You are using an older browser version. Please use a supported version for the best MSN experience.

Best Dell laptops in 2023

XDA Developers logo XDA Developers 2/1/2023 João Carrasqueira
© Provided by XDA Developers

Quick Links

  • Best overall: Dell XPS 13 Plus
  • Best compact laptop: Dell XPS 13 (9315)
  • Best business laptop: Dell Latitude 7330
  • Best gaming laptop: Alienware m17 R5
  • Best laptop for creators: Dell XPS 17 (2022)
  • Best convertible laptop: Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1
  • Best tablet: Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
  • Best workstation: Dell Precision 7770
  • Best budget laptop: Dell Inspiron 15 3511

The laptop market is vast and varied, but there are only a few brands that are as popular as Dell. One of the most well-known companies in the space, Dell has consistently made some of the best laptops you can buy, and it's really no surprise. Whether it's the XPS, Inspiron, or Latitude series, all of the company's lineups are almost instantly recognizable names.

Dell is particularly popular for its business and premium laptops, with the XPS family being one of the most notable ones. But the company also makes high-end gaming PCs under the Alienware brand, and they're fantastic too. If yu-re looking to buy a new machine for yourself or a loved one, you can't go wrong with Dell, and we've rounded up some of the best options in the company's lineup.

Before we get started, we'll point out that most of these laptops are already available with Windows 11 out of the box, and those that don't include it already can be upgraded for free, so you don't have to worry about using an old version of Windows. If you're more interested in Chrome OS, check out our list of the best Chromebooks so you can find something for yourself.

Best overall: Dell XPS 13 Plus

Dell's XPS lineup has always been the pinnacle of its consumer laptops, and for 2022, we got the brand-new XPS 13 Plus. This ultra-modern laptop looks absolutely beautiful, plus it packs more power than ever while still being very portable.

One of the biggest changes with the Dell XPS 13 Plus compared to previous models is on the inside. This laptop comes with Intel's 12th-generation Core processors, specifically from the P series, with up to 14 cores, 20 threads, and boost speeds up to 4.8GHz. That makes this one of the fastest laptops around, and of course, you still get integrated Iris Xe graphics for some light GPU workloads. You also get up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, a powerful combination that ensures you can easily run multiple apps at the same time and work on large projects like coding, but also that you can store all your files for years to come.

The display is also fantastic, just as it has always been. It's a 13.4-inch panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio, meaning it's taller and gives you more surface area than a typical 16:9 display. That extra vertical space is great for reading, browsing the web, and writing, as you can see much more of the screen this way. The base configuration, with a 1920 x 1200 resolution, is already great, but it's the upgrade to a 3.5K (3465 x 2160) OLED panel that's truly special. This is not only incredibly sharp, but it also gives you amazing contrast ratios, vivid colors, and true blacks since individual pixels can simply be turned off on demand. There's also an Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400) IPS option if you want the extra resolution and don't find OLED that appealing.

One big thing Dell seems to keep overlooking is the webcam. With most premium laptops moving to a 1080p webcam in 2022, Dell is sticking with a 720p sensor. However, this is still an improvement over the previous models, as it's not quite as small and Dell has separated the main camera from the IR camera that's used for Windows Hello, resulting in better image quality.

Design is the area where the Dell XPS 13 Plus really shines. Dell has done a few things here: it made the trackpad invisible and seamless with the chassis, stretched the keyboard to the edges of the laptop and removed the space between each key, and turned the function row into virtual buttons. All of this adds up to a laptop that looks extremely modern, and with the sleek silver/white and graphite color options, it looks fantastic. Despite the more powerful processors, the Dell XPS 13 still comes in at just 15.26mm of thickness and weighs 2.76lbs, so it's a very portable machine, too.

As far as ports go, every member of the XPS family is heavily reliant on Thunderbolt, and this year, that's more true than ever. The XPS 13 Plus has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and that's it. These allow you to connect all kinds of external devices, from something as simple as a Thunderbolt dock that gives you more ports, additional monitors, or even an external GPU. Yes, you can turn the XPS 13 Plus into a reasonably powerful gaming PC using a Thunderbolt cable, and that's awesome. But that's all you get, there's not even a headphone jack. Dell does ship a couple of adapters with the laptop, one that gives you a USB Type-A port and one that gives you a headphone jack, but it's not the most convenient setup.

