Dell Vostro V131 business notebook
Don't let the Dell Vostro V131 laptop's low price fool you: it's state of the art
Pros
- Nice input ergonomics, two USB 3.0 ports
- Inexpensive for an ultraportable
Cons
- On the large side of the ultraportable class
Bottom Line
You'll have a hard time finding a more affordable business ultraportable than the Dell Vostro V131, though its size and weight stretch the definition.
-
Price
$ 899.00 (AUD)
This review is for the US version of the Dell Vostro V131. You can find the Australian Dell Vostro V131 on the Dell Australia site.
Dell's Vostro V131 is sedately handsome and a good performer, but has little else to distinguish it from the corporate-targeted ultraportable crowd. Unless, that is, you count eye-catching prices for various configurations, two USB 3.0 ports, and a generally excellent set of features.
Our V131 test unit ships with 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 7200-rpm hard drive, and a fast Intel Core i5-2410 CPU, and is priced at a mere $799--low for a business ultraportable. However, that drops to $500 if you can deal with a Celeron CPU, a smaller 320GB hard drive, and only 2GB of memory. If you're not doing anything taxing with the unit, the lesser configuration is worth considering. Components common to every model include a 13.3-inch, 1366 by 768 display, Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11n wireless, gigabit ethernet, and WiDi wireless display technology.
At 4.1 pounds, the V131 is definitely on the heavy side for an ultraportable--probably the reason Dell refers to it as an ultramobile. The battery in the back, which managed 7 hours and 13 minutes of run time, also makes the unit a bit thicker than the ultraportable norm. A Macbook Air it ain't, but the V131 is certainly svelter than your average all-purpose laptop. Appearance-wise, the pewter-and-black V131 is about an 8 out of 10, with clean lines and a tasteful amount of bling.
The performance of our configuration was quite good, garnering a 118 in our WorldBench test suite. Gaming frame rates are as poor as you can expect from Intel integrated graphics--about 30 frames per second only at low detail and 1024 by 764 resolution. The unit's 1080p video playback was smooth, and audio was better than average through the speakers. The webcam maxes out at 1280 by 720 resolution and is quite a bit smoother than the average at that resolution.
Two USB 3.0 ports are the big news in the connections category. However, as part of a growing trend, the V131 forgoes a microphone input in favor of utilizing the dual-array mics on both sides of the webcam. There is, of course, a headphone jack, plus VGA and HDMI output, a SC/MMC card slot, and a gigbit ethernet port. Also included is one of the least ostentatious fingerprint scanners you'll run across--it's barely noticeable just below the right side of the keyboard.
The V131 provides a Chiclet-style keyboard that has a very nice feel, as well as slightly sculpted keys for secure finger positioning. The layout suffers no undersized keys and, outside of Lenovo's keyboards, is as good as anything you'll find. Both the keyboard and the touchpad are outlined in chrome trim, with the latter offset comfortably slightly to the right of the space bar. I found the touchpad a tad too sensitive to tapping, but the feel of the buttons is pleasant.
The V131's $800 price for our test configuration looks even better when you consider that the V131 runs the professional version of Windows 7. Microsoft Office 2010 Starter is on hand, and as is the norm with Vostro machines, you'll find a relatively junk-free software array--just a few useful utilities and Trend Micro's Security Agent trial. The Dell webcam application is one of the better examples you'll see, and digitalPersona is included to take care of the software end of the biometrics.
The Vostro V131 is going to draw a lot of attention solely because of its low price. But it's no good grabbing someone's attention if you can't impress them. The V131 should have no problem doing that.
Brand Post
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Dell U3223QE review: A winning debut for an IPS Black monitor
- 2 HP Spectre x360 16 review: The right 2-in-1 at the wrong time
- 3 Acer K242HYL review: An affordable monitor for any occasion
- 4 GeForce Now review: You bring the games, Nvidia streams the hardware
- 5 Asus ProArt PA279CV monitor review: The go-to for content creators on a budget
Latest News Articles
- HP to sponsor young Aussie with ocean-saving innovation
- Samsung launches new Galaxy A smartphones in Australia
- Samsung upgrade their Australian tablet range
- Dell launches its Rugged range
- Sony launches three new 4K HDR Home Cinema Projectors
Resources
Macworld
What's new, plus best mac-related tips
and tricks
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers
Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world
Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles
PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D
The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G
Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65
This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76
It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- Which Lenovo Laptop Should I Buy?
- Every TV in Samsung's 2022 line-up: OLED, Neo QLED and more!
- Top 10 best Android and Apple phones for under $600
- Everything you need to know about Smart TVs
- What's the difference between an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7?
- Laser vs. inkjet printers: which is better?