While many multimedia laptops will send your bank account crashing into the red, the Dell XPS 15 boasts incredible power and an impressive set of features, and all for a good chunk less than a grand.
The Dell XPS 15’s premium chassis looks smart and feels rugged, with a metallic finish to the plastic lid and the darker insides. It’s not the slimmest multimedia laptop by any means, with a lot more bulk than the Apple Macbook Pro, and it resembles a flabby giant alongside the ultraportable Sony Vaio Z-Series. The excellent 287 minute battery life may not quite beat those machines either, but it’s still impressive given the specs.
Check out our Dell XPS 15 pictures
Dell XPS 15: Ease of Use
Usability is strong thanks to a firmly set, well-sized keyboard, although we did find the travel a little shallow. Still, the Dell XPS 15’s touchpad is highly spacious with two firm mouse buttons.
The Dell XPS 15.6-inch screen is strikingly bright, while photos and movies look fantastic thanks to vibrant colour reproduction and strong contrast. However, the glossy Super-TFT finish makes this display reflective in bright light, a common problem with modern laptops.
Dell XPS 15: Performance
Films not only look great, they also sound good through the Dell XPS 15’s built-in JBL speakers. Volume levels are highly impressive for a laptop, although music fiends should definitely invest in a dedicated external pair.
Where the Dell XPS 15 truly excels is its performance. The Intel Core i5 CPU is backed up by 4GB of DDR3 memory and proved just as powerful as the Acer Aspire Ethos, and not too far off the Apple Macbook Pro. You can comfortably multi-task with any number of applications. An nVidia GPU featuring Optimus technology is perfect for playing the latest games or editing video, and shuts down when not in use to conserve power.
Dell XPS 15: Features
Dell has packed plenty of features into the XPS 15, including an HD webcam for capturing your mug in glorious 720p detail and 500GB of storage. A 9-in-1 card reader and three USB 3.0 ports are available. HDMI and DisplayPort connections can be used to hook up external monitors, but the older VGA technology is strangely not supported.
The Dell XPS 15 is a bargain considering everything you get. With excellent performance, strong build quality, a colourful display and surprisingly powerful audio, this mini machine can effortlessly keep the whole family amused.
Dell XPS 15 launch date: Out now, link Dell
Dell XPS 15 price: £650
Posted by Chris Barraclough
 |  |
No comments:
Post a Comment