It's not necessarily for everyone, but the Dell XPS 13 Plus is a phenomenal laptop and the best in the company's lineup. If you want to feel like you're on the bleeding edge of tech, this is the laptop for you.

Dell XPS 13 Plus

The Dell XPS 13 Plus is a futuristic-looking laptop with powerful specs, a fantastic display, and a sleek design.

Best compact laptop: Dell XPS 13 (9315)

The Dell XPS 13 Plus is a very powerful machine and it's relatively portable. But if you want something that's truly compact, then the new Dell XPS 13 is for you. This is a major refresh of the XPS 13 laptop, and it's smaller than ever, in addition to packing new processors.

Those processors are also from Intel's 12th-generation lineup, but these come from the U9 series. Their default TDP is 9W, but Dell has configured them to always run at 12W instead, so performance is closer to the U15 series while generating less heat. You can go up to an Intel Core i7-1250U, which gets you 10 cores, 12 threads, and boost speeds up to 4.7GHz. Just like before, you also get Intel Iris Xe graphics built-in, and you can configure the laptop with up to 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, so you still get a very premium experience overall in terms of performance.

The display on the Dell XPS 13 is very similar to the XPS 13 Plus, but you don't get all the same configurations. It's still a 13.4-inch panel and it comes in the 16:10 aspect ratio, just like previous Dell XPS 13 models. It also starts with a Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) configuration without touch support, though you can choose to add it. However, there's no longer an OLED panel upgrade option. The official spec sheet says you can still get the Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400) configuration, but this isn't available just yet. Still, this is a great panel, and Dell usually has some great IPS screens.

The webcam, once again, is a 720p sensor, though it has the same upgrade as the XPS 13 Plus, meaning the RGB camera and the IR camera for Windows Hello are separate sensors. That should provide better image quality than previous models, though other laptops are making the jump to 1080p.

Design-wise, the 2022 Dell XPS 13 changes a lot from its predecessors, and we'd say that's a good thing. The new model comes in two colors: Sky, a very soft shade of blue; and Umber, a very dark shade of red that's nearly black in some lighting conditions. This is a big change from the old silver models with either black or white interiors, and it's a breath f fresh air. It's also the thinnest XPS laptop yet, measuring just 13.9mm, while also being the lightest with a starting weight of 2.59lbs. This is a laptop all about portability.

As for ports, in its bid to be as compact as possible the Dell XPS 13 suffered the same fate as the XPS 13 Plus. There are two Thunderbolt 4 ports on this laptop, and nothing else. You get the usual expansion options with Thunderbolt, and just like the Plus models, adapters for USB Type-A and a headphone jack ship in the box, but this may not be ideal for everyone. But it's a necessary sacrifice for the laptop to be as thin as it is.

Despite the disappointing set of ports, the Dell XPS 13 continues to be one of the very best laptops in Dell's lineup, and it's still easy to recommend. You can check it out below if you're interested.

Dell XPS 13 9315

The new Dell XPS 13 comes with a complete redesign, coming in Sky and Umber colors. It's also the thinnest and lightest XPS laptop ever.

Best business laptop: Dell Latitude 7330

The Dell XPS laptops can sometimes pass for business laptops, particularly the XPS 13 Plus, but if you want the real thing, then you might want to look at the Latitude 7330. This isn't the most premium of Dell's business laptops, but it is the most well-rounded if you want both performance, lightweight design, and a solid supply of connectivity, which is something business users often care about.

Performance-wise, the Latitude 7330 comes with Intel's 12th-generation processors, specifically from the U15 series, meaning they have a 15W TDP. You can configure it all the way up to an Core i7-1265U, which gets you 10 cores, 12 threads, and boost speeds up to 4.8GHz, which is pretty solid. Of course, integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics are here as usual. You can configure the laptop with up to 32GB of RAM (due to the small size, that RAM is soldered) and also up to a 1TB SSD for storage, so it nails the basics for a compact business laptop.

