell’s lack of regard for its customer’s problems. From my perspective, it seems like Dell is just trying to milk the consumer as much as they can, even if their product is faulty and they should really be flexible about working with customers in those cases. I owned several Macs for about 10 years before this and never had problems of this magnitude, even though I was using my computer for the same/similar purposes. Dell has also made it nearly impossible to leave a review on their website (I see customer reviews but see no option to leave one even when signed into my account). I would not recommend purchasing this computer.