Dell :: First Impressions Of E6400 Vs T61

For a while now, I have only considered using Thinkpads. Primarily because of the great keyboard, but also because of the business aethetics.....solid pure black design and great materials. Often I would rant about how somebody else had to adopt these two features and add some competition.

I have to say Dell did an outstanding job with the E6400. The keyboard is actually nicer than the Thinkpad keyboard due to a shorter slope on the edges which give them more surface area on the top. Otherwise, the feel is very very similar. Excellent job.

The design is serious and sophisticated with a lower maintenance lid. The Thinkpad, however, still has more polish in the build construction. Specifically, the amount of overall flex and how well they had their seems disguised.

The LED WXGA+ screen has ruined me. My desktop LCD now looks dim. It's the most beautiful matte display I've ever seen on any monitor or notebook. I'm not sure I've ever seen an LCD television as nice. It's just spectacular.

I'm very happy to see Dell finally taking the business notebook market seriously. From what I've seen, I believe they've succeeded in broaching the hallowed arena held for so long exclusively by the Thinkpad. While not quite there in terms of build quality, they have more than matched Lenovo in at least a few areas and hopefully this is a sign of things to come.