Dell XPS 15 (2022) review: The right mix of power and portability

Dell’s XPS 15 has been one of the best laptops for creators for years, and the 2022 model is no different. It blends a four and a third pound chassis with the performance of Intel’s 12th-gen 45W processors and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics, all while delighting the user with a 3.5K OLED display and a powerful quad-speaker setup.

It’s not perfect. Dell continues to prioritize narrow bezels over a quality webcam, and that’s an issue in the age of working from home. Plus, the cost of parts is going up, and we’re seeing the price of devices keep up with that.

This year’s model is just a spec bump, with a faster CPU and faster memory, but certain things still caught me by surprise. Battery life was really good, something I never expect from a laptop with a 45W CPU and RTX graphics. Ultimately, it’s just a delightful laptop that I’m happy to recommend.

Dell XPS 15 9520

Dell's XPS 15 blends power and portability with RTX graphics, 12th-gen Intel processors, and coming in a sub-five-pound package.

Features:

Pros: Cons:

See at Best Buy

Navigate this review:

• Dell XPS 15 (2022) price and availability
• Dell XPS 15 (2022) specs
• Design: There are no design changes
• Display: The OLED is as sweet as always
• Keyboard: It has a massive touchpad
• Performance: Intel 12th-gen and RTX graphics are a winning combo
• Should you buy the Dell XPS 15 (2022)?

Dell XPS 15 (2022) price and availability

• The Dell XPS 15 9520 starts at $1,449 and is available now
• It’s available in either Platinum Silver or Frost colors

Announced this spring, the Dell XPS 15 9520 is available for purchase now, and it starts at $1,449. That base model will include a Core i5-12500H, 8GB DDR5 memory, a 256GB SSD, and an FHD+ display. It won’t include dedicated graphics.

As usual, there are lots of options. You can get it with up to 64GB RAM and a 2TB SSD, and the display has two different 4K options (technically the OLED one is considered 3.5K), one of which is OLED and the other of which isn’t. The CPU goes up to a Core i9-12900HK, and the graphics card goes up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti.

There are two colors. One is Platinum Silver, packing a black carbon fiber keyboard deck. It’s the classic XPS look. The other is Frost with a white woven glass fiber keyboard deck.

Dell XPS 15 (2022) specs

CPU	12th Generation Intel Core i7-12700H (24MB Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 14 cores)
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB GDDR6 (40W)
Display	15.6-inch 3.5K (3456 x 2160) InfinityEdge OLED touch display, DisplayHDR 500, 400-nit, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, 100,000:1 contrast ratio, 176° wide viewing angle +/- 88° / 88° / 88° / 88°, up to 0.65% anti-reflective, anti-smudge
Body	344.72×230.14x18mm (13.57×9.06×0.71in), 1.96kg (4.31lbs)
Ports	2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) with DisplayPort and Power Delivery 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (DisplayPort / Power Delivery) 1x Full-size SD card reader v6.0 1x 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack Wedge-shaped lock slot 1x USB-C to USB-A v3.0 & HDMI v2.0 adapter ships standard
Storage	512GB PCIe 4 x4 SSD
Memory	16GB (2x8GB) DDR5 Dual Channel at 4800MHz
Battery	86Whr battery (built-in), 130W AC adapter (USB Type-C)
Audio	Studio quality tuning with Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Waves Nx 3D audio Quad-speaker design with 2.5W x2 woofers and 1.5W x2 tweeters = 8W total peak output 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack featuring Waves Nx 3D audio with head tracking Dual microphone array optimized with Waves MaxxVoice supporting VoIP Microsoft Cortana capable
Inputs	Touch Display (optional) 2 Digital Array Microphones Full size, backlit chiclet keyboard; 1.3mm travel Glass surface Precision Touchpad Windows Hello fingerprint reader in power button & HD (720p) Windows Hello camera in upper bezel Ambient Light Sensor for display backlight control
Material	CNC machined aluminum in platinum silver with carbon fiber composite palm rest in black
OS	Windows 11 Home
Price	$2,253

These are the specs of the unit that Dell sent me for review. As mentioned above, the base model starts at $1,449.

Design: There are no design changes

• It has the familiar Dell XPS design, with a black keyboard and silver exterior
• There are three USB ports, and it also includes an SD card slot

To be clear, the only things that have changed gen-over-gen are internal. If you knew what the Dell XPS 15 9500 and 9510 models looked like, you can safely skip this section.

The model that Dell sent me comes in Platinum Silver with a black carbon fiber palm rest. This is what I consider to be classic XPS. Back when there was only one colorway for the entire lineup, this was it. Since then, it’s expanded. The second one was Frost with a white woven glass fiber palm rest, and I have to say, that one is pretty sweet. That second option debuted with the XPS 13 and XPS 13 2-in-1, but it more recently came to the XPS 15. The XPS 17 only has the XPS classic look.

The middle is stamped with a shiny Dell logo, and that’s the flashiest part of the exterior. The sides are silver, a design that actually debuted with the XPS 15 9500 a couple of years ago; prior to that, the sides matched the black keyboard deck.

It has all of the ports that you need, as long as they’re USB Type-C. There are actually three USB Type-C ports, two of which are Thunderbolt 4. Thunderbolt is the most versatile port there is, supporting 40Gbps transfer speeds and fully supporting USB4. The USB Type-C port on the other side, however, is USB 3.2 Gen 2, so you get 10Gbps transfer speed. You can charge the laptop with any of the three, and it’s actually nice to have a powerful machine like this that uses USB Type-C for charging. It’s somewhat rare since, for a time, Power Delivery only supported up to 100W.

