Dell XPS 9710 (17.3-Inch, 2021)

“The Dell XPS 17 is unrivaled in extra large, powerful laptops.”

Big, bright screen ; Comfortable keyboard and trackpad ; Good performance

Pricey ; Hefty size and weight ; No ports other than USB-C

Dell’s latest XPS 17 is very similar to the model from 2020 but with a refreshed processor and graphics card. It’s the laptop to get if you want a big screen and power and don’t plan to move it around much.

Excellent performance ; As beautiful as ever ; Thin and light ; Great keyboard

Expensive ; Not enough ports

Elegant design ; Gorgeous 17-inch 4K touch screen ; Available Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics ; Large touchpad ; Four Thunderbolt 4 ports

Pricey as configured ; Shorter battery life than expected ; No USB Type-A ports

Well-equipped (as it should be for nearly $3,000), the Dell XPS 17 is the standard-bearer for non-gaming 17-inch laptops.

Huge 17-inch screen in a relatively compact laptop ; Intel's newest 11th gen CPU and Nvidia RTX graphics

No USB-A port and no Gigabit Ethernet ; Hybrid charging likely sacrifices a little performance

We can understand why some people don’t quite get why the XPS 17 even exist. It’s arguably a “niche” laptop that’s easily outperformed by 17.3-inch gaming laptops and on the face of it, it’s “only” one-inch larger than 16-inch laptops.

Powerful overall and gaming performance ; Sleek, attractive design ; Excellent speakers ; Comfortable keyboard ; Runs cool

Display could be more vivid ; Below-average battery life

The Dell XPS 17 offers excellent power on the multitasking and gaming front, with great audio and a comfortable keyboard, but the battery life could be better.

faster and more consistent performance than XPS 17 9700;battery no longer discharges when running high loads;accessible 2x SODIMM + 2x M.2 2280 PCIe 4 SSD slots;very high screen-to-body ratio;plenty of Thunderbolt 4 ports

slightly below average GeForce RTX 3060 performance;very warm core temperatures when under load;no integrated USB-A or HDMI ports;no improvements to battery life;still no webcam shutter

Dell's XPS design is truly the best in the PC business right now ; The 4K display is fantastic but don't worry because the 1080p display is amazing too ; Outstanding performance with NVIDIA Graphics ; Keyboard and trackpad are industry leaders for PCs...

Enough with 720p webcams Dell, do better! ; This can get pricey once you start upgrading the base model ; While Dell has done a lot to make a 17" laptop easier to carry, it is till heavier than other laptops and some may find it too heavy.

Snappy performance for work and gaming ; Thin for a 17-inch laptop ; Excellent display with HDR

Loud under intense workload ; Unimpressive battery life

The Dell XPS 17 9710 is impressive indeed, a capable and compelling choice for creative professionals looking for a powerful machine for both their intensive workloads and their after-work gaming pursuits.

Large, attractive display ; Enjoyable keyboard ; Luxurious design

Disappointing performance ; Mediocre battery life ; Terrible webcam

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