Dell XPS 14 and 17 Hands On

Dell on Thursday added three new to its XPS line, the Dell XPS 14, 15, and 17. We had the opportunity for some hands-on time with two of the models, the XPS 14 and XPS 17.

Both laptops feature that come standard with technology, which switches between integrated and discrete graphics automatically. Both also include 3DTV play support, though the laptops themselves won't be able to support 3D viewing on their screens. Instead, you hook them up to a 3D-capable TV and you're good to go.

The navigation experience for both models was enjoyable. The XPS 14 and 17 had big-smooth touchpads with separate mouse buttons, rather than the all-in-one mouse-touchpads seen in the and . The keyboards were full-size (the XPS 17 included a numeric keypad) in the traditional style and made for a comfortable typing experience.

The Dell XPS 14 comes standard with an Intel Core i3 processor, 3GB of DDR3 memory, an Nvidia GeForce GT 420M graphics card, and a 250GB, 7,200rpm hard drive. Ports included two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 2.0/eSATA combo, HDMI, mini DisplayPort, and two headphone and one microphone jack.

Similarly, the Dell XPS 17 comes standard with an Intel Core i3 processor, 3GB of DDR3 memory, and Nvidia GeForce GT 435M graphics card, and 250GB of hard drive space (7,200rpm). Ports include two USB 3.0 (5Gbits/s of data transfer) and one USB 2.0, an eSATA/USB combo, HDMI, mini DisplayPort, and one microphone and two headphone jacks.

As with any Dell laptop these options for both models are customizable right down to the paint job, but that will hike up the base price.

The Dell XPS laptops are available directly from Dell's site. Starting prices are $899 for the XPS 14 and $949 for the XPS 17.