Dell Adamo laptop review - with video review

Posted by T3 Online on Wed 13 May 2009

No need for manila envelopes here...

It’s long been known that computer giant Dell is renowned for its corporate products, wooing businesses with ranges of reliable, affordable but often uninspiring laptops. The Dell Adamo is a huge departure then, as it’s one of the most well crafted machines we’ve seen to date.

- See our hands-on pics with the Adamo here

With a super-skinny design and exquisite build quality, it’s the Windows equivalent of Apple’s MacBook Air, and the high quality materials have more in common with a fine watch than most laptops.

Like its rival, you’ll find the chassis hacked from aluminium, although the brushed finish is more attractive. The two designs are a world apart; where the Air features curves the Adamo is square and minimalist, and the case remains the same thickness – 19mm – throughout.

It’s all in the detail

Attention to detail is fantastic, you’ll not find one screw, vent or sticker on it’s slim line body, and the backlit keyboard and aluminium touchpad add to its luxurious feel. Even the touchpad buttons are cut from pieces of aluminium, and you’ll find a metal plaque on the bottom of the machine on which the model name and Windows logos are etched.

The Adamo’s screen measures in at 13.4-inches, with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. You’ll find LED backlighting in place, and it results in clear, bright images. Colour reproduction and contrast are excellent, and the technology also uses less power than traditional fluorescent lighting. The 16:9 aspect ratio is great for movie playback, cutting down on visible black bars at the top and bottom of your flicks.

Similar to its Macbook rivals, a glossy coating stretches right to the edges of the screen, giving a frameless appearance. While attractive, however, it’s impossible to keep it clean, and it’s also highly reflective.

The keyboard is a joy to use, with each key featuring a scalloped centre that helps to cut down on typing mistakes. It offers all the usability we’ve come to expect from Dell, with each key firmly attached and responsive. The backlighting makes it usable in any lighting condition, and can also be turned down or off to conserve battery life.

Junk in the trunk?

With half of the Adamo’s depth taken up by the screen, there’s simply no space for ports on the front or side. Instead, all functional items are on the rear, including a series of holes cut neatly in the aluminium for ventilation. There are three USB ports, one of which doubles as an eSATA port for fast data transfer.

Even at the rear, there’s limited space for bigger interfaces – such as a TV-out, which is why you’ll find a smaller display port built-in. It comes with a plug-in DVI adapter, letting you hook-up external displays. Wireless connections comprise Bluetooth and draft-n Wi-Fi. The most noticeable omission is the lack of memory card reader.

Processing power is also compromised by the thin chassis, with no room for cooling fans. As such, Dell has fitted an ultra low voltage Intel Core 2 Duo U9300 chip, running at 1.2GHz. We found there were no issues with overheating, but it lacks the speed some users will expect for the asking price.

That said, performance is boosted by 2048MB of fast DDR3 memory, and while the Adamo lags behind rivals including Sony’s VAIO Z-series when carrying out intensive multi-tasking, we found it smooth and reasonably quick in day to day use. The time taken to access and save files is also reduced by a solid state drive, with a capacity of 128GB.

Energy saver

With so many of the Adamo’s components configured for low energy consumption, its battery life of just over four and a half hours is a little disappointing, especially considering the battery is a sealed unit, and can’t be easily replaced. Thankfully the power adapter is also compact and light, making it easy to take with you if needed.

Where the MacBook Air uses nVidia’s cutting-edge 9400M graphics chip, giving it enough performance for intensive multimedia applications, the Adamo uses Intel’s ageing GMA 4500M GPU. It’s fine for standard office tasks, and capable for movie playback, but it’s a disappointing choice at this price point, and you’ll have to look elsewhere if video editing or gaming is a requirement.

Doubtless, some people will, perhaps rightly so, view the Adamo as an overpriced, underpowered statement of wealth, but it’s impossible to ignore the craftsmanship or attention to detail. In the inevitable comparison of the Dell Adamo with the MacBook Air, the Adamo just doesn’t stack up. In terms of design it’s one of the most convincing we’ve seen, but with the poor processor, lack-lustre graphics chip and the astronomical price, we’d sooner sail away with the Air.

Links: Dell

Buy one here: PC World | Amazon

User Comments

By thedude10

27|05|2009 18:23

With terrible battery life I'm hoping QuickerTek will make an external battery for this. Has anyone heard? I heard their MacBook Air battery adds many hours of use.

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By ME1989

19|05|2009 01:13

In my opinion you have got to have money to burn to be even thinking of buying an Air or an Adamo. They are both over priced, poor specifications for the money you pay and way way overrated. Last time i checked a laptop was a tool not a fashion icon.

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16|05|2009 14:03

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