OK - Vostro's and Inspiron's ARE or AREN'T exactly the same??

Howdy...

So I'm looking at 1400's vs 1420's. Half the people I read on here say they have differences, then the other half says that the stated differences is a simple marketing gimmick and the Vostro is simply a black Inspiron with slightly different config options.

I just ordered a Vostro 1400, but am considering changing it to an Inspiron 1420 because of the attractive color options, and from what I understand the Inspirons are slimmer. Yet I'm under the impression that the Vostro's have better battery life.

In addition to the color, what EXACTLY are the other differences? Is the casing the same or different size-wise? Will one have better battery life?

And I'm assuming that any differences between the 1400/1420 are the same between the 1500/1520?

If they're the same, why order a jet black Inspiron when you can get a Vostro for less?

Can someone clear this all up for me so I have no doubts?

Thanks,
Derek

 

Hardware configurations are pretty much exactly the same, main differences would probably be colour, design and finish between the laptops. In some regions the hardware configuration choices do vary between models (I've heard that US Inspirons can't get the intel wireless N card even though the same Vostro can select it as an option).

 

Right, and at US dell.com that seems to be true about the intel wireless N....

Obviously we know the color/finish is different. Now what does design mean? Does that mean it is slimmer or not? And would you know about the battery life?

 

Last I read the materials used for construction were virtually identical although looking at pictures the Inspiron is slimmer than the Vostro (NBR review calls my machine a brick).

Battery life should be the same since both models can be equipped with either 6 or 9W batteries.

 

There the same thing.

 

My roommate has a inspiron 1520, I have a vostro 1500. They are the same exact thing as far as I can tell. It's like someone just painted it black and called it business. I saved more money than him though.

 

Lap,

Wow, exact same dimensions and everything?? Its cool that you actually have direct access to both.

 

The dimensions are identical, same with the weight, same with the materials, same with the construction.

 

I think this document says it all:

Dell™ Vostro™ 1500 and Inspiron™ 1520/1521 Service Manual

 

The Dell website shows the Vostro line on the main Vostro notebook page that it is more durable due to magnessium alloy casing and tested more to withstand business like situations, which the Inspiron doesn't show. Not yet owning either the Dell Inspiron 1720 or Dell Vostro 1700, I would like to know too. The manuals between the two show the Inspirion comes in at 8 pounds and the Vostro 8.4 pounds in the specifications part of the manuals.

Can the Inspiron 1720 be configured without any bloatware like the Vostro claims? The real question is, what are the real technical differences between an Inspirion and a Vostro?

 

Vista business vs vista home premium...but you can ask for the vostro to have home premium...honestly the "bloat ware" thing is a joke. Everyone should install the os from scratch when they get it...well thats just my opinion. But then you only have what you want installed.

Im really serious that they are the same laptops. Your decision should be do i need media center? if yes, get the inspiron, if no then maybe the vostro is an option. What color do you like more? Professional black = vostro, trendy silver = inspiron. What prices are they? Obviously, go with the cheapest.

Stop comparing the specs of what they say, because they are not always accurate, like the weight for example...sometimes they weigh it with no battery, sometimes with the 6 cell, and sometimes with the 9 cell. You dont know what that weight is referring to so you cant compare the two. but really they are the same.

 

it is replies like these that confuse people because you didn't do your research.

Inspiron is not slimmer, they're EXACTLY the same except color. There is also NO design difference. It's just the color.

Take your inspiron, paint it black and you have a Vostro.

Now stop spreading around false info.

 

Thanks for the correction then, nice of you to point it out in a most polite manner. Funny that the NBR review for the Inspiron made no mention of how heavy the machine was.

 

Does the vostro have the infrared receiver? I am pretty sure it does, but the guy at the kiosk said that you need to buy an external one if you want to tack on the express card remote from the inspiron models.

 

yes it does, its in the exact same location as the inspirons...go figure.

 

its like piss and water meaning you can only see the difference in a well lit room.

 

I can't confirm if they are the same or not, but the Service Manual ( http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins1720/en/SM/index.htm) is titled "Dell™ Vostro™ 1700 and Inspiron™ 1720/1721 Service Manual". A brief read of the manual didn't show any differences, either.

 

i really like the vostro black keyboard.

 

I don't know if this is true, but I read a post In another thread awhile ago that said the Vostro comes with a HDD with shock resistant technology?

 

yeah, so does the inspiron.

 

Crazy. The price differences between them and the advertised pros and cons now seem absurd to me. And the fact that I've been fretting over which to get.

It seems like a no brainer for the Vostro considering that its cheaper in pretty much every way I configure it.

But then again, I like pretty colors. I can stare at them for hours.

 

You can also swap the faceplate if you dont like the one that comes with Vostro. Someone in the forums bought one from Dell for $37 (if i remember correctly) and self installed it. It looked great too.

 

Pricing is interesting. I wanted the Vostro 1700, but I got a better price on the Inspiron 1720. Go figure!

 

I'm not sure about the 15 and 17" models - But from what I can tell my Vostro 1400 case (back of screen and underside of case) seems to be made of magnesium alloy painted black. Are the Inspiron 14XX's the same?

In other news... Did anyone see the article on Engadget aboout the new Dell Inspiron 15XX and 17XX models... It looks like they've switched the larger laptops to the same model design (or manufacturer) as the 14-inch ones. Helf the reason I went for a Vostro 1400 was because they looked totally different to the 15 and 17 inch ones.

Link to the article here.

 

same same....

 

Both lines up are identical inside and out.. prices, configuration options, and targeted audiences are the only differences.

Dell make them identical simply because it saves costs.. Why make two totally different laptops when you can just paint one a different color? I consider this a good thing because it's easier to get replacement parts for and if one model was to get higher configuration options down the road the other model can likely just swap parts easily (BIOS limitations apply but there is no reason we can't hack the Vostro BIOS onto the Inspiron). Crazier things have been done.

 

Very cool. I'm going to have to post a thread about this.