I purchased the Dell Adamo XPS about 2 months ago after debating between the raw performance of an Alienware laptop versus the thin-and-light Adamo XPS. I am glad to have chosen the Adamo XPS.Unpacking the Adamo XPS, you'll see it comes with a 20 WHr battery, a mini-display port to DVI adapter, USB ethernet adapter, cleaning cloth, and power adapter with extension cord. The laptop itself is a mere 9.99mm thick and weighs 1.6 lbs with battery installed. The laptop comes with an Intel ULV processor, 128 GB solid state drive by Samsung (PM800 model if anyone wants to look at its specs), 4 GB of DDR3 RAM, Intel GM45 graphics, GPS and Skyhook wifi triangulation, light sensor, webcam, 802.11abgn, and bluetooth. The 13.4" widescreen is LED backlit and has a maximum brightness of 300 cd/m2 (translation, pretty freaking bright!). It also has a SIM card slot on the lower left corner of the chassis, but I cannot find any information as to whether it has WWAN built in or not.
Physically, the laptop has a very finished and svelte look and feel to it. After swiping your fingers over the capacitive sensor at the lid of the screen, the locks disengage using a current sensitive metal that warps when a charge is applied to it. When open, there is no flex at the joint, which was a concern of mine as it seemed like a weak pivot point, even when pushing down with the palm of my hand at the keyboard, there is no noticeable flex. As part of the design, the processor and memory was placed above the keyboard area, which cleverly allows for air ventilation below the laptop and when used on your lap, prevents your legs and wrist from getting warm. The keyboard is chiclet styled, made with metal rather than painted plastic. Two speakers are hidden underneath the R and I keys on the keyboard, while a third downward facing speaker is on the bottom of the laptop.
Now that introductions are out of the way, I'll give you some of my observations on the laptop.
The solid state drive allows the laptop to boot fast, 15 seconds fast! After pressing the power button, it only takes the laptop 15 seconds to get to the windows login screen.
It is very comfortable to use on the lap. This was a concern of mine as the unconventional style looked like it would dig into my lap. I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case, and in fact was more comfortable overall, especially when compared with my Macbook Pro (which is akin to using a clothing iron on your lap). The Adamo XPS weighs only about 2 lbs overall, which really is no heavier than a paperback book, and since Dell placed the highest heat generating parts (memory and CPU) above the keyboard where it is furthest from your lap and wrists, my lap stays nice and cool. I am continuously amazed at how it feels like I am typing on thin air while I am using the laptop on my lap.
The engraving Dell chose to use to label the keys on the keyboard is annoying. It feels terrible when my nails slide over the key labels on the metal keyboard. It is like sliding your nails from a smooth glass surface to a surface made of sandpaper.
For touch-typists like me, the lack of ridges on the J and F keys is another added annoyance.
The buttons on the trackpad are springy and soft, nice!
The computer comes with Fast Access Facial Recognition, which allows for you to use your face to login to the computer. From my experience, it works very well, and adds to that futuristic feel when all you need to do is sit down in front of your "thinnest laptop in the world" and watch it login for you.
Center of gravity. With the unusual form factor, stability was a concern. The angle between the screen and keyboard cannot be opened greater than 60 degrees, which is a bummer when you are sitting close to the laptop. However, as all the heavy components are in the keyboard area, stability or the danger of tipping over was a non-issue.
-The display is VERY bright; it almost hurts my eyes to use it indoors above 50% brightness. The laptop has a built in light sensor next to the power button that adjusts the brightness of the screen automatically. Colors are nice but viewing angles on the screen is average, colors start to look "off" at 70 degrees away from looking straight at the screen. I guess I was just spoiled from using tablet pcs, which have very wide viewing angles.
The battery is a pain to figure out how to remove. Dell designed the laptop so that you can "hot-swap" the batteries, that is, you can simply put the laptop to sleep and swap the batteries out without needing to boot the computer up again (it has a small internal battery that allows you 30 seconds to change the batteries). After much fiddling and being afraid of snapping the battery, I finally figured out how to properly remove the battery. Close the laptop and place it upside down, so that the battery is at the top facing away from you, the Dell logo on the underside should be upside-down. Using both hands, place the nails of your fingers in the crevice of the battery and apply a gentle force inwards towards the center of the laptop. While doing so, use your left hand's thumb to engaging the battery release lock, the battery should pop out with no resistance at all when done right. What were they thinking?
