Dell Vostro V131

Most companies strive to create distinctions between their small-business and consumer laptop lines, sometimes to the point of creating whole new designs that aren't available otherwise. Most of these business laptops aren't of much interest to the average person, but sometimes a sleek design and a good price make a laptop appealing to nearly anyone. The Dell Vostro V series has been that way for us for well over a year now. These slim ultraportables resemble distant cousins of the Adamo, but start at a fraction of the price. The only catch: the last model we reviewed, the slim Vostro V130, had a battery life that was far too short, and a low-voltage processor that wasn't fast, either. The new Vostro V131 addresses both processor and battery life, with new second-gen standard-voltage Core i-series processors and much better battery performance, while keeping an aggressive price.

Granted, $499 as a starting price for the Vostro V131 doesn't land you a Core i-series CPU; instead, you get a 1.1GHz Intel Celeron ULV 847 processor, which we'd recommend avoiding at all costs. Most people (us included) would choose the $599 model instead, which bumps up to a more reasonable second-gen Intel Core i3-2310M CPU. Our $799 version has a Core i5-2410M processor.

In the field of thin 13-inch laptops, it's hard to find good ones for less than $700. For $599, this slim 13-incher could be a perfect solution for some. At higher prices, it's likely that you'll find equally good options elsewhere.

Squared-off at the edges and universally slim throughout (unless you add an optional six-cell battery like the one included in our configuration, which adds a little bulk to the back end), the Vostro V131 is, like the Vostro V130, a sleek, angular laptop that feels almost ThinkPad-like.

The laptop's magnesium alloy and anodized aluminum construction lend it a solid heft, with a weight that just tips over 4 pounds. The laptop also has elements of the Adamo in its clean design. The Vostro V130 comes in a dull silver color, unless you spend an extra $30 for Lucerne Red. The slight hinge-forward design of the top lid leaves a little back lip jutting out behind the opened-up lid, like the Inspiron R and XPS designs. The AC power cord plugs into the back lip, which is otherwise left blank. Ports and heat vents line the sides, unlike the previous Vostro V130. It's an improvement for ease of access. Like the V130, the V131 lacks an optical drive to save space.

The Vostro V131's keyboard has changed since last year's V130, adopting an island-style chiclet keyboard instead of the V130's flat keyboard with raised key surfaces. This is true not just with the Vostro, but with the rest of Dell's laptops. The chiclet keys are even easier to differentiate, and fewer accidental keys are pressed. There are some annoyances: volume and brightness aren't function-reversed and have no dedicated buttons, and a column of page up/page down keys on the right side cramp easy access to the Enter/Shift keys. Backlighting is an option that comes standard on certain models of the Vostro V131, including this $799 configuration. Dell claims the keyboard is spill-resistant; we don't do spill tests on our laptops, but we'd still avoid accidentally pouring liquids on anything that says "resistant" rather than "proof."

The power button lurks above the top left of the keyboard; on the right, two discrete buttons launch a quick-access computer settings dashboard and Dell Support Center, while a third programmable button can launch any number of actions or applications.

A wide, matte black palm rest frames a square multitouch touch pad with discrete buttons beneath. The pad is smaller than what you'd find on Apple's MacBook Air, but it's responsive and has all the requisite multitouch gestures enabled. On the far right there's an included fingerprint reader for added log-in security and password protection. Even though this is a business-targeted laptop, however, it lacks VPro and other IT-oriented features normally seen on bigger-business models.

The 13.3-inch screen has a native resolution of 1,366x768 pixels and has a matte coating, which helps protect against glare. We wish we could say we loved the display more, but color and images wash out very quickly at even moderate viewing angles. Despite the front edge of the Vostro V131 looking like it has stereo speakers, it only has a mono speaker. It reaches an acceptable volume and sound quality isn't overly tinny, but most people will prefer headphones.

The included Webcam has a 1,280x720-pixel maximum resolution, and looked much better than average. The array microphones included in the Dell Vostro V131 are also far better than the average laptop; our recorded voice sounded crisp and distinct.

