We at Dell respect the Ubergizmo audience, so you can say we are flattered earlier in the year when this positive story first circulated. Thank You.
It’s not a secret anymore, Dell is going to release the Dell XPS 15Z which looks like a Macbook-Pro “peer” at PC prices. The Dell XPS 15Z uses a lot of design elements from the late Adamo line of products: aluminum, clean ports, backlit keyboard, and overall nice aspect. However, it improves on the Adamo products by bringing a fast processor (Core i5 or Core i7) and a discrete NVIDIA GPU.
If you look at it from a Dell perspective, this is a huge improvement over previous XPS 15 computers. The design is much nicer, thinner, lighter (5.5lbs). And even when you compare it with a Macbook Pro, prospect Mac switcher should check those options out: the 1080p display option costs only $100. There’s no Thunderbolt I/O, but two USB 3.0 and one eSata/USB combo gets the job done as well.
Dell is targeting “digital creators” with this one, but there’s little doubt that business users will be looking at this new release. I’ve played shortly with the computer, and although I have not run any benchmarks yet, I can tell you that the design is totally worth checking out. Even with the 1920×1080 display upgrade, a 750GB 7200rpm disk and 6GB of RAM, we’re talking about a $1299 computer (pricing as the time of publishing).
I wish that there was an SSD choice at order-time, especially since users are not allowed to open the box if they don’t want to void the warranty. Also, keep in mind that the Macbook Pro has a 77.5Whr battery versus a 64Whr battery for the XPS 15Z.
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