Dell Vostro V131: A Budget Business Laptop
by Jarred Walton on October 28, 2011 1:55 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
- IT Computing
- Dell
- Intel
- Sandy Bridge
- Vostro
Dell Vostro V131: Not a Good LCD
I’m going to keep this section short. This is a matte LCD, yes, but that’s really about the only thing it has going for it. 1366x768, low contrast, only moderate maximum brightness, and weak colors do not make for an overall compelling experience. Here’s a look at the display performance and viewing angles.
The above certainly isn’t going to bring home any awards, but it’s worth noting that even the Latitude line has plenty of less than stellar LCDs. When we looked at the E6410 late last year, the contrast and viewing angles were only slightly better. Of course, the E6410 also had a 1440x900 panel with a maximum brightness of 300 nits, and you can order the newer E6420 with a 1600x900 premium panel, but the base model displays on the vast majority of laptops are a disappointment as far as quality goes.
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JarredWalton - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link
Oops... thanks for the clock speed note. Guess I copied and pasted and forgot to update the clocks, as they were all the i7-2630QM clocks I think (or i7-2620M).rdamiani - Saturday, October 29, 2011 - link
The whole Vostro line is afflicted with crappy low-resolution screens - even the 15.6" systems are only 1366x768. I stopped recommending them to customers because of that.Taft12 - Saturday, October 29, 2011 - link
If Dell "took a leaf out of Apple's book", Vostro would cost 3x as much and the LCD would be equally excellent.Lower cost means compromise.
aznofazns - Monday, October 31, 2011 - link
The Vostro would cost 3x as much? Please. The 13" MBP's LCD isn't even IPS. It's just a higher quality TN panel with a different filter, IIRC.tzhu07 - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link
Looks (both the LCD screen and the outer body) like shit.deetewari - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link
Hi,I have been using Vostro laptops for my startup for the past 4+ years and this includes models like 1310, 1320, 3300 etc. My colleagues and I have over the years subjected the laptops to extremes like inevitably dropping the laptops, lugging them around from their screens and even once spilling water. The body flex is certainly present in all of them especially in comparison to Latitude and HP probooks' however, it's nothing noticeable unless focussed on!
They have lasted all these abuses and are still working fine. Over the years, though we've kept giving them thorough cleanups and due upgrades and that has kept us and the laptops quite satisfied and happy.
And yes the Vostro's are quite good with respect to battery life!
Thanks
Pirks - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link
I've bought my wife a Vostro 1700 in 2007, one of the reasons was because EVRYTHING IS MATTE!!! NO GLARE SHIT ANYWHERE!!! EAT THIS CHEAP ASUS/ACER CRAP :PSo it works like a champ since 2007, no problems whatsoever. Battery is about 50% of its original capacity, not bad for 4 years.
Minor things: one key on the keyboard started to get stuck recently and the power cable is getting damaged slowly over time near the laptop power connector because she bends it constantly while moving notebook around. Probably will break apart in a year or two, I'll replace it or solder it on and get a few more years of work after that.
My next laptop is very likely to be Vostro as well. Judging by my experience Vostro means durability. It's like Lenovo but without the clit and cheaper.
damianrobertjones - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link
The flex on the front section/keyboard isn't niceVostro V131 Celeron, 4Gb ram, Crucial C300 SSD
Room temp: 20c
V131 temp: 29c
25 minutes later
Room temp: 21c
V131 temp: 34c
If it were not for the battery life I'd recommend the HP 5330m over this machine every single day of the week.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-latitude-vost...
damianrobertjones - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link
P.s. The celeron model basically stays quiet pretty much all the time.snuuggles - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link
for a "business" laptop?! Seriously, give me a breakPathetic