Analysis of the manufacturing and design process of a laptop

macbook air 13 and dell XPS

User Interface:
Keyboard and trackpad
Under the lid, things become rather less MacBook-ish. The keyboard tray and wrist rest
dispense with the metal, replacing it with a black, rubberised material. It's quite pleasant
to stroke although it's likely to show up scuffs, fingerprints and grime easier than the
metal portions.

It's the same keyboard found on the XPS 14Z, meaning you get a large helping of
rounded, isolated keys with a rather odd font. That might not be a massive issue, but I
can't help but feel the XPS would look a little more suave with a classic typeface.

At least the rubberised material on the keyboard surround is a design departure, although it could
show up marks.
It's reasonably comfortable to type on, although the glossy coating means your fingers
can slide over them a little too easily, which I found resulted in a few more mistakes
than normal. It's a small issue though, and I have no doubt you'd get used to it after an
hour or two of typing. The keyboard is backlit too, so you can keep on typing way into
the night, or in an aeroplane when the cabin lights have been dimmed.
The trackpad is particularly big and has been given a rubberised feel, rather than
offering an all-glass pad, as seen on ultrabooks like theAsus Zenbook or Apple's
MacBook Air. It's clickable though so there's no space taken up by separate buttons. I
found it to be very responsive and comfortable to click, which helps make fast web
browsing that bit more enjoyable.

The large clickable trackpad is fast and responsive, which makes web browsing a pleasure.
Screen
As the numbers in the title hint at, the XPS 14 offers a 14-inch screen. If you want more
space to play with, opt for the 15-inch XPS 15 instead -- although you will find it slightly
less portable.

The glass stretches from edge to edge so there are no unsightly plastic bezels
cheapening up the place. It's Gorilla Glass by Corning, which is the same toughened
material used on the front and back of the iPhone 4S, so expect it to be particularly
resistant to accidental knocks.
The display itself offers a resolution of 1,600x900 pixels, which is above average for a
14-inch model. For a top-priced machine like this, I'd accept nothing less. You won't be
able to enjoy full 1080p resolution video at its best, but it will cope with 720p footage, no
problem.

The screen is very bright and extremely bold, which makes watching TV shows and
YouTube videos particularly delicious. I found it to be tastily sharp, making my favourite
YouTube clip of all time sparkle. The only downside is the glossy coating is quite
reflective, which could prove awkward under harsh office lighting or in direct sunlight.
You won't thank Dell for the shiny screen when you're working with your back to a window.

Display

Glossy 1600 x 900 pixels

The XPS 14 is the first Dell ultrabook to feature a 14-inch display. It has a resolution of 1600x900 pixels. The
screen surface is, like the other XPS devices, glossy. In this case we are talking about a resistant and
durable Corning Gorilla Glass. The resolution (HD+) is most noticeable when compared to cheaper entry-
level devices. These offer at most 1366x768 and are thus uncomfortable for working with numerous open
windows without an external display. On the other hand Asus has in its portfolio (UX21A, UX31A & UX32VD)
ultrabooks with native Full HD resolution. Dell offers no further configuration in this area.

The panel of type AUO103E must now undergo a series of extensive measurements. The display shines with
a high maximum brightness of 416 cd/m². This can be measured at the center of the display, whereas the
other regions fall behind. The minimum is only 338 cd/m². Due to this difference the average brightness
distribution is only 81%.
 Information
371 385 372
Gossen Mavo-Monitor
cd/m² cd/m² cd/m²
Maximum: 416 cd/m²
351 416 358
Average: 371.7 cd/m²
cd/m² cd/m² cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 81 %
338 403 351 Center on Battery: 377 cd/m²
cd/m² cd/m² cd/m² Black: 2.24 cd/m²
Contrast: 186:1

Distribution of brightness
2
The black level of over 2 cd/m is considerably too high. As a result the black is grayish and the contrast
ratio is low. The lack of contrast clouds the joy of watching movies and photos. Subjectively nothing can be
desired of the color temperature and image sharpness.
A shady spot.

In outdoor use the glossy Gorilla Glass is the biggest obstacle. Reflection can never be avoided, even in a
shady spot. Thanks to the high brightness of the display, one can still work even with lowered brightness.
Readability in direct sunlight is limited. A matte foil might help in this case, although this would diminish the
image sharpness. The ideal would be an XPS 14 with (optional) matte display.
Viewing angle: Dell XPS 14-L421X Ultrabook

In conclusion the viewing angle stability confirms the mixed impression of the TN panel. In horizontal change
the picture stays mostly stable, although a drop in brightness is visible. The vertical is relatively unstable. Even
a slight deviation from the optimal position leads to inverting and fading of the reference image.