Dell Inspiron 1425 May Not Hit U.S.

The Dell Inspiron 1425 notebook has been revealed, with the largest difference over the Inspiron 1420 being that it comes in black, however it may not be destined for the U.S.

According to Engadget last Sunday evening, mention of the Dell Inspiron 1425 appeared on Dell’s website, hidden away in an environmental data sheet, with an “effective date” listing of 18 November. Since then more information regarding the Inspiron 1425 has been uncovered, but the news may be a bit disappointing for some hopeful consumers.

In response to the Engadget article, a claimed Dell representative commented that “The Inspiron 1425 is available for retail in China” and “Per regulations, we are required to post environmental data sheets for all systems being sold, whether on Dell.com or in retail shops, globally.” It would appear that the Inspiron 1425 does appear at some online retailers in China, but after a little more searching it could also be found on the Dell China website.

As stated on the Dell China website, the Inspiron 1425 features up to an Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 processor (2.1 GHz | 3 MB L2 Cache | 800 MHz FSB), up to 4 GB of 800 MHz DDR2 memory and a 14.1-inch 1280x800 display. The system also includes up to a 320 GB 5400 RPM hard drive, integrated Intel GMA X3100 or dedicated Nvidia 8400M GS 256 MB graphics, a DVD burner, a 2.0-megapixel webcam, 802.11g WiFi, a media card reader and optional Bluetooth.

Although the Inspiron 1425 comes in the color black and looks rather similar to the Inspiron 13, system specifications of the Inspiron 1425 compared to the Inspiron 1420 do not seem to be greatly different. Both systems still appear to use the older Intel Santa Rosa platform and offer roughly the same weight and thickness. To further disappoint consumers, according to a Dell Online sales representative, the Inspiron 1425 was not listed in their system for a release to the U.S. They also said that there was no updated 14-inch Inspiron notebook on the way.

It was on June 26, 2007 that the Dell Inspiron 1420 notebook was introduced, yet as we approach 2009 it still remains the only 14-inch notebook offering that Dell provides for home users. Since the Inspiron 1420 was released, Intel had launched its Montevina platform, with Nvidia more recently launching its Geforce 9400M G motherboard GPUs. These newer offerings provide for faster integrated graphics and faster FSB speeds than those of the Santa Rosa platform. It is no surprise that some users are hoping to see an update to Dell’s Inspiron notebook series that includes these and other improvements.