Tech Tied

Dell created the XPS M1530 because of the success of the XPS M1330.  The M1530 is basically the same as the M1330 except for the screen size, 15inch vs. 13inch.  I was very close to buying the M1330 because of its compact size and long batter life.  I eventually decided on the M1530 because I realized that a 13inch display at a resolution of 1280×720 was just unusable.  The laptop I am replacing is an Acer 9300 which has a 17inch display.  The M1530 is a way better size, way better battery life and is beautiful.  When I bought the laptop from the Dell store they were asking an unreal price for the 9 cell battery ($199 up sale).  I decided on sticking with the 6 cell battery and I bought a 9 cell battery from ebay for $72.  I thought I would be safe because the M1530 is so new that a used battery couldn’t be that bad, I was right it’s awesome.  On normal usage I get about 3 hours of life from the 9 cell.  When I say normal usage I mean the screen is on its brightest and I’m surfing the internet.  I got the 1680×1050 LG display.  You may wonder why I specified “LG” display.  Well I needed to because they are shipping this laptop with three different types of displays, the quality is different. 

This is the second M1530 laptop that I got from Dell, the first I sent back.  I sent it back for two reasons, because of the shitty display and because of the casing didn’t line up.  I could’ve lived with the casing not being perfect but I couldn’t live with the display.  If you want more information about the display problem just do a Google search for “M1530 grainy screen” you will find a lot of results.  The grainy screen that I am referring to is from the Samsung displays they are sending out with this laptop.  They SUCK, really SUCK.  It is dark and very fuzzy.  It pretty much feels like you bought a $300 laptop because the screen sucks so badly.  Now don’t think that Dell will help you with this issue, they are being told not to.  I had to speak with about 10 customer care reps and I had about 7 XPS chat sessions before I got them to agree to replace the screen.  The excuse they are using is that they won’t replace the screen because is not a mechanical issue, it’s what they send out.  The screen I have now is an LG.  It is clear, bright and beautiful.  I think if Dell didn’t replace the laptop I would have gone with an HP.

Aside from the screen issue I am very pleased with the laptop, the quality is top notch.  Brushed metal wrist rests, touch sensitive buttons, opens with a barrel hinge design, slot load DVD read/writer, finger print reader, HDMI port, unique firmware.  The touch sensitive buttons are excellent.  For the volume controls if you hold your finger on the button it will step up the volume level continually.  The barrel hinge is nice because it doesn’t require a latch to secure lid closure, it is held down with the use of the barrel force.  The HDMI port feeds an HDTV with crisp quality, no blur.  There is a quick launch button that you can use to start up your laptop into its firmware program Media Direct.  The Media Direct allows you to view documents, pictures, videos and DVD without having to boot your PC.

See the video I made reviewing the laptop for further details. (Please note I will have a second video on YouTube in about 2 days).