Dell Studio XPS 13 review

When it comes to all-round performance, the XPS 13 isn't found wanting either. The Intel 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo P9500 processor and 4GB of DDR3 memory produced a fine 1.33 in our benchmarks. It's an impressive showing for such a compact laptop and the money-no-object choice of a 128GB SSD keeps Vista feeling snappy and responsive.

It's a shame then, if not entirely a surprise given the powerful components lurking inside, that battery life isn't one of the Studio XPS's strong points. Even with the Draft-N and HSDPA adapters switched off and the Nvidia graphics set to their 'Save Power' setting, the XPS 13 expired after just 3 hrs, 19 mins of sitting idle.

More money than sense

Granted, not many consumers can afford to spend £1,500 on a laptop, but even so Dell's Studio XPS 13 is a real temptation. The problem is that it finds itself with some heavyweight competition. If we had £1,500, Sony's VGN-Z21MN/B matches the Dell blow for blow in our 2D benchmarks while offering nine hours on the move, a weight of just 1.5kg and a higher-resolution display.

Make some sensible compromises to the Dell's specification though, and it's easy to build up a Studio XPS 13 for far less than £1,500. Swap out the 128GB SSD for a 320GB hard disk and you'll save £260; drop to a 2.4GHz P8600 and trim another £160. Depending on Dell's current time-limited offers, those compromises should get you a Studio XPS 13 for under a grand. It's still not cheap, but at that price the XPS 13's blend of power, poise and portability is more than enough to tempt us.

Author: Sasha Muller