Also on the right side is a 3.5mm audio jack and a full-size SD card slot. If you’re a photographer, then you already know how important this is, and you probably already know that a full-size SD card slot is somewhat rare in laptops. But ultimately, this is a creator machine, so it has one.

The design of the Dell XPS 15 9520 is tried and true, and if you like it, you might want to jump on it. The Dell XPS 13 and XPS 13 2-in-1 both got redesigned this year, which means that the larger models likely aren’t far behind.

Display: The OLED is as sweet as always

• The screen is 15.6 inches diagonally with a 16:10 aspect ratio
• It comes in FHD+, OLED 3.5K, and non-OLED 4K

As you’d expect from something with “15” in the name, it has a 15.6-inch display, which has been 16:10 since the XPS 15 9500 came out. There are three options: 1,920×1,200, 3,456×2,160 OLED, and 3,840×2,400 IPS LCD. Dell sent me the OLED model, which is obviously my favorite.

There’s something to remember about Dell’s OLED displays though, which is that you don’t really need them. Their non-OLED screens are so good that you won’t even see much of a difference. With OLED, you get true blacks because pixels are only lit up when they’re being used, and because there’s no backlight, those colors tend to also be more vibrant. However, you can also have a really great IPS LCD screen that could pass as OLED, and that’s what Dell offers.

The OLED screen on the model that Dell sent me obviously scored well on my display tests, supporting 100% sRGB, 94% NTSC, 96% Adobe RGB, and 100% P3. These are the best scores that you’ll find. But again, the other configurations are going to reach in the 90s as well.

Brightness maxed out at 405.7 nits, slightly exceeding the promised 400. As you can see, black doesn’t go up as brightness increases, a benefit of OLED.

The point that I’m trying to get across is that Dell puts really great displays on its XPS laptops. OLED is fantastic as always, and FHD+ is for if you really need the extra battery life.

As always, Dell is committed to having the narrowest bezels around for the most immersive experience. Indeed, it has prioritized that above all else, even chopping down the chin a couple of years ago when it moved from a 16:9 display to 16:10. Unfortunately, that also means that there’s still a 720p webcam when the rest of the market is moving toward higher-quality 1080p webcams thanks to the boom in working from home.

Keyboard: It has a massive touchpad

• Dell uses one of the largest touchpads on any 15-inch Windows laptop
• The fingerprint sensor still requires you to wait for the PC to boot

As mentioned above, the palm rest is black carbon fiber, and the keyboard is a matching black, using Chiclet-style keys. The keyboard is both comfortable and accurate, although it does leave something to be desired over say, a ThinkPad X1 Extreme, given that ThinkPads are renowned for having the best keyboards. One thing I will say is that while it’s not quite as quiet, I do like the force curve a bit more. To me, Lenovo’s ThinkPads have too long of a key-depth, and they sometimes don’t feel modern.

One thing I absolutely love is the big old touchpad that Dell chose to include. It’s about as big as it gets in a 15-inch laptop, and the only other OEM I see trying to make large touchpads is Apple. It’s great to see on the Windows side. I will say that the big touchpad can feel a bit wobbly at times, and I think a haptic touchpad in its place would be a nice change. Perhaps we’ll see that in a future iteration. In the meantime, I’ll absolutely take this big touchpad as a win.

The keyboard is flanked by the speakers, and Dell actually has four, two of which are underneath the laptop. It has a total of two 2.5W woofers and two 1.5W tweeters, making for an excellent audio experience. They’re tuned with Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Waves Nx 3D, and combined with the beautiful OLED display, this is a great machine for media consumption.

The Dell XPS 15 is the perfect creator PC

Dell used to talk about that a lot more, putting the high-quality display, high-quality sound, and more under an umbrella called Dell Cinema. The branding might not be there anymore, but the quality still is.

Performance: Intel 12th-gen and RTX graphics are a winning combo

• The Dell XPS 15 9520 comes with Intel 12th-gen H-series processors, and either integrated graphics, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, or an RTX 3050 Ti
• Along with 12th-gen CPUs, the other upgrade includes DDR5 memory

As I mentioned earlier, all of the upgrades on this machine are internal. It now comes with Intel’s 45W 12th-gen processors, which in turn enable it to have DDR5 memory. It’s also offered with either integrated graphics, an RTX 3050, or an RTX 3050 Ti, and those options existed for its predecessor. The configuration that Dell sent me includes an Intel Core i7-12700H, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, 16GB DDR5, and a 512GB SSD.

Personally, I think the Dell XPS 15 is the perfect machine for creators. It’s got the best display, and it’s got just the right internals. But it actually doesn’t have to be. If you want something that’s just a bigger laptop and you don’t need the power, you can get it with integrated graphics. But specced out as it is in this model, I love it.

The Dell XPS 15 is what its predecessors have always been: the best at what they're meant to do

In the battery testing that I’ll talk about in a bit, I used it for work. That’s my usual writing articles in the web browser, and then using apps like Slack, OneNote, and so on. But a lot of what I used it for included apps like Adobe Lightroom Classic and Photoshop, and that was on battery life with the power slider set to best power efficiency. The best way I can put it is that I didn’t have to crank up the dial at any point to get the performance that I needed.

Intel’s new 12th-gen CPUs have a hybrid architecture, with big cores and little cores. The big cores, or P-cores, handle tasks that need a boost in performance. For things that don’t, there are the E-cores.

Ultimately, the Dell XPS 15 9520 is what it has always been. It’s quite possible the best laptop. It’s a perfect blend of power and portability.

For benchmarks, I used PCMark 10, 3DMark, VRMark, Cinebench, Geekbench, and CrossMark. As you can see, I just keep adding more benchmarks.

