Review: Dell XPS15z laptop

Dell XPS15z is a good machine at base spec, but comes into its own when you start ticking option boxes. Photo / Supplied

Apple's shiny, slinky and all-aluminium Macbook Pro has pretty much been the gold standard for notebook design amidst a sea of plastic Tupperware me-too notebook PCs.

Dell have other ideas, and to this end, have launched the XPS15z, which aside from incorporating a similarly slick all-aluminium case design, also includes every optional spec you're ever likely to need, all for a decent price.

Bang per Buck

Given their similarities, comparisons between the MacBook Pro and the XPS15z are inevitable. The XPS15z however stands apart from the Apple gear by virtue of its solid multimedia/gaming design that (depending on how you spec it when buying) can range from an eye-popping 1080p screen, a backlit keyboard or an extra zippy Nvidia GeForce GT 525M3D graphics processor.

With the XPS15z base spec available for $2.039.14, the XPS15z also compares well price-wise against the base spec price of a 15" MacBook Pro of $2,999.

Look and feel

The most noticeable feature of the XPS 15z's is its tastefully designed brushed aluminium case. Complete with chrome accents, the XPS15z is a real attention grabber. Taking the XPS 15z out and about to several cafes, it attracted numerous envious glances and unsolicited questions from both PC and Mac-heads alike.

Popping the XPS15z's lid reveals a tidy interior layout. Under its screen, is a backlit keyboard, touch pad and power button, plus two speaker grilles either side of the keyboard. In use, the sizeable keyboard was extremely roomy. With the keyboard being backlit, I was also easily able to type out this review in fading light.

Thankfully Dell has also stuck to the tried and tested two button and touchpad combo rather than opting for the clever (but frustratingly unusable) tilt pad design favoured by a growing number of notebook manufacturers.

Not only is the touchpad large enough to do double duty as a helipad, it also supports multi-touch gestures such as pinch to zoom and two finger scrolling/rotating.

On spec

The XPS15z's 15.6" screen packs 1,920x1,080 pixels, all of which yielded vivid and accurate colour reproduction with HD video and other on screen content almost leaping off the screen. But the 1080 HD display isn't part of the shipping spec for the XPS15z - a 1,366x768 resolution screen is the default unless otherwise specified when purchasing.

The XPS 15z also impressed when it came to audio, with Its sizeable twin speakers allowing for audio that proved to be pretty reasonable. The bass output mightn't have seen noise control and/or SWAT teams called, but audio from the XPS15z was extremely clean and distortion free. Watching movies and catching some iTunage was a definite step up from the abysmal noise that is standard fare laptop audio.

Out of the box, the base-specced Dell XPS 15z includes an Intel Core i5 CPU and a 1,366x768-pixel LCD panel. Upgrade options include a faster CPU (a Core i7), extra memory for the Nvidia GeForce graphics processor (2GB), as well as a 1080 HD display. The addition of two USB3 (and a combo USB 2/eSATA port) also adds in some serious future proofing for your investment, as does the inclusion of Intel Wireless Display technology, which can transmit video onto a TV via a separate wireless receiver box. Last - but by no means least - the XPS15z will also play nice with 3D content on a 3D-compatible TVs thanks to the included HDMI 1.4 port.

Verdict

There may be more affordable 15" notebook PCs out there, there aren't many that pull together great looks, a solid spec and build at what is best described as a really reasonable bang per buck. The XPS15z may be Dells best ever.

SPECS
Dell XPS15z laptop
$2039.14

CPU: 2.7GHz Intel Core i7 2620M
Memory: 8GB, 1,333MHz DDR3
Storage: 750GB HDD, Optical slot drive DVD writer
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 525M
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Dimensions: 24.68mm(H) x 384.85mm(W) x 260.37mm(D)
Weight: 2.51Kg
Video: HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA
Audio: headphone/microphone jacks, Stereo speakers
Data: 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB/eSATA, SD card reader
Networking: Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0