The Adamo is both a compliment and an insult to Dell engineering. It's possibly the most beautiful computer Dell has ever manufactured, but I'm not sure that Dell has caught up to competitors in either aesthetics or power. There have been lots of qualitative Adamo reviews out there, but we got the first of the units that will actually ship to customers, so it's time for real benchmarks. As it happens, performance is really what's at stake here.
Design
On one hand, the Adamo is a laptop built from as many parts aluminum as testosterone. It's decorated with three different finishes of black metal, including a classy matte grain that makes up a majority of the case, but then Dell tops all that blackness off with three more finishes of black plastic to add a bit of gloss to the mix.
But batarangs lack polish. The Adamo has a utilitarian geometry—it's a block with four rounded edges, which is fine, but that block features a bottom panel with a disconcerting gap in metal...leading to nightmares of the lithium ion polymer battery leaking all over my lap.
It's not quiet either. Even with our 128GB SSD configuration, the Adamo is rarely a silent machine. The fan, incidentally hidden behind some of the most stylish vents I've ever seen, runs almost nonstop during basic operation.
Performance
Our test system was a beefed-up, $2600 Adamo, featuring a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor (3MB L2 cache), 4GB RAM (800MHz), 128GB SSD and integrated 3G. $2000 only buys you a 1.2GHz processor and 2GB of RAM, but you still get the 128GB SSD.
On paper, the MacBook Air is faster (faster processor, faster front side bus, and double the L2 cache). We ran GeekBench to test the theory. (It proved true.)
But these differences are really somewhat minor performance nitpicks. The biggest mistake Dell made with this system, by far, was the inclusion of Intel's GMA X4500HD GPU. Nvidia's GeForce 9400M (which you see in MacBooks etc) would have made a better fit. Nvidia claims their integrated GPUs dominate Intel's. Here's a comparison of the two GPUs that pretty much proves that Nvidia is right:
And here we see those principles applied in 3DMark testing. (Note, the 301 and Adamo have the Intel GPU, the MacBook Air has the Nvidia GPU):
However, if you're only looking to email, use programs like Excel and surf the web, the Adamo's support for up to 4GB of RAM may be a bigger benefit than the 9400M. (Since the MacBook Air supports a max of 2GB of RAM, it's a point to keep in mind if you're comparison shopping.)
Battery Life
Dell will tell you that the Adamo has a "5+ hour battery life," achieved through a non-removable lithium polymer battery. I tested the system with power saving (lower performance), medium screen brightness, wi-fi on and Bluetooth off. And I was able to play back a high-def WMV for just over half Dell's claim.
Total Run Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes
I find that, in real world use, it's very common for laptops to achieve only half their battery rating. The Adamo is clearly no exception. At least the laptop can make it through a full-length movie.
The Dark Knight Returns
The Adamo has a few fantastic features: Integrated 3G, eSATA, and a butt that just won't quit. And its aluminum body, especially in black, simply looks sharp.
Just don't dare buy this computer until Dell comes to their senses and realizes that $2000+ is absurd for a 4-pound laptop with no graphics muscle. Show some restraint and wait for the sequel. If it's anything like the Batman franchise, there will be many. [Adamo]
[Additional benchmarking sources here, here, here, here, here, and here]