With an OLED screen and 8-core CPU, is the new XPS 15 a must-have for creators?

Dell has announced an update to its popular 15-inch laptop, the XPS 15. It was already a great choice for content creatives especially — those who want a professional-looking laptop that has a bit more power than your average notebook.

With its latest update, Dell has upped the ante with options for a 4K OLED screen and an eight-core Intel processor. The two big features should make the Dell XPS 15 even more of an attractive option for creative professionals.

The OLED screen is the Samsung AMOLED panel that many other manufacturers are using this year. Interestingly, the 4K OLED version of the XPS 15 doesn’t actually cost more than the 4K LED model — both start at $1,900. Dell makes up the price difference in that the 4K LED option has a touchscreen, while the OLED doesn’t. One reason you may want to stick with the LED model, though, is battery life. Dell didn’t offer any specific figures, but it hinted that the OLED screen would suck a bit more juice out of the battery. From our brief time with this bright, high-contrast display, it’s hard not to be drawn to it sitting next to the LED model.

As for performance, the entire lineup of XPS 15 laptops now come with the latest 9th-gen Intel processors. Your options start with the quad-core Core i5-9300H, and go up to either the six-core Core i7-9750H or the eight-core Core i9-9980HK. These are the first eight-core processors we’re seeing in mainstream laptops, and the XPS 15 is one of the first non-gaming laptops to implement it. These extra cores and Turbo Boost of 5.0GHz bring with it some serious horsepower, especially for multithreaded applications. Most notably, the 15-inch MacBook Pro was recently updated with these same Core i9 processors.

The lineup has also been updated with next-generation graphics in the form of the GTX 1650. Last year’s model used a GTX 1050 Ti, but we’ll have to see how much performance the generational update brings with it.

On the outside, not much as changed. The XPS 15 still has the same chassis, aluminum on the outside and woven carbon fiber on the interior. The keyboard, touchpad, and port selection are still all intact — and still excellent. The one other change with this year’s model is the position of the webcam. Like the XPS 13, it’s been shrunken down and moved back to above the display. That means the top bezel has grown ever so slightly, while providing a much better angle for video conferencing.

All configurations start with 8GB of RAM, which can be upgraded up to 32GB. Storage starts at 256GB of SSD capacity, with options for up to 2TB.

The XPS 15 starts at $1,000, while the 4K options both start at $1,900. We don’t have an exact launch date yet, but Dell says the update is “coming soon.”

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