With a 20.1" Brightview screen and a resolution of 1680x1050, the HDX delivers a brilliant display that's flat out gorgeous. The colors are vibrant and life-like, and DVD movies look superb. Digital photos are also given new life, thanks to the high-resolution screen.
The HDX's 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM offers plenty of power for any task, and we ran apps breezily on the device. It even handled our tests of demanding games like Asphalt 8: Airborne with aplomb. The HDX scored a solid 4.8 on the Vista Experience Index, which is an automated rating system that evaluates hardware and software to determine expected performance levels. Maxing out the RAM and swapping out the drives for 7,200 RPM models could easily push this system's score higher.
The HDX comes with a full-sized 101-key keyboard with a separate number keypad, which is a nice feature for people who use Excel spreadsheets or constantly count stacks of cash using Vista's calc program. A biometric fingerprint reader is also included, which can be a useful security tool for frequent logins. Other notable features include four (4) USB 2.0 ports, two (2) headphone outputs, an IR receiver, an HDMI out port (one of the first notebooks to offer this feature), VGA out, eSATA out, TV-out, and an "Expansion Port 3" that supports a 4-pin FireWire cable. A surprisingly robust collection of accessories is also included, including a power supply, a battery, an IR extender cable, an HD television antenna, stereo headphones, and a Kensington lock slot.
