Dell Inspiron M101z review
That extra graphical might does have its downsides. The first to suffer is battery life: while 6hrs 34mins of light usage is good enough, it doesn't compete with rivals bearing the Intel brand. Noise, too, is an ever-present blight on the M101z's otherwise solid performance. There's no sign of the heat dissipation issues we experienced with Lenovo's AMD-powered ThinkPad X100e, but the M101z's whiny fan spins up with disappointing regularity.
That noise is the worst of the M101z's traits, though, as elsewhere it doesn't put a foot wrong. The keyboard is perhaps not quite the match of the business-centric X100e, but it's still excellent in its own way. The wide channels between each key make for error-free typing, even in the cramped confines of a commuter train, and the short, crisp action of every key feels great under the finger. The mushy trackpad buttons fall short of similar levels of perfection, but the individual buttons mark a welcome departure from the single rocker button fad, and the smooth finish of the pad itself makes for trouble-free use.
Our only genuine qualm is that the M101z, for all its positive points, is a little on the pricey side. Packard Bell's dot u might not be able to rival it for build quality or graphical oomph, but it's some way cheaper.
Still, if the price is really that off-putting, you can save a fair bit of cash by opting for one of the less generous configurations. Drop down to 2GB of memory and a 250GB hard disk, and you can pick up an M101z for a much more reasonable £365. It might be up against some tough competition, but the Dell is pretty, practical and portable, and more than deserving of a recommendation.
Price when reviewed: £426 (£500 inc VAT)
