Dell Studio 15 Review

Dell recently launched the Studio range of Notebooks which combines the features of both the mid range Inspiron range and the high end XPS range. It has the best of both worlds with pricing similar to Inspirons and Features and design similar to the XPS laptops. It includes both 15″ and 17″ notebooks, named the Dell Studio 15 and Dell Studio 17. The Studio range is clearly being aimed at Media Enthusiasts just as the XPS was at Gamers, Inspiron for normal users and Vostro at Offices. The Dell Studio 15 marks the convergence of the Dell Inspiron 1525 and the Dell XPS M1530. In this review, we dissect the Studio 15 and check out where it delivers and where it fails to.

Dell Studio 15 Specifications

• Color: Jet Black
• Dimensions: Width: 14.0″, Height: 1.0″ front / 1.3″ back, Depth: 10.3″
• Weight: 2.8 kg / 6.11 lbs
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T5850 (2.16 GHz/667 Mhz FSB/2 MB cache)
• Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium Edition SP1
• Display: Glossy, widescreen 15.4 inch display (1280 x 800)
• Graphics: Intel GMA X3100 / 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3450
• RAM: 3GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 667 MHZ
• Capacity: 250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
• Optical Drive: 8X Slot Load CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
• Ports: 4 USB 2.0, HDMI, 15 pin VGA, Ethernet 10/100 RJ45, 4 pin IEEE 1394, Audio jacks, Expresscard slot.
• Battery: 56 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
• Other: Dell 1397 Wireless-G Card, Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam, High Definition Audio 2.0, Integrated Finger Print Reader, 8 in 1 Media card reader, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, Back-lit Keyboard
• Approx price: $800 - $900

Design

The Dell Studio 15 is a stylish laptop with nice clean looks. The design is flawless and simple, but stylish with smooth edges. The build quality is great, as expected with all Dell products and can sustain some amount of rough usage. It is available in 8 colors namely, Jet black, Midnight blue, Plum purple, Flamingo pink, Spring green, Tangerine orange, Ruby red and Graphite Grey. Graphite Grey is the most stylish and looks regal. The Studio 15 is styled along the lines of the XPS M1530 - the slot loading drive, the touch sensitive media buttons and the likes, with some improvements. It is slightly heavier than similar 15″ notebooks in its class though. The Studio 15 has a nice feel to it and is solid and can survive small drops easily.

The front of the Studio 15″ houses just the IR Remote control port. The left side has the Wi-Fi switch, the security lock slot, 2 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, Mic & 2 headphone jacks, the Expresscard slot and the Memory card reader. On the right are 2 more USB 2.0 ports, the optical drive, firewire port and the power button.

Performance

The Dell Studio 15 is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo T5850 which is clocked a 2.16 GHZ and has 2 MB L2 cache, which is powerful enough to run almost all applications without any lags. It is upgradable upto the new Core 2 Duo T9500 at 2.6 GHZ with 6 MB L2 cache. By default, it comes with a Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, but can be upgraded to a ATi Mobility Radeon HD 3450 with 256 MB GDDR3 at a nominal price. The HD 3450 is a powerful GPU and can handle most games at low to medium resolutions easily. It is also capable of playing HD content with ease. It comes with 3 GB 667 MHZ DDR2 RAM in Dual channel mode, upgradable up to a maximum of 4 GB RAM. It is fully capable of running Windows Vista and runs the Aero interface quite fluidly without any lags. The 5400 RPM 250 GB hard drive is quite fast and can be replaced with a high performance 7200 RPM drive for better performance.

Display

The Dell Studio 15 default configuration comes with a 15.4″ Widescreen WXGA CCFL (1280 X 800) TFT Display with Truelife. Optionally you can also upgrade to a WLED (1440 x 900) display which is LED backlit. It is ideal for watching movies and videos with just the right amount of brightness. The screen has good horizontal and upper viewing angles. It comes with a 2.0 MP Webcam. It features HDMI as well, to connect your laptop to a HD enabled Monitor or TV to enjoy High Definition content.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The Dell Studio 15’s keyboard is quite good with standard key spacing and travel. It lets out a distinct clacking sound during key presses. The keyboard feels solid and robust. It also comes with an option for a backlit keyboard for those who would like to use it in the dark.
The Touchpad is great and very responsive. It has just the perfect amount of sensitivity. The buttons are of good quality with a distinct feel.

The Dell Studio 15 comes with a series of touch sensitive media control buttons with LED backlights located on the top of the keyboard, just like the XPS series. It also comes with the Media center remote control which fits into the Express card slot.

Other features

It has decent speakers located above the keyboard which provide ample volume and clarity. They can easily suffice for non-audiophiles. The slot loading optical drive is good and performs well too. The Studio 15 is well endowed with good heatsinks and system fans. The temperatures are always below the maximum limits. It gets warm after some use, but never as much so as to disrupt the working. It is virtually noiseless, with the hard drive sounds muffled down.

Battery life

One of the main points to consider when buying a laptop is its battery life and the Dell Studio 15 doesnt disappoint you at all in that area. The standard 6 cell battery delivers slightly more than about 3.5 hours of battery life under normal working conditions and power management mode set to “Portable / Laptop”. If you need extra juice out of the battery, you can reduce the display brightness, reduce speaker volume, turn off Wi-Fi when not in use etc. You can also always get a 9 cell battery which is much more powerful.

Pros

• Stylish Design and Superb Build quality
• Nice Display
• Great Pricing
• Good Battery life
• Nice Keyboard and Touchpad

Cons

• Slightly heavy
• No option for a better GPU

Conclusion

The Dell Studio 15 is one of the best in the 15″ category. It offers great features and performance without being outrageously priced. It combines many features of the XPS M1530 and the Dell Inspiron 1525 and emerges a winner. The quality, configurable options and great pricing make it a superb buy for people who aren’t very interested in gaming but want a laptop for multimedia usage.

Our rating : 4/5.