Battery life with the standard battery is mediocre. Dell bundled a battery saving software that automatically turns off Windows Aero and engages CPU throttling to help save battery, but even then I only squeak by with 2.5 hours of usage with wifi.
Even with using Intel's ULV processor sipping 10 Watts max, the computer feels extremely peppy, it has no problem multitasking with Hulu videos, working on Word and Excel, while surfing the internet at the same time. That said, it is not a gaming laptop, so don't expect it to play graphics-intensive games.
Overall, with minimum compromises, mainly in battery life, I feel Dell has created an engineering marvel. It is a product that truly showcases how far personal computing technology has brought us. I feel as if I made the right purchasing decision.
Update 9-17-10:
Extended warranties on this laptop are a doozy! I called Dell to find out how much it would cost to extend my warranty from 1 year to 3 years. The cost quoted to me was $1500. ALMOST THE PRICE OF THE LAPTOP! The representative stated that the cost of the individual parts exceed $900 per part because of how specialized the laptop is. But still!
Good: microsoft office works flawlessly. it benefits from solid state drive more than processor speed. While using skype the processor is pinned at 50-70% (not for graphics intense applications clearly) and doesn't skip a beat even when simultaneously using office programs. at idle processor sits at 1-2%. can even use in bed or propped on pillow since the vents won't get obstructed. whisper quiet. keyboard with firm tactile response. snappy in-and-out of sleep mode a function of the solid-state drive. Hinge is firm enough that I prop screen at comfortable viewing angles without losing the solid feel of the laptop.
needs improvement: battery difficult to change. no backlit keyboard (I had read there was one). function keys are flush with keyboard but still pretty easy to use. mouse pad is very sensitive and thumb intermittently hits it while typing, which can be distracting. no fingerprint reader. facial recognition was not good for me even after a week of training, so it's un-installed.
haven't tried: external monitor but works well with usb projector. on plane but there is no reason it wouldn't work on a food tray.
overall no surprises (except missing backlit keyboard) and plenty to like. It's not a game machine, and it's more than a netbook. the greatest feature is the carry-ability. battery life better than expected based on the reviews. As noted elsewhere, it's not available from dell anymore ("end of life" is what they told me). It's a "premium price for last years hardware" but frankly, the laptop I used was three years old and bulky. even last year's technology is still very good. I'd suggest not getting it as a "toy" but as a quick to pop open full featured laptop to use for typical office tasks it's tough to beat. The form, in this case, is what I paid for and there were fewer, and more minor, compromises than I was expecting.
UPDATE: almost one year later :)
still my favorite machine, by far. did not upgrade to office 2010 because office 2007 opens much more quickly. Sadly my 2 year old dragged the computer off the table a couple of times onto a tile floor and the bottom corners bent and cracked. The machine still works flawlessly, but now the battery area and bottom corners are covered with duct tape. Installed Mint Linux but windows 7 is still so snappy that I never use it. Have been looking at the new ultra-books but still haven't found one that draws my attention away from this device. Again: not a gaming computer but a fantastic office/travel computer. windows 7 and office 2007 make for an almost instant-on and fully functioning computer environment. My desire for cutting edge keeps me looking for upgrades, but so-far haven't found a match for the form/function.
Buy Dell AX-3600GSL Adamo XPS 13.4-Inch Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium) Now
The seller lied to me. This product was not slightly used. It was never used and good as new. Still in all the plastic and packaging. The product is perfect and works like a dream. I saved 50% without getting 50% of the quality. I'm one happy man!ONE YEAR LATER
This computer is amazing! One year later it still works perfectly and seems to improve over time. The screen is great and the controls are perfect. Dell should have continued making this baby. I wish that they would make it again, I'd buy another one. I'm in love.
Not to mention all of the attention this thing gets. It's hard to believe that it was made back in 2009. I get stopped all the time and asked about it. And the Apple people in coffee shops hate me because my computer gets way more attention from others.
I love it! I can't imagine replacing this thing. If I could just upgrade the RAM and processor and graphics card I'd keep the shell forever.
