It just works: Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition Linux Ultrabook review

Dell’s substantial investment in making a functional Linux Ultrabook pays off.

by Lee Hutchinson – Apr 20, 2013 12:33 pm UTC

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I’ve been terribly curious about the Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition since we first covered it back in November. This is a different beast from the flippy-touchscreen-equipped XPS 12—this Ultrabook contains zero touchscreens. However, it comes preloaded with Ubuntu Linux, and Dell has spent a substantial amount of time and effort in ensuring that it works—and works well.

Specs at a glance: XPS 13 Developer Edition

Screen 1920×1080 13.3-inch IPS, 165 PPI

OS Linux – Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

CPU 2.0GHz Intel Core i7-3537U (Turbo Boost 3.1GHz)

RAM 8GB 1600MHz DDR3L (non-upgradeable)

GPU Intel HD Graphics 4000 (integrated)

Storage 256GB SATA III SSD

Networking Intel Centrino 802.11n, Bluetooth 3.0

Ports 1x DisplayPort, 2x USB 3.0 (one PowerShare), stereo headphone/line out

Battery 6-cell 47Whr Li-Polymer (non-replaceable)

Size 0.24 (at front)/0.71 (at rear) x 12.4 x 8.1 inches, 6 mm (at front)/18 mm (at rear) x 316 mm x 205 mm

Weight 2.99 lb/1.36 kg

Starting price $1549

Price as configured $1549 (no options available except addtional warranty)

In an effort originally known as Project Sputnik, Dell dedicated resources into doing Linux on an Ultrabook “right”—writing code where necessary (and contributing that code back upstream like a good FOSS citizen) and paying attention to the entire user experience rather than merely working on components in a vacuum. The result is a perfectly functional Ultrabook with a few extra tools—that “Developer Edition” moniker isn’t just for show, and Dell has added some devops spices into the mix with this laptop that should quicken any developer’s heartbeat.

Damning Linux with praise

Linux is not yet “ready for the desktop,” and I’m doubtful it will ever be—at least not in the sense that an average person could use it full-time without any assistance. I’ve struggled before with using Linux as my full-time operating environment both at work and at home. I did it for years at work, but it was never quite as easy as I wanted it to be—on an older Dell laptop, keeping dual monitor support working correctly across updates required endless fiddling with xorg.conf, and whether or not it was Nvidia’s fault was totally irrelevant to swearing, cursing Past Lee, trying desperately to get his monitors to display images so he could make his 10am conference call without having to resort to running the meeting on the small laptop screen.

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