Updated Dell Inspiron 13 appears on Dell Singapore site -- and it looks kinda hot

We can't say we've ever found the Inspiron 13 particularly compelling, but there's a new model up on the Dell Singapore site right now and we're this close to falling in love -- it's thinner and lighter, takes some nice design cues from the Inspiron Mini and Studio lines, and the configuration with a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo and ATI Mobility Radeon HD4330 graphics costs just S$1,399 ($962). Oh, and there's also an LED-backlit 1366 x 768 display, HDMI / VGA out, an ExpressCard/34 slot, and 1394 -- pretty great for under a grand. We're on pins and needles waiting for official US pricing information: not only do we expect it to be slightly lower, you just know Dell will be blowing these things out when back-to-school rolls around.

[Thanks, Quaysar]

[Art @ Jul 16th 2009 12:56PM]

holy crap. dell met fire with fire, hope to see this bad boy on campus come next fall

[Matt @ Jul 16th 2009 12:51PM]

Damn that does look kinda nice. Unfortunately it's probably going to get bashed for looking like a mac book pro.

[Orinjz @ Jul 16th 2009 1:07PM]

...except it looks nothing like a Macbook of any kind. Not in the keyboard style, the lid, the colours...anything.

[Mark @ Jul 16th 2009 1:12PM]

@Orinjz: Didn't stop them with anything else. Case in point: The Lenovo OPhone, every Zune generation including the Zune HD.

[Matt @ Jul 16th 2009 1:27PM]

@Orinjz

Dude I wasn't saying that Dell copied Apple. I was simply saying that it looked enough like a mac book pro that someone would make a comment and low and behold look at the post after mine. Like I said the laptop looks fine, way to go Dell.

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Jul 16th 2009 3:12PM]

Probably only by trolls. This looks pretty hot.

[JohnTitor @ Jul 16th 2009 5:45PM]

the design comes from the dell mini 10

[Pierre @ Jul 16th 2009 12:51PM]

almost as pretty as my macbook pro

[Matt @ Jul 16th 2009 12:53PM]

lol what did I say?

[Boards of Canada @ Jul 16th 2009 7:50PM]

But you save 1000$ by going with that one.

Since 2 years, Dell quality is really great... the older inspiron were clunky but the new generation is really neat. Feel very solid.

[Jayayess1190 @ Jul 16th 2009 12:55PM]

Whole lot of info on US Inspiron 1320 including pdf's: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=395351

[Hey Ya @ Jul 16th 2009 12:55PM]

Kinda pricey for an Inspiron. Don't ya think?

[WindowsFTW @ Jul 16th 2009 5:23PM]

No.

Compared to what many other companies charge you for less (looking right at you Apple), this thing is a bargain.

[engadget @ Jul 16th 2009 1:00PM]

Very nice. Do you think Dell will start selling machines with no OS at some point?

[Jorvay @ Jul 16th 2009 2:26PM]

I wish! But sadly, the MS tax seems to be inevitable. And before anyone says that Dell has sold Unbuntu-versions before, I always found that the "discounts" on the Windows versions were so big that you paid about the same amount for the same specs with the Linux or MS models.

[Poo_and_Wee @ Jul 16th 2009 3:44PM]

No way bro, Dell is far too consumertastic to go OEM.

[saycheese @ Jul 16th 2009 9:43PM]

@Jorvay:

You a$$wipe, what Microsoft Tax are you referring to? The cost of the OS adds barely $50 to the price of a PC, if that, and with netbooks it is as low as $15. What tax are you talking about?

[Level 5 @ Jul 16th 2009 12:59PM]

Hmm.. see.. I'm not sure why Dell can't make these machines thinner. I mean the current (outgoing?) Inspiron 13 is only .3" thicker at its thickest point and the XPS1330 had the same thickness as this notebook and it DOES have an optical drive, the Inspiron couldn't be made any thinner with no optical drive? The notebook itself DOES look really good though, I don't really need an optical drive, so I might look at it, thickness be damned.

[sdlakdj @ Jul 16th 2009 1:00PM]

It looks like a larger version of their "mini" lineup. Not exactly what I would call "hot". It's not bad looking either.

[Colonel Panic @ Jul 16th 2009 1:36PM]

I know, it looks like my Mini 9 has grown up. The lights and touchpad look the same and the wrist rest, hinges, power button, and overall color scheme look similar.

[Hey Ya @ Jul 16th 2009 1:03PM]

It's pretty light for a 13 incher. It's only .7lbs heavier than my 1000he.

That's a plus. I had the original Inspiron 13, and it was a bit on the heavy side.

[manlyyandere @ Jul 16th 2009 1:05PM]

I'd take it over a Macbook any day, not only does it look good, IT CAN PLAY GAMES.

[iomatic @ Jul 16th 2009 1:11PM]

Uh, so does the MacBook Pro

[Mark @ Jul 16th 2009 1:15PM]

@iomatic: OK, I'll take that bait: Go out an play Portal on a MacBook pro without dual booting or loading up a a virtual machine(including wine).

