Dell Promotes Two Thunderbolt 3 with Intel Titan Ridge and Intel 8th Generation Core Through the 2018 Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) PC

With two Thunderbolt 3 based USB Type-C and two USB 3.1 based Type-C ports, the 2018 version of the Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) is a more advanced XPS 15 series model that can also be used in tablet form through its hybrid design. Previous XPS models such as the XPS 13 9370 also had two Thunderbolt 3 ports but only one USB Type-C port while both the XPS 15 (2017) and XPS 13 9365 only came with a single Thunderbolt 3 port. But by having the more superior Intel Titan Ridge Thunderbolt 3 chipset is what sets the Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) apart but instead of DisplayPort 1.4 video output coming from Titan Ridge, the PC still supports DisplayPort 1.2 that already existed in the older Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 chipset. This limitation is also seen on the Dell Precision 7530 as well as other 2018 products such as the Apple 13" MacBook Pro (2018).

Dell has also gone very aggressively with USB Power Delivery power design since the Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) can support 130W charging using USB Power Delivery 2.0 technology with its own Dell 130W USB Type-C AC Adapter (which is over the 100W spec limit). Click here to see more details.

Also check out this review on how we used the Dell 65W PD Power Bank to charge the Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) over USB Power Delivery.

The Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) now supports the newer and faster 8th Generation Intel Core processor as well as Windows 10 Pro, 16GB 2400MHz DDR4 ​and Radeon RX Vega M GL GPU as some of its main features.

The Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) has two adjacent Thunderbolt 3 capable USB Type-C ports on one side of the PC (with the Thunderbolt logo) similar to other 2-in-1 PC's including the HP Spectre x360 - 13-ae011dx (Late 2017) and Lenovo Yoga 920 which support Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gb/s), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gb/s), DisplayPort 1.2 to connect with 4K@60hz displays, and uses USB Power Delivery 2.0 fast charging technology. These Thunderbolt 3 ports can also be used to charge the Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1). 

Next to the Thunderbolt 3 ports is a microSD card slot and a battery gage button and indicator.

On the other side of the Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1), the two USB Type-C ports showing the DisplayPort logo only support USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gb/s), DisplayPort, and USB Power Delivery 2.0. There's also a 3.5 mm audio port and a Kensington lock slot but if you need USB Type-A ports since there's none available you have to use a separate USB Type-C to Type-A adapter just like with the XPS 13 9370.

For the Thunderbolt 3 and Type-C ports, Dell has labeled them as PowerShare capable meaning that they can charge supported downstream devices even if the Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) is turned off or in hibernate mode. Note the Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) needs to have the AC adapter plugged in and PowerShare needs to be enabled in the notebook's BIOS settings.

The Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) now ships with the Dell 130W USB Type-C AC Adapter to power the PC through the USB Type-C port instead of the 130W conventional AC power adapter that came with the Dell XPS 15 (2017). The Dell 130W USB Type-C AC Adapter uses USB Power Delivery to deliver 130 watts (20 volts @ 6.5 amps) rapid charging to the Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) when connected to the PC's Thunderbolt 3 or Type-C port.

As with most Dell models, the Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) has almost the same look and feel, with a 15.6 inch InfinityEdge display and a full size keyboard and 1.3 mm touchpad. As a tablet/laptop hybrid, the Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) naturally comes with a 360 degree geared hinge allowing the PC to be folded and used in many different modes. 

With its slim and compact body, the Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) can be easily carried along anywhere while providing the latest connectivity interfaces suitable for both casual or professional use.

Using the USB Power Delivery Compliance C2 Tester from Granite River Labs to run just a subset of the full USB Power Delivery compliance test suite, we verify that the Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) can use 15 watts (5 volts @ 3 amps) and 7.5 watts (5 volts @ 1.5 amps) fixed PDO's as well as variable power supply of 42.75 to 45 watts range (19-20 volts @ 2.25 amps) for charging. Note some compliance failures were observed.

