In recent times, there has been a huge influx of 11.6 inch laptops, which are neither Netbooks nor standard laptops. The Dell Inspiron M101z is one such laptop and the problem is that no one knows what to call these mid-sized laptops. Nonetheless, the M101z is a power packed laptop with AMD’s new processor, the dual-core Athlon Noe II, a 320GB 7,200rpm hard drive and 4GB of RAM. The M101z also has another version, the AMD Neo K125 which comes with a lower price.
The dual core version in the M101z works like magic with some amazing features and excellent speed. But it is almost as costly as a standard laptop and by paying slightly more you can get an Intel Core i3 system. It has got a brilliant design and build-quality and is perfect for someone who wants a performance oriented machine in a small size.
Design and Performance
In design part, the Inspiron M101z definitely leaves a mark. The design is smart, with a black screen bezel and dark grey body, complementing each other perfectly. The M101z also comes with four attractive colors- black, blue, red and the very eye-catching pink. Dell is going charitable with the M101z, with a part of the total cost of the pink colored laptop going to Susan Komen’s breast cancer organization.
The keyboard of the M101z is quite solid and sturdy with flat-topped and widely spaced keys. The user-friendly design of the keyboard allows quick and comfortable typing. Dell has also worked on the touch pad, which is significantly improved. The mouse buttons are separate and fairly sized. The touch pad also consists of fundamental multitouch gestures, like two finger scroll with a friction free surface. The laptop has an 11.6 inch display screen with a resolution of 1366×768 and also features a 1.3 webcam and microphone. The company has placed the display screen on the top of keyboard to bring the screen closer. But this hinged design restricts the screen to be tilted only to 120 degree.
The performance of Inspiron M101z, with its new AMD processor, is impeccable. It is not as fast as the standard i-series laptops; however, it is far better than the other 11-inch laptops of recent times. The graphics are amazing thanks to the AMD chipset.
The battery life of the M101z is decent, with the 56Wh six-cell battery lasting for approximately 3 hours 30 minutes in a video test and about 4 hours 30 minutes in a normal audio and web surfing test. The speakers are excellent, delivering high volumes with great quality.
Technical Specifications
| Width | 8.07″ (205mm) |
| Height | 0.95″ (24.3) front –1.38″ (35 mm) back |
| Depth | 11.5″ (292mm) |
| Weight | Starting weight of 3.44 lbs (1.56Kg) |
| Processor | AMD Athlon II X2 K325 / 1.3 GHz |
| Multi-Core Technology | Dual-Core |
| Configuration Features | 2 x 2 GB |
| Installed Size | 4 GB |
| Technology | DDR3 SDRAM – 1333 MHz |
| Hard Drive | 320 Byte – 7200 rpm |
| Hard drive type | Standard |
| Display Type | 11.6 TFT widescreen |
| Max Resolution | 1366 x 768, ( WXGA ) |
| Video card | Integrated AMD RS880, Integrated RS880 |
| Audio Input | Microphone |
| Audio Output | Sound card |
| Audio Compliant Standards | High Definition Audio |
| Power Device | External |
| Voltage Required | AC 120/230 V |
| Networking | Network adapter |
| Compliant Standards | IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g |
| Operating software/system provided | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English |
| Memory | 2GB DDR3 SoDIMM at 800MHz, 1x2GB DIM |
| Power | 6-cell 56WHr Li-Ion Battery with up to 6 hours 36 minutes of battery life |
| Camera | Built-in 1.3Mega Pixel Webcam |
The Bottom line
The Dell Inspiron M101z is an outstanding laptop in the 11-inch category. It gives the gives a great combination of performance, build quality, graphics and design. The battery life could have been better; but nonetheless, this AMD powered machine providing a lot in power and performance.