Dell XPS 15z Announced

Dell recently launched the Dell XPS15z, one of the slimmest 15 inch notebooks on the planet. This ultra sleek laptop (24.7 mm only) runs on the second generation of Intel Core processors (i5 & i7) and if the company is to be believed, comes with eight hours of battery life.

This new offering from Dell weighs about 5 pounds, is made of an aluminium and magnesium alloy and has a beautifully textured metal surface. It has a WLED display which according to company has almost twice the brightness of standard displays. On the downside, this display does not have the best viewing angles. Despite its slim exteriors, the notebook delivers “uncompromising performance”, or so they say. It comes with discreet graphics with Optimus power saving technology for low workloads. In addition, the speakers are loud for their size and ideal for entertainment needs. The chiclet keyboard is symmetric, though the num pad has been sacrificed to fit in the speakers. The trackpad is centered, has a large size and is fairly pleasant. It’s quick and responsive and comes with a pair of sturdy click buttons. The whole surface is durable, dirt resistant and smooth and does not attract finger prints.

In terms of hardware and connectivity, it offers nearly everything- a gigabit Ethernet jack, two USB 3.0 ports, one USB2.0/ eSATA combo port and an HDMI 1.4 jack. There are also the standard 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks, WiFi (a/b/g/n) and a Bluetooth (3.0) radio. It packs a 2nd generation core i5/ i7 processor, 4-8 GB DDR3 RAM and NVIDIA GFORCE GT 525M (1 to 2 GB) GPU. A 1.3 MP webcam and 9 in 1 card reader tops off the list. This new model has a sealed 8 cell, 2.6Ah battery. Dell claims that the battery lasts up to eight hours under test conditions and should suffice for 3 to 4 hours of moderate to heavy usage. While not the best option available, this should suffice for the average user. On the software side, it ships with Dell Stage which provides access to media content like music, videos and photos.

For a price tag of just $999 (for the base model) Dell has unleashed a powerful and attractive Windows PC. The aesthetics are similar to the Macbook, but does not offer similar battery life. However, the highly attractive price point makes this laptop a steal.

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