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Dell Inspiron Mini 10

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What's hot: Form factor, performance, and huge variety of BTO options.

What's not: Limited RAM.

Review posted June 4, 2009 by Jacob Spindel

Most of our readers have probably figured out by now that I’m not usually a huge fan of Dell. Not only does the company have a rather mixed reputation with consumers, I am, of course, a steadfast Mac guy who uses a MacBook as his primary computer. However, even the 12-inch MacBook is large enough that I rarely use it as an actual portable, and even though netbooks are all the rage nowadays, Apple doesn’t make one. (Well, not yet, anyway, although the rumor mill is buzzing.) I must admit that if I write a review praising anything from Dell, my loyal readers may start to suspect that I’ve been replaced by some sort of lookalike impostor from outer space, I have indeed entertained the idea of adding a Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook to my lineup as a secondary computer. And believe it or not, if you’re looking for a quality netbook on a low-end budget, the Inspiron Mini is actually a pretty good choice.

Control Alt Dell

The Inspiron Mini 10 features a 10.1-inch LED display with a maximum resolution of 1366 x 768 and 32-bit color (that's a $35 upgrade from the 1024 x 576 standar resolution display option). That’s large enough that you won’t have many problems with dialog boxes or other items not fitting on the screen, and although this does have the side effect that items on screen will be a bit small, I found the screen to be quite readable and easy to look at. You also have the option of decreasing the resolution to as low as 800 x 600 pixels.

The CPU is an Intel Atom Z520 running at 1.33 GHz (you can build-to-order a Z530 at 1.6 Ghz for an additional $50) with an Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 500. This model includes a 160 GB magnetic hard disk rather than a solid state drive, and while a magnetic disk is certainly slower and uses more electricity than an SSD, the fact is that current netbooks in the same price range as the Inspiron Mini that do have an SSD usually only have a capacity of 16 GB, and if you intend to try running Windows on something with less storage space than most iPods, let’s just say you might need a helmet.

The Inspiron Mini measures 10.26 inches by 7.19 inches, and it is about 28.3 millimeters thick. At only 2.6 pounds, you can easily hold it, even in one hand (although I wouldn’t recommend using it that way). It’s pretty obvious that one of the main appeals of any netbook is a size and weight that make it extremely portable, but the Mini fulfills that expectation and is easily small enough and light enough to carry practically anywhere using a briefcase or even just a backpack.

The layout of the keyboard and trackpad resembles a traditional laptop, featuring a keyboard that isn’t quite full size but is still large enough to be comfortable for serious work (Dell says it‘s 92% of full size). Right below that is a tiny trackpad, called the Elantech Smart-Pad, in the center, surrounded by “wrist rest space.” You can click the bottom left area of the trackpad for a left click, or the bottom right area for a right click, but these are not actually discrete buttons; although you can depress those two corners (as in, they physically move), the trackpad is actually one solid rectangular unit. That’s fine as a design concept, but in practice the Inspiron Mini’s trackpad can be rather difficult to use, especially for click-and-drag operations, because it can sometimes feel inaccurate or unresponsive, especially when you have to try to cram two fingers at once into such a small space. The trackpad is good enough to use if you don’t have another option, but if possible, I would recommend bringing along an external mouse whenever you travel with the Inspiron Mini.

Dude! I’m Getting a Dell??

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 is marketed primarily as a secondary laptop for people who would like to take their light to moderate workloads to places where a full-sized laptop might not dare to go, and this is indeed who it will work best for. It’s ultraportable and inexpensive with performance levels that are impressive by netbook standards (and even fairly impressive by regular standards), so people who use it for its intended purpose will find that it fulfills their needs and even goes beyond them. I wish the memory were upgradeable, and issues with the heat and trackpad can be minor annoyances, but, even though I’m still a Mac guy, I have found the Inspiron Mini to be an excellent tool for productivity.

Pro: Compact, light form factor; strong performance; even for video playback; many build-to-order options available, including a TV tuner, Verizon Wireless modem, and battery upgrades; starting price is quite inexpensive for what it offers.

Con: 1 GB of memory cannot be upgraded through any method; generates a lot of heat; trackpad isn‘t great.

Starting price: $349

Website: www.ell.com