The display on the Dell Latitude 7330 is a 13.3-inch panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is what Dell is sticking with for most of its business laptops. The resolution is Full HD (1920 x 1080) regardless of the configuration, but there are options for brighter panels or touch support. The Dell Latitude is available as a clamshell laptop or 2-in-1 model, plus there's a new Ultralight configuration, so the display options you get vary depending on what you want.

Unlike the Dell XPS models, the Latitude 7330 does come with a 1080p webcam, which is a very welcome upgrade. This option is available in most configurations, but not the Ultralight model, which still ships with a 720p HD camera to keep the laptop as light as possible. Only the 1080p webcam models also include an infrared camera for facial recognition, as well as Dell's new Intelligent Privacy features to protect your screen from potential onlookers. The Ultralight model also doesn't have a fingerprint reader, though most other configurations do.

The design of the Latitude 7330 looks fairly standard, but it does come with a few options for how you want it to look. The clamshell variant can be had with an aluminum chassis, which is silver, a carbon fiber chassis, which is black and features a woven pattern on the lid, or the magnesium chassis for the Ultralight model, which is also nearly black. The 2-in-1 model is only available in aluminum, so it's always going to be silver. The exact size and weight are also going to vary depending on the configuration you choose here, but it starts at 2.13lbs for the Ultralight model, and goes up to 3lbs for the 2-in-1 model, which is the heaviest. It's still a very portable machine overall.

As we mentioned above, ports and connectivity are important to many business users, and despite its small size, the Latitude 7330 doesn't overlook that. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one USB Type-A port, HDMI, a headphone jack, and even an optional smart card reader if you find it useful. like most business laptops, you can configure it with optional cellular network support, too, with support for LTE Cat 20, but not 5G.

All in all, the Dell Latitude 7330 is a fantastic business laptop with a lightweight design that doesn't compromise on ports, connectivity, or performance. It's not the flashiest laptop, but that's the whole point, and if you want something for work, this is one of the best laptops Dell makes.

Dell Latitude 7330

The Dell Latitude 7330 is a high-end lightweight business laptop with 12th-gen Intel processors and a solid range of connectivity.

Best gaming laptop: Alienware m17 R5

For the gamers out there, the Alienware m17 R5 is one of the best laptops you can get from Dell today. True to the Alienware brand, it packs a lot of power into a chassis that's bound to turn some heads and delivers all the performance you could ever need.

Let's start with that last point, which is likely the most important — performance. You can get the Alienware m17 R5 with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, a 45W CPU with 8 cores, 16 threads, and boost speeds up to 4.9GHz, which is one of the fastest laptop processors out there. That's paired with graphics cards from either Nvidia or AMD, up to a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti from the green team or up to a Radeon RX 6850M XT if you're more of an AMD fan. This is a true gaming laptop, and these powerful specs have a capable cooling system to go along with them to make sure everything keeps running smoothly during longer periods of use. You can also get up to 64GB of fast DDR5 4800MHz RAM and a massive 4TB SSD, so you have plenty of space for games.

The display is also a big factor in making this a great choice for gaming, and the Alienware m17 R5 definitely steals the show with all its configuration options. It starts with a basic Full HD panel at 165Hz if you don't want to spend a lot of money, but there are some great upgrade options. If you want super-smooth frame rates and quick reaction times, there's a 360Hz Full HD panel available, or you can go to the absolute extreme with the 480Hz panel, which is the first of its kind on a laptop. If you prefer having a higher resolution instead of a super high frame rate, there's also an Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, which is also fantastic.

Unfortunately, the webcam is something that's often overlooked in gaming laptops, and it's no different here. The Alienware m17 R5 comes with a 720p camera, which is serviceable but not ideal in today's world. The base model doesn't include Windows Hello facial recognition, but if you opt for one of the display upgrades, you do get an IR camera for that purpose.

