Dell XPS 13 9310 review

Dell XPS 13 9310 (2020): the gentlest depreciation schedule in the batch

The Dell XPS 13 9310 is a 2020 ultrabook that has already absorbed the steepest part of its value curve: at $650 it runs a Core i3 1115G4 with 32GB of memory, and its modeled depreciation rate of 8.93 percent per year is the gentlest schedule in this entire batch. The mobility index of 79 remains 23 percent above the class median, and at 1.2kg the chassis still qualifies as ultralight.

Where it holds up

The value story is the headline but not the whole story: a gaming index of 64 — mid-tier, and better than several newer machines in this batch — pairs with engineering CAD at 39 and photo design at 39, both mid-band, unusual honesty for an i3 of this era. Office at 60.41 is mid-tier, portability at 82.3 is high-tier, and the 32GB memory ceiling doubles what most thin machines of 2020 shipped with. Six years on, the everyday fundamentals hold.

Where it falls short

The named weakness is battery capacity: 52Wh against a class median of 63, about 17.5 percent below the bar — a real constraint on a machine whose portability invites travel. 3D modeling at 21 sits in the low band, and performance at 45.41 is mid-tier at best; the 1115G4 is a dual-core-class part and it shows under load. Value at 56.35 is mid-tier — decent, but the 9315 sibling at $840 offers a newer platform for the same money's worth of consideration.

Price and depreciation

There is no baseline in the ledger, so the projection is rate-only at 8.93 percent per year — the most gentle schedule in this batch. On $650 that is roughly $58 of expected first-year loss. For buyers, this is the practical meaning of buying late: the machine is cheap to own going forward even though its performance ceiling is fixed in 2020.

Alternatives to consider

The XPS 13 9315 (2022) at $840 is the direct successor argument: mobility at 95 versus 79, office at 73.59 versus 60.41, for $190 more. The XPS 13 Plus 9320 (2022) at $840 brings the bolder redesign but a weaker composite reading of 39. If the budget is the deciding axis, the Inspiron 15 5502 (2020) at $339 delivers 64GB of memory and value at 81.7 in a larger, less refined chassis — half the price for more memory and much less polish.

Bottom line

Fairly priced for the class. The 9310 is the batch's slowest-depreciating machine — a mature, ultralight, 32GB XPS whose honest limits are a sub-par battery, low-band 3D, and a fixed 2020 performance ceiling. For a buyer who wants the XPS experience at minimum ongoing cost, it is the rational entry point.