DELL STUDIO XPS 16

With its metal and leather looks, the Dell Studio XPS 16 will appeal to everybody who wants to make a style statement with their notebooks. It is stylish, has cutting-edge features and enough power inside its chassis for number crunching and
video encoding.

System configuration for the laptop under review
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)
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64 bit)
Prices start at $1,199

Build and Design
Until a few years ago, Dell laptops had the dubious distinction of being heavy, thick and boxy. They offered great value, but always lacked in style. But with the release of such lines as the XPS, Inspiron and Studio, Dell underwent a huge stylish makeover. The Studio XPS 16 is both stylish and classy. It combines the best features of the XPS and the Studio line of notebooks.
The XPS 16 has a solid design and construction. The use of leather on the lid over the hinge area makes the laptop look more stylish. The Studio XPS 16 isn't as sturdy as the Dell Latitude or Precision business notebooks but it will survive a drop from your desk without much damage.

Screen
The 16 inch display is simply fantastic. It uses the RGBLED LCD display which offers richer and deeper colors than the standard LCD technology. Horizontal viewing angles are great.

Keyboard, Touchpad and Media Controls
The LED backlit keyboard is very good. It is also very firm and shows no signs of flex. The Synaptics touchpad works well, but it is slightly small for a laptop of this size.

Ports and Features
The port selection is very good. There are 3 USB ports (2 USB ports + 1 combo USB/eSATA port), VGA, TV tuner, Ethernet, HDMI, microphone jacks, two headphone jacks, ExpressCard, FireWire, Slot-loading optical drive and power jack.

Speakers
There are two large stereo speakers and built-in subwoofer. They are placed on either side of the keyboard. The audio quality is good.

Performance
The XPS 16 offers good performance in terms number crunching and video encoding. And with the ATI Radeon HD 3670 dedicated graphics card, you can play almost every game or perform 3D graphics work.

Battery Life
At around 2 hours, the battery life is good for a 16-inch desktop replacement notebook. You will get up to 3 hours of battery life if you use the 9 cell lithium battery.

Pros:
Great build quality
Good keyboard
Great display
Good selection of ports

Cons:
Glossy screen
Tends to heat up
Average battery life
Pre-loaded programs