Dell Studio XPS 16 Notebook Computer Review luxury notebook

Dell Studio XPS 16 Notebook Computer Review

When it comes to style, the Dell Studio XPS 16 is a step up from typical smalll business notebooks. Make that a big step up. A stunning 16-inch screen adds to its allure, making it a fitting choice as a desktop replacement or presentation machine. A starting price of around $1,100 might keep bargain shoppers at bay, but if you're willing to ante up you'll be rewarded with a laptop that performs well and looks even better.



The 16-inch Dell Studio XPS 16 battery dazzles with a first-of-its-kind RGB-LED screen option—which bursts with colors and offers wide viewing angles—and a sleek glossy black design, complete with leather accents. And Dell matches style with substance by offering a powerful Centrino 2 processor, gamer-friendly ATI graphics, a fast hard drive, and Blu-ray playback. Priced at $1,804 (and starting at $1,199), this 6.8-pound multimedia marvel isn’t a system you’d tote to a coffee shop on a regular basis, but entertainment seekers wanting a luxury notebook will drool over this model.

Dell Studio XPS 16 Notebook Specification:Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz)
Memory: 4GB - 2DIMM DDR3
HDD: 320GB 7200rpm
Graphics: ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3670 (512MB)
Display: 16.0" 1080p Full HD RGBLED LCD with 2.0 MP Webcam
Optical Drive: 4X Blu-ray Disc Combo Drive (DVD/CD +/- RW +BD Read)
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64 bit)
Software: 15-month Trend Micro security subscription, Microsoft Works 9
Wireless: Intel Wireless 5100
Mediabay: 8-in-1 Media Card Reader
Battery: 6-cell and 9-cell batteries
Other: Facial Recognition Security; Dell Dock; Dell Video Chat; 2GB Data Safe Online
Dimensions: 0.95"-1.34" x 15.15" x 10.02" with 6-cell battery (H x W x D)
Weight: 6.53 lbs with 6-cell battery
Price as configured: $1,804 (Starting price: $1,199)

Dell wants you to know that its latest Studio XPS line brings with it a level of prestige—a refined segment for customers who seek luxury and style. The Dell Studio XPS 16 ($1,804 direct) accomplishes just that, succeeding the XPS M1530 as Dell's new bad-boy media center. Seeing how every laptop maker is putting in the same processors and advertising 4GB of memory, home-theater features, and big screens, Dell decided to raise the bar with the XPS 16.

Design is its biggest differentiator, as it uses not just one but a number of the hottest techniques in manufacturing. Its display is none too shabby as well. Photographers and professionals can reap the benefits of the RGB LED widescreen and the 1080p resolution without paying outrageous prices for them. For this, the Studio XPS 16 battery reigns as our new Editors' Choice for the media center category, trumping the HP HDX16t.

The 16.0" 1080p Full HD RGBLED display is, in a word, gorgeous. Unlike standard LCD technology used in most notebooks, the RGBLED LCD offers richer, deeper colors and excellent contrast that make it ideal for watching HD movies from the built-in Blu-ray player or for editing high-resolution photos from your digital camera.

The 1920 x 1080 screen on our review unit looks beautiful from straight on and has fantastic horizontal viewing angles so you can easily watch a Blu-ray movie with three or more of your friends sitting around you. Backlighting was mostly even across the surface of the screen in our review unit. Upper vertical viewing angles are good, but colors did begin to invert at lower viewing angles when the screen is tilted back. That said, unless you plan to view your laptop's screen from the floor looking up this won't be a problem.

What might be a problem is the fact that Dell only offers the Dell Studio XPS 1640 battery with a "frameless" glossy display ... the type that uses a separate glossy protective layer in front of the actual display panel. This gives the screen a very modern look, but the trade-off is a signficant amount of reflections on the surface of the screen under strong indoor lights. Outdoors under direct sunlight the screen reflections are so strong it can be extremely difficult to see anything on the screen.

If you keep your office lights dim or live in your parents' basement with the lights turned off this won't be a problem.

The Studio XPS 16 includes all the ports you are likely to need. There are three USB ports, one of which can also accommodate external SATA (eSATA) peripherals such as the latest portable hard drives, plus a FireWire port. Dell has thoughtfully included VGA, HDMI and DisplayPort connectors for attaching an external display; having all three means no matter what projector or big-screen you run across in the future, you'll be able to connect.

Expansion comes in the form of an 8-in-1 memory card reader and an ExpressCard/54 slot. The latter is now the standard for external expansion cards, but if you have older PC Card/CardBus or PCMCIA peripherals that you can't part with, you'll have to invest in an adapter (like the DuelAdapter from Duel Systems). As for connectivity, the Dell Studio XPS M1640 Series battery includes 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi standard. Bluetooth is an option, as is a built-in 3G wireless broadband radio for use with Sprint's high-speed data network.