HDMI, Bluetooth, and dual USB 3.0 ports round out an up-to-date set of ports and connectivity options on the Vostro V131. Mobile broadband--in either WiMax, LTE, or 3G broadband--can also be added into certain configurations. The Vostro V131 lacks an optical drive, but it does have a fingerprint reader (apples and oranges, but many businessfolk probably prefer the latter). The Vostro V131 is also Intel Wireless Display-enabled, which can transmit HD-quality video and audio to a nearby TV outfitted with a WiDi adapter box. This could come in handy for PowerPoint presentations--but don't forget to buy that WiDi adapter.

The Vostro V131's least expensive entry-level config is $499, but only comes with a Celeron processor, along with 2GB of RAM and a 7,200rpm, 320GB hard drive. Our $799 configuration has a Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB 7,200rpm hard drive. RAM can be expanded up to 6GB.

While last year's Vostro laptops had low-voltage Intel Core i-series processors, this year's crop has full-fledged versions. The 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-2410M CPU in our model is the same processor we've seen in the HP Envy 14 and Sony Vaio SA, to name a few. It performed on par with those laptops in our benchmark tests, to no great surprise. It's more than capable for most computing needs, including multiple-program multitasking and even some more-intensive projects like video editing.

The Vostro V131 has no discrete graphics options; Intel HD 3000 graphics is all that's available. They're adequate for most people, and can even handle some basic gaming. Street Fighter IV ran at 13.5fps in native resolution and 2x antialiasing. Hey, you can't blame us for being curious, but it proves our point: hard-core games won't play well on this, not that you'd expect that out of a slim 13-inch business laptop.

Juice box
Dell Vostro V131	Average watts per hour
Off (60%)	0.42
Sleep (10%)	0.59
Idle (25%)	7.69
Load (05%)	41.95
Raw kWh number	37.94
Annual power consumption cost	$4.31

The Dell Vostro's six-cell battery lasted an impressive 6 hours and 9 minutes in our video playback battery drain test. That's amazing strides from last year's pitiful 2 hours we got from the Vostro V130's four-cell battery. The new Vostro should last for much of a business day without needing to see a power outlet.

Dell includes a basic one-year limited warranty with on-site service with the Vostro V131, which can be upgraded up to three years for an extra $80, or up to a Pro three-year service plan for $190. Dell's Web site does a decent job making toll-free service numbers and documentation easy to locate.

There are many semi-thin 13-inch laptops on the market, and the selection can get numbing. The Dell Vostro V131 is meant for small-business customers, but the not-so-secret secret is that, at its lower-end price configurations, it's an intriguing option for anyone looking for a highly portable computer. Just be forewarned: it's no MacBook Air, and it's not trying to be.

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System configurations:

Dell Vostro V131
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-2410M; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 64MB (Dedicated)/1696MB (Total) Intel HD 3000; 500GB Western Digital 7,200rpm

Acer Aspire Timeline X 3830TG-6431
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-2410M; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 540M / 128MB (Dedicated) Intel GMA HD; 640GB Hitachi 5,400rpm

Dell Vostro V130
Windows 7 Professional; 2.26GHz Intel Core i5 U470; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 64MB (Dedicated) Intel GMA HD; 500GB Western Digital 7,200rpm

Sony Vaio VPCSA21GXSI
Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-2410M; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 1GB AMD Radeon HD 6330M / 64MB (Dedicated) Intel HD 3000; 500GB Samsung 5,400rpm

HP ProBook 5330m
Windows 7 Professional w/ SP1; 2.1GHz Intel Core i3-2310M; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 64MB (Dedicated)/1315MB (Total) Intel GMA HD; 500GB Toshiba 7,200rpm

Toshiba Portege R835-P56X
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-2410M; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 64MB (Dedicated)/1696MB (Total) Intel GMA HD; 640GB Hitachi 5,400rpm

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