Dell's entry-level multimedia laptop, the XPS M1210 has some excellent show-biz genes, such as media buttons and a TV tuner option. But it's also a strong, well-designed, and highly mobile performer. The Windows Vista refresh only enhances the earlier XP version's strong points.
Dell XPS M1210 Notebook (2.00GHz Core 2 Duo Mobile, 2GB DDR2, 120GB, DVD/CD-RW, Windows Vista Home Premium, 12.1

- Spec Navigator
- Processor
- Memory
- Display
- Storage
- Battery
- Dimensions
- Other Features
- Networking
- Multimedia
- Software
- Interface Connections
- Included Devices
Storage
| Total HD Size | 120 GB |
| Optical Drive Type | DVD±R DL/DVD±RW |
| Optical Drive Speed | 6 |
| Removable Optical Drive | No |
| Slots |
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| Number of Media Slots | 3 |
Multimedia
| Video chipset | nVidia GeForce Go 7400 |
| Installed video memory | 256 MB |
| Video integration | Integrated |
Software
| Included Software |
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| Operating system | Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (32 bit) |
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Laptops »
Pros
Mobile broadband-ready
One-touch entertainment functions
Cons
Applications cost extra
Bottom Line
If 5 pounds won't weigh you down, the Dell XPS M1210 is the perfect choice for work and play.
Dell XPS M1210
XPS M1210 Notebook (2.00GHz Core 2 Duo Mobile, 2GB DDR2, 120GB, DVD/CD-RW, Windows Vista Home Premium, 12.1 Review, by Carla Thornton April 21, 2007
The 4.9-pound M1210 is not the lightest laptop in its class, but it's still quite travel friendly. Pricing is flexible, starting at $1299, and the design is excellent. The M1210 has four USB ports, among other connections, ports, and card slots. Its 12.1-inch WXGA screen is extraordinarily bright and inviting, and the well-laid-out keyboard requires no ramp-up time. And with the unit turned off, one press of the keyboard's MediaDirect button launches a movie, music file, video clip, or photos slide show located anywhere on the notebook. Though the M1210 is a small notebook with small-sounding speakers, it comes with two headphone ports on the front so two people can plug in and listen at the same time.
Last year Dell added an 'Instant office' option to the MediaDirect menu; after selecting it, you can flip through your PowerPoint slides, contacts, and calendar entries, without waiting for Windows to load.
The Mobile Media Guru configuration, included on our $2150 (as of April 11, 2007) review unit) further broadens your entertainment and communications horizons. An external USB TV tuner and a remote control enable you to watch and record live TV on the M1210's small screen. Dell also includes an excellent Webcam and an integrated broadband antenna at this price level. (An integrated Cingular or Verizon cellular broadband card and Bluetooth cost extra, however.) The notebook's 'WiFi Catcher' switch makes it easy to scan for any type of wireless signal--Wi-Fi, broadband, or Bluetooth.
Configured with Windows Vista Home Premium, a 2-GHz Core 2 Duo T7200 processor, and 2GB of RAM, our review unit earned a WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 76, the highest mark among the eight ultraportables reviewed in our June issue's laptop roundup. Our XPS M1210's 256MB nVidia GeForce Go 7400 graphics controller supported basic 3D gaming; the notebook could run both Doom 3 and Far Cry with antialiasing switched off.
Our test unit also came with a dual-layer DVD writer and a 7200-rpm, 120GB hard drive; you can increase the storage to a maximum of 160GB.
When work takes you away from electrical outlets, the M1210's 5.3-hour battery life (our unit came with the $50 nine-cell battery upgrade in place) saves the day.
A thick, illustrated printed user manual accompanies the laptop.
With its plethora of media-oriented features, the M1210 is probably the best sub-5-pound entertainment notebook on the market. But it also has just every laptop feature that a consumer or small-business shopper could want, plus power, ease of use, and a road-friendly weight. If you're looking for top comfort and full features in an ultraportable, you'll find them in the M1210.
