Dell Might Have Just Perfected the XPS 13

Yes, many people use their webcams. Our company has people working remotely and I use mine multiple times a day

I sometimes use the tape covered camera as an rng. If that counts.

I would like to echo that everyone should be aware of the coil whine issue when considering this laptop. The problem is that there can be a slight high-pitched and intermittent sound that may or may not drive you crazy if you hear it. It is inconsistent as well and may not be noticeable until after you've used it for a short while (probably within minutes of use, but maybe not when you first play around with it in say a store).

I loved the XPS 13 years back when I first bought it, but this issue caused me to return it directly (but not tell them why). At the time it was important to not mention the issue as the reason, because Dell would insist on sending you back either a fixed laptop or a new one (usually of course the issue would be present). Actually it was a bit worse, since any Dell rep would claim to never have heard of the issue and so you'd have to first go through that back and forth explaining them what was happening. Many customers went back and forth multiple times (and didn't even have a laptop in between the back and forths) and finally after multiple months Dell would refuse a refund and you were left with a laptop that was essentially psychologically unusable. I was a listener on a thread about this on the Dell forums where the same complains would be posted for _years_ with newer versions of the laptop. Their disrespect for their customers shouldn't be forgotten.

So basically it's buyer beware when it comes to this machine. Maybe it's no longer an issue, but Dell does _not_ deserve the benefit of the doubt here. I would consider it again if I could try it ahead of time (i.e. at a store) and only in a situation in which I knew I could return it afterwards (without a restocking fee or anything similar). I recommend others take the same precautions.

Are you rocking an X1 Carbon then? How do you compare it to the XPS 13?

It's time I get a new laptop and can't decide between the X1 Carbon, XPS 13, or the HP Spectre x360 13T (the new diamond cut blue one).

I like the 2-in-1 but seems Dell really nerfs their XPS13 2-in-1... and the Yoga seems to not be as nice as the Spectre.

Most probably - see Project Sputnik blog here: https://bartongeorge.io/

While Dell sells many models with Linux preinstalled, it only does so in limited regions. Even within regions, it can differ between what is offered online and what is offered in stores. The most probable answer for an individual is no, Windows only. Despite the fact that at least earlier releases are Ubuntu Certified, per https://certification.ubuntu.com/desktop/models/?query=XPS+1...

I'm running Manjaro on my XPS 13 9360, dual boot. Had to fight a bit with Secure boot and the storage drivers, but once installed it's been a joy to use. Had problems in Windows with the Killer wifi drivers, resulting in bad latency when on conference calls but nothing like that on Linux.

In the past they’ve sold a Ubuntu “developer edition.”

FWIW, I’ve installed Ubuntu on two different years’ xps13 sold with windows and the only hardware trouble was Bluetooth issues on one (I never had any reason to try and fix, so I don’t know what the underlying cause was).