Dell goes big with the XPS 17: Everything you need to know

It’s not your typical 17-inch laptop. Dell has built in a number of distinctive features.

- GORDON MAH UNG

With the debut of the Dell XPS 17, the company will bring its popular XPS brand to a 17-inch laptop this summer, with a bezel-less design, H-class 10th-gen CPU, and up to RTX 2060 graphics. There’s an updated XPS 15, too.

While the laptops were officially announced May 13, we actually got a sneak peek at prototypes of the XPS 17 in late 2019. We’ll walk you through everything we know about it.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

Dell said the XPS 17 9700 will go on sale this summer with a starting price of $1,499. Starting obviously means a version that doesn’t include the top-end components.

Dell’s XPS 17 9700 is smaller in physical dimensions than some 15-inch laptops, but its display is a 17inch, 16:10 aspect ratio, 4K UHD+ screen.

SCREEN OPTIONS

The XPS 17 9700’s most distinctive feature is its 17-inch screen, and not just because of the size. While most 17.3-inch displays have a wide, 16:9 aspect ratio best suited for video, Dell’s is a custom panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio, far taller and more pleasant for people who need to get work done.

Two display options are available both of which are 60Hz. The first is a 1920x1200 resolution FHD+ screen that can hit 100 percent of sRGB color space. Although not exactly high-resolution, it’s plenty bright at 500 nits. The screen comes with an anti-glare finish.