DUT Information

Manufacturer	DELL
Model Number	XPS15
Serial Number	CE

Test Information

Date and Time:

20181113_153158

Controller and Instrument Information

Parameter	Value
GRL USB-PD_C2 Serial No.	117.181.117.091.159.
GRL USB-PD Software Version	1.3.8.0
GRL USB-PD Firmware Version	1.3.8.0.0
GRL USB-PD Eload Firmware Version	9.4/9.4
Board Calibration	Calibration Success.
App Mode	COMMUNICATION_ENGINE_TESTS
Tx Mask	true
Rx Mask	false
RX mask Power selection	Neutral Power
Device Type	DRP
Cable IR drop Imp(R)	0
Cable Type.	GRL-Spl-Cable
COMMUNICATION_ENGINE_TESTS CTS Version	1.09
Noise Pattern Generation:	Two-Tone Noise
VIF info	*Since VIF was not loaded below test results are information Only.
Test cases Execution Time:	0h:0m:0s

Product Capabilities

Parameter	GetCapabilities
PD_SPECIFICATION_REVISION	1
SOP_CAPABLE	NO
SOP_P_CAPABLE	YES
SOP_PP_CAPABLE	YES
SOP_P_DEBUG_CAPABLE	NO
SOP_PP_DEBUG_CAPABLE	NO
USB_COMMS_CAPABLE	YES
DR_SWAP_TO_DFP_SUPPORTED	NO
UNCONSTRAINED_POWER	NO
UNCHUNKED_EXTENDED_MESSAGES_SUPPORTED	NO
ACCEPTS_PR_SWAP_AS_SNK	YES

Power Capabilities

Parameter	GetCapabilities
PD_POWER_AS_SOURCE	15000
USB_SUSPEND_MAY_BE_CLEARED	NO
SENDS_PINGS	NO
NUM_SRC_PDOS	1
Supply Type #1	Fixed
Peak Current #1	0x0(A)
Voltage #1	0x64(5V)
Max Current #1	0x12C(3A)
PD_POWER_AS_SINK
NO_USB_SUSPEND_MAY_BE_SET	NO
GIVEBACK_MAY_BE_SET	NO
HIGHER_CAPABILITY_SET	YES
NUM_SNK_PDOS	2
Supply Type #1	Fixed
Voltage #1	0x64(5V)
OP Current #1	0x96(1.5A)
Supply Type #2	Variable
Min Voltage #2	0x17C(19V)
Max Voltage #2	0x190(20V)
Op Current #2	0xE1(2.25A)

USB-IF High Level Mapping Summary

Sl No	Test Category	Test Group Description	Test Result
1	PHY_PRIMARY_TX	BMC Physical Layer Transmitter	PASS
2	PHY_PRIMARY_RX	BMC Physical Layer Receiver	PASS
3	PHY_PRIMARY_MISC	BMC Phyiscal Layer Miscellaneous	PASS
4	PROT_PRIMARY	Protocol Specific Primary	FAIL
5	POWER_PRIMARY	Power Source/Sink Primary	PASS

Result Summary

Sl No	Test ID	Test Name	Test Result
1	TDA.2.1.1.1	TDA.2.1.1.1 BMC PHY TX EYE	PASS
2	TDA.2.1.1.2	TDA.2.1.1.2 BMC PHY TX BIT	PASS
3	TDA.2.1.2.2	TDA.2.1.2.2 BMC PHY RX INT REJ	PASS
4	TDA.2.1.2.1	TDA.2.1.2.1 BMC PHY RX BUSIDL	PASS
5	TDA.2.1.3.1	TDA.2.1.3.1 BMC PHY TERM	PASS
7	TDA.2.2.1	TDA.2.2.1 BMC PROT SEQ GETCAPS	PASS
12	TDA.2.2.7	TDA.2.2.7 BMC PROT BIST NOT 5V SRC	PASS
14	TDA.2.2.9	TDA.2.2.9 BMC PROT GSC REC	FAIL
15	TDA.2.2.10	TDA.2.2.10 BMC PROT IGN PPS	PASS
16	TDA.2.3.1.1	TDA.2.3.1.1 POW SRC LOAD P PC	PASS
17	TDA.2.3.1.2	TDA.2.3.1.2 POW SRC LOAD CP ACC	PASS
20	TDA.2.3.3.1	TDA.2.3.3.1 POW SNK TRANS C CP	PASS
21	TDA.2.3.3.2	TDA.2.3.3.2 POW SNK TRANS PC	PASS

BMC Eye Diagram

The load trace below seen through the GRL-USB-PD C2 Compliance Test Solution App further shows that the Dell XPS 15 9575 (2-in-1) can support several voltage and current levels for charging.