Dell Vostro V13: Thin & light enough to make me care about a 13 inch laptop

Dell is starting to show off its upcoming Vostro V13 thin and light laptop. It’s part of the company’s line of business laptops and has a professional looking finish. But with a $450 starting price, this laptop is probably going to appeal to a more general audience as well. It’s 0.65 inches thick and weighs just 3.5 pounds, which makes it thinner than many 10 inch netbooks and just a tad heavier.

I’ve been writing about netbooks for over 2 years now, and every now and again someone misses the point and suggests that low cost laptops have been around for a long time and that you can get a much more powerful laptop for the same price as a netbook if you’re willing to saddle yourself with something bigger and heavier.

While the Dell Vostro V13 with its 13.3 inch display is definitely bigger than a typical netbook or the 11 to 12 inch thin and lights I’ve started paying attention to, it’s not that much bigger and it certainly gets the price and weight right. I can’t think of any 3.5 pound computers that were available for $450 a few years ago.

The Vostro V13 will reportedly have an Intel Core 2 Consumer Ultra Low Voltage processor, 4GB of RAM, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Ethernet, an integrated card reader, and battery that Dell claims is good for up to 4.75 hours.

Engadget got to spend some hands-on time with the laptop, and reports that it has an aluminum chassis and an antigloss (but not matte) display. Interestingly, Engadget also reports that the $450 price tag applies to the base model which will ship with Ubuntu Linux. If you want Windows 7, the price jumps to $600.

via Gizmodo

Posted on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009, 4:41 pm by Brad Linder

HP

If you Google, it's already available for order on the US Dell site (ship date 1/20/01). Sadly, the $449 version has the Cel single-core 743, which can't be customized. To get a dual-core, you need to move to the $649 SKU.

That a nice-looking ultraportable like this is available under $500 price point just furthers my belief that the low-end CULV (at around $400) will dominate the spot where netbooks currently reside, and push the latter into the $200-300 range, meaning no high-end netbooks. Those who wished for faster discrete graphics will more likely find them on T&Ls rather than Atoms, going forward.
dingbatt

I'd like that with Linux please, it works for me.
http://twitter.com/tomi_z Tomi

ULPC for 449$? And with Ubuntu, even better!
SomeGuy

I find myself thinking that it would be extremely nice if PC manufacturers finally started ditching Windows on more than their bottom tier of service. If I could get the dual core, with Ubuntu and SAVE that they're not spending on the Win license, I'd be a happy happy boy. Props to Dell for even offering, but I'd like more options without Windows, so that I can either add my own copy, or have the operating system I spend so much time in, in any case pre-installed, and not have to pay a penalty on the hardware cost side for the decisions I make after market on the software side.
MonkeyKing1969

“I can’t think of any 3.5 pound computers that were available for $450 a few years ago.”

You right on that count Brad, my Dell 700m cost $1,500 refurbished just four years ago and it has a 12″ screen and weighted about 3.5 lbs. So yes a getting the same for $450 is an improvement. But the reason I bought my Samsung netbook was I foreswore carrying around a computer over 3 lbs ever again.

So on that count this Dell is a ‘lemon’, what good is that bigger screen if it’s a chore to carry? Maybe some people out there carrying round their 15” Dells see 3.5 lbs and in comparison see that as being light, but I know from experiences a 3.5 lbs computer in a shoulder bag digs in after a few hours of carrying it.

So that's the problem as I see it, a computer wiggling its way into the netbook class is fine, but it just shouldn't try to do so weighing that much. That is my line in the sand, I don't care if it’s an 11″ or a 13″ device if it doesn't weight under 2.6 lbs then I'm not buying it. And if that means I can't replace my current Samsung because nobody will offer me my 2.5 lbs device, well good luck to the manufactures with that because that mean they lose my business until they do. I certainly won’t buy one that’s mot much better in the performance department then other netbooks.
garamond

Agree with MonkeyKing, weight is a major concern in portability.

I lament the diminishing options for 8.9″ screens. I have several 10″ netbooks but the 8.9″ Acer Aspire One is still the only one light enough to wherever I go.
ninetynine

.65 inches? CULV? Ubuntu? $450? Awesome.

Single Core Celeron only for Ubuntu, 4.75 hours quoted battery life (so like…3 hours then), 2 GB memory. Fail.

The ASUS UL/Acer Timeline outclasses its C2D version in every way. If the single core Celeron is decent then it maybe worth the price point, but single core Acer Timelines can be had for $550, probably eligible for Windows 7 Upgrade.
ninetynine

.65 inches? CULV? Ubuntu? $450? Awesome.

Single Core Celeron only for Ubuntu, 4.75 hours quoted battery life (so like…3 hours then), 2 GB memory. Fail.

The ASUS UL/Acer Timeline outclasses its C2D version in every way. If the single core Celeron is decent then it maybe worth the price point, but single core Acer Timelines can be had for $550, probably eligible for Windows 7 Upgrade.
Michael

thanks Brad for showing this. I was abt to buy the Inpiron 13 (1370), now, I see this, I definitely want this.

