If you would try searching for the Studio 14 at the main website of Dell and ended up yielding no results, probably, it could either be because there was something wrong with your Internet browser or you were barking up the wrong tree. In our case, after a few hours of straying around the Web, we found out that the Studio 14 is available only at some portals of Dell Asia Pacific, specifically China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Singapore.

Initially, the Dell Studio family of notebooks was comprised only of 15- and 17-inch models. This was what we witnessed when we attended the local launch of the Studio brand last year. Hence, the addition of 14-inch models in this notebook lineup is a clear indication of the adequate reception that the Studio brand is enjoying right now in Asia, particularly in the Southeast region. This time around, our guest from Dell is the Studio 1435 notebook.

Clad in a silvery shade of mauve, the Studio 1435’s surface sports a leathery feel so you can clutch it more easily. Weighing at 2.39Kg, the 1435 is amongst the lightest models in the Studio family, as 15- and 17-inch variants weigh 2.77Kg and 3.57Kg respectively.

As the Studio line sits below the high-end XPS family in the hierarchy of Dell’s notebook range, the 1435 shares some design elements with the XPS such as the drop barrel hinges and the wedge-shaped contour.

Opening the lid, it reveals its glossy 14.1-inch widescreen display with an optimum resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels.

At the top center of the LCD panel, integrated is a 2-megapixel web camera which works well even if you’re working in the dark.

The panel just above the keyboard is neat and streamlined, having no protruding buttons on it. Found on this side are the speaker, the Studio logo...

... discreet multimedia hotkeys...

... as well as LED indicators for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and hard disk activity. If you’re wondering where the power button is, it is located on the right hinge.

Still living up to their former slogan “Easy As Dell”, Dell provides you with a lot of convenient features in the Studio 1435. Most obvious is the well-spaced, LED-backlit keyboard. Noteworthy, Dell opted not to designate some of the Fn keys as additional multimedia keys. This decision makes the keyboard look smarter and more organized. 

In spite of the palm rest’s glossy surface, fingerprints are not too visible, thanks to its elegant, silver paintwork. Also, seen from this angle are the biometric scanner and the touchpad.

Inspecting the left side, found are the Wi-Fi Network Locator, Wi-Fi Catcher switch, slot-loading DVD+/-RW drive, audio ports and USB port. A Blu-ray optical drive is available upon configuration as well.

Conversely, the right side is comprised of the power button, and interfaces such as two USB ports, Gigabit Ethernet, VGA, 4-pin IEEE 1394, 54mm ExpressCard slot and 8-in-1 memory card reader.

An additional convenient feature on the Studio 1453 is its unique user interface dubbed as the Dell Dock. A task-based application organizer, it places the most frequently accessed programs front and center. The Dell Dock automatically sorts installed software applications on the PC into user-friendly categories, which can be accessed by a simple taskbar, leaving the desktop free of clutter.

The Studio 1453 comes with a 6-cell Lithium-ion battery. With that, it lasted for two hours and thirty minutes in our battery life test. This result came out after we looped an HD movie on it while its power plan was set at power saver mode and its LCD was put to its dimmest brightness level.

By and large, the Dell Studio 1453 is a stylish, youthful-looking notebook that would appeal to college students and young professionals as well.