	Dell XPS 15 9520 Core i7-12700H, RTX 3050 Ti	Dell XPS 17 9720 Core i7-12700H, RTX 3060	Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Ryzen 7 5800H, RTX 3070
PCMark 10	6,640	6,280	6,800
3DMark: Time Spy	4,535	6,250	9,963
3DMark: Time Spy Extreme	2,250	2,967
VRMark: Orange	4,745	8,689	12,249
VRMark: Cyan	2,753	2,752	9,093
VRMark: Blue	1,325	1,902	3,027
Cinebench R23	1,797 / 11,695	1,767 / 11,714	1,423 / 11,729
Geekbench 5	1,774 / 11,580	1,753 / 12,992	1,475 / 7,377
CrossMark overall	1,855	1,871
CrossMark productivity	1,735	1,702
CrossMark creatvity	2,053	2,157
CrossMark response time	1,671	1,624

Included in the comparison is the newest Dell XPS 17, which is meant to be a bit more powerful with its RTX 3060 graphics. I’ll have a review on that soon, although to be honest, don’t expect it to look a whole lot different from this one. It’s obviously a similar product that’s a bit bigger and a bit more powerful.

The model that Dell sent me comes with an 86WHr battery, which is the larger of the two options. Interestingly, battery life is pretty great. My lowest was four hours and 55 minutes and my best was six hours and six minutes, with an average of around five and a half hours. Again, I did leave the power slider on best power efficiency, something that I don’t always do. But performance was so good that I didn’t need to touch it. Indeed, it was quite impressive.

Should you buy the Dell XPS 15 (2022)?

The Dell XPS 15 9520 is the best at what it’s meant to do, but you should be aware of if your use case fits that.

You should buy the Dell XPS 15 (2022) if:

• You want the best creator machine with a 15-inch display
• You want the best experience when streaming movies and TV shows

You should not buy the Dell XPS 15 (2022) if:

• You’re looking for a productivity machine (check out the XPS 13 instead)
• You’re looking for a quality webcam

I think the biggest reason not to get the Dell XPS 15 is if you want a productivity machine. That’s what U-series processors and integrated graphics are for, and something like a Dell XPS 13 would actually serve you much better than an XPS 15 would. Of course, there’s also the issue of the webcam, which is something to be aware of.

Dell XPS 15 9520

Dell's XPS 15 blends power and portability with RTX graphics, 12th-gen Intel processors, and coming in a sub-five-pound package.

See at Best Buy

The post Dell XPS 15 (2022) review: The right mix of power and portability appeared first on XDA.

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Dell XPS 15 (2022) review: The right mix of power and portability

Dell’s XPS 15 has been one of the best laptops for creators for years, and the 2022 model is no different. It blends a four and a third pound chassis with the performance of Intel’s 12th-gen 45W processors and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics, all while delighting the user with a 3.5K OLED display and a powerful quad-speaker setup.

It’s not perfect. Dell continues to prioritize narrow bezels over a quality webcam, and that’s an issue in the age of working from home. Plus, the cost of parts is going up, and we’re seeing the price of devices keep up with that.

This year’s model is just a spec bump, with a faster CPU and faster memory, but certain things still caught me by surprise. Battery life was really good, something I never expect from a laptop with a 45W CPU and RTX graphics. Ultimately, it’s just a delightful laptop that I’m happy to recommend.

Dell XPS 15 9520

Dell's XPS 15 blends power and portability with RTX graphics, 12th-gen Intel processors, and coming in a sub-five-pound package.

Features:

Pros: Cons:

See at Best Buy

Navigate this review:

• Dell XPS 15 (2022) price and availability
• Dell XPS 15 (2022) specs
• Design: There are no design changes
• Display: The OLED is as sweet as always
• Keyboard: It has a massive touchpad
• Performance: Intel 12th-gen and RTX graphics are a winning combo
• Should you buy the Dell XPS 15 (2022)?

Dell XPS 15 (2022) price and availability

• The Dell XPS 15 9520 starts at $1,449 and is available now
• It’s available in either Platinum Silver or Frost colors

Announced this spring, the Dell XPS 15 9520 is available for purchase now, and it starts at $1,449. That base model will include a Core i5-12500H, 8GB DDR5 memory, a 256GB SSD, and an FHD+ display. It won’t include dedicated graphics.

As usual, there are lots of options. You can get it with up to 64GB RAM and a 2TB SSD, and the display has two different 4K options (technically the OLED one is considered 3.5K), one of which is OLED and the other of which isn’t. The CPU goes up to a Core i9-12900HK, and the graphics card goes up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti.

There are two colors. One is Platinum Silver, packing a black carbon fiber keyboard deck. It’s the classic XPS look. The other is Frost with a white woven glass fiber keyboard deck.

Dell XPS 15 (2022) specs

CPU	12th Generation Intel Core i7-12700H (24MB Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 14 cores)
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB GDDR6 (40W)
Display	15.6-inch 3.5K (3456 x 2160) InfinityEdge OLED touch display, DisplayHDR 500, 400-nit, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, 100,000:1 contrast ratio, 176° wide viewing angle +/- 88° / 88° / 88° / 88°, up to 0.65% anti-reflective, anti-smudge
Body	344.72×230.14x18mm (13.57×9.06×0.71in), 1.96kg (4.31lbs)
Ports	2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) with DisplayPort and Power Delivery 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (DisplayPort / Power Delivery) 1x Full-size SD card reader v6.0 1x 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack Wedge-shaped lock slot 1x USB-C to USB-A v3.0 & HDMI v2.0 adapter ships standard
Storage	512GB PCIe 4 x4 SSD
Memory	16GB (2x8GB) DDR5 Dual Channel at 4800MHz
Battery	86Whr battery (built-in), 130W AC adapter (USB Type-C)
Audio	Studio quality tuning with Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Waves Nx 3D audio Quad-speaker design with 2.5W x2 woofers and 1.5W x2 tweeters = 8W total peak output 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack featuring Waves Nx 3D audio with head tracking Dual microphone array optimized with Waves MaxxVoice supporting VoIP Microsoft Cortana capable
Inputs	Touch Display (optional) 2 Digital Array Microphones Full size, backlit chiclet keyboard; 1.3mm travel Glass surface Precision Touchpad Windows Hello fingerprint reader in power button & HD (720p) Windows Hello camera in upper bezel Ambient Light Sensor for display backlight control
Material	CNC machined aluminum in platinum silver with carbon fiber composite palm rest in black
OS	Windows 11 Home
Price	$2,253