Read Best Reviews of Dell AX-3600GSL Adamo XPS 13.4-Inch Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium) Here
Acquired this notebook from the Microsoft Store in Scottsdale, AZ and was very happy with the setup and initial performance. Didn't have success, tho, with an external USB DVD player purchased with it. Ended up ordering a (expensive!) DVD/Blu-Ray player for the Adamo direct from Dell and it works great...just one USB port required. Also purchased an extended life battery through Dell....which brings me to the one big complaint I have with this machine. So I now have two batteries to use with this notebook, but it is NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE to swap the battery out. Seems simple...there's a typical slider on the bottom to supposedly release the battery, but it won't come out... I see that the design of the case is such that the battery doesn't slide off towards the back of the machine, but needs to pop outward, but I still can't get it. I ended up handing it to my son and asked him to give it a try....he was FINALLY successful, but I have no idea how. The larger battery is now installed, but it won't seem to budge when trying to remove. I have found several references on the 'net that the battery is "difficult to remove" on this system, but nobody offers any helpful hints as to HOW to remove the darn battery.Does anyone that has one of these Adamo XPS machines have any advice or little trick on how to get the battery changed? Supposedly one of the features is that you can hot-swap the battery while it's in sleep mode and not miss a beat -as long as you do it within 90 seconds. If it takes 10 minutes to struggle with the battery to get it removed, I guess that feature isn't worth much.
Again...love the system, but can anyone help with the battery removal issue?
Want Dell AX-3600GSL Adamo XPS 13.4-Inch Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium) Discount?
This laptop is all about preferences, u need to know what u want & for how much. I looked everywhere in the market for an ultra portable laptop, that is not a netbook & that is not apple...I didn't care if it has the quadro-hexa-octa cores! after all, am not a gamer nor an engineer who needs to use heavy programs, at around $1000 with 3 years warranty this laptop was the best i could find!At 1st u need to know that u re paying a big sum of money on the design here..so don't just compare this to similar-specs laptop then whine about the price! The ultra slim & still the world slimmest laptop running windows looks just great & different, i had a Studio XPS M1330 that looked really nice & compact & was for around the same price 2 years ago (around $1000)but doesn't come even near to how nice the Adamo XPS looks. It does have a kinda large footprint, that doesn't bother me, but u need to consider a fact that when closed this looked more like a 14.5" lappy, yet so slim & sexy that everybody will be envying u at the coffee house!
So as for the look this takes 20/10 ( IMO ) if not more! Why the 4 stars? I took out 1 star mainly cos of the awkward battery life of 90 mins on regular settings with the regular battery. Even if the extended batteries gives more than 4 hours, it will also be 4 stars cos i have to pay $120 at the Dell's website to get it!
The performance is amazing and certainly surprised me. I installed all the programs i need & this laptop is at the same speed ( probably due to the SSD) as my XPS 14 ( which i later on sold since i didn't need it anymore). I am talking about the regular things for my everyday life, so am not sure how will it perform on other specific programs. This lappy runs windows live ( the messenger, the mail & everything), iTunes, Microsoft word & steam ( gaming software that is really heavy!) with NO SWEAT! even when i play games with all the programs running, this thing runs really smooth, older games ofcourse like C&C Red Alert 3 or Need for speed undercover ( the NFS looks less impressive on this one than on my XPS 14 of course, mainly because of the video card, but nothing that prevents me from occasional playing, a little compromise that i was willing to take to get this awesome look!)
The Solid State Drive is really impressive, though the once 15 seconds is now around 30 because of all the programs installed (i am blaming steam, since booting was much faster before its installation)
So the looks is awesome, the performance is really great for everyday life even with a relatively older core 2 duo processor, the LCD display is really impressive as well as the really quick SSD..if u r looking to spend around a $1000 ( even less if you check the Dell outlet website, u can get a refurb for around $800) for an everyday laptop that looks really different & impressive with almost no compromises on performance then this laptop is for u..
What u need to consider before buying is whether u r willing to spend another $120 for the extended battery or stay hooked to the outlet most of the time. Also u need to consider the rather small 128 GB SSD, i have around 100 GBs of pictures ( i keep all my pics since i got my first digital camera!) & even though i have an external hard drive, i would have preferred to keep all of them on hand, instead i had to choose some ( around 70 GB) to leave more space on the drive...still not keeping me from enjoying this laptop....hope this review helps!
