You can get HP x360 with the same config for about $1300. And don't forget to check laptop for coil whine (high pitch noise) issue buying Dell XPS laptops, they still do ship laptops with that annoying problem.
There are two versions of the Dell XPS 13" variety. There is the 1080p version and the QHD+ version. The 1080p version is non-touch, the higher res is touch enabled. The 1080p version goes for €1,149.00 (with discounts)[1] from where I'm at right now. I found a HP x360 priced at €1193.00 locally[2]. Interestingly from a developer perspective, the Dell XPS Developer edition comes with Ubuntu 16.04 SP1 out of the box so no Apple or Microsoft or Google tax. Isn't that neat? System76 is the only other well known system builder that I know of that does this. I'm happy to be corrected on this.
Let's compare the HP Spectre x360 and the Dell XPS 9360.
component HP Dell
---
os Windows 10 Home 64bit Ubuntu 16.04 SP1 64bit
processor 6th gen i5-6200U (3MB cache, <2.8GHz) 7th Gen i5-7200U (3MB cache, <3.1GHz)
memory 8GB LPDDR3 1600MHz 8GB LPDDR3 1866MHz
storage 256 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD 256GB PCIe SSD
graphics Intel® HD Graphics 520 Intel® HD Graphics 620
display (13.3") FHD IPS LED-backlit 13.3” FHD AG (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge display
touch screen (1920 x 1080)
ports 1 headphone/microphone combo 1 Headset jack, 1 Noble lock slot
3 USB 3.0 2 USB 3.0 - 1 w/PowerShare
1 HDMI, 1 Mini DisplayPort 1 Thunderbolt™ 3
expansion 1 multi-format SD media card reader 1 SD card reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
So the big plus for HP is that it's a touch screen which opens up possibilities for using it as a tablet which is a very convenient. The minus is that it is Skylake instead of Kabylake and slower memory, last gen integrated graphics, and no thunderbolt 3. A minus for the Dell is, like the new Macbook Pros, that you'll need a dongle to connect to external displays. (But at least you get an SD card reader and regular USB ports which Apple in its infinite wisdom has deemed superfluous to basic requirements now!)
It's not Skylake based anymore, please take updated x360 for this comparison http://www.notebookcheck.net/HP-Spectre-x360-13-w023dx-Conve... (7th Gen CPU, became a little lighter/smaller than prev generation, etc) It's convertible which is a good bonus.
> System76 is the only other well known system builder that I know of that does this.
System76 laptop doesn't have Thunderbolt 3 ports.
> Interestingly from a developer perspective, the Dell XPS Developer edition comes with Ubuntu 16.04 SP1 out of the box so no Apple or Microsoft or Google tax. Isn't that neat?
It's not a big deal to install Linux in your own, the distributive you need, not the Ubuntu (Ubuntu is not the best choice for developers in my opinion).
So I really believe x360 is a better choice in all terms than XPS, I hope 15 inch model will also get update soon.
The Linux pre-install is a big deal. Dell supports Linux on some configurations meaning the hardware works (or should work) out of the box. There have been issues which Dell resolves with bios updates. Linux is awesome but it can still be a bit of a crap shoot if you don't do your homework. Dell saves you that legwork.
You make your case well sir. :) I agree that the newly updated HP x360 you point to is on a par with the Dell XPS in every way plus it has a convertible touchscreen. If you want touchscreen on the Dell XPS you have to go to the QHD+ (3200 x 1800) model. And that's hundreds of extra $ or €.
If Linux works well with the latest HP x360 then I agree it seems like a better value proposition than the Dell XPS. I'd be very tempted!
In the context of the article what is good though is that the Lenovo Yoga, HP Spectre, MS Surface Pro/Book†, and Dell XPS all offer excellent chassis build quality and I think they are genuine Macbook Pro competitors. We are spoilt for choice a bit now.
† Not yet Thunderbolt 3 which will be a deal-breaker for most I suspect.
Lenovo doesn't have Thunderbolt 3, but XPS and x360 do have it (x360 have 2 TB3 ports), so Lenovo is not an option. Not sure MS Surface does have TB3 ports.
Thank you for detailed comparison. Really appreciate effort you put into this. It looks that both systems are, as you said, very much alike, with touch in HP as a neat feature, and Ubuntu by default in Dell as an advantage.
Nice to here that you got linux running on the new HP Spectre X360 Late 2016.
Do you really speak from this model: HP Spectre x360 13-w090nz (13.30", Full HD, Intel Core i7-7500U, 16GB, SSD) ? And did you have any issues installing linux? Everythings works out of the box? Touchscreen, Sound, etc.? Which distro do you use?
Sorry for the late reply... I actually have the 13-w023dx, which I think is just the Best Buy-specific model number. All the specs match exactly.
I installed Arch Linux with KDE, and most things worked with minimal configuration, including wifi, touchpad, touchscreen, power management. Sound works, but I think only the bottom speakers are on, not the top ones. Also I'm not sure if Bluetooth works, as I haven't had a need to try it. And then finally the 2-in-1 mode doesn't really work, because screen rotation and disabling the keyboard/touchpad aren't automated.
I would expect other distros to work as well or better, especially if they have a more automated installation process than Arch.
