Dell Axim X51v Review

Vendor : Dell
Price : $499
My Rating : 8.9 / 10

X51v — The newest offering from Dell!
OK, Dell has done it again. Last year, they were 1st to market with a unit with Windows Mobile 2003 SE, this year they are the 1st Pocket PC to market with WM5 in the US.

This new offering from Dell is not a new device, but instead it is a retooling of the successful X50v. The X50v was one of the first VGA Pocket PC devices to hit the streets. What’s the big deal then? The big deal is that this X51v has the new OS from Microsoft, Windows Mobile 5 installed. In addition, they have bumped up the ROM to 256mb.

Since this is not a 100% new to all unit, I will refer to my X50v review from time to time and have stolen some images and copy for this review from it as well.

The X51v

What do you get?

• Dell Axim X51V Pocket PC unit
• AC adapter
• Stylus
• Companion CD
• USB Cradle
• User’s Manual
• Slip Case

Companion CD
As always there are a few full applications and tons of trials on Dell’s CD. Full version include 2 games that utilize the full capacities of the Intel 2700G graphics accelerator, Toy Golf and Geo Rally. In addition there are full versions of the Dell Axim Self Diagnostic Utility, Resco Picture Viewer, and Battery Pack Lite. The companion CD has an installer for many trials too.

The almost complete Axim Family

Features

• Built in WiFi and Bluetooth
• Dual Memory Slots
• VGA Screen
• Intel 2700G graphics accelerator
• Windows Mobile 5
• 256MB ROM

Windows Mobile 5
I am not going to talk about WM5 in this review, instead check out these resources to learn more about the OS.

• Microsoft Windows Mobile 5 Screenshot Gallery
• Windows Mobile 5.0 Fact Sheet
• Windows Mobile 5.0 Fun Facts

The Design
The X51 Series is the same as the X50 Series externally. Why mess with a great look and feel anyhow?

The buttons and Dpad have not changed as you can see. Games are still not the easiest to play with this tiny Dpad. All the buttons can be reprogrammed to whatever you want them to do as well.

The cradle from your X50 is still good here, the connector is unchanged.

One of the best things Dell ever did was with the X5 when they fitted the unit with SD and CF expansion slots. Then they took the CF away with the X3/X30 series. With the X50 and X51 series, the CF is returned and many are happy again! The stereo jack is input and output so you can use a headset to communicated over Skype, etc…

The side of the unit is a rubber like surface to ensure a good grip. Embedded into the side are a lock switch, Wifi enable button, and the record button (Mapped mine to Landscape View). BEWARE THE LOCK!!! This lock will fool ya if ya let it! With the lock enabled, the unit is unresponsive to any button presses or screen taps!

On the back is the reset button and battery cover as well as a battery cover lock!

Performance
As far as performance is concerned, I ran several tests and used several benchmarking resources and I was not convinced that the tools were accurate. We have 2 variables that are relatively new to the Pocket PC arena that make it tough to compare to other devices, the 1st is VGA and the Intel 2700G chip and the other is Windows Mobile 5. So in all fairness to Dell and the resources I used, I will not publish this info.

I will say that after using the X50v for a good amount of time, picking up the X51v seemed like it was turbo charged a tad. The menus are peppier and applications seem to load a little faster. Video with WMP 10 and BetaPlayer (now called The Core Pocket Media Player ) was as smooth if not smoother on the X51v. Other than cleaning the apps off to retest, I never had to do a hard or soft reset once in almost a month.

— — Battery Life — The X51v has a 1100 mAh Lithium Ion battery that is the same as the X50v. Battery life is an improvement over the X50 series though!
Dell is unique in a way over some other Pocket PC makers in that they offer a variable processor adjustment. I always set my units to Max Performance which is 624mhz on this unit. You can save a ton of battery life using other modes, but I like to show the worst case scenario for battery tests. In my X50v review I got the following times at max performance:

X50v
WiFi On / Max Brightness — 2hours 2min
Standard Usage / Max Brightness — 2hours 4min

X51v
WiFi On / Max Brightness — 3hours 24min
Standard Usage / Max Brightness — 4hours 8min

Let me reiterate, better battery life can be had by dimming the display and setting processor to a lower speed.

— — WiFi
WiFi range and performance showed no difference from the X50 series.

— — Bluetooth
I did not test any devices except the Pharos Bluetooth GPS (Which worked fine). I have been made aware by Dell spokesperson that they are having some bluetooth driver issues with Windows Mobile 5.

— — Display
The display hasn’t changed, but my opinion of it has since the X50V review. I did like the iPaq HX4700’s screen better than the X50v, but after some time, I realized that the screen on the X50v (and now X51v) have more true to life colors. The

Why VGA?

VGA (LEFT) and QVGA (RIGHT)

Dell Axim X50v next to an iPaq HX7000

Conclusion
The X51v is hard to describe without comparing it to its successful predecessor, the X50v. Since this is basically an upgrade and not a new model, it really is just an X50v with 128mb more memory and Windows Mobile 5. My overall opinion of this unit is that it is superb. For someone upgrading from any other model except the X50v or iPaq hx4700 or a new Pocket PC owner, this is a huge upgrade and a bargain at $499. Despite some shortcomings of Windows Mobile 5, the unit is flawless. Almost all software I tried worked in Windows Mobile 5 and I have not had to soft or hard reset for maintenance reasons. If you own an X50v, buy the upgrade. If you do not own and X50v, buy the X51v. You will not find a better Pocket PC at this price point.

Pros

• Windows Mobile 5.0
• 256MB ROM
• VGA Screen
• Dual Memory Slots (CF/SD)
• Better Battery Life than X50V
• Intel 2700G graphics accelerator
• Same Sexy Design as X50 series

Cons

• Software, too many trials still.
• Jog Dial is still gone.
• Little need to upgrade. With the ability to upgrade X50v to WM5, current X50v owners only gain 128MB with purchase.
• Minor issues with WM5 (not really Dell’s fault)

Specifications:
Processor: 624 MHz Intel XScale PXA270 with WMMX
Operating System: Windows Mobile 5.0
Memory: 64 MB RAM; 256 MB flash ROM
Size & Weight: 4.68" x 2.87" x 0.629", 172 grams (6.06 ounces)
Expansion Slots : CompactFlash Type 2 and SDIO slots
Communications : Integrated Bluetooth 1.2 and 802.11b WiFi
Audio: Internal monaural speaker; microphone; 3.5mm headphone/headset jack
Battery : Standard 3.7 volt, 1100 milliamp-hour Lithium-Ion battery; optional 2200 mAh LiIon extended battery
Input : 6 remap able application buttons; 5-way directional pad; touch screen
Screen Shots