Round Rock (TX) - Just in time for the Christmas season, Dell is offering a its previously introduced XPS M1330 notebook in a 15" shell, closing the gap between its 13" and 17" mobile performance systems.

The new XPS M1530 is the cheapest way to buy a notebook with Dell’s premium label. Equipped with a 15.4" screen, the notebook is priced from $999, or $200 less than the cheapest XPS M1330 and $1000 less than the high-end XPS M1710.

Compared to the 13" model, the standard hardware equipment of the M1530 is actually slightly better, reflecting the premium notebook buyers have to pay for compact notebooks with screen smaller than 15" these days. Both models include an Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 (1.5 GHz) processor, 1 GB of memory, a 120 GB hard drive as well as a DVD burner in their standard configuration. However, the 15" modell has a dedicated Nvidia GeForce 8400M graphics chip (compared to the integrated Intel 3100 solution of the M1330) and has a 6-cell battery (the M1330 has a 4-cell battery).

Brought up to a similar performance level of the XPS1710, the XPS M1530 will check in at about $1250, or about $750 less than the more prestigious and aggressively styled flagship 17" models. This could make the XPS M1530 an interesting option for some customers, especially if the difference will buy a Blu-ray drive ($500) and mobile broadband ($220).