Dell Latitude X1
Notebook Reviews > Dell Latitude > X1

It looks like Dell is serious with its push into the ultra-portables market and the latest revision of the Latitude X1 shows that very clearly.

At just 2.5 pounds (with the battery) and being about the same size of a letter paper with a thickness of only 1.1 inches, the X1 is a very formidable contender in the ultra-portables arena indeed and definitely Dell's smallest notebook so far. Even the power adapter is almost half the size (and weight) of others within the latitude range. Indeed the X1 is a mobile warrior's dream come true.

Like many ultra-portables the Latitude X1 comes with a 12.1" screen that's quite crisp and clear with good viewing angles; and being a wide screen makes it even better. The keyboard (which is spill-proof) however is a tad smaller than usual but quite comfortable once you get used to it. The same goes for the touchpad buttons; the touchpad itself was quite responsive with its wonderfully textured surface making it easy and comfortable to use.

Alas, archiving such a small size and light weight meant some trade-offs were a must. The most notable being the lack of an integrated optical drive. The good news is that the provided external combo drive is powered through the USB port and thus eliminating the need for an external power source. Another thing lacking is a cooling fan; this makes the X1's bottom hot after being used for sometime. Not too hot though. And don't forget, the lack of a fan means that the X1 runs quite and it also adds a little to the battery life. Lastly, there's only a single speaker on the X1 making it useless except to hear system notifications. To get stereo sound you need to use a headphone - or a pair of portable external speakers.

There were sacrifices on the technical specifications side as well; but don't let that fool you into thinking that the Latitude X1 is a slow machine, it can still handle all business needs quite comfortably. Dell configures the standard X1 with a Pentium M 733 (1.10 GHz) processor, 512MB of DDR2 RAM and a 60GB hard drive; a better configuration comes with the same processor but with the RAM upgraded to768MB and the hard drive to 80GB.

The included 3-cell battery can last up to just a little under 3 hours which is generally fine. But if you don't mind a little more weight and a slightly larger battery pack then the optional 6-cell battery can last up to 5 hours.

Overall, the Dell Latitude X1 may not be the best ultra-portable out there but considering its super light weight and sleek design in addition to the usual Dell value factor, the X1 stands out and is a welcomed addition to the ultra-portable notebooks market indeed.