XPS 15 or XPS 15z - pros and cons, trying to decide

I'm considering ordering a XPS 15 or XPS 15z. Here are the pros and cons that are influencing me. Comments would be appreciated, as well as other pros/cons to consider.

XPS 15

Better screen.
Better speakers, incl. sub-woofer.
Better keyboard.
Multimedia keys (toggled with function keys, but better than nothing).

Concerned about loud fan that cycles on/off frequently, instead of remaining on at a lower RPM.
Usually ships with 130W adapter, which is larger and heavier than 90W.


XPS 15z

Lighter weight and thinner.
90W adapter ?

Uncertain whether fan situation is better than XPS 15, or if 15z has the same fan issue.
No media keys?
Slot-load optical drive: some of these reportedly cause scratches, according to owners of other brands.

 

I had the same problem but ended up choosing the XPS15z. The question you must ask yourself is how you are going to use your laptop. What will your typical uses be and use that as a starting point.

 

According to other users (jamezr?), the fan noise on 15z is not an issue. He/she reported that after 2 hours of netflix movie and web browsing, the fan was almost idle and there was no noticeable heat issue.

Slot load drives are something I've had for a LONG while on my M1330. I never had issues with that so I don't think that would be a problem here either.

Better screen on 15 --- now this is an interesting one that hasn't really been completely discussed yet. While it is true that the 15's B+RGLED screen is supposed to be better, some users who have received the notebook already are reporting that they are very happy with the screen. I do significant amount of photo editing and some video editing and this obviously is a very important factor for me to get the facts right.

Also, 15z does not come with a BluRay player. It's a small matter but would have been nice to have it included.

I am in a strange situation. My M1330 is getting warranty replaced by Dell with a XPS 15 and Dell has offered me 15z as well if I respond back later today or tomorrow. It is such a tough choice and the lack of information on the screen is the only thing that is holding me back so far. I've been watching these threads like a hawk trying to get more details on that as people are able to validate these little details.

 

I'm hoping to hear from others about this, because that doesn't seem likely. Two hours of streaming movie watching and browsing seems unlikely not to use the fan. Either he just didn't notice, as maybe fan noise isn't a big deal to him/her, or maybe that particular laptop had a perfect thermal paste application.

Some reviews had mentioned fan noise as an issue, so it would be good to hear from users. We know that the XPS 15 does have issues

 

Am I the only one worried about the battery replacement issue. Being technologically challenged (atleast when it comes to opening things up etc) I'm concerned about the charges to get it done. Spoke to a dell rep today and found out the cost of the battery itself is $189 not counting labor.

 

XPS 15 ships with the 130W adapter only if you opt for quad code processor which are not available on the 15z (you can consider this as a pro for XPS 15). If you opt for i5's it ships with 90W adapter

I have an XPS 15 aswell and i dont seem to have problem with fan noise although i dont game aswell. My fan almost constantly spins at low speed.
I get about 5.5 to 6 hrs of batters at 60% brightness for word processing and browsing with wifi ON. I cant see 15z delivering anywhere close to it with 68Whr battery against my 92Whr battery


For me the main advantages of XPS 15z over XPS 15 are just
Looks and Definitely less Bulky. It also weighs 0.4 kg less aswell.

 

FWIW:

The hardest I've stressed my XPS 15 so far was about 3 hours straight of Bio-Shock 2 and about an hour of Crysis 2 and the only way I could tell if my fans were running was to feel the exhaust vent. I always have it sitting on a dual fan cool pad though, or maybe my hearing is just going...

My SXPS16 has a slot load optical drive and it's never damaged any of my discs. I prefer tray load though since I still have a mini-dvd cam, and if a disc ever gets stuck it's easier to retrieve from a tray load.

 

Hi, I'm in the same situation:

XPS 15z - 967 eur ($1400)
*i5 2410 (dual core),
*4GB RAM
*500GB HDD 7200rpm
*WLED 1080p
*nVidia GT525 1GB
*WiFi card 6230 (2x2 and bluetooth)
*8cell battery
*backlit keyboard

XPS 15 - 939 eur ($1360)
*i7 2630 (quad core)
*6GB RAM
*500GB HDD 7200rpm
*B+RGLED 1080p
*nVidia GT525 1GB (or 540 2GB +70eur / $101)
*WiFi card 1030 (1x2 and bluetooth)
*6cell battery
*No backlit keyboard (is not an option in my country)

15z pros:
Stylish, relatively light, more compact (less pieces), backlit keyboard, best wifi card, slot-in dvd (fewer moving parts), batttery life.
15 pros:
Processor (quad core), memory, screen, dual stereo out (for share with a friend ) and S/PDIF out (mini-TOSLINK) or direct connect 5.1 analog speakers.

15z cons:
Can't replace or remove battery on the go, processor (2core), without S/PDIF(?)

15 cons:
heavier, battery life?,