XPS 15 9500, lid is not tight close when keeping notebook vertical

Hi,

As explained via private message. The hinge structure on the

XPS 15 9500 is fine-tuned as to support the one-handed open feature plus 15” panel is heavier, therefore you may feel the hinge looser than the legacy XPS generation. This phenomenon would not impact any system features for your daily usage.

How did you determine that the XPS 9500 lid was not magnetic?   The display lids on both XPS 9500's (defective and replacement units) I've encountered have magnets in the edges.  You can check for yourself using a paperclip.  The replacement unit I have stays close when in a vertical position and the display is the heavier 4K one.  If you can return yours, do so and get a refund.  If the unit was designed to open up when in a vertical position then why would magnets be part of the lid design?  Why would my heavier 4K unit stay closed in a vertical position and not affect my one handed opening in any way?

I checked the magnets using a key ring, turns out there are magnets, but they are just super weak and not even noticeable. I didn't even feel like there were magnets when opening my laptop screen. 

If you can return for a refund, that may be a better option giving you a little leverage in case the replacement suffers from the same lid problem.  Since Dell's current position is that the lid was designed to open up in the vertical position, they might not cover it under warranty.  A replacement may eat into your original 30 day return window and you may get stuck with another defective unit.  I purchased my unit at Costco so returns and exchanges were not a problem...  Good luck!

I also have the 4K and got the response saying it’s part of the design. If you returned yours and got a different one with a lid that actually stays closed then I’m going to try and return mine and get a replacement, I feel like this shouldn’t be an issue on a laptop this expensive. Thanks for sharing your experience though, hopefully my replacement won’t have that issue again

Exactly what @mr.fabe said. Once you're outside the 30 days (and repairs often take longer than that) you cannot ever get a refund. Just read these forums they won't do it. If you received a defective product (trackpad, closing, etc) which are very common problems with this generation and laptop, return it for a full refund while you still can.

The hinge structure is fine-tuned as to support the one-handed open feature, therefore the you may feel the hinge looser than the legacy XPS generation. Please understand that the phenomenon would not impact any system features for your daily usage.

When lid close, there is still tiny remaining torque at hinge mechanism. Magnets are in place to mitigate the opening, but higher magnet force will cause the difficulty of one hand open feature. Although optimize the magnet location and force are applied for each single system, but there is still deviation from one to another, and this may not be able to cover all customer’s usage scenarios.

The system is working as per the design. 

Did they replace the unit for the trackpad issues or for the LCD panel opening feature? 

@mr.fabe I think I'm actually just going to do the replacement and bet on the next one working. I'm doing this because I used the save 17% and saved a lot more money, but now that deal ended so I would have to pay more if I got a full refund and reordered it. I'm just going to ask them for a replacement for this one! Hopefully there is no issue in the next one 

@wynsum 

Dell does not recognize the lid issue as a defect / problem so they would not "repair or replace" the unit.  The trackpad problem is a defect admitted by Dell and would be replaced or repaired.  I purchased my unit at Costco so it was easier to just get a replacement handled by them.

I just submitted my request for a full refund. It's unfortunate as I really do like this laptop, just the trackpack and not closing vertically sucks. Many people said rather than just returning for a replacement, to get a full refund. I'm  going to get a full refund and then reorder it (hoping I don't get the same issues with the new one) that way it won't go into the 30 warranty if I were to simply just get a replacement. 

@bchang1899 

You know what works best for your situation.

Good luck and best wishes!

Hello, 

My computer was delivered yesterday and I have the same issue with it. 

Also my trackpad is wobbly on the lower area. 

Please support. 

Something just hit me re-reading this thread. I know that there are magnets in the screen to help hold the screen shut, what if there is no ferrous metal in the new palmrests that are being deployed to fix the wobbly trackpad issues? If there is nothing for the magnets to be attracted to, then they would never do any good.

I went through the trouble of swapping screens on my original unit that the lid stayed closed on with the screen on my replacement unit that the lid pops open on, and the lid still popped open. (Long story short there is that the original unit came with a faulty trackpad and the technician damaged my brand new laptop when replacing the palmrest and I had to wait 5+ weeks for a replacement unit).

I have tried for about 3 hours today over messaging to get clear answers out of Dell and they refuse to provide one. If the hinge is designed to pop open then surely the technician-damaged unit that I have that stays closed is defective right? They won't answer that question. I believe that this is a larger issue that they don't want to admit because it would cost them a small fortune to fix.

Upon further investigation my unit has magnets in the palmrest as well. However, one thing I don't have the ability to test right now is whether the polarity of those magnets is aligned correctly to actually attract the two together when the lid is closed. If the polarities are not opposite, it could very well cause the exact symptoms that we are seeing: the lid popping open due to the poles of the magnets repelling each other when no weight is present but the lid staying closed when the weight of the screen is pressing down (aka the laptop is sitting flat).