Dell unleashes Studio XPS 13 and 16

Looks like that Inspiron 15 was just the appetiser. Dell's finally dropped some drool-worthy kit at CES, showing off the all new Studio XPS laptop range we first spied way back in August. Kicking off with the 13.3in Studio XPS 13 and 16in Studio XPS 160, the line-up combines all of Dell's new-found Studio style, with some serious hardware from its XPS range.

Taking just the odd hint from Sony's Vaios (spot the power button in the hinge), Dell's added a backlit keyboard, natty faux leather and high-gloss, hi-res screens to go with a very respectable set of base specs.

For $1,199 in the US, both machines come loaded with Core 2 Duo P8400 processors, Vista Home Premium, 1366x768 WGA screens, 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM, a 320GB hard drive, a slot-loading DVD burner and dedicated graphics - the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M G on the 13 and the impressive ATI Mobility RADEON M86XT graphics (equivalent to the Mobility HD 3670) on the 16. They also get HDMI and eSATA as standard.

The base spec may be tasty, but so are some of the options. Top of our shopping list for the 16 is the potentially stunning, $250 optional, FullHD RGBLED LCD display with 1920x1080 resolution. That baby boasts RGBLED 16.7 million colours with 100 percent of the color gamut the 40 to 60% most manage. That should make this the laptop for Blu-Ray movies and gaming with super vibrant colours, a 130-degree viewing angle and a fast 8ms response time. Drool.

Strangely, Blu-Ray isn't an option on the 13, though it will upscale DVDs played out via its HDMI slot to HD. On the 16, Blu-Ray's a modest $150 option.

Both laptops are online now in the US, with UK availability expected some time next month. We've primed our CES monkey to go scurrying to the Dell stand when the show opens its doors tomorrow so check back for more.

The official press release is below.

UPDATE: We now have UK pricing, which starts at £849 for the Studio XPS 13 and, oddly, £799 for the Studio XPS 16. They're both available now.

Dell’s New Studio XPS Laptops Underscore Design and Technology Leadership
 
January 8, 2009  
 
LAS VEGAS New Studio XPS laptops combine stunning industrial design with state-of-the art technology   

The Studio XPS 16: Not only gorgeous, but an immersive cinematic experience with 16:9 Full HD display and Dolby audio 

The Studio XPS 13: Beauty and elegance are more that skin deep with optional industry-first Hybrid SLI technology, delivering choice of boosting performance or conserving battery life 
 
Dell today unveiled the Dell Studio XPSTM  16 and Dell Studio XPS 13 laptops – the first Studio laptops to bear the XPS high-performance designation. Fresh out of Dell’s innovative industrial design labs these premium laptops combine state-of-the-art technology and elegant design to delight discerning followers of fashion and technology enthusiasts alike. Both the Dell Studio XPS 16 and Dell Studio XPS 13 feature beautifully crafted genuine leather and anodized aluminum accents on top of a high-gloss Obsidian Black finish.  

The Dell Studio XPS 16 and Dell Studio XPS 13 laptops are available today on www.dell.com/studioXPS starting at $1,199.

The News

Dell’s new Studio XPS laptops embody its focus on design leadership. These premium products feature a stunning design that combines beautiful genuine leather and anodized aluminum accents with a high-gloss Obsidian Black finish. Custom ports, slot-load DVD drive, and edge-to-edge display complement the sleek, streamlined look.

The XPS Flagship: Dell Studio XPS 16 

Blending power with elegance, the Studio XPS 16 delivers advanced performance and entertainment capabilities, including 16-inch edge-to-edge 16:9 HD WLED display and 7-watt Dolby 5.1 audio with subwoofer, Intel Centrino 2, and 512 MB ATI Mobility RadeonTM  HD 3670 graphics1.

For true cinemaphiles and amateur photographers, the optional Full HD 1080p display (RGB LED) is optimized for 16:9 content and features 100 percent color gamut for truer colors combined with 300 nit brightness to help ensure brilliant color and detail to create a truly enhanced entertainment experience. The 8 millisecond response time means smoother gaming and movie viewing, and the 130 degree viewing angle ensures that multiple people can view the display together without distortion.

Petite yet Powerful: Dell Studio XPS 13 laptop 

Epitomizing beauty and elegance that are more than skin deep, the Studio XPS 13 is a distinctly powerful laptop with a starting weight just under five pounds2.

The Studio XPS 13 offers digital nomads the choice of conserving battery life or boosting performance with the optional NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GE with Hybrid SLI technology. Similar to a hybrid car, users can choose to boost performance for playing games or watching high definition videos by enabling a discrete graphics processor and graphics memory, or can extend battery life by switching to the integrated graphics solution, better for E-mail, surfing the Internet, and listening to music.

Studio XPS laptops combine high-power performance and state-of-the-art features to enhance the overall experience and keep users ahead of the curve, including:

High Definition upconversion so that standard DVDs view more like HD.  

2.0 megapixel webcam with digital array microphones and facial recognition security capability.

Backlit keyboard and capacitive touch multimedia controls.

USB PowerShare to charge peripherals even when the system is off.

Full range of ports and connection options, including HDMI, DisplayPort, IEEE 1394a and eSata.  WiMax and GPS ready.