Dell XPS 11 Pro Reviews

Dell set out to make a tablet device first that could convert into a laptop when users needed it, and it has succeeded, partially, with the XPS 11. Last year, the Dell XPS 12 turned heads with its unorthodox screen-swiveling design. This new hybrid laptop is an evolutionary step that's lighter and more refined. While it's not treading any new ground already covered by the Yoga 2, the XPS 11 is more than a carbon copy, thanks to its build quality and high-resolution screen. There's a lot to consider before picking up an XPS 11. It works somewhat as a tablet and much less so as a laptop, with some big caveats for both use cases. The Yoga 2 is a much more balanced tablet-laptop hybrid that offers a physical keyboard for those who can get over touching buttons on the hybrid's backside. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 2 is a smaller but similar tablet. With the XPS 11's high price point, there are dedicated laptops to consider with such a large budget, including the Acer Aspire S7 and 11-inch MacBook Air. With all its trade-offs, the Dell XPS 11 is simply too expensive to recommend outright, but if you have the cash to burn, this hybrid is a looker with an equally beautiful screen.

Disappointing touch keyboard and average screen ruin what could be a good laptop

The Dell XPS 11 convertible ultrabook/tablet comes with an incredibly high-resolution screen and a lovely carbon fiber chassis, but a couple of large flaws keep it from outrunning the pack.

All in all, the Dell XPS 11 is an exceptionally slim, light, and attractive system—in fact, one of the thinnest laptops with a permanently attached keyboard we've seen. In addition to being well-built, with a super-durable carbon fiber weave and Gorilla Glass over the display, it also has a great-looking high-resolution screen. The only thing we're not thrilled with is the flat, capacitive touch keyboard—a bold compromise Dell made to come up with this ultra-thin profile.But while the flat, barely delineated keys are not ideal for speed typing, we found that we became much more proficient with practice (although never as fast as we are on a conventional keyboard). If you can get past the keyboard, this little ultrabook has a great deal going for it. Granted, this two-in-one is not for everybody. Overall, though, we found the XPS 11 not only very easy to carry around with us, but not all that difficult to use. We've seen reviews slamming the unit's awful keyboard, but we think they gave up too quickly.

The Dell XPS 11 is so close to what I'd love to get in an ultraportable hybrid that I was predisposed to like it a lot. That made the funky typing experience that much more disappointing, and I'm frankly shocked that Dell's own in-house testing didn't result in a change before this product was released. And it's not just me. Everyone in the CNET offices who tried the XPS 11 had a similar reaction. Apart from the hard-to-use keyboard, the design and build quality of the XPS 11 are fantastic. It costs a little more than I'd like to spend on that particular set of components, but this is a laptop-tablet hybrid that's only one or two tweaks away from being really amazing.