Dell Studio 15 Review

Dell Studio 15 is claimed to be a Multimedia Laptop that comes within your budget. It is neither a low profile netbook nor a high profile business laptop. It seems to hit the sweet spot between these two categories with good features at an affordable price. We have made a review of this laptop to find if this laptop satisfies its claimed criteria. In this review you’ll find details of

• Design


• Processor,RAM and HDD


• Screen and Graphics


• Keyboard


• Touchpad


• Ports


• Audio


• Heat And Noise


• Battery Life


• Price


• Pros


• Cons


• Conclusion

Design

The Studio 15 takes its design essence from 13.3 inch XPS M1330 and the 15.4 inch XPS M1530 like the wedge shaped profile, drop hinge,slot-loading optical drive and touch sensitive media buttons. The notebook feels a bit heavy compared to other laptops in its category and design look a bit thicker too. Clearly this is not a thin-and light laptop designed for mobility rather one that can be used as a desktop replacement. The overall construction of the Studio 15 is quite solid and it should survive a little drop offs without significant damage.
The matte finish of the laptop gives a smooth rubber-like feel. The metal palmrest of the XPS M1530 is replaced by a nice design in Studio 15.

And oh! I forgot to mention that these laptops are also available with an array of different colored lids and patterned motifs. Of course they cost some extra bit of money but they really nice if you want to get noticed wherever you go with your laptop.

Processor, RAM and HDD

The standard system comes with a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor with 3 GB RAM and 250 GB HDD. The overall performance is nothing to complain about but it is certainly not the fastest one available in the market. There were no problem watching a movie from its Slot Loading DVD Drive while downloading video clips and encoding a video in background. Running Photoshop CS3 at the time of video encoding was no problem either.

Screen and Graphics

The standard display unit has a 1280X800 XGA resolution but you can opt for 1440X900 or 1920X1200 resolution if you want to see more content within the screen. The horizontal viewing angle is great for watching a movie with a couple of your friends and the vertical viewing angle is also standard. The graphics option was disappointing. The standard system comes with a Intel X3100 graphics which is only enough for movie watching. The optional dedicated ATI Radeon HD 3450 is also underpowered to deliver good gaming experience. We would like more dedicated grpahics options.

Keyboard

The keyboard feels quite good with natural click sound while typing. The key travel is pleasurable and key size and spacing is also standard. There is also option for backlit keyboard which is nice to type on darker environments.

TouchPad and Touch Sensitive Media Control Buttons

The touchpad response is excellent and moving fingers over the glossy textured surface gives a nice feeling. The dedicated scroll areas are also useful to scroll through large webpages. The buttons are quiet and have good travel.
The media buttons are touch sensitive with white backlights that stays lit for a fraction of a second after being touched which gives the response of a key press.

Ports

There are more than enough ports for normal usage. On the left side there are two USB, an HDMI, a VGA, WiFi on/off, Ethernet, microphone jack, two headphone jack, an Express Card Slot, a 8 in 1 memory card reader. On the right side there are two more USB ports, slot loading optical drive, a power jack and the power button. There are no ports at the back but an IR port for the remote control sits at the front.

Audio

Th speakers are located at the top of the keyboard above the media buttons. The sound quality is very good with loud and clear voice without any distortion. The only thing that lacks is the presence of subwoofer for distinct bass effects. A good pair of headphone or a dedicated set speakers are necessary to please the audiophiles.

Heat and Noise

The system’s heat management is quite good and it does not get intolerably heated even when the laptop is put to high stresses. The fan moves a good amount of hot air but remains silent most of the times.

Battery Life

The laptop comes with a standard 6 cell Lithium Ion battery which is able to run the laptop for four hours in normal usage and at least three hours on high workload. There is also a 9 cell battery option which is expected to run the machine for six hours. The battery life is pretty impressive for laptop of this category.

Price

The standard model is available at $799 which means the system comes at a good bargain price.

Pros

• Striking design


• Good battery life


• Good build quality


• Lots of customization options


• Nice keyboard, touchpad and media buttons


• Good value for money spent


• Multiple upgrades and repairing will be easy

Cons

• Only one available graphics card


• Intel graphics is not good for HDMI viewing


• Access cover at bottom opens up everything


• Bulkier than some laptops


• Upgrades are pricey

Conclusion

Overall, the Studio 15 is a solid performer at a budget price. It lacks the option for a good graphics and its size and weight is uneasy to carry around but the attractive pricing and good build quality makes it a good choice. Though far from being called a multimedia powerhouse, this laptop is an excellent laptop for average use.