Dell is aware that the webcam placement on the new XPS 13 and XPS 15 2-in-1 is not ideal. In fact, the company is planning to put the webcam right back on top, but ideally, it wants to integrate a webcam directly in the laptop display itself – a very lofty goal, to say the least.
We sat down for a quick interview with Dell’s vice president of consumer design, Justin Lyles, and he mentioned that Dell ultimately wants to put the webcam in the middle of the laptop display without it being visible. According to the company, it’s the most ideal position for a webcam – you are looking directly at the camera.
However, Lyles also said that there’s no existing technology today that can make this a reality. But if fingerprint sensors can be integrated below smartphone displays now, perhaps putting a camera behind a laptop screen isn’t that technologically far.
Nonetheless, Lyles elaborated that once there is a camera module that is small enough to be fitted on top of the XPS 13 and XPS 15 2-in-1’s displays without sacrificing the tiny bezels, Dell will absolutely do it. The challenge then, of course, is to retain the Windows Hello capability.
Beyond the webcam placement, we also spoke with Lyles on the maglev keyboard of the XPS 15 2-in-1. While it’s only available on the convertible laptop for now, there is a chance Dell will implement the unique keyboard on other XPS machines in the future. After all, it allows for thinner laptops, and Lyles assured us that the maglev keyboard will get better with every revision too.
The new Dell XPS 13 and XPS 15 2-in-1 are certainly interesting laptops, and while their webcam placement could’ve been better (and Dell knows it), they’re very polished premium laptops. To learn more about the new XPS 13 and XPS 15 2-in-1, click here and here.
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