Dell XPS14 Ultrabook
Signaling Dell’s entry into the Ultrabook market, the XPS 14 packs a lot of features into its metal construction along with the latest Sandybridge processors. So does it have what it takes to better the competition?
The hottest sector in the current PC market has to be Ultrabook which given Intel’s push and the PC makers realization to use this segment to take on Apple’s might, has resulted in some noteworthy products of late. We got our hands on one of the latest ones from Dell, the XPS 14 Ultrabook, the bigger brother of the well-received XPS 13.
First impressions are quite impressive, with the aluminum, corning glass bonded display and silicon bottom construction lending the machine a solid feel, while the soft touch rubberized paint over the keyboard and surrounding open surfaces feels luxurious and tactile. The backlit keyboard itself is well spread out with decent room around them and a wide track pad which proves easy to use for scrolling and other multi-touch gestures. The rest of the open surface too feels spacious and elegant, especially given the lack of too many ugly stickers cluttering the machine.
In the performance stakes, the 14 performed excellently for regular tasks with the hardware proving to be capable of tackling even usage of software’s like Photoshop without a hitch. Battery life too proved impressive with every charge lasting over 5 hours on an average. In the build quality, appearance and performance stakes then the Dell proved to be highly capable and noteworthy.
However, there were a few flaws that were quite evident, one, for an Ultrabook and given the spec, the XPS is simply too heavy. In fact, at its rated weight of 2.13Kgs it is significantly heavier than the competition. And then there’s the price, at Rs. 79,990/- for base spec, the XPS 14 is priced a bit too high in our opinion. Sure it offers fantastic build quality and a good spec but given the nature of the Ultrabook market, the price is too high and simply too close to a MacBook Air.
We like the XPS very much but would prefer to see it priced a bit lower to make it our Ultrabook of choice.
Price: Rs. 79,990/- onwards
Key Features
Processor: Intel Core i5/i7 Ivy Bridge
Screen resolution: 1600×900
Graphics: Integrated Intel HD Graphics, optional NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M 1GB
Memory: 4GB or 8GB DDR3 SDRaM
Storage: 500GB
Keyboard: Backlit, spill-resistant, chiclet keyboard
Battery: 69WHr, 8-cell Li-Poly power (non-removable)
Web Camera: 1.3MP with double microphone array
