Dell Studio 17 Review

Last year Dell finally realized that consumers don’t want another nameless, faceless black and gray laptop that gets lost in the crowd. Today’s mobile generation wants notebooks that are as unique and stylish as possible. The result was the amazingly attractive and amazingly popular 13.3″ XPS M1330 and the 15.4″ Dell XPS M1530. Taking things one step further, Dell announced the highly customizable Studio 15 and Studio 17 notebooks.

Is the 17-inch Dell Studio 17 as impressive and unique as Dell wants you to believe? Keep reading and you’ll find out.
Our pre-production Dell Studio 17 notebook is equipped with the following specifications:

* Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 (2.5GHz) processor
* Windows Vista Home Premium SP1
* 17-inch WUXGA Glossy Display (1920 x 1200)
* 3GB system RAM - 2 DIMM (DDR2-667)
* 320GB 5400rpm HDD
* 256MB (GDDR2) ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 graphics
* Webcam and Fingerprint reader
* Backlit keyboard
* Slot Load DVD+/-RW with Dual Layer DVD+R write capacity
* Dell Wireless 1510N
* 9-cell battery (85WHr)
* Dimensions: 1.18″ to 1.69″ x 15.46″ x 11.36″ (H x W x D)
* Weight: 7.87lbs
* Other: “Dell Dock” software; 30-day security trial; 3GB Dell DataSafe; Dell Support Center
* Base Price: $999
* Price as configured: $1,599 (E-Value Code: 1-DNDPVA1)

Free Delivery with your Dell 17 Studio: www.dell.com.au

Build and Design

For a number of years the phrase, “Dude, you’re getting a Dell” from old Dell television commercials was synonymous with heavy, thick, and boxy laptops that offered great value but where short on style. In fact, several competing laptop manufacturers developed sleek notebooks over the last five years that attracted consumers mainly due to their more “personal” appearance. The new Studio line from Dell is the latest example of how Dell has finally learned that the package matters almost as much as the contents of the box.

The first time you look at the Studio 17 it’s as if Dell added a few inches to the XPS M1530, cut out the brushed aluminum parts, and offered a few more ways to customize the look. The end result is an impressive looking desktop replacement. I use the term “desktop replacement” because most people in the market for a 17-inch notebook aren’t planning to haul their notebook everywhere and use it during regular airline travel.

What the Studio 17 lacks in mobility it more than makes up for in solid design and construction. As mentioned above, the Studio 17 takes several design elements from the latest XPS notebooks: the wedge-shaped profile, drop hinge, slot-loading optical drive, and touch-sensitive media buttons are all hallmarks of the XPS M1330 and M1530. That said, there’s more to the Studio 17 than just design elements from the XPS line.

The Studio 17 is available in your choice of seven colors: Plum Purple, Tangerine Orange, Flamingo Pink, Midnight Blue, Ruby Red, Spring Green or standard Jet Black. Our pre-production unit came with the “Midnight Blue” paint job and it looks absolutely flawless. The matte paint has an almost rubber-like texture similar to the paint used on last year’s Inspiron notebooks and, of course, the XPS notebooks. Dell also took the customization options one step further by offering an optional high gloss “Graphite Grey” color that comes in your choice of black, blue, pink, or red edge trim around the display back and sides

Another nice touch is the use of an imprinted design on the palmrest area (also on the display lid if you select the high gloss graphite grey color options). The design looks like a close-up view of a topographical map and is yet another way that the Studio notebooks stand out from the rest of the Dell lineup.

In terms of overall chassis construction the Studio 17 is quite solid and suffers from virtually no flex or creaks when squeezed and twisted between your hands. I don’t recommend tossing the Studio 17 across the room, but it should survive a drop from your desk without significant damage.

The one design element I’m not 100 percent in love with is the bottom access panel. Rather than have the typical RAM cover, hard drive covers, and main panel on the bottom of the notebook, the Studio 17 uses a single, massive panel that provides access to all of the notebook at once. While this is helpful for those people who want to make multiple modifications or service their notebook, exposing the entire bottom of the notebook is a little intimidating for people who just want to upgrade their RAM.

Screen

Adding to the lengthy list of customizable options on this notebook, Dell offers the Studio 17 with a WXGA+ (1440 x 900) glossy display, a WUXGA (1920 X 1200) glossy display, or a WXGA+ LED (1440 x 900) glossy display. Our review unit came with the WUXGA (1920 x 1200) glossy display and it looks wonderful. I’m certain it would be even more impressive when paired with the optional Blu-ray drive for 1080p HD movies.

The screen on our pre-production unit looks beautiful from straight on. There was some slight uneven backlighting in the upper right corner of our review unit, but this is a pre-production notebook and the high-resolution display panels used in Dell notebooks usually tend to be better than the lower-resolution offerings. The horizontal viewing angles on our review unit are great. Upper vertical viewing angles are good, but colors did begin to invert at lower viewing angles when the screen is tilted back.

One additional item of note that somewhat falls into the category of the screen is the new “Dell Dock” application included with all Studio notebooks. The Dell Dock is a unique visual interface similar to the Dock in Apple’s Mac OS X or the StarDock Object Dock application. The primary benefit of this application is that it helps you keep your desktop free of clutter and makes using Vista a little more user friendly. Kudos to Dell for adding this to the desktop interface on the Studio 17.

Keyboard, Touchpad and Media Controls

The keyboard on the Studio 17 is one of the better keyboards I’ve used on a 17-inch notebook. The keyboard is firm with only a minor bit of flex detected near the “K” key. All the keys have excellent travel and cushion. The Studio 17 is really quite a pleasure to type on and the dedicated number pad is something that I personally love to see on larger notebooks. The only complaint I have for the keyboard is that if your fingernails are slightly long they might get caught under the keys, this shouldn’t be a problem for most males though. As you can see below, the keyboard also features a nice backlight function when you’re typing in the dark.

The touchpad works well enough, though it’s seems a little on the small side given the size of the notebook. The mouse buttons have excellent travel and cushion, though I did feel like they made a bit too much of a “clicking” sound when pressed. The good news with the touchpad is that it’s responsive, has dedicated scroll areas and the glossy textured feel is extremely good.

A series of touch-sensitive media buttons with white LED backlights are located above the keyboard similar to the buttons on the M1330 and M1530. One nice feature about the media buttons is that the LEDs only stay lit for a fraction of a second after being pressed, so they won’t distract you by staying lit all the time.

Dell also includes a Media Center remote control that fits neatly into the ExpressCard slot on the side of the notebook. This is a great accessory for presentations or if you want to control a DVD from across the room.

Check out the latest Dell 17 Studio deals:www.dell.com.au

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