Dell Xps 13 9370 Review An Attractive Subnotebook

This review will provide you with all the information about the Dell XPS 13 9370’s design. Also, this review will furnish you with information about the laptop’s processor, memory, storage, graphics, and battery life. Furthermore, I will be comparing the Dell XPS 13 9370 with other laptops in its category. Not just that, I will show you the benchmark test result of this laptop in sections where that is available. Finally, I will be rating the laptop on a scale of one to ten based on its performance in each section. Therefore, read this review to the end to get all the information I have mentioned.

My Initial Thoughts

Dell has not ceased to storm the tech market with laptops of different categories and sizes. The Dell XPS 13 9370 is one such laptop that hails from the Dell XPS lineup. This laptop was released in the year 2018 and got everyone talking about it. Although it comes with a price that is on the high side, you will definitely love to have it. Speaking of its price, at the time of writing this review in April 2022, the laptop has a price tag of $1,032.88. Now for a laptop that costs over a thousand dollars, you might need answers to questions like – does it worth its price? To answer that question, let’s proceed to the review.

Dell XPS 13 9370 Design, Dimension, and Weight Review

The word ”stylish” is what will come to your mind immediately after you set your eyes on the Dell XPS 13 9370. Honestly, the laptop has a beautiful and elegant appearance. To begin with, this laptop chassis is made of aluminum which makes it quite solid. The distinctive thing about this laptop is the two unique colors it comes with. Speaking of which, the Dell XPS 13 9370’s comes in rose gold or platinum silver colors. The rose gold models have the interior part of the laptop (bezels and keyboard area) in white. Meanwhile, the lid and bottom of the laptop have a rose gold color. On the other hand, the interior part of the platinum silver color options is in black. However, the lid and bottom are coated in platinum silver. To cut the long story short, you can choose any of these colors that best suit your personality. Whichever color option you choose, though, be rest assured that you will be getting a sophisticated laptop. Meanwhile, my review model is the rose gold color model of the Dell XPS 13 9370. The smoothly finished lid of this laptop has a soft but sturdy feel. At the center of the lid, you will find a reflective ”DELL” logo. The logo blends perfectly with the rest of the gold lid. Therefore, save for the reflectiveness of the logo; you might not distinguish it from the rest of the lid if you view it from a distance. Basically, the lid of the Dell XPS 13 9370 is a pleasant sight to behold. Yet, on opening the lid, you will find a more pleasant view. Opening the lid will expose the 13.3-inch display that is framed by slim bezels on the sides and top but, slightly thicker at the bottom. As I mentioned previously, the bezels on my review model are white and beautiful to the sight. Due to the thinness of the top bezel, the HD webcam on this laptop is located awkwardly on the bottom bezel. Therefore, although the camera works well for video calls, it will most likely view the chin and nostrils and not the entire face. Also, on the bottom bezel of this laptop, you will find a ”DELL” logo located above the camera. For the display, it comes in two resolutions. Hence, you can get this laptop in either FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels) or 4K UHD (3840 x 2160 pixels) resolution. Thankfully, these resolutions produce good display quality. However, the 4K resolution display with a higher pixel is better as it will give a better image quality and a clearer view. Other than the difference in the resolution of the two display options, they also differ in terms of touch. Specifically, the model of this laptop with the 4K resolution display is touch-enabled. However, the FHD resolution display option is not touch-enabled. other than the resolution and touch abilities, the two display options are similar in other areas. Speaking of which, they are both LED-backlit. Thankfully, LED backlights illuminate the display while reducing the amount of light entering your eyes, potentially reducing any negative impact on your eyes. Another similarity between these two display options is that they have a refresh rate of 60 Hz. This is not the fastest refresh rate; however, with 60 Hz, image frames will transition decently enough. Furthermore, both display options have an aspect ratio of 16:9. This implies that the ratio of the display’s width to its height is 16 to 9. Hence, the display will fit more content to the width of the display. Moving on, below the display, you will find the white polished laptop deck which houses the keyboard. The keyboard is chiclet-style with small plastic keys. The keys have a short key travel of 1.2 mm, which might be attributed to the slimness of the laptop’s chassis. In case you are wondering what key travel is, it is the distance that a key travels down when it is completely pressed. Due to the short key travel of these keys, people who type faster with short key travel will find the keyboard of this laptop satisfactory. As expected, you will find the integrated touchpad of this laptop just below the keyboard. Thankfully, the touchpad is very sensitive and has precise cursor movement. The integrated left and right buttons are also clicky and make no obvious noise when clicked. Finally, before I move away from the keyboard, you should be aware that the power button on the deck is not just for powering the laptop alone. The power button also serves as a fingerprint scanner. The fingerprint scanner works well for unlocking the laptop quickly and preventing unauthorized access. Another feature of the laptop’s deck is two speakers located on the left and right sides of the deck. These speakers produce an outstanding sound quality even at medium volume. Although the speaker lacks deep bass, you will enjoy the quality of the sound produced. Moving on, the few connectivity ports on this laptop are located on the sides of the laptop’s base. Specifically, the left side features two Thunderbolt 3 ports. Also, the right-hand side features one USB 3.1 Type-C port, an AC charging port, and an SD card slot. To round up this section, let’s talk about the weight and dimensions of the Dell XPS 13 9370. Regarding that, it will interest you to know that this laptop is exceptionally lightweight at 1270 g. On the other hand, the laptop has a dimension of 301.7 x 199.2 x 7.8 – 11.6 mm (W x D x H). Obviously, the Dell XPS 13 9370 is not only lightweight, but it is also very slim. Hence, you will be able to easily slide this laptop into a bag pack. In comparison, the Dell XPS 13 9370 is lighter than its predecessor – the Dell XPS 13 9300 – which weighs 1306.3 g. However, the Dell XPS 13 9370 is heavier than the Dell XPS 13 9310, which weighs 1200 g. In conclusion, the Dell XPS 13 9370 is a very sleek and elegant laptop. Therefore, I will be rating it eight out of ten in this design section.

