Budget Ultraportables

Good looks and performance at a value price

For a long time, you couldn't buy a fully functional ultraportable laptop for less than $1,000. Several new and some older computers leave that barrier behind. One example is the Dell XPS M1330 (Starting at $750). Once one of the very best choices among ultraportable laptops, the M1330 has grown a little long in the tooth. However, tests and user feedback say that although it may lack some of the bells and whistles of its newer -- and more expensive -- competition, the M1330 is still a spritely performer, and its now reduced price has made it one of the most budget-friendly ultraportable laptops around. There are some other advantages as well.

With many tiny and light laptops, you end up sacrificing some features such as an optical drive, extra USB ports or battery life. One of the things that reviewers love about the Dell XPS M1330 is that you sacrifice little in its efficient ultraportable design. The 13.3-inch widescreen laptop is rated an Editors' Choice at NotebookReview.com, PCMag.com, TrustedReviews.com and elsewhere.

Reviewers are captivated by the design. Color choices include tuxedo black and midnight blue; a Product Red version, in which a portion of the price is contributed to a global fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, is also available. Cisco Cheng of PCMag.com enthuses, "The Dell XPS M1330 takes the best things from other great ultraportables and combines them into a single entity." However, PCMag.com also cautions that because the Dell XPS M1330 has been around for quite a while, you won't get all of the latest technology. That said, in a recent roundup of nine ultraportable laptops, it was the only one to earn or retain an Editors' Choice award, though other reports on the site also confer that honor to other ultraportable laptops.

With the stock four-cell battery, the Dell XPS M1330 weighs just 4 pounds, though we've seen some complaints that runtime with the stock battery is on the short side. An optional six-cell battery (*est. $30) or nine-cell battery (*est. $70) is also available, though both add a bit of weight, and the nine-cell battery makes the laptop a bit thicker as well.

NotebookReview.com offers the best balance of criticisms and praise of the Dell XPS M1330. "While issues like warm palm rests, awkward media buttons, a noisy slot-loading drive, and somewhat heavy weight with the nine-cell battery will make some demanding buyers look elsewhere," concludes NotebookReview, "most consumers looking for a 13.3-inch notebook will be hard pressed to find a better notebook in the same price range." CNET's review states that the touchpad should be bigger. However, that's the type of trade-off you make with an ultraportable laptop, and most reviewers say the Dell notebook computer succeeds in minimizing drawbacks.

The Dell XPS M1330 has a number of configuration options -- including five different processors -- and an unusually long list of options for such a small laptop. 802.11g Wi-Fi is standard, and you can upgrade to Wireless-N (802.11n). Other options include mobile broadband adapters for Verizon, Sprint or AT& T and Bluetooth connectivity. Storage options range up to a 500 GB 7,200-rpm SATA hard drive. A CD/DVD burner is standard. In addition to a standard display, one with an LED backlight is also available (*est. $125), and that draws raves from Laptop Magazine and CNET.

We've also seen some great expert and user reviews for the HP Pavilion dv3510nr (*Est. $900). This ultraportable laptop is sold only in one configuration, and is offered exclusively though Best Buy. It is part of the retailer's Blue Label program, which partners with vendors, including HP, to produce and sell products with the features its customers request most often.

Weight is relatively hefty for an ultraportable -- just under 5 pounds -- but there's a lot packed under the hood of the Pavilion dv3510nr. At the heart of this 13.3-inch laptop is a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processor, 4 GB of system memory and discrete Nvidia graphics; a 320 GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive, DVD burner and a memory-card reader are all also standard. Other features include an LED backlit screen; a backlit keyboard, which is useful for typing in dark places; fingerprint reader; Bluetooth; webcam with microphone; and more. You'll also find a pre-installed copy of Norton Internet Security with a full 12-month subscription (most laptops give you just a three-month teaser subscription to security software). All of that is backed by a relatively strong warranty -- two years plus 30 days of Best Buy's Geek Squad technical support.

Expert reviews are generally positive, though not universally so. The most negative review of the HP Pavilion dv3510nr is at NotebookReview.com, where Kevin O'Brien finds lots to like but says his pleasure is tempered by poor build quality -- specifically a "squeaky chassis and uneven keyboard." Whether O'Brien's evaluation laptop -- which was bought at retail for this review -- is an isolated case or not is hard to say, but the fact that his complaints are not echoed by other professionals, or by the majority of users posting at BestBuy.com (where, following lots of feedback, 91 percent of owners say they would recommend the dv3510nr to a friend), gives us hope that it is.

CNET, on the other hand, is so impressed with the HP Pavilion dv3510nr that they name it an Editors' Choice, though with a couple of caveats. The most significant drawback is that gaming performance isn't very impressive, despite the presence of Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS graphics. "This budget card will run many games just fine, but it has its limits," writes reviewer Matthew Elliott. Still Elliott loves the "all-around excellence and value."

Though it doesn't earn Editors' Choice status at Laptop Magazine, the HP Pavilion dv3510nr does earn a strong four-star rating. Michael A. Prospero calls the HP dv3510nr "sleek and powerful," but complains that battery life -- measured at three hours and 41 minutes -- is too short. Interestingly, CNET actually measures battery life at 10 minutes shorter, but calls that a strong point, and posts benchmark tests showing the dv3510nr beating some competing machines in that regard.

The Acer Aspire 3935 (*Est. $900) is brand new and has attracted too few reviews to date to earn Best Reviewed status -- but what we've seen thus far is very positive and include Editors' Choice awards at Laptop Magazine and PCMag.com. At an inch thick and weighing over 4 pounds, this 13.3-inch laptop is toward the heavy end of the ultraportable range, but it is still an easy-to-carry option for those on a budget. With its brushed-aluminum case, the Aspire 3935 "looks absolutely gorgeous," says PCMag.com.

Powered by a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, performance is good according to all reports -- about the same as other thin and light notebooks according to testing at Laptop Magazine. Since the Aspire 3935 uses Intel integrated graphics, top-notch graphics and gaming performance should not be expected. Battery life is impressive. The keyboard features larger-than-normal keycaps and is comfortable to use, though Laptop Magazine says that some might find the keys "soft and mushy." The touchpad features multi-gesture support, but in testing at PCMag.com, it failed to work or was non-responsive most of the time. High-end extras are few, but an included dual-layer DVD burner is a nice extra.