Carla Thornton
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- Rating Breakdown
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88
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77
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85
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Laptops
88
81
52
71
Performance
| Adobe Photoshop CS2 | 593 |
| Autodesk 3ds max 8.0 SP-3 DirectX | 467 |
| Autodesk 3ds max 8.0 SP-3 Rendering | 804 |
| Battery Life (Video Playback in hh:mm) | 5:18:07 AM |
| Doom 3, 1024 by 768, 32-Bit | 33.9 |
| Far Cry, 1024 by 768, 32-Bit | 52.65 |
| Firefox 2 | 320 |
| Microsoft Office 2003 with SP-1 | 396 |
| Microsoft Windows Media Encoder 9.0 | 278 |
| Multitasking | 422 |
| Nero 7 Ultra Edition | 911 |
| Number of Included Batteries | 1 |
| Roxio VideoWave Movie Creator 1.5 | 256 |
| Winzip Computing WinZip 10.0 | 343 |
| WorldBench 6 Score | 76 |
| WorldBench 6 Word Score | Superior |
Average User Reviews for Dell XPS M1210 Notebook (2.00GHz Core 2 Duo Mobile, 2GB DDR2, 120GB, DVD/CD-RW, Windows Vista Home Premium, 12.1
- Latest User Reviews 5 reviews
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Reviewed by: muffymeister
Duration of ownership: 6 Months
Strengths: Screen, CPU (C2D T7200), 120GB, 2GB(667MHz), Battery is fantastic even with vista! (9-cell)
Weaknesses: careful with the graphics, its a geforce 7400 go, it says 256MB but 192 of that is turbocache (in other words from system memory) 64 hardwired to it, still plays half life 2 and F.E.A.R fantastic
Overall: this is a crackin laptop for just over £1000, brilliant at everything i ask of it, DVD writers a little slow (only x3) but i hardly use it, upgrade the memory to 667MHz to get the best from it, originally came with 2*512MB 533MHz. screen is spot on although not terribly bright the m1330 from dell is everything the m1210 is plus the failures fixed in my eyes (brighter screen, graphics much improved)
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Reviewed by: lastsamurai57
Duration of ownership: 2 Months
Strengths: Light, portable, compact. Color and clarity nice for a 12.1 inch screen.
Weaknesses: Speakers seems to have a "boxy" sound.
Overall: I really didn't know what to expect with this portable from Dell using Windows Vista Home version. But, it seems alright, a few interesting help screens. Fairly easy to manage. A few programs still are not Vista compatable such as the JiWire Hotspot Helper. Overall so far, I like its weight, size and so far its performance. Connected a monitor to test its dual display capability, and it seems this could be handy, in my case during Fantasy Football season. For a lightweight portable and my needs, it's a great investment.
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Reviewed by: tstrelka
Duration of ownership: 10 Months
Strengths: I love the size, weight, and design of this system. It is by far the best Dell I have ever owned. The built-in webcam is fun to use with instant messaging and rotates over 180 degrees. The keyboard is laid out in the familiar Dell design and it is easy to type on. I upgraded to a clean installation of Microsoft Vista Ultimate 32-bit and I am pleased with the performance and features. It has a performance rating of 3.3. I like the fact that there is no latch to close the lid. The alloy chassis is very sturdy and light.
Weaknesses: I am not happy with the black paint chipping off of the chassis near the audio jacks. I wish Dell offered touch-up paint since the bottom case is made of metal. The nine-cell battery seems to be a bit loose. I wish the clearences were a bit tighter. The media buttons on the front tend to get bumped easily and the silver paint on the LCD bezel is wearing from rubbing above the keyboard when the computer is in the case. I have run into problems with hardware device drivers which caused BSOD when it had Windows XP Media Center 2005 on it and also when I first loaded Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit. Problems have since been resolved since reinstalling Windows Vista a second time and using updated webcam drivers. Another weakness is the high price I paid for this computer. There is slightly less battery life with Windows Vista versus Windows XP with the 9-cell battery.
Overall: I absolutely love this computer! I am glad to see that it continues to be the #1 rated ultraportable laptop by PC World magazine. Overall, the design and performance of the Dell XPS M1210 is outstanding. I highly recommend it to others. It works great for both business and entertainment purposes.
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Reviewed by: bigmutt
Duration of ownership: 3 Months
Strengths: sturdy, well-built; good features; nice keyboard; attractive design; it's a Dell, with special XPS tech support; fast; great video;
Weaknesses: shiny screen shows lots of refections; gets pretty hot; matte-black outside case impossible to keep clean; MediaDirect doesn't work with Vista; no docking device offered; metalic-silver paint is thin and wears off easily; tiny speakers are close to useless; WiFi finder is useless gimmick; media buttons on front edge are inconvenient when using in lap (keep accidentally pressing them); 6-cell battery only lasts hour & half
Overall: I love this little laptop, despite it's shortcomings listed above. I have used many laptop moodels and this is one of the best. It's also very smart looking, although grease and fingerprints accumulate on the lid quite rapidly. Dell support is excellent (this is my 6th Dell). Very well designed and laid out (except for the front buttons)
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Reviewed by: rcocitop
Duration of ownership: 2 Months
Strengths: Very portable, comfortable keyboard, nice image, fast
Weaknesses: Windows Vista needs a lot of memory even with a 2ghz procesor
Overall: Very Good in all aspects
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