If Dell comes out with a 12 inch or 11.6 inch version, wow, it might be very healthy competition to the rest of the players in the market.
Michael

Brad, can I ask your advice. Is a Dual Intel Pentium Processor T4300 (2.1GHz / 800FSB / 1MB Cache) much faster than a CULV SU7300 1.3??

Anyone can help me on this?
HP

The Asus UL30A has the SU7300, the Dell Inspiron 1545 has the T4300. To compare them against each other:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2353258,00…
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2349498,00…

Click on the 'Performance Test Results' at bottom of each review. If you want to see them side-by-side, save the window as a GIF image.

Bottom line: Even as a budget processor, the T4300 still kicks ass over the CULVs, simply by virtue of its greater clock speed.
MiniMax

For me too, weight is the biggest draw back for mobility, not size. The 13 incher does not give you more information compared to a totally sufficient 11 or 12 inch display. I too therefore would eagerly trade my 1,5 KG Atom netbook for somthing resembling more my old JVC 3210 wich had only 1 KG. Therefore the MSI U230 is more appealing so far because it weighs less.
michael

thanks a lot HP
http://cantbreathesuspectvcd.com/ Carol

I have an older Dell desktop (Dimension C521), and am looking to buy a MATTE DISPLAY(screen) netbook or notebook or netbook/notebook hybrid (don't need CD drive), with 12.1 up to 13.3 inch diagonal screen. Would like a 6 cell battery.

I want “MATTE”, not glossy, not anti-gloss, not anti-glare—just plain old “matte” screen.

Liliputing was honest and accurate, in their article at this link:
http://www.liliputing.com/2009/12/dell-vostro-v…

in which they wrote:

“Engadget got to spend some hands-on time with the laptop [Dell Vostrow 13], and reports that it has an aluminum chassis and an antigloss (but not matte) display. “

Engadget has a link to a video ( http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/08/dell-vostro-… ), that shows a lot of almost mirror-like reflectivity in the Dell Vostrow 13!

A Dell salesman lied to me and said that the V13 has a “matte” screen! I have had so many bad experiences with Dell's “customer service” (NOT!), that I don't think I want to buy anything else from them until they get truthful & experienced people working for them!

Does anyone know of any REALLY “MATTE” display (screen) netbooks &/or notebooks, that don't have any CD drives (don't need them since I have it in my desktop), in screen diagonal size 12.1 up to 13.3 inch?

I'd like a 6 cell battery, and I'd like to buy it from an actual STORE where I can go & see it before I buy it. I'm fed up also, with dealing with problems from on-line buying, when things don't go smoothly (can be a nightmare).

I like to do some (amateur) storm chasing in spring, where I would like a netbook/notebook, to be able to see Nat'l Weather radar maps (that “move”, showing storm speeds, directions, etc.), so I don't want a distracting reflective screen.

CAN ANYONE HELP, WITH ADVICE FOR ME?
THANKS IN ADVANCE!

Carol (guest)
970-531-5000
[email protected]
http://cantbreathesuspectvcd.com/ Carol

I have an older Dell desktop (Dimension C521), and am looking to buy a MATTE DISPLAY(screen) netbook or notebook or netbook/notebook hybrid (don't need CD drive), with 12.1 up to 13.3 inch diagonal screen. Would like a 6 cell battery.

I want “MATTE”, not glossy, not anti-gloss, not anti-glare—just plain old “matte” screen.

Liliputing was honest and accurate, in their article at this link:
http://www.liliputing.com/2009/12/dell-vostro-v…

in which they wrote:

“Engadget got to spend some hands-on time with the laptop [Dell Vostrow 13], and reports that it has an aluminum chassis and an antigloss (but not matte) display. “

Engadget has a link to a video ( http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/08/dell-vostro-… ), that shows a lot of almost mirror-like reflectivity in the Dell Vostrow 13!

A Dell salesman lied to me and said that the V13 has a “matte” screen! I have had so many bad experiences with Dell's “customer service” (NOT!), that I don't think I want to buy anything else from them until they get truthful & experienced people working for them!

Does anyone know of any REALLY “MATTE” display (screen) netbooks &/or notebooks, that don't have any CD drives (don't need them since I have it in my desktop), in screen diagonal size 12.1 up to 13.3 inch?

I'd like a 6 cell battery, and I'd like to buy it from an actual STORE where I can go & see it before I buy it. I'm fed up also, with dealing with problems from on-line buying, when things don't go smoothly (can be a nightmare).

I like to do some (amateur) storm chasing in spring, where I would like a netbook/notebook, to be able to see Nat'l Weather radar maps (that “move”, showing storm speeds, directions, etc.), so I don't want a distracting reflective screen.

CAN ANYONE HELP, WITH ADVICE FOR ME?
THANKS IN ADVANCE!

Carol (guest)
970-531-5000
[email protected]
http://www.laptopbatteriesinc.co.uk/dell-latitude-c400-series-laptop-battery-p-2084.html dell laptop battery

I'd alsolike a 6 cell battery, and I'd like to buy it from an actual STORE where I can go & see it before I buy it. I'm fed up also, with dealing with problems from on-line buying, when things don't go smoothly

Dell Vostro V13: Thin & light enough to make me care about a 13 inch laptop

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