The Dell XPS 15 is our favorite 15-inch laptop, but a few shortcomings prevent it from being the perfect premium notebook. Thankfully, a new report from The Verge makes us hopeful that this year's model will be able to achieve that high standard.
Dell confirmed that the webcam on the next Dell XPS 15 will be located above the display, rather than below it. What we've dubbed the "nosecam" has been a pain point on XPS models ever since Dell adopted the InfinityEdge display.
In order to accommodate such slim bezel, Dell was forced to drop the webcam to the bottom hinge and angle the lens upward, directly into your nostrils. Needless to say, the resulting images weren't the most flattering.
With the webcam back at the top bezel, you'll be able to teleconference and video chat on the 2019 XPS 15 without feeling embarrassed. This is a big move for Dell considering the webcam was the only major complaint we had with the 2018 XPS 15. But it's one we saw coming. After all, Dell made the same improvement on the 13-inch model, the XPS 13, using its own miniature webcam.
Dell revealed several other interesting nuggets of information about the upcoming XPS 15. As expected, the notebook will be powered by Intel's new 9th Gen H-series CPUs, which should provide a nice performance bump over 8th Gen chips.
Even more intriguing are the improvements to graphics. The new XPS 15 will reportedly pack the new GeForce GTX 1650 GPU, which Nvidia claims is up to 70% faster than the GeForce 1050. While it won't get you RTX-level performance, the GTX 1650 should suit casual gamers who don't mind playing PC games at medium graphics settings.
You will also have the option to outfit the XPS 15 with an OLED display, though we don't know too much information about the panel.
Apart from the webcam and performance, the new XPS 15 will be similar to last year's model. The laptop will come with a large, 97Wh battery and the same assortment of ports.
Dell says the XPS 15 will be available in June for around the same price as the previous model, or around $1,049 to start.