These are the specs of the unit that Dell sent me for review. As mentioned above, the base model starts at $1,449.

Design: There are no design changes

• It has the familiar Dell XPS design, with a black keyboard and silver exterior
• There are three USB ports, and it also includes an SD card slot

To be clear, the only things that have changed gen-over-gen are internal. If you knew what the Dell XPS 15 9500 and 9510 models looked like, you can safely skip this section.

The model that Dell sent me comes in Platinum Silver with a black carbon fiber palm rest. This is what I consider to be classic XPS. Back when there was only one colorway for the entire lineup, this was it. Since then, it’s expanded. The second one was Frost with a white woven glass fiber palm rest, and I have to say, that one is pretty sweet. That second option debuted with the XPS 13 and XPS 13 2-in-1, but it more recently came to the XPS 15. The XPS 17 only has the XPS classic look.

The middle is stamped with a shiny Dell logo, and that’s the flashiest part of the exterior. The sides are silver, a design that actually debuted with the XPS 15 9500 a couple of years ago; prior to that, the sides matched the black keyboard deck.

It has all of the ports that you need, as long as they’re USB Type-C. There are actually three USB Type-C ports, two of which are Thunderbolt 4. Thunderbolt is the most versatile port there is, supporting 40Gbps transfer speeds and fully supporting USB4. The USB Type-C port on the other side, however, is USB 3.2 Gen 2, so you get 10Gbps transfer speed. You can charge the laptop with any of the three, and it’s actually nice to have a powerful machine like this that uses USB Type-C for charging. It’s somewhat rare since, for a time, Power Delivery only supported up to 100W.

Also on the right side is a 3.5mm audio jack and a full-size SD card slot. If you’re a photographer, then you already know how important this is, and you probably already know that a full-size SD card slot is somewhat rare in laptops. But ultimately, this is a creator machine, so it has one.

The design of the Dell XPS 15 9520 is tried and true, and if you like it, you might want to jump on it. The Dell XPS 13 and XPS 13 2-in-1 both got redesigned this year, which means that the larger models likely aren’t far behind.

Display: The OLED is as sweet as always

• The screen is 15.6 inches diagonally with a 16:10 aspect ratio
• It comes in FHD+, OLED 3.5K, and non-OLED 4K

As you’d expect from something with “15” in the name, it has a 15.6-inch display, which has been 16:10 since the XPS 15 9500 came out. There are three options: 1,920×1,200, 3,456×2,160 OLED, and 3,840×2,400 IPS LCD. Dell sent me the OLED model, which is obviously my favorite.

There’s something to remember about Dell’s OLED displays though, which is that you don’t really need them. Their non-OLED screens are so good that you won’t even see much of a difference. With OLED, you get true blacks because pixels are only lit up when they’re being used, and because there’s no backlight, those colors tend to also be more vibrant. However, you can also have a really great IPS LCD screen that could pass as OLED, and that’s what Dell offers.

The OLED screen on the model that Dell sent me obviously scored well on my display tests, supporting 100% sRGB, 94% NTSC, 96% Adobe RGB, and 100% P3. These are the best scores that you’ll find. But again, the other configurations are going to reach in the 90s as well.

Brightness maxed out at 405.7 nits, slightly exceeding the promised 400. As you can see, black doesn’t go up as brightness increases, a benefit of OLED.

The point that I’m trying to get across is that Dell puts really great displays on its XPS laptops. OLED is fantastic as always, and FHD+ is for if you really need the extra battery life.

As always, Dell is committed to having the narrowest bezels around for the most immersive experience. Indeed, it has prioritized that above all else, even chopping down the chin a couple of years ago when it moved from a 16:9 display to 16:10. Unfortunately, that also means that there’s still a 720p webcam when the rest of the market is moving toward higher-quality 1080p webcams thanks to the boom in working from home.

Keyboard: It has a massive touchpad

• Dell uses one of the largest touchpads on any 15-inch Windows laptop
• The fingerprint sensor still requires you to wait for the PC to boot

As mentioned above, the palm rest is black carbon fiber, and the keyboard is a matching black, using Chiclet-style keys. The keyboard is both comfortable and accurate, although it does leave something to be desired over say, a ThinkPad X1 Extreme, given that ThinkPads are renowned for having the best keyboards. One thing I will say is that while it’s not quite as quiet, I do like the force curve a bit more. To me, Lenovo’s ThinkPads have too long of a key-depth, and they sometimes don’t feel modern.

One thing I absolutely love is the big old touchpad that Dell chose to include. It’s about as big as it gets in a 15-inch laptop, and the only other OEM I see trying to make large touchpads is Apple. It’s great to see on the Windows side. I will say that the big touchpad can feel a bit wobbly at times, and I think a haptic touchpad in its place would be a nice change. Perhaps we’ll see that in a future iteration. In the meantime, I’ll absolutely take this big touchpad as a win.

