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Differences between Dell lines

post #1 of 12
11/12/12 at 8:50am
Thread Starter 
I would like to know the differences between the different brands of Dell laptops.

I know that the Inspiron line is designed for residential use, cost-benefit, everyday laptops for consumers. The XPS line is the premium multimedia consumer brand. Vostro is made with small businesses in mind. And Latitude is designed towards corporate use. That I can understand. I can also understand the pricing differences between the models, and also the differences in specifications.

But I would like to know what specific differences are between these lines of laptops, in terms of small details that sometimes can only be perceived by using them. I found some threads on this and other fora and the answers I found were of no help for me: they were generic, stating that the XPS has a better build quality than Inspiron, for instance, but that doesn’t say much to me. I’m still confused on what exactly are the differences among these lines of laptops. I’ve seen Inspiron laptops at stores and Vostro laptops at meeting rooms, and I can tell they are different; the keyboards, touchpads and screens felt different. That’s the kind of difference I am looking for: details.

I would like to know which are the specific differences among these lines of laptops in terms of display (TN/IPS panel; brightness; viewing angles; color gamut; matte/glossy); keyboard (key travel; tactile feedback; position and size of keys; backlit or not); touchpad (size; quality; sensitiveness; multi-touch support); audio (quality; loudness); ports (number of ports; USB 2.0/3.0; HDMI); build quality (studiness; materials; design; ergonomics); battery life; webcam; and so on.

Can someone help me? What are your impressions?
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post #2 of 12
11/12/12 at 9:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by skaertus View Post

I would like to know the differences between the different brands of Dell laptops.

I know that the Inspiron line is designed for residential use, cost-benefit, everyday laptops for consumers. The XPS line is the premium multimedia consumer brand. Vostro is made with small businesses in mind. And Latitude is designed towards corporate use. That I can understand. I can also understand the pricing differences between the models, and also the differences in specifications.
But I would like to know what specific differences are between these lines of laptops, in terms of small details that sometimes can only be perceived by using them. I found some threads on this and other fora and the answers I found were of no help for me: they were generic, stating that the XPS has a better build quality than Inspiron, for instance, but that doesn’t say much to me. I’m still confused on what exactly are the differences among these lines of laptops. I’ve seen Inspiron laptops at stores and Vostro laptops at meeting rooms, and I can tell they are different; the keyboards, touchpads and screens felt different. That’s the kind of difference I am looking for: details.
I would like to know which are the specific differences among these lines of laptops in terms of display (TN/IPS panel; brightness; viewing angles; color gamut; matte/glossy); keyboard (key travel; tactile feedback; position and size of keys; backlit or not); touchpad (size; quality; sensitiveness; multi-touch support); audio (quality; loudness); ports (number of ports; USB 2.0/3.0; HDMI); build quality (studiness; materials; design; ergonomics); battery life; webcam; and so on.
Can someone help me? What are your impressions?

Well they try to offer many configurations, and using different names to sort them out. That, and limiting the expansion on these models to protect the bottom line. Think of them as gasoline grades (regular, premium, super ...)

Keyboards, screens ... fall into these categories, not by much.

cheers ...
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post #3 of 12
11/12/12 at 11:25am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by qhn View Post

Well they try to offer many configurations, and using different names to sort them out. That, and limiting the expansion on these models to protect the bottom line. Think of them as gasoline grades (regular, premium, super ...)
Keyboards, screens ... fall into these categories, not by much.
cheers ...

Thank you. Have you actually used some of these laptops, so you can tell your impressions? I felt that the Inspiron and the Vostro had some differences which were not related to build quality or features. The Vostro had a matte screen, while the Inspiron's was glossy. And the keyboard in the Vostro seemed to have more key travel and better tactile feedback, but I'm not sure.
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post #4 of 12
11/12/12 at 12:31pm
Our family owns and uses Inspiron. I played with a few XPS. All boils down to personal preference. And there are limits as what you can pick and choose with each model regarding screen resolution, matte or glossy, in its stock configuration. Nothing stops you from swapping parts around once you own the model(s) when/where you can find parts compatibility.

We all want the possibility of building our own system, there are manufacturers out there that would sell you a bare-bone-system where you can pick, up to certain limit, what you want.

cheers ...
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post #5 of 12
11/12/12 at 2:15pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by qhn View Post

Our family owns and uses Inspiron. I played with a few XPS. All boils down to personal preference. And there are limits as what you can pick and choose with each model regarding screen resolution, matte or glossy, in its stock configuration. Nothing stops you from swapping parts around once you own the model(s) when/where you can find parts compatibility.
We all want the possibility of building our own system, there are manufacturers out there that would sell you a bare-bone-system where you can pick, up to certain limit, what you want.
cheers ...

