The Dell XPS M1530 is the latest offering from the Dell XPS range. This laptop has a 15.4 inch, 1440×900 high resolution, CCFL powered display.This XPS can be configured with up to a Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz processor, 4 GB DDR2 RAM, 320 GB SATA HDD, and an nVidia 8600M GT graphic card.

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The Dell XPS M1330 has received high praise for its design and feature set in a 13.3″ portable form factor, but the most popular selling laptops are in the 15.4″ screen size. Dell, being in the business of selling more laptops and making customers happy, figured it would be wise to offer something that’s larger and appeals to more people. And that’s exactly what the M1530 is — a larger version of the M1330.

A 2-megapixel webcam above the screen offered decent colors and a nice array of visual effects using face-tracking technology to add fun masks, backgrounds, and environments to videoconferencing. However, choppy visuals during Web chats brought our impressions down a notch.

This laptop is amazing and very user friendly. Touchpad buttons are awsome, fingerprint reader is easy to use, and the webcam is clear and easy to use. Ignore other reviews about loud harddisk, fan, and left palm rest heat. The harddisk clicks loudly once on startup, and the fan comes on for 15 seconds or so during heavy use. It shouldnt bother most people, unless you are sensitive. The keyboard and palm rests are very sturdy, this laptop is built to last. The appearance of this laptop is amazing, I got the red and it is really nice. It comes with a leather XPS binder for manuals and installation disks, an XPS screen towel, an XPS case (just for storage it has no handle, it isnt for carrying), remote, and a pair of really nice creative earbuds. The earbuds also come with different size buds for different ears.

Dell also includes a Media Center remote control that fits neatly into the ExpressCard slot on the side of the notebook. This is a great accessory for presentations or if you want to control a DVD from across the room

A series of touch-sensitive media buttons with blue LED backlights are located above the keyboard similar to the buttons on the M1330. One nice feature about the media buttons is that the blue LEDs only stay lit for a fraction of a second after being pressed, so they won’t distract you by staying lit all the time.

Trusted reviews If you’re a regular reader or just a signed up member of Gadget-a-Holics Anonymous (then you really ought to be a regular reader), then you’ll know it looks distinctly like the truly wonderful Dell XPS M1330 - a notebook so good it managed to snatch second place in the Best Notebook category of the inaugural TrustedReviews Awards 2007. However, the M1330 it isn’t, because today I’m looking at its new bigger sibling, the XPS M1530.

Notebookcheck reviews Because the Dell XPS M1530 is considered a beginner’s gaming notebook, there are of course a number of configuration options available. Regarding processor, Dell offers 4 versions.  First of all, there is low-cost version, an Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 CPU with 1.5 GHz, a good configuration for beginners. If you focus on powerful gaming and application performance, you should, however, at least choose a T7250 CPU with 2.0 GHz. The price/performance ratio of the later is ideal. The T7500 and the T7700 with 2.2 respectively 2.4 GHz are even more powerful, but, also even more costly, e.g., the T7700 costs about 339,- EUR more than the T5250. Nonetheless, these Core 2 Duo processors guarantee first-class performance in any case.

Product summary

The good: Thin, sexy design; strong performance; includes media remote control and HDMI output.

The bad: Not as revolutionary as the previous 13-inch version; fewer configuration options than Dell’s Inspiron line.

The bottom line: Dell’s turn toward a “design-first” philosophy continues to pay off with the XPS M1530, easily the best-looking 15-inch laptop in recent memory.

Specs: Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.0 GHz); RAM installed: 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM; OS provided: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition

Cnet rating                       7.8/10

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