Dell XPS 13 9370 Processor (CPU) Performance Review

The Dell XPS 13 9370 comes with a high-performing quad-core Intel Core i7-8550U processor. This processor has a base frequency of 1.80 GHz, a maximum frequency of 4.0 GHz, and an 8 MB cache memory. From the processor spec, you should anticipate incredible processing capability from the Dell XPS 13 9370. For a more precise performance evaluation, let’s consider the result of this laptop in a Cinebench R15 test. In case you are wondering, the Cinebench test is used to evaluate the performance of a computer’s processor by using its cores to perform demanding processing tasks. Hence, when this test is performed with only a single processor core, a single-core score is arrived at. Meanwhile, when all the processor cores are used, a multi-core score is arrived at. You should note that in this test and every other test, we will employ in this review, a higher score denotes better performance. Therefore, in the benchmark test, the Dell XPS 13 9370 had a single-core score of 165 points. Meanwhile, it had a multi-core score of 639 points. Comparatively, the ASUS ZenBook 13 UX331UN performed below the Dell XPS 13 9370. Specifically, the ASUS ZenBook 13 UX331UN had a single-core score of 150 points and a multi-core score of 630 points. Also, the Dell XPS 13 9370 performed better than the Razer Blade Stealth. Specifically, the Razer Blade Stealth had a single-core score of 132 points and a multi-core score of 348 points. From the test result, it is obvious that Dell XPS 13 9370 is capable of handling intensive computing tasks efficiently. Not only that, but it also outperformed the two competitors I checked it against. Hence, I will be rating it nine out of ten in this processor section.

Dell XPS 13 9370 Memory (RAM) Performance Review

The Dell XPS 13 9370 is available in two memory options. Firstly, you can get this laptop with an onboard LPDDR3 memory which runs at a speed of 1866 MHz. This memory option can come with a memory capacity of 4 GB or 8 GB. Secondly, you can also get this laptop with 16 GB onboard LPDDR3 memory, which runs at a speed of 2133 MHz. By onboard, I mean the memory is soldered to the motherboard; thereby, it cannot be removed or upgraded. For performance evaluation, I will focus on a model of this laptop that ships with the second memory option. With 16 GB of memory on this laptop, it is more than sufficient for multitasking. Specifically, the laptop can open 30 Chrome browser tabs and run them smoothly. Among the opened tabs, you can also stream YouTube videos on three of these tabs without experiencing lags. Additionally, if you decide to move from one browser tab to another, this will happen seamlessly. To further assess the memory’s performance, I will share the PCMark 8 test result of this laptop. For better understanding, PCMark 8 is a test tool that evaluates a computer’s overall performance. Similar to the test we talked about in the processor section, higher scores in the PCMark test signify a better performance. From the test, the Dell XPS 13 9370 scored 3371 points. However, the ASUS ZenBook 13 UX331UN and Lenovo IdeaPad 320S-13IKB performed better in the test. They scored 3780 points and 3796 points, respectively. The Dell XPS 13 9370 did not only perform below those competitors, but it also performed below the 3614 average points. Based on that, I will be rating the Dell XPS 13 9370 seven out of ten in this memory section review.