Thank you.

Actually, I live in Brazil, so I won't be able to take advantage of all the options available in the U.S. I have a Sager laptop, and this may be one of the barebones you referred to. Although it is a powerful machine, I think it lacks polish. The keyboard is much inferior to the one I used to have on my MacBook, as it is not nearly as pleasant to type on. And the trackpad is also poor. In addition, it gets hot and the air vents on the side are very annoying. And I can barely use the webcam. All in all, I didn't find the Sager a good experience at all, even though it is equipped with a Core i7 processor and a dedicated video card. I'm not going to buy another one of these even if they are much cheaper. (By the way, is there any barebone with high quality materials or are all of them as crappy as the Sager?) After owning a MacBook and a Sager, I definitely learned the value of these small details (the Mac is so much better!) and this is the reason why I am interested in knowing the specific differences between the Dell lines.

Is there anything particularly annoying on your Inspiron laptop? How does it compare with the XPS you played with? Did you notice any difference in the feel of the keyboard and touchpad or in the screen brightness and color accuracy?
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post #6 of 12
11/12/12 at 10:51pm
The XPS feels better, then again it has better specs than the Inspiron. When traveling I use mostly my Sony SZ model and or macbook. At home or work I would use an external keyboard and monitor, and I try not to play game on notebook anymore winknudge.gif

cheers ...
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post #7 of 12
11/13/12 at 7:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by qhn View Post

The XPS feels better, then again it has better specs than the Inspiron. When traveling I use mostly my Sony SZ model and or macbook. At home or work I would use an external keyboard and monitor, and I try not to play game on notebook anymore winknudge.gif
cheers ...

I've been to a store today and I saw two models of Dell ultrabooks. One of them was Inspiron 14z and the other one was the Dell XPS 13. The Inspiron 14z was heavy for an ultrabook. The XPS 13 felt thinner and lighter. But I didn't notice any big difference in build quality (although the XPS 13 seemed to be slightly better). Screens were similar in terms of brightness; they were both glossy, and they both offered low resolutions. The keyboards were similar too, they were made of plastic and felt cheap. And the typing experience was not good at all, in any of these two laptops. Not too much key travel, and just awful tactile feedback. The Dell Vostro seemed to have a much better keyboard than both the Inspiron and the XPS. Perhaps because it belongs to the business line, and users in this environment are supposed to type more...
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post #8 of 12
11/14/12 at 1:38am
Play around a bit more with other models. Does it really have to be Dell?

cheers ...
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post #9 of 12
11/14/12 at 6:42am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by qhn View Post

Play around a bit more with other models. Does it really have to be Dell?
cheers ...

I played with them all. I am curious about the differences between Dell models because I just couldn't figure out exactly how brands differed from each other. In addition, Dell's laptops are sold for a reasonable (I mean, not so high) price here in Brazil, and they are not outdated.

But the offerings were very much disappointed. Most of them were crappy and cheap, heavy and thick pieces of plastic. Some of them were from local brands, which are known to be very unreliable. Offerings from HP, Lenovo, Acer, Asus, Samsung and LG were not good either. Bad screens, crappy keyboards, no SSDs, and premium prices nonetheless. And some of these laptops are still equipped with Sandy Bridge processors.

The Asus Zenbook could have been an option, but the store is still selling the first generation with the TN screen and the crappy keyboard (the Zenbook Prime hasn't made it here yet). The Samsung Series 9 shares some of the same problems: Sandy Bridge processor and bad keyboard. Samsung Series 5, and Acer Aspire S3 and S5 felt just too crappy.

Although I like Lenovo laptops, they are severely overpriced here, and Lenovo is only selling the budget G series on the stores, which is too in the low end of the spectrum. Even the IdeaPad is very hard to find here (and by the way, it would be out of question, as I learned that the Yoga will cost US$ 4,500 here).

The Sony Vaio S seemed to be one of the best options. They are thin and light due to the carbon fiber chassis, and they don't feel so crap as the others. The Sony Vaio Z could have made it, but it is expensive (US$ 3,500), still comes with a Sandy Bridge processor (hard to justify for such an expensive laptop) and has a tiny keyboard.