In terms of looks, the Alienware m17 R5 doesn't stray far from the Alienware identity. The back of the laptop houses large exhaust vents, with air intakes on each side to keep air flowing through the internals. Many ports are also on the back, freeing up space on the sides if you want to game with a mouse that's moving all around. The laptop has plenty of RGB lighting, with a light ring around the rear ports and vents, plus an RGB Alienware logo on the lid. The keyboard is also RGB backlit, though you can choose single-zone light or per-key lighting — and on that note, the keyboard also has optional CherryMX low-profile mechanical switches. All this power requires a large laptop, so the Alienware m17 R5 is 26.7mm thick at its thickest point and it weighs a whopping 7.3lbs. Yes, it's not very portable, but that's to be expected with this kind of power.

Rounding things out with ports, you’ll find a USB Type-C port, USB Type-A, HDMI, and proprietary barrel charging port on the back. On the sides, there are two extra USB Type-A ports are on the right, and Gigabit Ethernet port along with a 3.5mm headphone jack on the left. Like most gaming laptops, you get a very capable supply of ports here, and there's even USB4 support.

If you’re looking for a gaming laptop that delivers top-tier performance, smooth and sharp visuals, plus bonuses like flashy RGB lighting and Windows Hello facial recognition, the Alienware m17 R5 brings that all together in a fantastic package. It's not just of the best Dell laptops, it's one of the best gaming laptops in general.

Dell Alienware m17 R5

The Alienware m17 R5 is a powerful gaming laptop with AMD Ryzen processors, top-tier graphics, and up to a whopping 480Hz display.

Best laptop for creators: Dell XPS 17 (2022)

Yes, we're back to the XPS lineup because, after all, it is Dell's most premium family of laptops. The Dell XPS 17 has the same spirit of cramming powerful specs into a very compact design, but because of its bigger screen, it's a much more powerful PC, and it's ideal for content creators because of it.

Let’s start with performance. It might not look like it, but the Dell XPS 17 comes with Intel’s 12th-generation processors, specifically from the 45W H-series. You can configure it with up to an Intel Core i7-12900HK, a top-tier processor with 14 cores, 20 threads, and boost speeds up to 5GHz, making this a very fast machine. Beyond that, you can configure it with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU with 60W of power, which means you can feasibly run most modern games, but most importantly, you have a lot more power for creative workloads like rendering video. You can also configure it with up to a whopping 64GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, giving you plenty of space for projects and other files.

The display is also great, especially if you spring for the Ultra HD+ option. It’s a 17-inch panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio, and the base configuration comes with Full HD+ resolution (1920 x 1200), which isn't bad, but it's also not all that sharp on a 17-inch display. The real attraction here is the 4K+ (3840 x 2400) LCD, which covers 100% of Adobe RGB. In fact, we’ve reviewed the 4K+ variant Dell XPS 17, and it covers pretty much the entirety of sRGB, Adobe RGB, DCI-P3, and NTSC, so this is truly ideal for content creation. The 4K+ panel also includes touch support by default, and this is an optional upgrade if you stick with the Full HD+ panel.

Just like the XPS 13, the minimal bezels around this display mean the webcam is tiny and only supports 720p. However, you do get facial recognition on this one, so logging in is that much more convenient.

But it's these minimal bezels and some engineering magic that make this laptop even more impressive. This 17-inch laptop is thinner than some 15-inch laptops, and smaller overall, too. Considering the powerful specs packed inside this chassis, that's kind of amazing, and it's great that you can take this kind of power with you easily. It's still a bit heavy, though, starting at 4.87lbs, but that shouldn't be surprising for a laptop of this size. As for looks, the Dell XPS 17 hasn't been changed this year, so you get the classic platinum silver exterior with a black carbon fiber interior, which still looks very nice.

As for ports, you have four Thunderbolt ports, with an adapter for USB Type-A and HDMI included in the box so you can still easily connect legacy peripherals and non-Thunderbolt monitors. It would have been nice to have those options built-in, but that would probably have made this a thicker laptop.

The Dell XPS 17 is still the 17-inch laptop to beat, with powerful specs, a great display, and a compact design that's easy to carry anywhere. Even if it hasn't changed much, it's one of the best laptops Dell makes.

