Beauty Contest: Dell Inspiron Studio v. HP Pavilion DV Series

Sometime later this month both Dell and HP will be releasing their new lines of midrange laptops that will be in direct competition with each other. While exact details of their specs remain largely unknown, leaked photos & promo shots of each company's offerings are available. And, from which at the very least their physical appearances can be appraised by those of us that care about such things in a notebook. With that said between the Dell Inspiron Studio and the new HP Pavilion DV series which do you find most appealing in terms of design & aesthetics?

First off we have the Dell Inspiron Studio:







Images courtesy of http://www.engadget.com/

I think it's an ugly POS.

Dell's refresh of its Inspiron line partially rebranded as 'Studio', takes a radically different design cue from its outgoing one which itself was met with mixed reaction at best. Gone is the spray painted silver finish back to a conservative and traditional notebook black keyboard. In fact it's strangely almost a little too traditional looking. The varying shades of grey throughout it and its overall design remind me of office equipment from the 1980's. It might be retro but it incorporates the worst from the period it's trying to emulate and I think it looks terribly dated already. For me sadly, the bland Inspiron is anything but. It has all the charm of an electric typewriter and I couldn't imagine having to look at this plastic-y abortion everyday if I owned one.

Next, the HP Pavilion DV Series:


http://blog.laptopmag.com/hands-on-with-the-hp-pavillion-dv5t
Also has a video review too!


http://www.ecoustics.com/lm/reviews/15155


http://www.krunker.com/2008/06/10/pc-mag-and-laptopmag-review-the-hp-pavilion-dv5t/


http://gizmodo.com/395421/hp-pavill...-with-magic-chrome-blu+ray-hd-tuners-and-more
Nice gallery here.

Just gorgeous.

HP's refresh of its DV series represents a natural evolution of its award winning design that continues its stylish yet subtle tradition. Nothing about this laptop suffers from the regular criticisms of other PC makers by being boring, cheap or gaudy looking. The fit and finish of the materials used exude quality and style from its understated yet elegant black gloss exterior to its liquid metal keyboard and interior. A beautiful chrome finish along the sides and around its ports highlight its appeal. Overall it takes advantage of an industrial motif while at the same time maintaining a stylish sophistication. HP, like Apple, is maybe one of a few PC/notebook makers that does recognize good design is an important factor in marketing their products. The new DV series in particular is a giant leap in that direction.

The winner: HP Pavilion DV series

ETA: sorry I got a bunch of PM's about images not showing up, I rehosted them, hopefully you can all see.

 

The Dell gets my vote. I actually like the current HP lineup better, design-wise. I like the Dell because it doesn't look boring but it doesn't look too flashy either. The HP's look nice too, though.

 

That's funny, I am sorta the opposite. I might be one of the few fans of the outgoing Inspiron line despite the cheap ass silver paint, over the coming one. But I am also fan of the previous dv9000 series design too and think the new design for the refresh is a great continuation.

 

I didnt see any picture

 

they're there, they're hosted on waffleimages, and direct links are underneath them.

 

I find the Dell Studio 1535 to look like a tamed-down M1530. The HP just looks like a shiny piece of plastic. Winner: M1530

 

That's what it's supposed to look like, the m1530 is a gaming laptop which is why it's flashier than the 1535.

 

I'm getting PM's from people who can't see the images I posted. They're hosted on waffleimages, how many of you can see them? and whats a better image host?

 

Anyone else see
NO LINKING FROM THIS HOST
instead of the pictures?

 

I cant see them but it doesn't matter. There are no official shots of the Inspiron studio. Hell its not even official as even being real yet!

 

Yup I get the same message. Here are a couple pics of the 1535 and here are a few pics of the dv5.

 

Chances are it's real since the 1535 already showed up on Dell's support site although it's been taken down again in the mean time, i think.

 

But they could just be regular inspirons and not studio inspirons..

 

I just found this post from engadget. There's a screen shot of Dell's site mentioning the "studio 1535/1536". It looks real

 

ok waffleimages is retarded and wants refferers.. hold on i will re-up them on a diff site

 

Look at the user who sent it in...

 

Haha I didn't even see it was you lol. What a coincidence!

 

I think I got them all.

Dell Studio







HP Dv5t

 

i do have to say that the new hp w/ the chrome and stuff does make the notebook look valuable, even if you could get it (eventually) for less than a grand (heck it looks like its worth more than $1500). whenever dell comes up with the new xps line of notebooks they need to make it look more than their worth.

 

IMHO:

Functionality is beauty. I buy Dell Latitudes and ThinkPads for that reason - they are beautiful, reliable, and functional machines. I'd much rather a ThinkPad or a Latitude than any consumergrade machine released now.

 

ahh thanks!

 

When is the beauty contest going to begin? I'm waiting for pictures of the insides, that is the part that matters!

 

sorry about that, i didn't know my originals wouldn't show up. atbnet kindly reposted them on pg 2, and i got them rehosted on page 1, hopefully that works.

 

Overall...their both ugly....but the DeLL seems to have more style. probably because i like the glossy black

 

yes i saw you hating on them in the thread about these in the HP forum. and they both have glossy black exteriors, the Dell is just shaped like a thin wedge of smelly cheese.

 

i think HP will dominate inside..the way Dell is marketing thier budget laptops i'd be suprised to see nvidia 8600GT inside.Thats why HP is #1 in sales

 

I think what the Dell Studio will bring to the table will please a lot of people. I wouldn't be surprised to see dedicated video cards as well as LED screens.