Photos: Cracking open the Dell Adamo
TechRepublic disassembles the upscale, ultrathin laptop and even compares it with Apple's rival MacBook Air.
Take a look inside the Dell Adamo
Bill Detwiler at CNET News' sister site TechRepublic got his hands on an Dell Adamo laptop and decided, with help, to take it apart piece by piece for readers' enjoyment. The following is a paired down version of his 78-slide gallery.
Dell hopes to take a little air out of Apple's sails with the Adamo. This upscale laptop packs a lot of tech into a stylish, ultrathin package. But, it's going to cost you. Our $1,999 model includes a 1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2GB 800MHz DDR3 dual-channel memory, 128GB solid state drive, and 13.4-inch 16:9 WLED display.
In a special partnership with iFixit, TechRepublic brings you this gallery of the cracking open process. iFixit is a one-stop-shop for the parts, tools, and step-by-step guides needed to repair iPods, iPhones, Macs, and almost any Apple product. Follow along as iFixit engineers disassemble the Dell Adamo and expose the tech inside.
Adamo packing material
Adamo and matching 'onyx' accessories
Adamo before the cracking open begins
Adamo is wider and deeper
The Adamo's dimensions, as compared with the MacBook Air:
• Width: 0.23 inches larger
• Depth: 0.56 inches larger
• Height: 0.11 inches thinner
Painted on Intel and Windows logos
Adamo, MacBook Air, and Dell Mini
Bottom panel locking mechanism
The locking system utilizes three tracks of pins that span the inner left, right, and front edges of the computer. The pins lock into slots machined into the bottom panel, creating a very tight and secure connection.
Gently slide the metal ear to the right
Lifting off the bottom panel
Removing the battery cable
The Adamo and Air with bottom panels removed
To its credit, the high-end Adamo does include 4 GB of built-in RAM, double that of the Air.
Dell labels a lot more parts than Apple. This definitely makes our job easier, even though it's not quite as photogenic.
Bottom panel and battery
You can recycle the battery...in Japan.
Battery specs
The 11.1 V battery is rated at 40 Watt hours, an improvement over the MacBook Air's 7.2 V, 37 Watt hour battery. (Dell's manual says 12.6 V, but we trust the battery more than their writers.)
The Adamo's advertised operating time is five hours, outliving Apple's claims for the MacBook Air by 30 minutes.
According to the manual, the battery weighs in at 489 grams. That's 27 percent of the Adamo's weight. In comparison, the MacBook Air's battery weighs in at 287 grams, only 21 percent of the Air's total weight.
Samsung chips on the solid state drive
Impressively, the specs listed on the drive indicate a maximum power consumption of only 1.05 watts and an operating shock of 1500G.
The solid state drive's thickest point is the 4mm SATA connector. The rest of the drive is a scant 2.9 mm.
Ambient light sensor
Wireless cards
Anatel Bluetooth board
802.11n wireless card removed
Gently disconnect and peel away the wireless card ribbon cable
Lifting out the wireless data board
Disconnect the remaining, visible ribbon cables
Removing the heatsink from the motherboard
Motherboard - Top
Motherboard - Bottom
Ports are integrated into the motherboard
Lifting out the keyboard
Keyboard removed
Quanta Computers label on keyboard
Windows product key hidden under hinge cover
Removing more screws from the display assembly
Adamo WLED display removed
This display has a resolution of 1366x768. That's slightly different than the 1280x800 resolution on the MacBook Air. You'll get an extra 26,624 pixels if you choose the Adamo. The manual lists the display's maximum power consumption as only 3.6 watts.