Dell XPS 17 (2022)

The Dell XPS 17 is an incredibly powerful 17-inch laptop that still fits in a compact and slim chassis. It has Intel H-series processors, RTX graphics, and space for a lot of RAM and storage.

Best convertible laptop: Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1

Clamshell laptops are fine, but if you're anything like me, the versatility of a convertible is far more appealing. And if you want something like that from Dell, your best option right now is the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1. It offers a solid combination of specs in a metal chassis, and it has a solid display, too.

Starting with performance, the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 comes with Intel's 12th-generation Core processors, specifically from the U15 series (though there's also a model with AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors). You can configure it with up to an Intel Core i7-1255U, a 10-core, 12-thread processor that can boost up to 4.7GHz, which also features Intel Iris Xe graphics. In addition to that, up to 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD make for a great experience overall, and you won't really miss out on performance during day-to-day use.

The display is pretty good on the Inspiron 14 2-in-1, too, particularly because Intel is actually using a taller 16:10 aspect ratio, which is usually reserved for its most premium laptops like the XPS family. It's a Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS panel, which gets the job done just fine for a laptop of this size. It's not a particularly great display for creative professionals that require color accuracy, but for more basic office work and web browsing, you won't have an issue with it.

Above that display is a 1080p webcam, and frankly, it's baffling that an Inspiron laptop gets a 1080p camera and XPS laptops are still stuck on 720p. This does mean you should get better image quality from it, but a downside to this is that there's no Windows Hello facial recognition on this model. There's a fingerprint sensor if you want biometric authentication, though.

The design of the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is fairly basic on the outside, being a silver-colored aluminum laptop like so many others. However, interestingly enough, the palm rest inside the laptop is made of glass, and instead of having a touchpad that's cut out of the base, it's more so carved into it. Basically, there are only three edges around the touchpad, as the top just blends into the glass palm rest, which is certainly unique. The laptop as a whole weighs about 3.46lbs, which isn't too bad for a 14-inch aluminum laptop, and its thickness ranges from 15.7mm to 17.86mm, so it's a decently portable laptop, albeit not impressively light.

Coming around to the ports, the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 offers two USB Type-C ports with DisplayPort and power delivery, one USB Type-A port, HDMI, a headphone jack, and an SD card reader. Most of your basics are covered, and while it's missing Thunderbolt 4, that's not too uncommon for a laptop in this price range. You should still be able to use some peripherals without needing adapters.

This isn't the most premium of Dell's laptops, but it's a great one that's made for the mainstream audience. If you're buying a laptop for college or work, this is a fantastic choice, and it won't disappoint with its performance. If you're interested, you can check it out below.

Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1

The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is a convertible laptop for the mainstream market, with high-end specs and a 16:10 display.

Best tablet: Dell XPS 13 2-in-1

We're coming back to the Dell XPS family yet again because it is, after all, Dell's premier lineup. This year, there are more options than ever, and the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is completely different from previous models. It's no longer a typical convertible, and instead, it's a tablet with a detachable keyboard, similar to Microsoft's Surface Pro 9. And of course, it's a fantastic device.

Performance-wise, the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 comes with 12th-generation Intel Core U9-series processors, which means they have a low 9W TDP. They might not be as powerful as models with a higher TDP, but you can still go up to a Core i7-1250U with 10 cores, 12 threads, and boost speeds up to 4.7GHz. Intel Iris Xe graphics are also integrated with the CPU for some extra GPU performance. Otherwise, you can get up to 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, which is most likely enough for what you're going to be doing with this device.

The display is a 13-inch IPS panel and it comes in a 3:2 aspect ratio, just like the aforementioned Surface Pro tablet. The resolution is 2880 x 1920, so it's extremely sharp for a screen of this size, too. Of course, it supports touch and pen input, and you can get an XPS Stylus along with it, which attaches magnetically to the side. Above that display, there's a 5MPcamera that can record 1080p video and supports Windows Hello facial recognition. It's pretty much the best webcam on any Dell XPS device so far. You also get a second camera on the back, this one being an 11MP sensor with support for 4K video, so you can record videos in a pinch.

