WARNING! Black CHAINLINK Color Option!

*UPDATE* The design is on the inside aswell. See pictures below.


Hey everyone,

I just wanted to give everybody a headsup that may be thinking about purchasing a Dell laptop and choosing the black chainlink color.

A little backstory:

I'm starting college at the end of the month, and was looking at getting a laptop for my classes. I really liked the Studio 15, read quite a bit of reviews and finally built it all online and got it ordered.

What I DIDN'T know was that the color option, Black Chainlink, was actually a design.

If you'll notice, when selecting a color it shows these options:

Black Chainlink
Midnight Blue
Ruby Red
Plum Purple
Promise Pink etc....

I simply thought Black Chainlink was a type of black such as "midnight blue", as nowhere does it state it's actually a design.

This is the only picture it shows, which looks like a plain black (high gloss)



When in reality, this is Black Chainlink:



The following pictures were taken by Sonarav. He has said that the design on the inside is hardley noticeable, and can only be seen if you really look for them. The pictures were (obviously) taken very closeup, to bring up the design.





I found this out purely on accident through a random video review on Youtube, and also discovered other people didn't like the design as well as the fact that it was a "finger print and scratch magnet"


Hope this helps someone else before it's to late!

 

I think you're forgetting that colour preferance is just an opinion, not gospel. You obviously hate Chainlink (and think everyone else should too...) but to some of us, colours aren't worth the premium.

I'm usually looking at the side of the laptop that has the screen on it, so I couldn't care less if the lid had unicorns and rainbows on it. If you care so much about what other people think of your laptop, may I suggest you get one with an Apple logo?

 

This isn't about what other people think, I couldn't care less. It's not the gospel, and I'm not a preacher, but apparently you are a comedian! If you love unicorns and rainbows on your laptop, good for you.

Yes, It's a matter of 'personal' opinion, which many people seem to share. I'm giving a warning to potential new owners, so they don't fall into the same situation that I did. I'm guessing there's something wrong with that from your standpoint. Posting useful information, that is. Judging by your post, this definitely seems to be the case.

Not only is the design (IN MY OPINION) horrible, but it's prone to finger prints/scratching right off the bat. If you're going to invest quite a bit of money into a laptop, it'd be foolish to not care about the aesthetic design in some aspect. Why don't you get off your high horse and stop acting like you couldn't care less about color and design AT ALL? In the end, it's a nice warning for people who actually plan on carrying the laptop, unlike you, who I'm going to assume, use your mind to lift it into the air.

People give reviews of laptops, and even those are purely just personal opinions. Why are you even on a notebook review website?

 

I thought it was obvious that it was a design paint job and not a straight black paint.

Anyway, I think most of their paints are high gloss anyway, Which are finger print/scratch magnets.

 

I know the Midnight Blue came in a rubbery finish. Although it does not attract fingerprints, it attracts dust/lint :*( Feels nice though lol

 

You would think that people would notice the word "Chainlink" and realize that it probably looks something like a chainlink, but I agree that it is pretty ugly looking and hopefully no one buys it who intended for plain black.

 

Honestly, it looks alot better then the chainlink design. I can't wait until I get it later this month

That's the entire point of this thread, hopefully I make atleast a few people aware of this. Honestly, seeing the other colors' names I figured it was a type of Black they were going to use. Really glad I was able to catch it in time..!

 

oh man, I didn't know that the chainlink continued on the inside. I'm not sure if I would like that very much.

 

It's nowhere near as obvious as it appears in the photo, according to the photo's OP.

 

Thanks for stealing my photos when they were taken (and explained) for the exact opposite reason of this thread.

And yes, as karan said, to me the design is hardly noticeable. I really don't know why people would complain about a simple design on their laptop. Me, I'm busy looking at my screen, rather than my palmrest or the lid of my laptop.

 

That really is just as bad as the "Spilled Milk" pattern on the older Studio 15 models. God I hated that design. I don't understand why they have to beef up the inside. I like it solid colored with no design. I guess that's just me though. Thanks for the heads up. When I see "Midnight Blue" I think dark blue with stars on it....hence MIDNIGHT. Did I get stars? No. Not everyone can be so narrow-minded.

 

I wasn't "stealing" your photos, I gain no benefit from posting them. Again, I'm just trying to help people make informed decisions. Since Dell doesn't clearly sate this, I posted them in this thread. If for some reason you'd like me to remove them, just let me know. I edited the original post to include your explaination, and give you credit for the pictures

 

It's no problem. I just wanted to make sure people knew the design on the palm rest isn't very noticeable.

