The display lid - Dell says they are using carbon fiber reinforced polymer as the material - twists a little more readily, but not enough to compromise durability in any way. The base unit resists twisting pretty well, although our attempts were occasionally accompanied by very slight creaking sounds. The surface materials - which at first appear to be soft-touch like they are on the Dell XPS 13 but aren't - feel decent to the touch and provide ample grip even for moist fingers and hands, but fingerprints show up rather quickly.

A hard rubber/plastic lip surrounds the display and makes contact with the base unit when the lid is closed, so dirt has no chance to get in. Speaking of hinges: the fold-flat 180-degree design holds the display lid very well even though our notebook is equipped with a touchscreen and thus a heavier glass layer. Nonetheless, the overall design philosophy seems to have remained the same: matte surfaces, rounded corners and no real visual accents except for the Dell logo and name and the gunmetal-colored hinges. At first glance, the all-black case appears to be the same Dell already used for the predecessor, but closer examination reveals a few differences: while the overall dimensions are virtually identical - the new notebook shaves off a couple mm at best - there are other, more prominent changes like the lack of a dedicated mechanical docking port or the new keyboard tray design.

Keyboard light not working dell