Photo gallery: Dell XPS M1210High-end components and performance are generally restricted to midsize and larger laptops, so it's always nice to see a smaller system aimed at power users. The $2875 Dell XPS M1210 (configurations start at AU$1,799) makes the move to Windows Vista, combining power and portability in a package that lives on the outskirts of the ultraportable category. While it's not for hard-core gamers, those who need above-average performance in a compact system won't mind paying a premium for this unique road-worthy hybrid.
Features
The 12.1-inch wide-screen display leads us to call the M1210 an ultraportable laptop, but its 2.2kg weight (2.35kg with the AC adapter) is closer to a laptop in the thin-and-light category, such as the Sony VAIO C15GP. Measuring 29.7 centimetres by 22 centimetres wide by 3 centimetres high, it's slightly bulkier than your average ultraportable, but still well suited for a daily commute.
The XPS M1210 features a bright 12.1-inch display that's fine for surfing the Web and watching media files, although a slightly larger 13.3-inch screen as found on the Asus W7J is the smallest display we'd want to use on an everyday basis. The crisp 1,280x800 native resolution strikes a fine balance between legible text and icons and screen real estate. Sitting above the display is a 1.3-megapixel Webcam; the camera rotates 180 degrees, as if on a rotisserie spit, so you can grab images from both the front and rear of the laptop.
The full-size keyboard on the XPS M1210 makes typing comfortable for even extended periods. The touch pad and mouse buttons are small but functional, with both horizontal and vertical scroll zones. A set of illuminated buttons sit along the front edge, including volume and media transport controls. They're handy when watching DVDs or listening to music, but they're far too easy to accidentally hit when typing, especially if the laptop is actually sitting on your lap.
The M1210 includes a decent set of ports and connections for such a small system. You get four USB 2.0 ports, four-pin FireWire, VGA, and S-Video-out ports, two headphone jacks (a welcome extra) and a mic jack; there's also an ExpressCard slot and a media card reader. Networking options include modem, Ethernet, and 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and WWAN.
Typical for Dell systems, the XPS M1210 is highly configurable to suit a wide range of budgets and needs. Our review unit arrived fairly tricked out, including a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 CPU, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 120GB hard drive running at 5,400rpm, a Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 GPU, and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. Compared to the XP version of the M1210 we looked back in June 2006, this model costs about the same, trades up to a Core 2 Duo CPU from a Core Duo, and doubles the RAM.
To cut the $2,879 price by a third, you could go with the default configuration, which trades down to a 1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 CPU, 1GB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, integrated graphics, and Windows Vista Home Premium. That's still a decent set of specs, if you're more interested in the M1210's size and features than in pure performance.
Performance
With the upgrades on our review unit, the Dell XPS M1210 is one of the fastest Windows Vista laptops we've seen so far, easily beating two laptops with 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 CPUs, the Toshiba Satellite U205-S5057 and the Asus W7J (a Windows XP system we upgraded to Vista) in CNET Labs' Multitasking test. It was also slightly faster than another T7200-based Dell, the Inspiron E1505.
The M1210's gaming prowess, however, was disappointing, even with the graphics upgrade. In Quake IV, at 1,024x768 resolution, we only got 16.2 frames per second (fps), although not-yet-perfected Windows Vista drivers are most likely to blame. Quake IV uses the Open GL framework, and not the more widely used Direct X, and at the time of writing neither Vista nor the beta NVIDIA driver fully supports Open GL. Turning off some high-end geometry and physics options, we were able to get more than 60fps at the same resolution out of FEAR, another popular first-person shooter.
One area where the M1210 excelled was in battery life. In our DVD battery drain test, we got 3 hours, 49 minutes out of the included nine-cell battery. That's excellent, especially for an ultraportable system, even though the nine-cell battery extends from the back of the system slightly. A smaller six-cell battery is also available. Vista laptops have a very flexible set of battery and power management options available via the operating system, but we haven't seen an overall improvement in battery life when compared to XP systems and in some cases, we've seen declines.
Though Dell has moved to a 90-day standard warranty on its less expensive models, the company covered this XPS M1210 with the optional three year standard mobile support plan, which includes one year of next business day onsite warranty, which provides free parts and labor. You can get help through Dell's 24 hours a day, seven days a week, toll-free telephone line for as long as you own the laptop. The company also has a support Web site with downloads, FAQs, and hardware-specific user forums.
Note: Products in this test are for comparative purposes only and are not necessarily available in the Australian market.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
System configurations:
Dell XPS M1710 Windows XP Media Center 2005 SP2; 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7600; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 512MB nVidia GeForce Go 7950 GTX; 100GB Hitachi 7,200rpm SATA/150
Toshiba Satellite U205-S5057 Windows Vista Home Premium Edition; 1.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5500; 1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM 528MHz; 224MB Mobile Intel 945GM Express; 160GB Hitachi 5,400rpm SATA/150
Asus W7J Windows XP Professional SP2; 1.66 Intel Core 2 Duo T5500; 1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM 528MHz; 512MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7400; 100GB Fujitsu 5,400rpm SATA/150
Dell Inspiron E1505 Windows Vista Home Premium; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon x1400; 100GB Hitachi 7,200rpm SATA/150
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