Dell XPS 14z

The Dell XPS 14z ($1,299 direct) is a fully-featured mainstream in a compact, metallic chassis. With top-flight features like an Intel Core i7-2640M processor, Nvidia graphics with automatic switching, and one of the best keyboards we've laid hands on, the Dell XPS 14z has the chops to take on the best laptops in its class, but some might balk at the price.

Design
The Dell XPS 14z shares much of its design with its desktop replacement predecessor, the ($999, 4 stars). It has the same streamlined curves, sheathed in aluminum and reinforced with magnesium alloy. The chassis measures 0.9 inches thick, and even with the addition of four chunky shock-absorbing feet the laptop sits less than 1-inch high when closed. Though it sports a 14-inch display, the surrounding bezel is so slim that the dimensions (0.9 by 13.19 by 9.21-inches, HWD) put it closer to a 13-inch laptop. That's roughly the same size as the ($1199 direct, 3.5 stars). The whole package weighs 4.36 pounds, which is lighter than the MacBook and the ($750 direct, 4 stars), both of which weigh 4.5 pounds.

The Dell XPS 14z has inherited one of the finest keyboards found in current laptops, the same full-sized chiclet keyboard on the Dell XPS 15z. The sculpted keys curve comfortably beneath your fingertips, and an automatic backlight provides illumination as needed, sensing the ambient light and adjusting the keyboard brightness accordingly. The accompanying touchpad is large—4.5-inches from corner to corner—and the separate right and left mouse buttons are quiet and comfortable when clicked.

The 14-inch display is nearly edge-to-edge, thanks to a slim bezel that measures less than 0.5 inch. The widescreen layout looks good with standard 1366-by-768 resolution, and a glass layer helps it look even sharper. Just above the screen you will also find a 1.3 megapixel webcam, with dual-microphones for clearer sound while video chatting or recording video. On either side of the keyboard, you'll find two stylized speaker grills with the same eye-catching design found on the XPS 15z. The upward facing speakers pump out superb audio, enhanced with Waves MaxxAudio 3 software. The sound quality is strong and clear, and even provides relatively good bass, though, any decent speakers with a subwoofer will outclass it. If you want better audio while watching a movie, the XPS 14z also puts out 5.1 surround sound through its HDMI output.

Features
The HDMI port is just one of many features found on the XPS 14z, along with a mini-DisplayPort. Those who want to ditch video cables completely can do so, by streaming HD content to your HDTV thanks to the integrated WiDi 2.0 technology (provided you have a receiver, a $99 dollar extra). Other choice features include a slot loading optical drive (DVD +- RW), and Bluetooth 3.0. On the left hand side of the laptop, you'll find jacks for headphones and a microphone, while on the back of the laptop there's a USB 2.0 port, a faster USB 3.0 port, and an Ethernet jack. That Gigabit Ethernet will probably be supplanted by the 802.11n Wi-Fi connection that's built-in.

The Dell XPS 14z comes with a 750GB 7,200rpm hard drive, matching the drive capacity of the ($699.99 list, 4.5 stars) (750GB), but larger than the drives found on the MacBook Pro 13-inch (500GB), ($1,199.99 list, 3.5 stars) (500GB), and ($799.99 list, 4 stars) (640GB). On the hard drive, you'll find that Dell includes a bit of pre-installed software, such as a 60-day trial of McAfee SecurityCenter and Microsoft Office Starter 2010. A few of the more egregious bits of bloatware that you may want to remove as part of your initial set-up include Bing and Skype branded toolbars, e-readers from Blio and Zinio, and a dedicated link to eBay right on the desktop. The Dell XPS 14z is also covered by a one-year warranty, which includes one year of mail in repair service and a limited hardware warranty.

Performance
The Dell XPS 14z may be small, but the dual-core Intel Core i7-2640M processor inside is not. This top-flight 2.8GHz processor paired with 8GB of RAM provided some of the fastest performance numbers we've seen in the 14-inch space. Packing a high-speed processor into a small chassis, however, doesn't allow much room for heat to dissipate, and during testing we pointed our Fluke IR thermometer at the keyboard and it registered temperatures as high as 97-degrees Fahrenheit. Despite the heat, the XPS 14z still produced some of the best performance among 14-inch laptops, with a PCMark7 score of 2,261 points and Cinebench R11.5 score of 3.16 points. The XPS 15z deftly handled our multimedia tests, completing Handbrake in 1 minute 37 seconds and Photoshop in 3:27. The closest competitors, the Dell Inspiron 14z (1:58 on Handbrake; 4:10 on CS5) and ($1,079.99 direct, 4 stars) (1:57 Handbrake, 4:16 Photoshop) both fell behind despite their fine performances.

The XPS 14z also benefits from Intel's integrated graphics and an Nvidia GeForce GT 520M discrete graphics processor with 1GB of dedicated memory. Nvidia's Optimus technology automatically switches between the two, drawing on the Nvidia GPU's graphics power for tasks like gaming, but switching to the more energy-efficient Intel solution for less demanding tasks. Thanks to this Nvidia hardware, the Dell XPS 14z did well in gaming tests, pumping out playable frame rates in Crysis (33.2 frames per second) and almost playable frame rates in Lost Planet 2 (25.1 fps) at medium detail and 1024-by-768 resolution. While these are decent scores, they were trounced by the Sony VAIO VPC-SA2GFX/BI's AMD Radeon graphics processor (59.1 fps Crysis, 50.2 fps Lost Planet 2).

To keep the design extra slim, the Dell XPS 14z seals the battery into the chassis of the laptop, away from the owner's prying hands. It's a design decision that can also be seen in the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch and Samsung QX411-W01. In MobileMark 2007, the Dell XPS 14z's 58Wh battery lasted 6 hours 3 minutes. This puts it ahead of the MacBook (3:58 with a 63.5Wh battery), but it falls short of the larger batteries found in regular-sized 14-inch competitors, like the Samsung (8:48, 60Wh) and Asus U46E-BAL5 (7:19, 74Wh). Though 5-7 hours of battery-life is common, the 8+ hours provided by some of these laptops is just too difficult for the Dell to match.

Among mainstream laptops, the Dell XPS 14z offers better components and better performance than most competitors, with an Intel Core i7 processor, switchable Nvidia graphics, and a spacious 750GB hard drive. Though it falters a bit on battery life, the attractive compact design and oh-so-comfortable keyboard gives other premium systems a run for their money. On the flipside, the $1,299 premium may be too steep for some customers, who might prefer the Editors' Choice Dell Inspiron 14z (Core i5), which offers solid mainstream performance without the luxury-class price tag.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE

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