Dell Axim X5 (400MHz)

Never one to rush into a market when it can watch other companies make mistakes first, Dell has waited several years to release its own PDA. Now committed to Pocket PC, the US giant is determined to make a difference. As is Dell's usual wont, its main weapon isn't cutting-edge features or jaw-dropping design, but aggressive pricing that's on the verge of GBH.

Dell isn't yet 100 per cent certain what the Axim's price will be when it's released in the UK on 3 February 2003, but with US units shipping at $199 and $299 (after a $50 rebate) depending on their specification, we expect similarly bullish pricing over here. Dell quoted an approximate price of £235 for the 400MHz version, and we expect the 300MHz Axim to sell for around £160. But even if they end up being £199 and £299, we doubt HP, Toshiba or NEC will be able to match it.

Dell isn't making any sort of compromise on the specs either. The more expensive version includes a 400MHz processor, 64MB of RAM and 48MB of ROM. That's a match for PDAs costing twice as much. And the closest rival to its 300MHz version - which drops down to 32MB of RAM and 32MB of ROM - is the Toshiba e330, which costs £297 (likely to be over £100 more than the equivalent Axim).

Otherwise, there's no physical difference between the two versions of the Axim. They both boast a Type II CompactFlash slot and SD slot for superb expandability, while a jog dial, four shortcut keys and the usual five-way navigator button make it extremely usable.

Out of the box, there's no wireless connectivity other than infrared. Thankfully, though, the growing popularity of 802.11b WLAN and Bluetooth hasn't gone unnoticed by the company, with a Dell-branded Type II CompactFlash card available for both wireless standards. The drawback is that you can't use both cards simultaneously - this is one area where HP's more sophisticated iPAQ H5450 (see opposite) holds the aces.

One property both the iPAQ and the Axim share is a superb screen. Although Dell's TFT isn't as large as the iPAQ's, it uses the same transreflective technology and the colours look great. True, the iPAQ's colours are more accurate, but this isn't enough to sway a buying decision. Both screens are nice and bright too, but we needed to have the backlight on all the time, although not at its brightest setting. The end result was a battery life of more than four hours from the Axim, which is among the best we've seen from a Pocket PC.

There are two main reasons for the Axim's longevity: one, the processor speed changes automatically depending on demand; and two, the capacious 1,440mAH battery. Even better, this is removable - Dell sensibly includes a removable backup battery to make sure no data is lost. Our one criticism is that this battery isn't rechargeable, which means that once it goes below a certain point an irritating 'Replace your backup battery' message will pop up every time you switch the Axim on. At least Dell provides an accurate display to show exactly how much battery life remains in both the main and backup battery, so you can replace it before its charge drops too low.

But Dell's most thoughtful inclusion is a second slot in the docking cradle for charging your replacement batteries; just beware that the 300MHz Axim is only supplied with a USB synching cable. There's also room in the cradle for the PDA with the extra large, extended capacity battery.

The one thing the Axim isn't, however, is sleek or stylish. Two members of the PC Pro editorial team described it as ugly, but perhaps 'functional' is a fairer description. The rubberised finish at either side may not match the all-silver look of an iPAQ or Toshiba e330, but it makes the Axim easy to hold. However, when you slip the X5 into its protective jacket its 18mm depth doubles to almost 40mm. In fact, the only slim thing about this PDA is the stylus - we'd prefer it to be more rounded, but it proved accurate.