What is the best slim laptop?

Until recently there hasn’t been that much to challenge the MacBook Air for the title of the best slim laptop going. Not just a very able and classy performer, it also manages to be a style icon and is still very much lusted over by an army of Mac hungry fans. But has the time come to renounce its crown?

Enter the contender from Dell - the Dell Adamo XPS.....

Slimmer than a slim thing, at first glance this really does look like it could have Apple quaking in their boots. It’s just 10mm deep - and is officially the world’s slimmest notebook. Taking their cue again from Apple, Dell have styled the Adamo XPS from a single piece of aluminium, so it oozes style and feels like a quality item. It almost looks like it would blow away in the wind. At 23 mm deep, the MacBook is looking a little worried! Adamo 1 - MacBook Air 0

The stand on the Adamo does look a little fiddly however and looks like it may be a design weakness if it loosens up and wobbles. The unibody MacBook, although a little chunkier, is a little more reassuring to use. Adamo 1 - MacBook Air 1

The Adamo’s keyboard does actually feel quite good and is possibly superior to that of the MacBook Air - its looks suggest it may fold in half when you tap on a key but it does have a fairly solid feel. The stand does feel a bit strange though and doesn’t work so well on your lap. But when it comes to the touchpad there really is no comparison as Apple really do seem to have nailed this aspect of data entry. Adamo 1 - MacBook Air 2

The Adama has an Intel Core2 Duo 1.4GHz ultra low voltage processor and 4GB of RAM whereas the MacBook Air has an Intel Core2 Duo 2.13 GHz processor with only 2GB of Ram. Surely that’s almost a point there for the Adamo but the MacBook wins out with its superior graphics capabilities. Both machines will handle day to day jobs and mobile apps very nicely but don’t expect any hardcore 3D gaming from either. Adamo 1 - MacBook Air 3

Seeing as the Adamo is falling further behind it would be kinder to Dell not to mention battery life but as this is an independent review we feel duty bound to mention that Dell quote 2.5 hours for the Adamao, and Apple 5 hours for the MacBook. One downside here  is that Apple does not have a user-replaceable battery but that seems a small price to pay for the extra longevity on the road. Both figures are a little optimistic but nevertheless, Apple’s contender is starting to stretch away. Adamo 1 - MacBook Air 4

As for connectivity, the MacBook has no ethernet and only one USB port whereas the Adamo can at least have ethernet via an adapter, along with DVI and VGA connections. Otherwise they’re both very similar so we’ll give a slight nudge to the Adamo here. Adamo 2 - MacBook Air 5

Neither have a built in dvd drive and the displays on both are quite excellent and at around 13 inches they are a great size for a lightweight travelling companion.

Well, if you have been following the sneaky scores after each section you might have realised that we think the MacBook Air is still the best, even a couple of years after its release. There’s no doubt that Dell has shown much innovation and creativity in styling the Adamo but the battery is poor and the price is very high. Connectivity with the MacBook Air is not so hot but its power and desirability still make it an object of desire for many buyers. Top dog goes to the MacBook Air.