The keyboard is flanked by the speakers, and Dell actually has four, two of which are underneath the laptop. It has a total of two 2.5W woofers and two 1.5W tweeters, making for an excellent audio experience. They’re tuned with Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Waves Nx 3D, and combined with the beautiful OLED display, this is a great machine for media consumption.

The Dell XPS 15 is the perfect creator PC

Dell used to talk about that a lot more, putting the high-quality display, high-quality sound, and more under an umbrella called Dell Cinema. The branding might not be there anymore, but the quality still is.

Performance: Intel 12th-gen and RTX graphics are a winning combo

• The Dell XPS 15 9520 comes with Intel 12th-gen H-series processors, and either integrated graphics, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, or an RTX 3050 Ti
• Along with 12th-gen CPUs, the other upgrade includes DDR5 memory

As I mentioned earlier, all of the upgrades on this machine are internal. It now comes with Intel’s 45W 12th-gen processors, which in turn enable it to have DDR5 memory. It’s also offered with either integrated graphics, an RTX 3050, or an RTX 3050 Ti, and those options existed for its predecessor. The configuration that Dell sent me includes an Intel Core i7-12700H, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, 16GB DDR5, and a 512GB SSD.

Personally, I think the Dell XPS 15 is the perfect machine for creators. It’s got the best display, and it’s got just the right internals. But it actually doesn’t have to be. If you want something that’s just a bigger laptop and you don’t need the power, you can get it with integrated graphics. But specced out as it is in this model, I love it.

The Dell XPS 15 is what its predecessors have always been: the best at what they're meant to do

In the battery testing that I’ll talk about in a bit, I used it for work. That’s my usual writing articles in the web browser, and then using apps like Slack, OneNote, and so on. But a lot of what I used it for included apps like Adobe Lightroom Classic and Photoshop, and that was on battery life with the power slider set to best power efficiency. The best way I can put it is that I didn’t have to crank up the dial at any point to get the performance that I needed.

Intel’s new 12th-gen CPUs have a hybrid architecture, with big cores and little cores. The big cores, or P-cores, handle tasks that need a boost in performance. For things that don’t, there are the E-cores.

Ultimately, the Dell XPS 15 9520 is what it has always been. It’s quite possible the best laptop. It’s a perfect blend of power and portability.

For benchmarks, I used PCMark 10, 3DMark, VRMark, Cinebench, Geekbench, and CrossMark. As you can see, I just keep adding more benchmarks.

	Dell XPS 15 9520 Core i7-12700H, RTX 3050 Ti	Dell XPS 17 9720 Core i7-12700H, RTX 3060	Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Ryzen 7 5800H, RTX 3070
PCMark 10	6,640	6,280	6,800
3DMark: Time Spy	4,535	6,250	9,963
3DMark: Time Spy Extreme	2,250	2,967
VRMark: Orange	4,745	8,689	12,249
VRMark: Cyan	2,753	2,752	9,093
VRMark: Blue	1,325	1,902	3,027
Cinebench R23	1,797 / 11,695	1,767 / 11,714	1,423 / 11,729
Geekbench 5	1,774 / 11,580	1,753 / 12,992	1,475 / 7,377
CrossMark overall	1,855	1,871
CrossMark productivity	1,735	1,702
CrossMark creatvity	2,053	2,157
CrossMark response time	1,671	1,624

Included in the comparison is the newest Dell XPS 17, which is meant to be a bit more powerful with its RTX 3060 graphics. I’ll have a review on that soon, although to be honest, don’t expect it to look a whole lot different from this one. It’s obviously a similar product that’s a bit bigger and a bit more powerful.

The model that Dell sent me comes with an 86WHr battery, which is the larger of the two options. Interestingly, battery life is pretty great. My lowest was four hours and 55 minutes and my best was six hours and six minutes, with an average of around five and a half hours. Again, I did leave the power slider on best power efficiency, something that I don’t always do. But performance was so good that I didn’t need to touch it. Indeed, it was quite impressive.

Should you buy the Dell XPS 15 (2022)?

The Dell XPS 15 9520 is the best at what it’s meant to do, but you should be aware of if your use case fits that.

You should buy the Dell XPS 15 (2022) if:

• You want the best creator machine with a 15-inch display
• You want the best experience when streaming movies and TV shows

You should not buy the Dell XPS 15 (2022) if:

• You’re looking for a productivity machine (check out the XPS 13 instead)
• You’re looking for a quality webcam

I think the biggest reason not to get the Dell XPS 15 is if you want a productivity machine. That’s what U-series processors and integrated graphics are for, and something like a Dell XPS 13 would actually serve you much better than an XPS 15 would. Of course, there’s also the issue of the webcam, which is something to be aware of.

Dell XPS 15 9520

Dell's XPS 15 blends power and portability with RTX graphics, 12th-gen Intel processors, and coming in a sub-five-pound package.

See at Best Buy

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Razer Kishi v2 Review: An easy recommendation for cloud gaming and emulation on your phone

Gaming on smartphones is hard, and there’s not a whole lot that you can really do about it either. Most smartphones have evolved to become computing powerhouses, but finicky touch controls make it so that your phone may not necessarily be the most comfortable to play games on. There are controllers you can get for phones though that make it a bit easier, and Razer’s Kishi v2 aims to make cloud gaming and emulation an effortless experience.

I’ve been using the Razer Kishi v2 for gaming on my smartphone for the past two weeks now, and it’s night and day between touch controls and using the actual controller. It’s comfortable to use for long periods of time, and it fits all of the phones I’ve tested it in just fine. I’ve given it a shot in the Google Pixel 6 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, and the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra and have been able to play for an extended period of time without any problems. It should fit pretty much any of the best Android phones.