 

I just got my laptop today in the mail (black chainlink) and you really don't even notice the "chainlink" design at all. I had to get into a well lit room and really look to notice the pattern on the top. The design on the inside is also barely noticeable unless you're looking for it. I didn't see the point paying $40 more for a different color/pattern mostly because black is my favorite color and I figured the rubbery texture of the other colors would attract lint/dust. Fingerprints can be wiped off. It's all a matter of personal preference.

Thanks again for the pictures Sonarav.

 

I have a skin for it anyway so I couldn't care less if it is a fingerprint magnet. Especially considering that a good majority of consumer grade laptops have the same glossy finish that attracts fingerprints and scratches like crazy.

 

As others have said, the Black Chainlink pattern is very subdued, and in order to see it, you have to be in a very well-lit environment, and of course, looking directly at the lid. The palmrest design isn't bad either; it's much more subtle than the "spilt milk" pattern of the older models.

 

I like it. Wanna trade sharpnd?

 

Lol, I was able to switch it to midnight blue before it was to late

 

I'm glad you guys posted this information. I ordered the 1745 with this color last night. I may cancel, and reorder with another color.

Edit:: Can someone post some Midnight Blue pics?

 

Manyga's photo of the lid is extremely exaggerated due to the camera flash.

 

Can you elaborate more on your observation and experience with the "Chain Link" design? I'm kinda desperate to know more because I ordered one with this design late Wednesday night. I'll admit the Dell photos make it look like an ordinary solid black color, or maybe the gamma is a little to low on this monitor.

btw...I know what you mean. Camera flashes are extremely bright, and can give misleading results.

 

I, for one, appreciate this thread - or would have appreciated it if I had read it last week before I ordered. :-(

fyi, I ordered my laptop on a Thursday, then on Monday tried to call Dell to upgrade the optical drive. Despite the fact that my laptop wouldn't even be built for another 2 weeks, they refused to make any changes to my order, telling me I would have to wait for it to be built, then they would ship it to me, then I would have to send it back. That's right - they wouldn't even let me cancel it.

So just keep that in mind if you've ordered and are contemplating changing the color - maybe if you just ordered it today or yesterday you can still make a change, but don't wait.

To those people who are whining about the complaints about the color - Please. I'm spending $1500 on a laptop. Why on earth would I not want it to look decent?

And Dell's picture just shows a plain black laptop. Not one with the designs on it. Someone evidentally thinks it's to much work for Dell to show an accurate picture of the color, but it's not to much work for us to be psychic about what it's going to look like.

 

I agree with you, and thanks for the advice. I guess I'll stick with the "Chain Link" because I really don't want Blue. I'm hoping the Black overwhelms the chains on it, and hope it looks decent. I just don't want something that looks ridiculous.

 

I took a few photos when I got my 1555. The first one was taken with flash, the other two without, in normal room lighting conditions:

 

Thanks for the pics. I think the normal lighting pics look good, and acceptable. One last question Mastershroom....How noticeable are the "chainlinks" in outside daylight?

That last pic shows the black as a "lighter" tone black, and is exactly what someone from the "Modification" area at Dell just told me. He explained that Dell once offered the solid "Piano Black". It had a very glossy color to it, and looked great; but however, ONE tiny little scratch threw the whole color scheme off because the scratch overwhelmed the rest of it. So, apparently...they decided to discontinue the color. Same goes for the "Midnight Black" as well. If you notice...neither Midnight or Piano black is offered anymore under the Studio line.

 

I've never used the laptop in broad daylight outdoors, but I think my photos do a pretty good job of illustrating how subtle the design is in bright indoor conditions.

 

Hey, thanks a bunch for taking the time to take those and post them.

 

Actually I took those photos several months ago when I got the machine, for a little review I did, but you're welcome to them either way.

 

I think the chainlink design looks OK, but don't like that it only comes with a glossy finish.

I went with midnight blue and couldn't be happier. Someone mentioned that it picks up dust and lint easily. I haven't found that to be a problem. The cover on my laptop has stayed very clean, more dust free than my work Lenovo Thinkpad that has a matte black lid.

 

If you've seen the Chainlink design in person, what's your take on it?

 

I saw it on my brother's laptop before I bought mine. As many mentioned, it's subtle. I didn't notice at first that it was also on the inside. You have to look at it under the right light and at the right angle. I feel neutral about the design.

