Hands on: Dell XPS 10 review

After showing off the XPS 12 Duo here at IFA 2012, Dell turned its attention to the Windows RT variant of Windows 8, announcing this – the Dell XPS 10.

It's a 10-inch (you guessed it!) tablet that's less than 10mm thick and comes complete with a keyboard dock that makes it seem almost like an ultraportable laptop.

The XPS 10 feels as good and as lightweight as a high-end Android tablet in the hand, while the screen is extremely (and surprisingly) bright and crisp - far more so than many Android tablets we've seen at IFA 2012, though the screen size here is smaller due to the large bezel.

As you can see there's a Windows Start button on the bottom of the tablet itself - this does the same as the Start button on the keyboard and takes you back to the Start screen.


The effect is good when the tablet is undocked or open in clamshell mode, but it does make for a rather odd-looking device when it is shut - it looks rather like a netbook, though we're sure Dell won't thank us for the comparison.



Here's the rear of the device - as you can see there's a rear-facing camera. Unfortunately we're restricted as to what we can report on the specification of this device until launch, but suffice to say it boasts an impressive megapixel count for a tablet.

Dell's Sam Burd called the XPS 10 an "outstanding companion device" and we'd have to agree; despite Dell telling us that it would be at home in business ("businesses can be assured that they will be able to manage and secure the XPS 10 on their networks"), the fact is that Windows RT just won't be up to the job without the ability to install desktop apps.

This is good news for people like Dell though; full-blown Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro running on x86 will be the OS of choice for many.

However, the XPS 10 won't be lacking in power for many apps - it's powered by a Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 processor, though it's unclear as to the variant.

This is the best shot we have of the undocking mechanism - look at the slider underneath the screen. Simply slide this and lift the tablet out of the dock.

Here's Windows RT in action. Notice the pre-installed Office icons along the taskbar in desktop mode, if only it had Outlook as well..

The device will have up to 20 hours of battery life when docked – 10 hours of battery from each half of the device. We're not expecting the XPS 10 to be cheap because of this, so don't expect it to match an iPad for price.

Early verdict

The Dell XPS 10 release date is late October, alongside the launch of Windows 8. We're very impressed with it and would certainly like to find one in our Christmas stocking, but as with all Windows RT devices, the proof will be in the pricing.