Dell XPS 13 9370 Storage Options and Performance Review

Similar to the memory, you can also get the Dell XPS 13 9370 in two storage options. Firstly, it comes with SATA SSD storage that supports a maximum storage capacity of 128 GB. Secondly, you can buy this laptop with an M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD storage that supports up to 1 TB of storage capacity. Thankfully, these two options are SSD, and SSDs are known to have fast storage speeds. However, PCIe NVMe SSDs are faster than SATA SSDs. Not just that, the PCIe NVMe SSD option of this laptop also offers the largest storage capacity. Hence, if you choose the PCIe NVMe SSD storage option, you will enjoy the fastest speed and largest storage space. As a supplement for its primary storage, the Dell XPS 13 9370 also comes with a microSD card reader. Therefore, you can decide to use an SD card to expand the storage space if the need arises. For evaluation purposes, I will consider a Dell XPS 13 9370 model that ships with a 1 TB PCIe NVMe SSD. In a file transfer test that involved copying 4.97 GB of media files, the laptop did that at a rate of 725.2 MBps. To further prove the laptop’s storage ability, I will discuss its performance in the CrystalDiskMark test. For your information, CrystalDiskMark is a test that shows the read and writes speeds of a computer’s storage. Speaking of read speed, it shows how long it takes a file to open on a computer. Meanwhile, write speed shows how long it takes a file to be saved to a computer’s storage. As expected, a higher read and write speed in this test denotes a faster storage speed. That said, the Dell XPS 13 9370 had a read speed of 29.36 MBps and a write speed of 107.45 MBps. In comparison, the ASUS ZenBook 13 UX331UN performed slightly lower in the same test. It had a read speed of 27.98 MBps and a write speed of 68.94 MBps. Also, the HP Spectre 13-af033ng performed below the Dell XPS 13 9370. Precisely, it had a read speed of 45.86 MBps and a write speed of 1.07 MBps. Hence, based on the outstanding performance of the Dell XPS 13 9370, I will be rating it eight out of ten in this storage review section.

Dell XPS 13 9370 Graphics Card Performance Review

For handling graphics tasks, the Dell XPS 13 9370 uses an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620. This graphics card has a based frequency of 300 MHz and boosts the frequency of 1150 MHz. In case you do not know, an integrated graphics card does not have a dedicated VRAM (video RAM). Hence, such GPUs share the computer’s memory with the processor. The implication of this is that integrated graphics cards are not competent of handling demanding graphics tasks. In a nutshell, the Dell XPS 13 9370 can only handle light graphics tasks. In case you are wondering if this laptop can play games, yes, it can. However, you might need to play these games at low settings. For instance, BioShock Infinite (2013) will play smoothly at 71.2 fps on a low setting. Not just that, you can also play Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) at 22 fps but also on a low setting. In addition to the gaming performance of this laptop that I have shown you, I will also show you its performance in a 3DMark test. Briefly, a 3Dmark test shows how well a computer renders 3D graphics. Once again, higher scores in the 3Dmark test denote better performance. With that being said, the Dell XPS 13 9370 scored 1282 points. In comparison, the ASUS ZenBook 13 UX331UN tops the performance chart with a score of 2826 points. However, the HP Spectre 13-af033ng performed lower than the Dell XPS 13 9370 by scoring 1052 points. Unfortunately, none of these laptops was able to reach the 3488 points average benchmark score. Although the Dell XPS 13 9370 performed below the ASUS ZenBook 13 UX331UN in the test, its performance is still impressive. Therefore, I will be rating the Dell XPS 13 9370 eight out of ten in this graphics card review section.

Dell XPS 13 9370 Battery Life and Performance Review

The Dell XPS 13 9370 is powered by a 4-cell 52 Whr Lithium-Ion battery. However, Dell failed to specify how long we should expect this battery to last. Nonetheless, to determine the expected battery life of this laptop, I will be sharing its result in a web-surfing battery test performed by pcmag.com. For the test, I will focus on a model of this laptop with a 4K resolution display. From the test, the laptop lasted 9 hours 29 minutes, which is quite impressive. Thankfully, 9 hours is enough time to make good use of the laptop before having to plug it into a power source. In comparison, the Razer Blade Stealth’s battery life was below that of the Dell XPS 13 9370. Meanwhile, the HP Spectre 13 had a longer battery life than the Dell XPS 13. Specifically, the Razer Blade Stealth lasted 8 hours 36 minutes in the test, while the HP Spectre 13 lasted 12 hours 12 minutes. Having talked about the expected battery life of this laptop, you should also be aware that according to Dell, it will take the laptop about 4 hours to charge completely. Sadly, 4 hours is a long charge time and it shows that the Dell XPS 13 9370 lacks fast charging. In conclusion, the Dell XPS 13 9370’s battery delivered an impressive battery life in the web surfing test. However, if you perform more tedious tasks, you might get a lesser battery life than 9 hours. Nonetheless, the battery life of this laptop is respectable. However, it takes too long to charge. Considering all I have said in this battery review section, I will be rating the Dell XPS 13 9370 seven out of ten.

My Final Thoughts

Unarguably, Dell XPS 13 9370 is one of the most stylish, slim, and lightweight subnotebooks out there. It is not only stylish, but its hardware performance is also impressive. Additionally, the Dell XPS 13 9370 offers multiple hardware configurations such as display, storage, and memory. Therefore, users can choose a configuration that suits their needs and budget. However, the Dell XPS 13 9370 is quite pricey, but it is safe to say that it is worth its price. Therefore, if you don’t mind its price and need a reliable laptop for computing, get yourself the Dell XPS 13 9370. I hope you found this Dell XPS 13 9370 review helpful. If you found the review helpful, share your thoughts with our community platform at Itechguides Community Forum. You may also ask questions or make comments regarding this review at Itechguides Community Forum. Our team and other community members will respond to your questions or comments as soon as possible. Finally, for more laptop reviews, visit our Laptop Reviews page. You may also find our Laptop Specs page very helpful.