Dell XPS 27 (7760) All-In-One Desktop Review: 4K Touch And Wired For Sound
Dell XPS 27 7760 Design, Build Quality And Features
So let's talk about the XPS 27's beautiful 27-inch 4K IPS display first and foremost. After all, the display is the computer in the case of an all-in-one PC. You'll have to live with that display for the life of the system, thus making it one of, if not the most, critical component. Fortunately, Dell realized this and outfitted the new XPS 27 with a stunner of a panel, devoid of as much bezel as possible around the top and side edges.
Dell's 27-inch IPS 4K Touch Display delivers great visuals and accurate color gamut coverage.
The XPS 27's Jack Joseph Puig Signature Series sound system is like aural candy for the sense.
You're going to have to dig for the rear IO ports, unfortunately...
Dell's 27-inch IPS 4K Touch Display delivers great visuals and accurate color gamut coverage.
Dell doesn't want to call it an "Infinity Edge" display, but our humble opinion is that it's pretty close to the equivalent of an AiO version of one. Regardless, though it's a glossy panel that does throw a bit of glare on occasion, the touch-enabled version we're testing here looks absolutely fantastic. Colors are accurate and bright with 100 percent Adobe RGB gamut coverage and a 1000:1 contrast ratio, along with a wide 170 degree viewing angle capability.
It’s an LED backlit IPS display with a sub 5ms pixel response time, so fast moving action and gaming holds up well with no apparent ghosting issues. The still image here really doesn't do it justice and we urge you to check out our walk-around on the first page where we demo it in action (4:05 mark), shooting it in video at 1080p 60FPS (camera settings, XPS 27 at 4K). Or if you like, hit our YouTube page here for the video but you really should subscribe if you do.
It’s an LED backlit IPS display with a sub 5ms pixel response time, so fast moving action and gaming holds up well with no apparent ghosting issues. The still image here really doesn't do it justice and we urge you to check out our walk-around on the first page where we demo it in action (4:05 mark), shooting it in video at 1080p 60FPS (camera settings, XPS 27 at 4K). Or if you like, hit our YouTube page here for the video but you really should subscribe if you do.
The XPS 27's Jack Joseph Puig Signature Series sound system is like aural candy for the sense.
Continuing with the ogling and heaps of praise, the Dell XPS 27 7760 is not only a feast for the eyes but also for the ears as well. The system is now also equipped with a ten speaker Jack Joseph Puig Signature Series sound system, powered by dynamic amplifiers capable of driving 50W per channel, coupled with Waves MaxxAudio® Pro technology. If you’re not familiar, Jack Joseph Puig is a Grammy Award-winning music engineer and producer that has worked with bands like The Black Crowes, John Mayer, Weezer, Fiona Apple, and Green Day. Puig reportedly worked in conjunction with Dell engineers to tune the system for accurate audio fidelity, to make the best use of what's probably on of the most powerful amplifiers in an all-in-one PC currently.
The system has 6 front-firing speakers, with two bass and midrange speakers on the left side, along with a single tweeter and another trio of the same on the right side. You’ll also notice the camera and infrared sensor webcam array, here in the middle, for full Windows Hello support. There are also two more down-firing speakers and two passive radiators in the machine that, together with the other six speakers, deliver impressive acoustic performances. Highs are tight and natural. Symbols sound metallic, not like bacon frying. Mids sound open and spacious for voice channels and lows are tight and clean. We’d like a bit more low-end presence personally, but that of course is tied to personal preference as well. You can, however, dial up a extra bass with a few tools Dell gives you, which we'll cover a bit on the pages ahead.
The back side of the XPS 27 is where all the action is, in terms of IO connectivity anyway. Unfortunately, that's not completely a good thing...
The system has 6 front-firing speakers, with two bass and midrange speakers on the left side, along with a single tweeter and another trio of the same on the right side. You’ll also notice the camera and infrared sensor webcam array, here in the middle, for full Windows Hello support. There are also two more down-firing speakers and two passive radiators in the machine that, together with the other six speakers, deliver impressive acoustic performances. Highs are tight and natural. Symbols sound metallic, not like bacon frying. Mids sound open and spacious for voice channels and lows are tight and clean. We’d like a bit more low-end presence personally, but that of course is tied to personal preference as well. You can, however, dial up a extra bass with a few tools Dell gives you, which we'll cover a bit on the pages ahead.
The back side of the XPS 27 is where all the action is, in terms of IO connectivity anyway. Unfortunately, that's not completely a good thing...
You're going to have to dig for the rear IO ports, unfortunately...
The back casing of the XPS 27 is built from machined aluminum and black polycarbonate on the bottom. Here you can see the Kensington lock port and Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 jack but on the other side of the stand, tucked somewhat inconveniently away unfortunately, behind the base arm, are two Thunderbolt 3 ports, 4 USB 3 ports, a display port, HDMI port, an AC power plug and an audio output. That’s a lot of IO connectivity that’s partially obstructed but if you’re a set it and forget it type, it might not be as much of an issue. That said, Dell’s bundled wireless keyboard and mouse do require a single dongle that does consume one USB 3 port, which again we suggest plugging in back here, to leave the USB 3 port open on the front edge of the display. Also on board is 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi connectivity with Bluetooth 4.
On the bright side, however, Dell reports all of the primary components of the XPS 27 7760, with the exception of the GPU, are in fact upgradable; both CPU and RAM are socketed, as is the NVMe M.2 stick. Getting inside the chassis is another story and we didn't have time to explore this area, unfortunately.
On the bright side, however, Dell reports all of the primary components of the XPS 27 7760, with the exception of the GPU, are in fact upgradable; both CPU and RAM are socketed, as is the NVMe M.2 stick. Getting inside the chassis is another story and we didn't have time to explore this area, unfortunately.
Dell's bundled wireless keyboard and mouse are comfortable to work with, though light weight and not of the same high quality as the XPS 27 itself. The keyboard is spacious with a full numpad, good tactility and travel depth for its chiclet style keys. The mouse cradles nicely in the hand with a deep arch and works well, but with a light weight plastic feel. We really like the design of this mouse, actually. If it were only built from higher quality materials. In short, Dell's XPS 27 bundled peripherals are comfortable and serviceable but don't inspire the same kind of quality the system itself does. Dell might do well to offer some upgraded options in this regard.
Let's look at the software side of things...
Let's look at the software side of things...