What I don't like is the glossy finish that comes with black chainlink, which makes fingerprints very visible. Many laptops and netbooks have that look now, and I really dislike it. I paid extra for the midnight blue color - something I'd never thought I would do, but I've been happy with the decision.

 

My girlfriend's brother uses my laptop every other day or so, and it took him 3 months to notice there was a design on it. Personally, I think it would look really bland without it.

 

Ok, I debated whether it was a good idea to reopen this thread, but I wanted to comment for anyone who runs across it in a search.

I had serious reservations after seeing those pictures of the black chainlink screen backing. I didn't like the looks of the chainlink design on the back of the screen, or the chainlink design around the keyboard. Frankly, I really rather hated the looks of both.

Having received mine, though - my fears were completely unfounded. It's just like the last couple of people said - you barely even notice it, the camera flash just made it way more visible than it actually is.

For example, if you close the laptop and set it on a regular desk, then stand up and look down at it, you cannot even make out the chainlink pattern on the screen backing. If there was a pure glossy black model next to it, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference - it's that subtle.

As for the chainlink design around the keyboard, while it's a little more apparent than that, it's also more subtle than I expected. I expected to hate it, but I don't really mind it at all. It might be like 1% better looking (IMO) than pure grey, but it doesn't really stand out. I imagined I would hate it - having it sitting in front of me, it's totally doesn't stand out and is not a big deal.

Hope my post is helpful to anyone trying to decide between different colors. I'm very surprised to find that I prefer the chainlink black color scheme over the blue screen backing I had previously owned and expected to like more (returned that one to best buy due to a defective panel, and lower graphics (intel integrated) than I had though - didn't want to edge up on a christmas delivery date with the blue backing on the one I ordered so stuck with black chainlink). Hope this helps someone.

 

Thanks Paul. Your statement helps a lot because I ordered the ChainLink as well. I should be getting the Studio 1745 soon, and I've been anxious to see the Chainlink design. I had a chance to get the Blue design, but decided to give the ChainLink a try after seeing Mastershrooms pictures. He helped a lot as well by showing the pictures.

I'm glad to hear your, and Shroom's thorough reviews. I'll post a review as well, and also, I'll be using a Canon T1i DSLR (15 megapixel; 55-300mm lense) to take some very damn good pictures of it. I may even post a HD video of it as well so people can actually see what it looks like. Maybe this might break the conception that the ChainLink design is a horrible Frankenstein that everyone is scared of.

 

I have a friend that ordered a new laptop in the "default" color. She just thinks it is black. I haven't told her otherwise. I saw it the other day and I like it. She also hasn't noticed the design on the inside. One of these days she will see it and give me a call to tell me about it

But I really love the new OPI designs. It is super glossy and doesn't show fingerprints.

 

I'm glad I didn't get the chainlink. Not a fan. I'm sure some of you will think the design I got is ugly as well but oh well. I think its kinda neat.

 

The Good it looks cool IMHO
the Bad, yes it gets dirty easy
The Good, the older silver finishes would wear away in streaks where your hands were I doubt that this finish will do that since its glossy.
The Bad scratches? Got few but only noticeable in the right light.

Conclusion: Bought this off the outlet cheap, had no choice and would do again.

 

That looks Suh-WEEEET.

 

Looks cool to me, just not what I want.

I think this Vista/Win 7 dreamscene goes with that!

 

@RB420, that design is really slick! Great choice.


For anyone looking for midnight blue pictures...






Also, if anyones looking for a bag for this laptop, the Targus eco-bag is great! It fits perfectly with the 9-cell battery aswell.

 

The black chainlink from what I see is the only option for those of us that like black laptops.

Here's my take, and I've seen it live. The chainlink is not so bad, it's more subtle that some of the pictures in this thread show (flash does interesting things to glossy surfaces). My issue with the black chainlink is the glossy surface.

Basically, it looks AMAZING... until the first time you touch it. Then your paw prints are all over it lol, and if you're like me... you're constantly cleaning it... trying to avoid touching it ... bla bla.

The good news is, the palmrest is pretty non-fingerprint prone which is an improvement from some of dell's other laptops.

Bottom line, black chainlink is very nice.... just very fingerprint prone.

 

I just ordered for a Dell Studio 15 chainlink black cloor. Its true that the picture on the DELL website are not clear enough. The pictures posted in this link helped me to choose this color.

I liked it a lot..........

 

I just ordered a Dell Studio 15 in black chainlink color. I would like to thank Sonarav for the pics as the pics on the Dell website give u a differnt idea.

Anyway I'm going for black chain link as I liked it a lot.....