The Razer Kishi v2 connects via the USB-C port, and it’s aimed at being a universal plug-and-play option for any Android smartphone with a USB-C port. There are pre-installed bumpers that aim to hold your phone securely in place, but you can remove them or swap them out for thinner ones if you need to. It’s a pretty great controller all things considered, though there are some caveats. If you emulate a lot of games or want to play the likes of Google Stadia, though, then this might just be your next controller.

Razer Kishi v2

The Razer Kishi v2 is the follow-up to the company's already-great universal controller. There are a few improvements across the board, and it makes for an excellent cloud gaming or emulation controller.

Features:

Pros: Cons:

See at Amazon

Navigate this review:

• Specifications
• Look and feel
• Nexus app
• Gaming experience
• Should you buy the Razer Kishi v2?

---

Razer Kishi V2: Specifications

Specification	Razer Kishi V2
Dimensions & Weight	220 x 117 x 47mm 284g
Inputs	Two analog thumbsticks with clickable buttons (L3/R3) One mechanical D-pad ABXY face buttons Two triggers (L2/R2) Two bumpers (L1/R1) Two programmable multifunction buttons (M1/M2) Menu and Options buttons (labeled Start and Select in some games) Share button (requires Razer Nexus)
Ports	USB-C plug for phone connection USB-C port for passthrough charging only Charging indicator light
Compatibility	Android 9 Pie or higher is required for full functionality Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+/S10/S10+/S20 Series/ S21 Series/S22 Series/Note 8/Note 9/Note 10/Note 10+ Google Pixel 2/2 XL/3/3XL/4/4XL/ 5 Series/ 6 Series Razer Phone 1 and Razer Phone 2

About this review: Razer sent me the Razer Kishi v2 on the 9th of June, 2022. The company had no input into the contents of this review.

---

Razer Kishi v2: Look and feel

The Razer Kishi v2 is made of plastic and is pretty lightweight, and yet it doesn’t feel cheap. It’s designed that way so that it doesn’t get in the way of your gaming by adding to the weight of your phone. The buttons are clicky and tactile, and it feels fairly sturdy — enough to throw into a bag and carry around.

The Kishi v2 doesn't get in the way of your gaming

If I had one major complaint about the form factor of the Razer Kishi v2, it’s that it doesn’t close up fully. When there’s no device clasped in it, it’s still quite wide open and it takes up a lot of room in my bag. Given that there’s no carrier case for it either, it’s a little bit inconvenient.

Turning the Razer Kishi v2 on its back, you’ll find the clip that holds the entire thing together. Extend it outwards and the phone can be placed on the inside, aligning with the USB-C port on the right-hand side. The controller then clasps onto the phone from the top and bottom, with rubber at each end to stop your phone’s back from scratching. These rubber pieces can cause some phones to be misaligned, though, but you can remove them to adjust things around. Phones with particularly large camera bumps, still beware.

As for the buttons and joysticks, they’ll be familiar to anyone who has ever used the Nintendo Switch Joycons before. They’re comfortable to use, and my unit doesn’t have any dead zones or drifting, either.

I tested the sensitivity of the joystick using the Gamepad Tester app. (Note: I didn’t draw in the full circles of the X and Y axes).

Gamepad tester (Free, Google Play) →

On the bottom of the right-side controller, there’s a USB-C port that can be used for charging your phone while playing. It doesn’t fast-charge phones though even when using a compatible charger (meaning your battery will still likely drain in intensive games), nor does it support USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapters. As a result, you can’t use wired earphones or headphones when playing games, even if your phone has a headphone jack or you have an adapter. The Razer Kishi v2 is powered by your smartphone, so you don’t need to charge it or keep it plugged in.

The biggest criticism I have is the lack of access to a headphone jack or USB-C port because gaming with latency over earphones or speakers is frustrating. The best experience I’ve had with this controller is using the speakers over my phone, as it’s the only way I can play without frustration from audio latency. It’s not usually an issue for me to be able to play out loud in my apartment, but if it would be for you, then it may not be worth it.

---

Razer Kishi v2: Nexus app

Just like with the original Kishi, Razer has released an app that you can use with the Razer Kishi v2. The Razer Nexus app is a portal to access games that are compatible with the controller, and it enables integrated live streaming to Facebook and YouTube. You can also use it to capture videos and screenshots of gameplay or to remap buttons on the controller.

It’s not a particularly useful app for its browsing capabilities. The first row of apps appears to be apps that are categorized as games that are already installed on your phone, regardless of whether or not they’re compatible. After that, it just acts as a way to find games that will be compatible with a controller. It’s not a great app and you don’t really need it if you don’t want to install it. It can be used for firmware updates, but at the time of writing, I haven’t received an update, and I’m not sure what kind of updates the company would even roll out.

Razer Nexus (Free, Google Play) →

---

Razer Kishi v2: Gaming experience

The Kishi v2 is a fantastic experience that allows me to play console and even PC titles anywhere at any time

The Razer Kishi v2 offers an amazing experience in gaming and feels just like any other controller. I’ve used it to play Cyberpunk 2077 on Google Stadia and for a ton of different titles in emulators such as Dolphin Emulator and AetherSX2. It’s a fantastic experience that allows me to play console and even PC titles anywhere at any time.

Funnily enough, the Razer Kishi v2 won’t be of much use in the most popular Android titles like Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG Mobile. That’s because both of those games have disabled controller inputs as the developers feel they make the game unfair for users who don’t have additional peripherals. Your best bet is to map the controller inputs to touches on the display, but that’s a lot more trouble than it’s worth.

