Product test
Solar keyboard K980: ingenious technology poorly delivered
by Kevin Hofer
Dell XPS 15 in the endurance test: My saviour in times of need
22.7.2019
Translation: machine translated
The Dell XPS 15 is a laptop that likes to work in peace. Without interference from people. Because despite its massive performance, operating the device is tedious.
"Don't break it for me," says Category Buying Manager Fabian Feierabend.
He hands me the Dell XPS 15, but neither of us realise that he has just saved me a story. All he knows is that the XPS 15 should have enough power to render videos. Because that's exactly what I need. Okay, actually I would need video producer Stephanie Tresch, but she's sick in bed.
We were due to fly out to London in less than 24 hours. The doctor has told her that she is definitely not fit to travel. Luckily, I can produce a video myself in an emergency. It's never as pretty and always has slightly anarchic features and rookie mistakes in it, but the story is good enough to risk it.
Apple saves Dell saves Sony saves me
But now I have to go it alone. Bollocks.
Fabian says "it might be a bit too heavy" but I don't have a choice. My rucksack is going to be heavy and bulky. I've already come to terms with that.
First impressions of the device must come quickly. The hardware inspection takes about five seconds and I notice the first problem: the Dell XPS 15 no longer has any old USB sockets. But it does have an AMD Vega graphics card. I can see why Fabian can say with certainty that it's good for video production. But: My card reader doesn't work on USB-C. Fuck.
Are there card readers that connect an SD card to a USB-C port? Yes, I even have one lying around the office. From Apple. It came with my iPad once. I'm worried: does it even work or does either Dell or Apple have an "ugh, not with me" in it? A quick test gives certainty: it works.
I pack my rucksack just to see if everything fits in. In my mind, I add a plastic bag with underwear, socks and T-shirts. It fits. So close.
The love story begins
One sleepless night later, I'm on board the Embraer 190. When the captain mumbles "Cabin crew, arm the slides" over the loudspeakers, I know: from now on, it's serious. There's no turning back. Everything I've forgotten is definitely forgotten. I carry everything I need with me in a rucksack. A calm comes over me. I already miss Stephanie.
Shooting dates come and go. So does the press conference. I recruit Leslie Haeny from NetWeek as my camerawoman. She stands behind the camera and holds the monopod after I set up the camera. The shoot goes well.
Then, back at the hotel, it's time to get serious. The Dell XPS 15 starts up quickly and the peripherals connect. I have spoken the review twice so that I don't have to make any complicated cuts. The aim is to get one take so that I only have to lay picture over picture and can leave the soundtrack and content as it comes out of the camera.
The XPS performs well, is fast and doesn't get bogged down. As a mobile video editing platform, it passes every test. I'm really happy with it. It's now just before midnight. The perfect time to write the text for the video.
The frustration of writing
When it comes to writing, the Dell XPS 15 fails. Across the board. There are several reasons for this
.
Firstly, the keyboard is really badly designed, especially at the bottom right. The layout is so broken that typing on the thing becomes a nightmare.
In particular, the arrow keys and the page up and page down keys have been completely sabotaged. Why do they have to be there? In my normal workflow, I use both the page and arrow keys. But if I'm just typing away and need to correct a word, it's usually something like CTRL+→ or CTRL+← to move a word forwards or backwards. CTRL+PGUP, however, does something radically different and goes to another tab of the browser I'm currently using.
It's getting worse
However, aside from the peculiar keyboard layout, there's one kill-argument for the Dell XPS 15 that there's really no excuse for. Some inputs are not accepted by the keyboard. This is especially true for the Space key, which is generally quite important when you want to type words. Or code. Or anything. Because it's no fun to read, what's the point anyway? So, arrow keys, backspace a few characters, pound space, sigh. I catch page up. Fuck!
However, I can't fault the performance of the device. Even after my return from London, I still use the XPS 15. It performs well with a nice display and is good enough for short notes or minutes of interesting meetings - one in ten, in other words. Or just to push the hardware beyond the input devices. Render videos? No problem. Moving large amounts of data back and forth and watching films? Easy. The battery also does a great job.
So, if you want to buy a laptop based on some benchmark values, then the Dell XPS 15 is a very good choice. But if you actually want to use it, then only with peripherals. A mouse at least. If you write a lot, add a keyboard. Probably a USB hub, because not all manufacturers have jumped on the USB-C bandwagon yet.
So here's a small shopping list of stuff I can recommend so that you have an almost Apple-like dongle.
So. done. The Dell XPS 15 performs, but it's not particularly keen on being used by humans. I'm going to bed.
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
