Review Dell Studio XPS 16 backlit keyboard

The Studio XPS 16 features premium design with genuine leather accents, anodized aluminum, edge-to-edge display and backlit keyboard, 16" ultrawide 16:9 aspect ratio with 1080p HD support & optional RGB-LED for brighter and more vivid colors, the latest Centrino 2 platform for blazing fast performance, amazing battery life and go anywhere wireless connectivity and premium ATI 512MB graphics delivers incredibly lifelike videos, movies and gaming.

Dell Studio XPS 16 specifications

* Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz)
* Memory: 4GB - 2DIMM DDR3
* HDD: 320GB 7200rpm
* Graphics: ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3670 (512MB)
* Display: 16.0" 1080p Full HD RGBLED LCD with 2.0 MP Webcam
* Optical Drive: 4X Blu-ray Disc Combo Drive (DVD/CD +/- RW +BD Read)
* OS: Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64 bit)

* Software: 15-month Trend Micro security subscription, Microsoft Works 9
* Wireless: Intel Wireless 5100
* Mediabay: 8-in-1 Media Card Reader
* Battery: 6-cell and 9-cell batteries
* Other: Facial Recognition Security; Dell Dock; Dell Video Chat; 2GB Data Safe Online
* Dimensions: 0.95"-1.34" x 15.15" x 10.02" with 6-cell battery (H x W x D)
* Weight: 6.53 lbs with 6-cell battery
* Price as configured: $1,804 (Starting price: $1,199)

Summary review via Cnet

The good: Dell embraces the 16:9 aspect ratio display; upscale design with leather trim; backlit keyboard and edge-to-edge screen glass.

The bad: The 1080p display costs extra; unimpressive battery life; new Studio XPS brand may get lost between the Inspiron, Studio, and XPS lines.

The bottom line: Dell's new 16:9 Studio XPS 16 adds upscale extras such as a leather trim and a backlit keyboard to a fairly standard set of components, without jacking up the price (too much).

Design

The Studio XPS 16’s slick aesthetic begins with its eye-catching glossy Obsidian Black lid (emblazoned with Dell’s logo), set off by an anodized aluminum strip that stretches the width of the top and connects to a pair of thick, sturdy hinges (which bear the XPS logo). A panel of black, genuine leather at the base of the lid reinforces the idea that this is a classy, high-end machine. Dell even pays attention to the bottom of the notebook: portions of it are covered with miniature X’s pulled from the XPS logo.



The first time you look at the Studio XPS 16 it's clear that this is something entirely new for Dell. They've taken the sleek lines and brushed aluminum accents from the XPS line and combined it with the multimedia features and a few chassis design elements from the Studio line to create a solid desktop replacement.

Screen



The 16.0" 1080p Full HD RGBLED display is, in a word, gorgeous. Unlike standard LCD technology used in most notebooks, the RGBLED LCD offers richer, deeper colors and excellent contrast that make it ideal for watching HD movies from the built-in Blu-ray player or for editing high-resolution photos from your digital camera.

Keyboard, Touch, and Webcam

A glossy strip above the keyboard houses the XPS 16’s responsive multimedia touch controls that let us play/pause music, skip tracks, raise/lower/mute volume, eject discs, and toggle Wi-Fi radio on/off with ease. Similar to other areas of the system, the controls feature a cool white backlight for a unified appearance.



The Synatics touchpad works well enough, though it seems a little on the small side given the size of the notebook. The mouse buttons have excellent travel and cushion 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 Dell Studio 17. The media button LEDs stay lit constantly rather than turning off after a fraction of a second, so they might distract you and reduce battery life by staying lit all the time.

Conspicuous by its absence is a biometric fingerprint reader to keep prying eyes away from sensitive data, but the system features FastAccess facial-recognition technology, which we used in conjunction with the 2-megapixel webcam to log into the system using our mugs. Friends that we chatted with in Meebo reported that the camera provided clear images, albeit with some stuttering.

Battery Life

The Studio XPS 16 comes with either a 6-cell battery or a 9-cell extended-life battery. The 9-cell lithium-ion battery provides excellent battery life at the expense of a slightly larger and heavier notebook. With Vista's power management running in "balanced" mode, screen brightness set to 80 percent and wireless on, the 9-cell battery delivered 2 hours and 50 minutes of battery life. The 6-cell battery, as expected, produced about 2/3 as much battery life ... coming in at just under two hours.

Pros

* Attractive design
* Outstanding performance
* Sharp, colorful RGB-LED display
* HDMI and DisplayPort connections
* Backlit keyboard

Cons

* Visible hinge screws
* Display kicks back heavy reflections

Source: Dell