According to Dell, the M11X is the most powerful laptop under 15 inches. And, playing CoD at 30fps, with 720P resolution (on what's essentially a netbook), I fell in love with the little machine.
Let me make this clear: The M11X is unabashedly Alienware. I mean, its LEDs behind the keyboard and thermal grates sort of give that away. I'm not crazy about the plastic case, and I wish the 1366x768 screen were covered in glass instead of plastic. As someone who appreciates minimal design, it's pretty much the antithesis of my taste.
Yet, I still liked the M11X.
While it manages to still weigh in at a hefty 4 or so pounds (your brain doesn't anticipate the weight), it's just an incredible amount of power for an 11.6-inch laptop.
Inside, you'll find an energy-sipping Core2Duo alongside a 1GB Nvidia 335M graphics card—which is fairly insane for the size. But playing Star Trek Online and Call of Duty, I didn't doubt the power. You can't run CoD with anti-aliasing on, but otherwise, the experience is sharp, smooth and surprisingly palatable on the tiny display—keep in mind, I was testing it running off a battery.
The trackpad and keyboard both feel pretty good, too. The trackpad has just enough texture, and the keyboard isn't too cramped with nicely curved keys. The battery is non-removable, but the 8-cell lithium ion polymer lasts 6 1/2 hours casually or 2 hours of full-out gaming. Plus there's a battery meter on the case's underside.
Also of note, you'll find ports galore. 3 USBs, an HDMI, DisplayPort, mini FireWire, VGA and even a SIM slot. Jesus.
But the best news, the news that got me legitimately excited, is that it will be out within a month, specs maxed, for $1000 or under. For that price, you could have an i7 at home, and a little laptop for the road/LAN parties. And why oh why would you ever buy one of those "premium" netbooks again?
DISCUSSION
This is making me wistful for my 12" Powerbook. RIP little buddy. Small, powerful, played games well, and it still didn't have that little goddamn CD-ROM door to snap off. =|
I'm keen to see the return of the small-form gaming laptop but what's the battery life on this like?