Next Dell XPS 15 to sport full-speed Thunderbolt 3, 'absolute best' display

Dell's XPS laptops are already some of the best notebooks you can get your hands on, particularly when it comes to design and power. Now, it looks like Dell is ready to bolster that reputation with the next iteration of the largest of its XPS offerings, the XPS 15.

Speaking on Twitter (via Notebook Check), Frank Azor, Dell's head of Alienware, Gaming, and XPS, recently dropped some hints concerning what we can expect from the next XPS 15. One of the more interesting confirmations is that the XPS 15 will support the full four-lane PCIe capacity with its Thunderbolt 3 port. The current XPS 15 (9560) only supports two PCIe lanes, limiting its bandwidth.

As we explored in our guide to adding some more graphical oomph to your XPS 15 (9560), the current two-lane limitation can be a limiting factor in throughput for an external graphics card (eGPU). So, if you're planning to add something like the Razer Core to your setup, it looks as if the upcoming XPS 15 will offer more graphical bandwidth.

Azor also states that the display on the upcoming XPS 15 will "continue to be the absolute best available." While that doesn't confirm anything specific, it potentially lends a bit of credence to recent rumors concerning screen resolution. As spotted by Notebook Check, a Reddit user (camelCase47) claims to have briefly spotted a product listing for the XPS 15 (9570) on the Dell Canada website. According to the reported listing, the upcoming laptop will sport options of FHD, QuadHD, and 5K resolution displays. Eighth-generation Intel processors were also reportedly mentioned, as well as an option NVIDIA GTX 1060 graphics chip.

Given the lack of a screenshot, however, it's probably a good idea to take those specifications with a giant grain of salt. Still, Intel's eighth-generation processors are confirmed to make an appearance, and optional 1060 graphics doesn't sound too farfetched.

There's no word on when we might expect the Dell XPS (9570) to be announced, but early 2018 is likely a safe bet.

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