Dell XPS 13 9350
Reddit take
AI summary of the Reddit excerpts below — not a quote
The Dell XPS 13 9350 is a polarizing ultrabook that excels in efficiency and thermal management while frustrating some users with its unconventional design choices. It is highly praised for its 'insane' battery life and silent operation, particularly with Lunar Lake processors, but the 'zero lattice' keyboard, invisible trackpad, and capacitive function row are significant points of contention. While the build quality and display options (OLED and IPS) are generally lauded, the lack of physical ports and non-upgradable RAM are noted as major limitations.
Pros
- Exceptional battery life, with some users reporting over 16 hours on IPS models.
- Runs cool and silent with virtually no fan noise during standard use.
- Excellent display quality, including both the Tandem OLED and IPS versions.
- Strong Linux support, particularly with Ubuntu, where most hardware works out-of-the-box.
- Premium build quality and compact, portable design.
Cons
- Very limited connectivity with a lack of diverse ports.
- Capacitive function row lacks tactile feedback and can be unsatisfying to use.
- Non-upgradable RAM limits the long-term flexibility of the machine.
- The 'zero lattice' keyboard and invisible trackpad have a steep learning curve and divide users.
Caveats
- Linux users may encounter webcam issues, such as flipped images or compatibility problems with default camera apps depending on the kernel/distro version.
- Lower-tier configurations (e.g., 8GB RAM) may struggle with performance beyond basic web browsing.
- Some reports of hardware inconsistencies like creaking hinges or minor battery drain during sleep mode.
Best for
- Users prioritizing extreme portability and all-day battery life.
- Linux enthusiasts seeking a premium laptop with solid driver support.
- General productivity users who prefer a silent, cool-running machine.
Avoid if
- You rely on multiple peripheral connections without using dongles.
- You require tactile feedback for the Escape and Function keys.
- You prefer traditional laptop ergonomics with spaced-out keys and a visible trackpad.
This summary uses balanced time weighting with about a 6-month half-life. The evidence is drawn from a window between January and November 2025, with a median source age of approximately 377 days.
Sentiment
16 positive (70%) · 1 mixed (4%) · 6 negative (26%)
Trust + time weighted score: +51% · raw score 43%
What redditors said (10 of 23)
Just do yourself a favour and get the 9350, battery life is superb and it runs everything you expect it to with no heat or fan noise
Ended up selling it and getting the 9350 to replace it, it's literally night and day difference usability wise. All the issues are fixed, and battery life is so much better it's actually INSANE. On top of the fact there's zero heat, runs silent at all times its crazy.
Sound: Pretty good OOTB.
Display: I got the IPS version. No complaints there.
The MIPI webcam was detected and worked OOTB on Firefox and Chrome, but it wasn't detected by GNOME's default Camera app on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (a known issue documented by Ubuntu). After upgrading to 25.04, the webcam works with the latest Camera/Cheese apps in the plucky repo, although the image is horizontally flipped.
The capacitive function row is meh. Even if I can get used to it, pressing del or Esc and not receiving any feedback still feels strange and unsatisfying.
WiFi stability has been good out of the box, nothing of note really.
Battery: I haven't done a full cycle test, but I can see this machine lasting at least 16 hours (at 30% brightness, doing mostly light browsing).
Keyboard travel is just okay. I saw a lot of reviews complaining about the zero lattice keyboard being hard to type on but find myself adapting within a few hours. Afterwards I can achieve same speed and accuracy as on any other keyboard.
The invisible trackpad is actually very easy to adapt to. You probably won't feel much difference using it vs a conventional one.
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