Voici 5 façons super simples d'améliorer le Dell XPS 17

Aussi beau qu'il puisse paraître, le XPS 17 est dépourvu de quelques caractéristiques de qualité de vie que beaucoup d'ordinateurs portables moins chers intègrent déjà. Nous aimerions que ces problèmes soient réglés sur l'inévitable successeur.

Allen Ngo, Published 07/18/2020 🇺🇸 🇩🇪 ...

Le XPS 17 pouces est une machine spéciale dotée de caractéristiques uniques que l'on ne trouve pas sur les autres ordinateurs portables de sa catégorie. Son format 16:10, ses graphiques GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, son énorme clickpad et son refroidisseur à chambre de vapeur sont des caractéristiques peu communes.

Bien qu'il soit certainement beau sur le papier et en photo, nous pensons que Dell a peut-être négligé certaines caractéristiques de qualité de vie qui auraient pu améliorer l'expérience de l'utilisateur. Nous ne parlons pas de l'étrange comportement de charge, des températures élevées du processeur ou du manque d'options Ryzen, car ces "problèmes" sont beaucoup plus compliqués à résoudre. Il s'agit simplement de fonctionnalités simples que d'autres ordinateurs portables moins chers proposent déjà et qui manquent étrangement sur le XPS 17 haut de gamme.

Ce sont les cinq modifications simples que nous apporterions à la qualité de vie du XPS 17 pour une meilleure expérience de l'utilisateur final. S'il y a d'autres changements que vous aimeriez voir apportés, faites-le nous savoir dans les commentaires ci-dessous.

Make the Lid Easier to Grip and Open

The Dell Latitude 7310 has a handy indentation along the front edge of the laptop for users to grip their thumbs and open up the display. The XPS 17, however, is completely smooth here which makes gripping the lid more difficult than it needs to be.

Latitude 7310 has a grip along the front edge to make it easier to open up the lid

Front edge of the XPS 17 is completely smooth for that sleek minimalist look, but gripping is annoyingly difficult as a result

Include a Webcam Shutter

The XPS 17 is one of the sleekest and best-looking 17-inch laptops out there; it would be a shame to blemish it with a piece of Scotch tape. A physical or electronic webcam shutter would help owners feel a lot more secure when using the system.

It's good to see the webcam along the top of the screen instead of the bottom. Now it's time for Dell to take the next step by adding a shutter

Make the Dell Power Profiles Faster to Launch or Toggle

The Dell Power Manager application is perhaps the most important pre-installed software on the laptop as it directly controls charging behavior and system performance. The different power profiles are located here including Optimized, Cool, Quiet, and Ultra Performance.

Accessing said power profiles can be irritating because Power Manager takes 17 whole seconds to launch (we counted). Users will then have to click on Thermal Management before finally seeing the power profiles available. This aggravatingly long wait time is simply dreadful when all you want to do is set the system to Quiet mode or Ultra Performance mode.

Chrome launches in less than a second, but Dell Power Manager takes over 17 times longer

Give the F9 Key a Secondary Function

Every key on the first row of the keyboard has a secondary function except for the F9 key. This is a missed opportunity to make the key a bit more useful such as for toggling different power profiles, toggling the webcam, or launching the Dell Power Manager. The HP Envy x360 13, for example, has a camera key that turns the lens opaque.

The F9 key is the only key along the top row with no Fn feature. The fingerprint-loving palm rests and clickpad will leave their mark over time as well

Allow the SSDs to be Removed Without Needing to First Remove the Battery

On the XPS 13 and XPS 15, users can upgrade their SSDs after removing the bottom panel. On the XPS 17, however, the battery must be removed prior to the SSDs. Although it's never a bad idea to simply disconnect the battery ribbon first before tinkering with any components, forcing users to remove the entire battery is an extra step that we don't see on many other laptops.