Lay your mitts on a small laptop these days, and doubtless it’ll pack in a none–too–nippy Intel Atom, a Lidl–esque price tag and a decent enough 160GB HDD. Thankfully though, the Dell Inspiron 11z is no netbook, with the specs and the grunt to put it ahead of the game. But can this Windows Vista–packing machine do the business? Read our Dell Inspiron 11z review now for the full lowdown.
Fire up the Dell Inspiron 11z and you’ll quickly realise that this can handle tasks at a far quicker lick than it’s netbook cousins, the Dell Mini 9 and Dell Mini 10. It drops the ubiquitous (not to mention ageing) Intel Atom processor, instead plumping for a CULV version which handled video, web browsing and word processing without so much as a blink.
That’s in no small part thanks to the 2GB of RAM under the hood. Add a hearty 250GB HDD for stashing all your files and the Dell Inspiron 11z has the appearance of a truly top notch laptop.
Read our Dell Studio XPS 13 review now
However, things are let down hugely by the inclusion of Windows Vista. With Windows 7 due to drop on 22 October, it remains baffling why companies aren’t holding off for the far superior OS. It means the Dell Inspiron 11z, for all its spec–heavy goodness is majorly hamstrung. A free upgrade is on the cards, but adds levels of complication that basic users could do without.
The Dell Inspiron 11z is rescued somewhat by its 11–inch, 1368×768 screen, which can easily handle HD content. It’ll even spit those tasty pictures out onto a HD display too thanks to the inclusion of an HDMI port.
But the sticky trackpad, which we found nigh–on impossible to get along with, alongside that old–school OS, mean that if you’re after a fast–powered machine with little looks, you’re better off holding out until Windows 7 lands. Either that or buy the Dell Inspiron 11z a few months down the line.
