Alienware M11x R3 review (Core i7 2630UM)

The 11.6 inch screen (1366×768 pixels) is highly reflective, as can be seen in the image above. The hinge strength is good, with no movement apparent under normal use.

System Dimensions
Height: 32.7mm (1.29 inches)
Depth: 233.3mm (9.19 inches)
Width: 285.7mm (11.25 inches)
Starting at Weight: 2.0 kg (4.4lbs)

Alienware use the ‘Star Trek' futuristic font for their keyboards, and it gives the machine a totally unique appearance.

The keyboard, while not full size is well spaced for typing and we liked the overall layout structure. There are a row of keys along the top which offer various functionality, such as screen brightness and volume and media control. The FN key needs to be pressed simultaneously for these to work.

Keyboard flex will be experienced if the keyboard is pressed very hard, however it is not really noticeable under general use and certainly we can't see an end user applying the same force as we did in the video above.

The Synaptics trackpad is supplied with a textured surface which helps to ensure accurate movement.

The software allows for quite detailed configurations, and an area of the touchpad can also be configured for scroll bar operation. The two buttons at the bottom of the area offer a high level of feedback and while we never use a trackpad when possible, this is one of the better units we have used, much like the M17 R3 we reviewed in February.

Internally, the machine is well structured. The Samsung SDI PT6V8 battery demands a huge percentage of the real estate. It is a 63Wh model and is rated at 14.8V. The hard drive resides to the right, next to the wireless hardware. To the left is the Hynix DDR3 memory. Several small speakers are positioned to the outer left and top to help create a spacious sound field.

Preinstalled Alienware software offers a lot of control over the keyboard, logos, and side panel lights. You can ‘mix and match' the colours, pulse them or turn them off totally if you wish. We love a backlit keyboard especially on a laptop, it comes in handy when ambient light is poor.

The keyboard lighting in action.

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