Dell Vostro 3350

08.07.2011
As all-purpose laptops go, the Dell Vostro 3350--the entry-level model in the current version of Dell's small-business line--leans closer than most to the ultraportable side of the fence. Its 13.3-inch, widescreen, LED-backlit display is set into a sleek and attractive 4.9-pound package that, when in use, won't elicit howls of discomfort from the person seated in front of you in economy class, and its excellent battery life should easily get you across the country on said flight.

Those factors make the Vostro 3350 a good candidate for travelers on a budget, since precious few true ultraportables are as inexpensive as our test unit ($750 as of July 5, 2011). To reach that price, however, you do have to accept some compromises. Configured with a Core i3-2310 (one of the least powerful current processors), 3GB of DDR3 RAM, integrated Intel HD graphics, and the 64-bit edition of Windows 7, our test machine managed a score of only 98 on our tests. That's low for an , and it falls shy of the scores on our top-ranked ultraportables chart, making the Vostro 3350 less than optimal for tasks involving serious number crunching--large database operations or video editing, for example.

Gamers will probably want to look elsewhere, too--the Vostro 3350's integrated graphics delivered mediocre frame rates in our gaming tests. Video quality was adequate but not great on the bright 1366-by-768-pixel display: I noticed some smearing in clips with motion, and although off-axis viewing on the sides was fine, the image deteriorated pretty quickly from above or below. However, the laptop's single integrated speaker produced surprisingly robust audio, and its integrated 1-megapixel webcam (with Dell's user-friendly Webcam Central software) and array microphone were fine for Skype video calls.

Battery life was excellent by any standard: In tests, our evaluation unit lasted 8 hours, 44 minutes. Another advantage is the laptop's DVD burner (8X DVD±RW with double-layer DVD±R write capability), something you don't always get in a portable of this size. The 320GB hard drive, while a bit small by today's standards, at least spins at a zippy 7200 rpm.

Otherwise, the port and slot array is fairly typical. Behind the DVD drive (located toward the front of the left edge) are a gigabit ethernet and two ports; on the right edge, from front to back, are the headphone and microphone jacks, a shared USB 2.0/eSATA port, and HDMI and VGA ports.

A multiformat (SD Card, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick) card reader is on the right of the front outside edge; to the far left is a tiny strip of indicator lights for power, hard-drive activity, battery, and wireless connectivity. Our test laptop came with 2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi and built-in support for Sprint's EVDO-Rev. A mobile broadband network (but you must purchase a plan, of course). I would have liked to see dual-band (2.4/5GHz) Wi-Fi since the 2.4GHz variety tends to choke in a crowded urban environment with lots of legacy 2.4GHz networks.