However, where I’ve found the Razer Kishi v2 works nicely is in the likes of Google Stadia. It gives a console-like experience on a handheld, and the controller is in no way a barrier between me and the games that I play. In fact, I’d wager you could probably get a better experience in Cyberpunk 2077 on your smartphone with the Razer Kishi v2 than you could with a gaming PC packed with older parts. Who’s buying a graphics card nowadays anyway?

It’s pretty funny to me that with the @Razer Kishi v2 and @GoogleStadia, you can probably have a better experience playing Cyberpunk 2077 on your phone than on most PCs lmao pic.twitter.com/40VwpqvDOj

— Adam Conway (@AdamConwayIE) June 9, 2022

Not every game on PC supports controllers, so if you’re using Steam Link, you might need to do some funny remapping to get things working. I imagine that’s the same as with GeForce NOW. It’s the same story as with Moonlight for game streaming. Anything that supports standard controller inputs will support the Kishi v2’s buttons, as it just sends standard key events that can be read by any app. When configuring it with AetherSX2, you need to go to controller settings, “port 1”, and select “automatic mapping”. I didn’t need to make any other changes after that.

---

Should you buy the Razer Kishi v2?

The Razer Kishi v2 is a fantastic controller for very specific use cases, but it’s one that people may have an issue with for different reasons. For me, I’m happy to use it and get a lot of fun out of it, but I can totally understand why it might not be your cup of tea for one reason or another. On top of that, the steep asking price of $99 might be too much, especially if you’re not too much of a gamer. Some of the controllers competing in the space are adopting cooling solutions as well, which the Razer Kishi v2 entirely skips out on.

It's so comfortable to play games with

If, though, you like to emulate games on the go especially, then I recommend this controller as long as you don’t care about audio latency or can play over speakers. It’s so comfortable to play games with, and I’ve been properly playing through games like The Simpsons: Hit & Run and Sonic Heroes on my phone with ease. It’s not currently available for iPhones, but the company intends on launching a controller with support for the lightning port soon.

Razer Kishi v2

The Razer Kishi v2 is the follow-up to the company's already-great universal controller. There are a few improvements across the board, and it makes for an excellent cloud gaming or emulation controller.

See at Amazon

I’m glad that Razer is committed to improving on its controllers, and I hope that for a third iteration, the company improves on some of the issues that it has like the large form factor when not in use, and the terrible USB-C port.

The post Razer Kishi v2 Review: An easy recommendation for cloud gaming and emulation on your phone appeared first on XDA.

from XDA https://ift.tt/xEf8rmt
via IFTTT

Razer Kishi v2 Review: An easy recommendation for cloud gaming and emulation on your phone

Gaming on smartphones is hard, and there’s not a whole lot that you can really do about it either. Most smartphones have evolved to become computing powerhouses, but finicky touch controls make it so that your phone may not necessarily be the most comfortable to play games on. There are controllers you can get for phones though that make it a bit easier, and Razer’s Kishi v2 aims to make cloud gaming and emulation an effortless experience.

I’ve been using the Razer Kishi v2 for gaming on my smartphone for the past two weeks now, and it’s night and day between touch controls and using the actual controller. It’s comfortable to use for long periods of time, and it fits all of the phones I’ve tested it in just fine. I’ve given it a shot in the Google Pixel 6 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, and the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra and have been able to play for an extended period of time without any problems. It should fit pretty much any of the best Android phones.

The Razer Kishi v2 connects via the USB-C port, and it’s aimed at being a universal plug-and-play option for any Android smartphone with a USB-C port. There are pre-installed bumpers that aim to hold your phone securely in place, but you can remove them or swap them out for thinner ones if you need to. It’s a pretty great controller all things considered, though there are some caveats. If you emulate a lot of games or want to play the likes of Google Stadia, though, then this might just be your next controller.

Razer Kishi v2

The Razer Kishi v2 is the follow-up to the company's already-great universal controller. There are a few improvements across the board, and it makes for an excellent cloud gaming or emulation controller.

Features:

Pros: Cons:

See at Amazon

Navigate this review:

• Specifications
• Look and feel
• Nexus app
• Gaming experience
• Should you buy the Razer Kishi v2?

---

Razer Kishi V2: Specifications

Specification	Razer Kishi V2
Dimensions & Weight	220 x 117 x 47mm 284g
Inputs	Two analog thumbsticks with clickable buttons (L3/R3) One mechanical D-pad ABXY face buttons Two triggers (L2/R2) Two bumpers (L1/R1) Two programmable multifunction buttons (M1/M2) Menu and Options buttons (labeled Start and Select in some games) Share button (requires Razer Nexus)
Ports	USB-C plug for phone connection USB-C port for passthrough charging only Charging indicator light
Compatibility	Android 9 Pie or higher is required for full functionality Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+/S10/S10+/S20 Series/ S21 Series/S22 Series/Note 8/Note 9/Note 10/Note 10+ Google Pixel 2/2 XL/3/3XL/4/4XL/ 5 Series/ 6 Series Razer Phone 1 and Razer Phone 2

About this review: Razer sent me the Razer Kishi v2 on the 9th of June, 2022. The company had no input into the contents of this review.

---

Razer Kishi v2: Look and feel

The Razer Kishi v2 is made of plastic and is pretty lightweight, and yet it doesn’t feel cheap. It’s designed that way so that it doesn’t get in the way of your gaming by adding to the weight of your phone. The buttons are clicky and tactile, and it feels fairly sturdy — enough to throw into a bag and carry around.

The Kishi v2 doesn't get in the way of your gaming

If I had one major complaint about the form factor of the Razer Kishi v2, it’s that it doesn’t close up fully. When there’s no device clasped in it, it’s still quite wide open and it takes up a lot of room in my bag. Given that there’s no carrier case for it either, it’s a little bit inconvenient.