The only laptop which really appealed to me was the 15-inch MacBook Pro with a retina display (the 13-inch is not yet on the store), but the base model costs a hefty US$ 5,000 here and that's hard to justify (and it also might be a problem walking down on the streets in São Paulo, where there are so many burglars, carrying a much-desired premim laptop)...
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post #10 of 12
11/14/12 at 7:12am
Yikes ... This is the time when it's good to have friends and relatives visiting you from the States laugh4.gif

What about used units / models? The Sony VGN-TZ series make good solid business notebook and one can get on the net for around $400. Now to be honest, I don't know about 2nd hand market in your part of the world

cheers ...
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post #11 of 12
11/20/12 at 11:28am

Inspiron < ( Vostro | Latitude ) < ( XPS | Precision )

 

The Inspirons are meant to be cheap, as cheap as possible. Here you will find thinner plastics, less screws, and crappy key travel. The finish is typically high because people like shiny, it wont stay that way however with the cheap paints and plastics.

 

The Latitudes are similar to the Inspirons in spec and in price bracket. But since they are made for the corporate world the plastics will be thicker and more screws will be used. You can drop these a couple times. Because of the thicker plastics and the lack of need for polish they tend to look like crap. Decent keyboards and screens since these are for serious business. Might have better/larger batteries then an Inspiron, will also weight more.

 

Vostro is Dells middle ground for corporate customers. They need something that looks nice but not sexy. It still needs to take a drop or two and still needs to get real work done. These are a thinner, prettier, longer lasting Latitudes.

 

The XPS is the redhead at the bar. You know you should not stick your dick in crazy, but you do it anyway. These have VERY nice fit and finish with nice paint and plastic. Powerful CPUs and GPUs, good keyboards and glossy screens. So how are they the crazy redhead? Somewhere between 6 months and 6 years they will die. You will have very little warning or none at all. One day she is just gone. Or you get overheating issues.

 

Precision is the brunette at the bar in the little black dress. She is still sexy, maybe more so then the XPS, but make no mistake shes not here to party. She is the bar owner. Again VERY nice fit and finish with nice paint and plastic. Powerful CPUs and GPUs, great keyboards and matte screens (glossy might be an option, never checked). They are slightly bigger/heavier then an XPS. Internal roll cage and metal reinforced LCD, Large battery(s) to back up all that power, she will keep up with you all night. Forget about drops, you can club and baby seal and deflect bullets, all while your CAD processing/Blender render never skips a beat. Actually manage to crack or break something? A dozen screws and a replacement part and you will be fine in 30 minutes.

 

 

For the record, I have owned Inspiron and then switched to Precision. I could write more but I lost my train of thought.

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post #12 of 12
11/21/12 at 11:45am

Hi. I have 3 "vintage" Dell laptops;

  1. XPS M1710 - 6yrs old w unlocked T7600G, Nvidia Quadro FX3600M. 3DMark06 8000+, 23" monitor. Used as a desktop replacement solely for gaming (Plays BF3 sweet). Originally purchased "dead" (graphics card) 2 yrs ago for US$320. Win 7 64.
  2. Inspiron 9400/e1705 - 5yrs old, T7600, Nvidia Geforce 7900GS/7950GTX, or Quadro FX1600M. Used w Office 2010, for general stuff plus lighter/older gaming. Vista 32.
  3. Precision M6300 Workstation - 4yrs old. T9300, Nvidia Quadro FX3600M (purchased cheap US$320 for my son for gaming).

 

In many respects, I agree with Weedy's comments. Additional comments;

  • All these machines are of the same physical form (ie basically cast out of the same mold), and therefore many parts between the Inspiron and the XPS are interchangeable.
  • The Precision uses a later motherboard with 800Mhz FSB (vs667for other two).
  • All have the same number of screws in the same places, and are equally robust.
  • The XPS has "bling", and was designed for gamers, and so runs hard out all the time so standard of componentry is probabaly a step up from Inspiron.
  • The XPS and Inspiron machines suffer from overheating and eventual graphics card failure (I believe Nvidia eventually put there hand up to an issue with the GPU).
  • All the connectors etc used in these machines are industry standard (the graphics card to motherboard connector perhaps being the exception).

 

In summary, I love these machines. Yes the graphics card issues are a bit of a pain, but I can fix them myself.

 

Personally I like the look of the Inspiron and XPS better.

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