Dell XPS L501x: An Excellent Mainstream Notebook

Dell XPS L501x: A Bargain at Any Price

When we reviewed the ASUS N82Jv in September, we were generally pleased with performance but unimpressed with some of the finer details. We concluded that review by saying we wanted more—specifically, we wanted better battery life (or at least an option for it) and a better LCD. We said that if the N82Jv had included a good LCD, it would be a silver medal recipient, and gold would need a larger battery with a good LCD. Two months later and Dell's XPS L501x provides exactly that, with generally better build quality and features along with the ability to customize your system. True to our word, we're awarding the Dell XPS L501x our Gold Editors' Choice award—but only with the $130 1080p B+GR LCD upgrade.

Honestly, even without the LCD the XPS L501x impresses, as it has bar none the best laptop speakers we've encountered, with a great build quality and aesthetic to match. It's not as thin and light as other notebooks, but it still looks good and there's a wonderful lack of glossy surfaces (other than the LCD). Such extras do matter, and what's more you can get all of this for essentially the same price as the N82Jv. Graphics performance is slightly slower, and the chassis is larger, but this is easily the best 15-16" notebook I've laid hands on during my time with AnandTech (now at six years and counting).

Where do we go from here? We'd still like the option to get the upgraded graphics without losing Optimus, and in the next couple of months Intel's Sandy Bridge will shake things up. Dell is almost certain to revise the current XPS lineup to move to Sandy Bridge, but unfortunately that will require more than simply swapping CPUs. Sandy Bridge will require a new chipset and socket, which means a new motherboard. By the time Dell puts in the work on the motherboard and chipset, maybe they can also toss in an upgraded NVIDIA GPU. If we had our dream setup, we'd get Sandy Bridge, a "flat" 9-cell battery option, the current 1080p LCD, and at least a GeForce GT 445M (192-bit) graphics chip to back it all up. Can Dell provide all that with the next XPS release? We shall see.

As for comparisons with Apple's MacBook line, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that it's lopsided. Looking at the MacBook Pro 15, the base model checks in at a whopping $1800 MSRP. That will get you an i5-450M (or maybe an i5-520M—who knows?), 4GB RAM, 320GB 5400RPM HDD, GeForce GT 330M 256MB, and a WXGA+ (1440x900) LCD. The MBP15 will still get better battery life than the stock L501x, it's slightly lighter and definitely thinner, and some will prefer the Apple styling. However, you're looking at a nearly $800 premium for slightly less performance and fewer features—like no USB 3.0 (MBP has FireWire 800 instead), no HDMI port (without an adapter, and no 1.4 support), and speakers that can't hold a candle the L501x. If you prefer OS X, you don't have much choice, but Windows 7 is highly usable and stable and most things come down to user preference these days. A bit more fine-tuning for Windows 7 battery life and the only clear advantage disappears. That's not to say that MacBooks are bad, but they are expensive, and laptops like the XPS L501x serve to make them feel even more so! Heck, you can buy two of the upgraded XPS L501x laptop we're reviewing for a similarly equipped MacBook Pro 15.

We're also still trying to get an HP Envy 14 in for comparison, and it would be great to get some Sony laptops in for testing as well, but with every passing week we tend to lose hope. At this point, the latest Envy 14 revision has been around for over three months. It still looks like it compares well with the new XPS, but the Radiance Infinity 900p panel is no longer an option, Waves comes standard while Beats costs extra, and Optimus trumps AMD's switchable graphics. We would still love to get an Envy 14 for review, but unless it comes with an updated Radiance panel (or whatever marketing wants to call it), it will be difficult to top the Dell XPS L501x.