Turning the Razer Kishi v2 on its back, you’ll find the clip that holds the entire thing together. Extend it outwards and the phone can be placed on the inside, aligning with the USB-C port on the right-hand side. The controller then clasps onto the phone from the top and bottom, with rubber at each end to stop your phone’s back from scratching. These rubber pieces can cause some phones to be misaligned, though, but you can remove them to adjust things around. Phones with particularly large camera bumps, still beware.

As for the buttons and joysticks, they’ll be familiar to anyone who has ever used the Nintendo Switch Joycons before. They’re comfortable to use, and my unit doesn’t have any dead zones or drifting, either.

I tested the sensitivity of the joystick using the Gamepad Tester app. (Note: I didn’t draw in the full circles of the X and Y axes).

Gamepad tester (Free, Google Play) →

On the bottom of the right-side controller, there’s a USB-C port that can be used for charging your phone while playing. It doesn’t fast-charge phones though even when using a compatible charger (meaning your battery will still likely drain in intensive games), nor does it support USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapters. As a result, you can’t use wired earphones or headphones when playing games, even if your phone has a headphone jack or you have an adapter. The Razer Kishi v2 is powered by your smartphone, so you don’t need to charge it or keep it plugged in.

The biggest criticism I have is the lack of access to a headphone jack or USB-C port because gaming with latency over earphones or speakers is frustrating. The best experience I’ve had with this controller is using the speakers over my phone, as it’s the only way I can play without frustration from audio latency. It’s not usually an issue for me to be able to play out loud in my apartment, but if it would be for you, then it may not be worth it.

---

Razer Kishi v2: Nexus app

Just like with the original Kishi, Razer has released an app that you can use with the Razer Kishi v2. The Razer Nexus app is a portal to access games that are compatible with the controller, and it enables integrated live streaming to Facebook and YouTube. You can also use it to capture videos and screenshots of gameplay or to remap buttons on the controller.

It’s not a particularly useful app for its browsing capabilities. The first row of apps appears to be apps that are categorized as games that are already installed on your phone, regardless of whether or not they’re compatible. After that, it just acts as a way to find games that will be compatible with a controller. It’s not a great app and you don’t really need it if you don’t want to install it. It can be used for firmware updates, but at the time of writing, I haven’t received an update, and I’m not sure what kind of updates the company would even roll out.

Razer Nexus (Free, Google Play) →

---

Razer Kishi v2: Gaming experience

The Kishi v2 is a fantastic experience that allows me to play console and even PC titles anywhere at any time

The Razer Kishi v2 offers an amazing experience in gaming and feels just like any other controller. I’ve used it to play Cyberpunk 2077 on Google Stadia and for a ton of different titles in emulators such as Dolphin Emulator and AetherSX2. It’s a fantastic experience that allows me to play console and even PC titles anywhere at any time.

Funnily enough, the Razer Kishi v2 won’t be of much use in the most popular Android titles like Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG Mobile. That’s because both of those games have disabled controller inputs as the developers feel they make the game unfair for users who don’t have additional peripherals. Your best bet is to map the controller inputs to touches on the display, but that’s a lot more trouble than it’s worth.

However, where I’ve found the Razer Kishi v2 works nicely is in the likes of Google Stadia. It gives a console-like experience on a handheld, and the controller is in no way a barrier between me and the games that I play. In fact, I’d wager you could probably get a better experience in Cyberpunk 2077 on your smartphone with the Razer Kishi v2 than you could with a gaming PC packed with older parts. Who’s buying a graphics card nowadays anyway?

It’s pretty funny to me that with the @Razer Kishi v2 and @GoogleStadia, you can probably have a better experience playing Cyberpunk 2077 on your phone than on most PCs lmao pic.twitter.com/40VwpqvDOj

— Adam Conway (@AdamConwayIE) June 9, 2022

Not every game on PC supports controllers, so if you’re using Steam Link, you might need to do some funny remapping to get things working. I imagine that’s the same as with GeForce NOW. It’s the same story as with Moonlight for game streaming. Anything that supports standard controller inputs will support the Kishi v2’s buttons, as it just sends standard key events that can be read by any app. When configuring it with AetherSX2, you need to go to controller settings, “port 1”, and select “automatic mapping”. I didn’t need to make any other changes after that.

---

Should you buy the Razer Kishi v2?

The Razer Kishi v2 is a fantastic controller for very specific use cases, but it’s one that people may have an issue with for different reasons. For me, I’m happy to use it and get a lot of fun out of it, but I can totally understand why it might not be your cup of tea for one reason or another. On top of that, the steep asking price of $99 might be too much, especially if you’re not too much of a gamer. Some of the controllers competing in the space are adopting cooling solutions as well, which the Razer Kishi v2 entirely skips out on.

It's so comfortable to play games with

If, though, you like to emulate games on the go especially, then I recommend this controller as long as you don’t care about audio latency or can play over speakers. It’s so comfortable to play games with, and I’ve been properly playing through games like The Simpsons: Hit & Run and Sonic Heroes on my phone with ease. It’s not currently available for iPhones, but the company intends on launching a controller with support for the lightning port soon.

Razer Kishi v2

The Razer Kishi v2 is the follow-up to the company's already-great universal controller. There are a few improvements across the board, and it makes for an excellent cloud gaming or emulation controller.

See at Amazon

I’m glad that Razer is committed to improving on its controllers, and I hope that for a third iteration, the company improves on some of the issues that it has like the large form factor when not in use, and the terrible USB-C port.

The post Razer Kishi v2 Review: An easy recommendation for cloud gaming and emulation on your phone appeared first on XDA.

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via IFTTT