15-inch 2011 MacBook Air Rival Available From Dell, the XPS 15z

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By now you already know that Dell is trying, yet again, to fight Apple’s ultra-thin and ultra-portable MacBook Air Pro models with a new creation of its own. And no, it’s not a new Adamo model, as that laptop line is long dead.

I’m talking about the Dell XPS 15z, which we showed you earlier today, and which is already selling in Australia and Asia, since in those specific markets it’s already tomorrow. What’s interesting about this notebook is that we’re looking at a 15-inch model. While some of Apple’s competitors, like Samsung or Lenovo, came up with 13-inch super-slim MacBook Air-like computers, Dell is going to boldly go where Apple hasn’t gone before, Dell apparently decided to go after the MacBook Pro models as the new 15z is not really a MacBook Air rival yet, at least not when it comes to slimness.

The XPS 15z is a slim 15-inch machine, and it might very well be a great 2011 MacBook Air Pro alternative. The 15z is just an inch thick, or better said 0.97-inch thick (but that’s almost on par with the MacBook Pro, although the Pro is still slimmer), and will offer you some interesting specs and features such as an Intel Sandy Bridge processor, the Core i5-2410M clocked at 2.3GHz, 6GB of DDR3 RAM, GeForce GT525M graphics card with 2GB of memory, 750GB hard drive, 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, 64WHr battery, backlit keyboard and Windows 7 for just around $1,400. That’s definitely a competitive price considering what the 15z is packing under the hood, and we’re certainly looking at a worthy Air Pro adversary.

Now of course more money will get you even better specs, but it’s going to be up to you to configure your next-gen Windows 7 computer. You could wait it out and see what Apple’s 2011 MacBook Air refresh will be all about (if you want a slim, small notebook), but if you’re shopping on a budget, and if you could really use the extra screen real estate then these 15-inch 15z laptops should definitely be considered for purchase.

Now we can only ask ourselves when will Apple’s MacBook Pro line, which includes 15-inch models, will get a MacBook Air design. And the same question goes for future Dell laptops too. Any guesses?

Updated to reflect the fact the 15z is not an Air rival after all, but just a MacBook Pro competitor.