Dell Inspiron 13 Review

by Jerry Jackson

The all new Dell Inspiron 13 (1318) follows the design direction of the new Studio series, as well as the XPS M1330 and XPS M1530. This sleek looking notebook offers a slot-loading optical drive, and is available at both the Dell website as well as Wal-Mart and Walmart.com. With a starting price of less than $700, this notebook is destined to be quite popular with students and average consumers looking for something more portable than a 15-inch laptop.

Dell Inspiron 13 (1318) specifications:

• Screen: 13.3" WXGA TrueLife Glossy
• Processor: Intel Pentium Dual Core T2390 (1.86GHz, 533FSB, 1MB Cache)
• Memory: 2GB RAM
• Storage: 160GB HDD (5400rpm)
• Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW
• Wireless: 802.11b/g
• Graphics: Intel X3100 Integrated Graphics
• Built-in web camera
• Battery: 11.1V 56Wh
• Dimensions: 12.52" x 9.37" x 1"/1.51"
• Weight: 4lbs 13.5oz
• Retail Price: $698

Build and Design

The design of the Inspiron 13 is remarkably similar to the  XPS M1330 and really sets it apart from the older Inspiron notebooks. The design is, in a word, attractive. The sloping look and glossy blue lid are immediately attention grabbing. The slope is akin to a fast car tear drop look. The screen hinges use the same rounded design found on the XPS M1330, but this time they're black plastic with metal core instead of a brushed metal exterior. The wedge-like angles to the chassis design likewise make the Inspiron 13 look like it has the same DNA as the XPS line.

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Once opened the Inspiron 13 provides a conservative, black plastic design. The buttons along the top edge are touch sensitive but don't light up with a soft glow when pressed like the media buttons on the XPS line. The black colored keyboard and textured black plastic palm rests are nice, but the palm rests are made of a textured black plastic that looks quite cheap and has the horrible side effect of picking up skin oils and sweat ... making your attractive notebook look tarnished and dirty.

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The chassis is quite rigid with metal support in just the right places and little or no flex on the palm rests or anywhere on the base of the notebook. The back of the LCD does have some flex and it's possible to produce ripples on the screen if you press firmly on the back of the panel. The hinges are extemely firm and smooth and help give the Inspiron 13 a quality look and feel.

Overall we have to say that the Inspiron 13, like the XPS M1330, is a visually appealing notebook with solid build quality.

Screen

The screen on the Inspiron 13 rates about average, with the only drawback of the panel being poor viewing angles. Screen brightness is great for around the office or classroom, but isn't quite bright enough for outside use on a sunny day. Not only would the screen brightness be fighting against the sun, but the glossy panel would probably blind you if you were not able to get into some shade. Indoors, the screen doesn't present such problems. It's glossy in nature so you'll get some reflection, but the rich and bold colors that come with having this type of screen finish is worth it.

While the direct view or horizonal viewing angles looked fine, the vertical viewing angles were hardly acceptable. At the upper viewing angles the screen washes out and loses contrast. At lower viewing angles the colors severely invert and at extreme angles the entire panel goes nearly black. While extreme horizontal angles weren't perfect, it was the extreme vertical angles that killed this screen.

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Speakers and Audio

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The speakers for the Inspiron 13 are located at the top of the keyboard area. There's not much to write home about the speakers, they get loud enough that's for sure, but the sound is slightly tinny as is the case with nearly all laptop speakers. The volume audio controls are touch sensitive buttons along the top right side of the keyboard. It's a little hard to use these buttons if you have big fingers, and most of the time the buttons won't register a press if you press them multiple times too quickly. Overall the volume control buttons are tough to use, though they look nice, an old fashioned volume dial control is easier to use.

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If you prefer to use headphones rather than the built-in speakers, you're set. The headphone jack and microphone jack, both located on the front of the notebook, work well with little or no distortion. If you're trying to attach external speakers this isn't as handy, but since this is laptop designed for mobility we doubt most people will connect external speakers to this notebook.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard look and feel is very businesslike, sporting black matte keys instead of glossy painted keys found on many new notebooks. The typing feel is excellent, with a soft, barely audible click on each keypress and very little keyboard flex. The area above the optical drive has slightly more flex than the rest of the keyboard, but it is still very minor compared to other notebooks ... and the keyboard on this notebook is actually much more rigid that the keyboards on the new ThinkPad T400 and T500 series notebooks. Spacing and key size is on par with my Dell Latitude D630 and ThinkPad T60, but the overall keyboard area is a little more cramped than what you'll find on a typical 15-inch notebook.

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The touchpad works well enough, though it's on the small side. The Apple MacBook is a 13.3" screen notebook and the touchpad is probably twice the size of what you get on the Inspiron 13. The mouse buttons are fine with nice, deep press and quiet clicks. The good news with the touchpad is that it's responsive, has dedicated scroll areas and the textured feel is good.

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