The Dell Studio 15 sits between the company’s high-end XPS range and the entry-level Inspiron laptops and mixes many of the properties of both. For instance, you’ll find the styling is very much in-keeping with the XPS, albeit using cheaper plastic rather than brushed aluminium. At the other end, you’ll find the Dell Studio 15 has the same cost-effective pricing as the Inspiron 1545.
That said, the Dell Studio 15 is very much it’s own machine and as our review unit proved, it’s a highly likable and usable machine. Read on for the full review…
Based around a 15.4-inch panel, this laptop is a great looking machine that is available in a range of colours. The plastic used is tough and certainly delivers great value for money.
The screen is top-notch and comes with a 1440 x 900-pixel resolution, which makes images look sharp. The screen itself is bright enough for watching movies, as well as simply for work. You won’t be able to play any games on the Studio 15, as it comes with integrated graphics but the media buttons above the keyboard mean you can quickly watch movies.
The big screen means there is plenty of space for a good-sized keyboard and the overall weight of 2.7kg, while not truly portable, means you can carry it without too many hassles. You’ll even get well over four hours from the battery.
Our review machine came with an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor, which really packs a punch. Especially due to the inclusion of 2048MB of memory, making this a great machine for those who like to run multiple applications at once. For example, even with four windows open we saw no real slow down in performance.
Extras are bountiful, as you’ll find a DVD rewriter, webcam and 8-in-1 card reader. Wi-Fi and Ethernet come as standard and there is even a remote control in the box to control you music and movies.
Verdict
The Dell Studio 15 is a great all-round laptop that manages to deliver both in terms of design and value for money. Sure, there are cheaper laptops on the market but if you’ve the budget to spare, this is a highly recommended laptop.
Best features
Big screen
Nice keyboard
Solid design
Not so good
Basic hard drive size
Integrated graphics
Check out the Dell Studio 15 gallery
Closest Rivals
Acer AS5735 T5800 Laptop
It’s a slightly more expensive option but this laptop delivers more in the way of power and storage, as well as a slightly larger 15.6-inch screen
HP G60-100EM laptop
Powered by a versatile AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core QL60 processor and comes with Windows Vista Home Premium Edition, this is as powerful a laptop as you’re likely to find in this price bracket
Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop
A good sized laptop with a sharp 15.4-inch screen. The stunning black gloss design looks great, while the big and comfortable keyboard makes it a pleasure to use
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