Video Hands-On with Dell’s Superslim Vostro V13: Like the Adamo, But Practical

Although Dell’s dipped its toes in the ultra-low voltage pool before with laptops such as the Studio 14z, the Vostro V13 is its first ULV system for small business users. The 13-inch notebook, which measures just 0.65 inches thin and weighs 3.5 pounds, starts at $449. But if you want Windows 7 and a dual-core processor, that starting price is $649. The V13 involves some compromises, but overall it’s the first small biz notebook we’d call both cool and practical. Read on for our detailed first impressions and check out our editor Mark Spoonauer in a video walk-through of this attractive ultraportable.

Design

If the V13 looks familiar, that’s because it borrows some design elements from both Dell’s high-end Studio XPS line and its cutting-edge, but niche-y Adamo. The lid is made of anodized aluminum, which is less prone to smudging and scratching than other materials. The first thing you’ll notice, even before the lid, are the zinc hinges. Like the Adamo, the hinge design is recessed– that is, it digs into the body of the notebook so that there’s some space between where the lid begins and the back edge of the notebook ends.

Inside, the V13′s flat, unseparated keys remind us of the keyboards we tested on the Studio XPS 13 and 16. In our hands-on, the keyboard felt comfortable to type on, and didn’t bend much even as we started to type vigorously. Above the keyboard are glowing white LED lights, another feature borrowed from the Studio XPS notebooks (the V13′s chassis, however, has no multimedia keys, although we don’t think small business users will mind much). Rounding out the design is a magnesium alloy palm rest. Overall, the machine has a solid feel.

Trackpad and Touch Buttons

As pretty as the V13 is, here’s an Achilles heel in the design: the touchpad, while smooth, didn’t feel large enough for us to comfortably make the multi-touch gestures that this pad supports. For normal activity– say, dragging the cursor around the desktop– it was plenty big, however. Also the touch buttons seem unnecessarily narrow (Dell could have extended them all the way to the bottom lip of the notebook, but instead left some space in between). We also found them to be a bit mushy. Overall, though, we’d prefer slightly gummy touch buttons to a trackpad with too much friction.

What You Get

The V13 starts at $449 but we wouldn’t recommend that configuration. For that price you get a dated Celeron processor and the Ubuntu OS (a strong Linux distro, if you’re into that). Configurations with Windows 7 and a single-core Intel ULV processor start at $599; Win 7 and dual-core Intel ULV processors start at $649. That last configuration is the one we’d suggest, which seems perfectly resasonable given the V13′s cutting edge industrial design.

Regardless of your configuration, a webcam, wireless-N Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth come standard. The list of ports is fairly skimpy: 2 USB ports, including one that doubles as an eSATA port (we would have preferred three), an Ethernet jack, headphone and mic ports, and a VGA port for standard-definition output. Like many ULV systems this size, it does not have an optical drive. As for storage, this various depending on which of the three starting configurations you choose, but for dual-core systems, a 250GB 7,200 rpm drive is standard.

On the security and durability front, something business users care a lot about, the V13 has a spill-resistant keyboard and users can also opt for an encrypted hard drive. For features such as a fingerprint reader or a Smart Card reader, you’ll have to go with Dell’s larger-business-oriented Latitude line instead.

Finally, the 13-inch display has a predictable 1366 x 768 resolution, which is all you need for doing work and watching clips on Hulu. The bezel, which is raised, seemed a bit thick, although we still enjoyed the bright display. Road warriors will like that the screen has a matte finish, which allows for versatile viewing angles, a boon if the person in the seat in front of you on the plane decides to lean back.

Compromises

Theiu biggest compromise you’ll make in choosing the V13 is that it has a sealed battery that users cannot replace themselves. In fact, all of the components are sealed, so forget about upgrading the RAM or hard drive yourself. Finally, not having access to the battery also means that you can’t sub in an extended battery or slice, as you can on other Dell ultraportables, such as the Latitude XT2.

We’re also interested to see how long the battery lasts in the real world. Dell told us its labs are getting battery life ratings as high as 4 hours and 42 minutes. However, this test, MobileMark, assumes the user is using lots of programs, such as Word, while ours assumes the user is keeping Wi-Fi on, and doing a lot online. Moreover, sub-five-hour battery life would still be on the short side for an ultaportable, particularly one that runs on a processor that promises to conserve battery life. Stay tuned for a full review in which we put the battery through its paces.

Early Verdict

The Dell Vostro V13 is one of the best looking small business notebooks yet. It even steals some thunder from more expensive cohorts, such as the Adamo and Latitude Z600. In addition to good design, it also offers promising specs, including a dual-core ultra-low voltage processor and a 7,200 rpm hard drive. Our biggest concern is whether the one-size-fits-all battery will dampen the laptop’s appeal with road warriors. Stay tuned for a full review.

Check out our video and gallery below. If you like what you see and can’t wait to get your hands on a V13, it’s available now on Dell’s site.