Dell radically changed the design of the XPS 13 2-in-1, as we've mentioned above, and this new model is more portable than ever. Since it's a tablet, the device itself is only 7.4mm thin, and it weighs just 1.6lbs. If you add the XPS Folio keyboard, that's an extra 1.23lbs. It also comes in a couple of colors — a light shade of blue called Sky, and a black option called Slate — with a color-matched keyboard. The Slate option is only available for the 5G-enabled model, and you can't buy that one yet, so for now, Sky is all you get.

This thin design comes at the expense of ports, of which you only get two. There are exactly two Thunderbolt ports on this tablet, and nothing else, which means there's also no headphone jack. That's true for every XPS 13 model this year, though, so you might want to be ready to need an adapter.

Despite the lackluster ports, the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is a beautiful device, and it's just great overall. You can buy it below if you're interested.

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 has a thin and lightweight design and it features efficient 12th-gen Intel processors.

Best workstation: Dell Precision 7770

Some of us need more than a traditional laptop, and even more than the power of an XPS 17. Workstations are incredibly powerful PCs for the most demanding types of workloads, and the Dell Precision 7770 is one of the best mobile workstations you can find. Simply put, it's one of the most powerful laptops you can buy, though that naturally comes at a cost.

Workstations are all about performance, and the Dell Precision 7770 doesn't joke around. You can configure it with up to an Intel Core i9-12950HX, with a whopping 16 cores and 24 threads, plus boost speeds up to 5GHz, which is frankly insane for a laptop. You can then pair it with up to an Nvidia RTX A5500 workstation GPU with 16GB of memory, which is also the fastest laptop GPU around. If that doesn't sound powerful enough yet, you can configure the Precision 7770 with up to a whopping 128GB of RAM and up to four SSDs with 4TB of capacity each. Not many machines give you this much power and storage.

The display is a 17-inch panel in a somewhat traditional 16:9 aspect ratio, but it's still great for getting work done. THe base model comes in Full HD resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate, but you can also opt for a 4K Ultra HD option with a 120Hz refresh rate if you want the next viewing experience. Both models cover 99% of DCI-P3 and reach up to 500 nits of brightness, too. Above the display, of course, is a webcam, which is a Full HD 1080p camera, and you have the option to add Windows Hello facial recognition if you want to.

All this power makes for a big laptop, so the Dell Precision 7770 is 26.7mm thick and it starts at 6.66lbs of weight, though that will vary depending on the configuration you choose. It's not a small laptop, as you'd expect for a workstation. In terms of looks, the Precision 7770 comes in a dark silver shade for the most part, but the edges are a lighter shade of silver, which makes for an interesting dual-tone look.

Being a big laptop thankfully means there's a lot of space for ports, too. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one regular USB Type-C port, two USB Type-A ports, HDMI, Ethernet, a headphone jack, and an SD card reader by default. You can also add a Smart Card reader, NFC support, and a fingerprint reader, if you need them.

This all adds up to a laptop that can get incredibly expensive as you upgrade the specs. But if you need this kind of power, the Dell Precision 7770 is one of the best laptops you can buy.

Dell Precision 7770

The Dell Precision 7770 is an incredibly powerful mobile workstations that disregards portability for maximum performance.

Best budget laptop: Dell Inspiron 15 3511

Want a capable laptop that doesn't break the bank? The Dell Inspiron 15 is a fantastic choice if you're looking for something that delivers great performance for day-to-day tasks while also being affordable.

It may be surprising, but a lot of what drives the cost up in premium laptops is the design, so in terms of performance, the Inspiron 15 3511 isn't that far off from many flagship laptops. It comes with Intel's 11th-generation Core processors, up to an Intel Core i7-1165G7, though we'd recommend the Core i5-1135G7 for a budget-oriented choice. That's a four-core, eight-thread CPU that can boost up to 4.2GHz, so you're going to get some solid performance out of it. Plus, with Intel Iris Xe graphics, you should have enough power to handle some older games and more modern lightweight titles at lower settings. Additionally, you get 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, which is perfectly acceptable for a budget-oriented laptop, and good enough for school use for most people.

The display is also surprisingly good for a budget laptop like this. