Super-thin notebooks are all the rage, but they invariably come at a big price premium. Dell proved that with the release of the swanky Adamo XPS, a notebook just 0.65-inches thick for $1,799. It was looking like super-thin notebooks would never be priced for the masses, until the Vostro V13 appeared from Dell. The specs of the V13 are very respectable, especially considering the price tag of $450:
- 13.3-inch screen
- An ultra-low voltage Core 2 processor
- 4GB of DDR3 RAM pre-loaded
- Bluetooth and 802.11g/n
- An integrated webcam and microphone
All of this is crammed into a case just 0.65-inches thick and weighing in at a svelte 3.5 pounds. It looks like the Vostro V13 can make a serious run at the more anemic netbooks, without taking much more from the wallet.
Wow…let me reconsider that netbook purchase.
I still say uber-thin is uber-impractical! All this craze about thin form-factors and buyers only realize how silly they were when they try to get 3 hours of use out of a puny thin battery.
People need to realize that thin does not mean small – it means compromise! At 13″ you still need a 13″ case to fit it in. I would much prefer a more compact 10″ netbook with a beefier battery than this 13″.
I do admit the Core 2 does have more oomph than the Atom, but at the same time you can get other 13″ notebooks with T9900 inside, decent GPU, and far better batteries as well.
I thought it was too good to be true and it is. Unless there is some sort of special code to get that $450 price on Dell’s website that price gets you a Celeron processor, 2GB of RAM, no webcam, 802.11b/g. When you spec it out with what was mentioned in the post the price practically doubles at $824. If there is a special code to get the $450 price please share.
This was the spec/ price being reported at the announcement. It’s typical Dell to make that the starting price yet charge for every option.
You left out a spec – Battery life? Are we talking 2.5 hours? 3.5?
Don’t have battery info yet, too early.
No SSD option = FAIL.