[Nerdy Desi @ Jul 16th 2009 1:24PM]

He said Macbook, not Macbook Pro, huge difference in price between the two.

[parki @ Jul 16th 2009 1:42PM]

Why the restriction on dual booting? Just because you like Windows doesn't mean it's a crime to run Windows on an Apple, and if you don't want to pay through the nose for an Apple, it's not a crime to install OS X on a hackintosh Dell. People get too distracted w/ this "I'm a PC, I'm an Apple" crap. Choose the best hardware, then choose the best software for what you want. Then give a big f-u to the marketing departments trying to herd you into their sheep pens.

[WindowsFTW @ Jul 16th 2009 5:25PM]

parki,

The best hardware for the price winner will ALWAYS be a PC though.

So in essence, it's pointless to even WASTE cash on a Mac for just the name.

[CtrlBurn @ Jul 16th 2009 1:09PM]

Battery life? Anyone?

[ichheissesuperfantastisch @ Jul 16th 2009 1:15PM]

This is from the notebookreview forums link submitted earlier. Nice to see they've finally managed to get a non-netbook machine under 4lbs.

Note: NO OPTICAL DRIVE (maybe that can be added after customization)

Specs from the manual:
13.3" screen, optional led (16:9 aka 1366x768 resolution)
Core 2 Duo, Pentium dual core, or Celeron dual core
ATI 4330 w/ 512mb or GMA 4500
eSATA/usb port
Expresscard 34 slot
Up to 8GB DDR2
3.74lbs with 4 cell battery (6 cell optional)
1.3mp webcam

[bebopblues @ Jul 16th 2009 3:02PM]

Seems there's no internal optical drive, only external USB or eSATA. This could be the deal breaker for most people as the 13" Macbook Pro includes an optical drive.

[urdaddy @ Jul 16th 2009 1:17PM]

Can we please get rid of the glossy bodies!! Christ, only thing more annoying than a glossy screen is having to wipe down your laptop because all you see is finger prints. Matte screens and matte bodies, whats so hard.

[Level 5 @ Jul 16th 2009 1:43PM]

+1

Shiny sells, but it's awful for ownership. I hate that I get to spend hundreds on a laptop, that's a CHORE to keep in good shape. A ton of the other laptops Dell makes have matte lids (some only glossy in black, whatever that's about), so I haven't lost ALL hope but the glossy has gotta go.

[bdenglish @ Jul 16th 2009 5:15PM]

I want one powdercoated black. That would be Uh-mazing

[Beastage @ Jul 16th 2009 1:19PM]

I was looking to get a Dell Studio XPS 13, now I'm going to wait to see both lines refreshed.

[Adam @ Jul 16th 2009 1:35PM]

will trade in my old mbp in a heartbeat

[Alex @ Jul 16th 2009 1:42PM]

Wow, that looks sweet. Good to see they haven't hopped on the chiclet-style keyboard bandwagon too!

[scjessey @ Jul 16th 2009 1:43PM]

What's with the offset finger pad?

[Stacky @ Jul 16th 2009 2:01PM]

Keeps it between your palms when typing.

[kkl1014 @ Jul 16th 2009 5:53PM]

It's not offset. It's centered with respect to where your hands are placed on a keyboard. A "centered" trackpad only causes problems because it'll be brushed by your hand when you type.

[NetBaffle @ Jul 16th 2009 6:21PM]

Shows what I know about touchpad placement. It still looks very strange though, especially since it was placed even more to left of the edge of the spacebar. And for the love of all things electronic, that lid better not be glossy.

[seamonkey420 @ Jul 16th 2009 1:47PM]

i honestly do not like the flush keys on the keyboard. angled-pitched keys ftw, imo :)

[ack154 @ Jul 16th 2009 2:41PM]

It looks good now... until it gets plastered with Windows / Intel stickers. That crap is getting out of hand. I don't care what is in it, I just want it to work.

[looieloo @ Jul 16th 2009 3:10PM]

A little rubbing alcohol and your fingernail usually gets those off pretty well.

[Chris @ Jul 16th 2009 4:27PM]

WD-40 worked great for me.

[3Djesus @ Jul 17th 2009 12:19AM]

Thank goodness the auto industry doesn't do the same thing with 3rd party add-ons for cars ie:tires,radio,exhaust...leave the uglification to the buyer.

[bebopblues @ Jul 16th 2009 2:45PM]

Anyone know if the trackpad is multi-touch like in the Inspiron Mini 10?

[M. E. Mouse @ Jul 16th 2009 3:58PM]

but the touchpad is on the left.....

[kkl1014 @ Jul 16th 2009 5:55PM]

It's not. It's directly centered under the G and H keys, which means that it'll be exactly between your palms when you type.

[defrancelaw @ Jul 16th 2009 4:30PM]

The 3 year old M1330 has better specs and the same weight. And costs a bit less. Oh, it also has an optical drive. I think dell engineers may be disgruntled if they can't make this lighter and thinner after three years and no optical drive.

[Dan @ Jul 16th 2009 4:39PM]

Wait, I'm confused. It says "S$1,399 ($962) ". How much does it cost? 1400 or 962? Thanks.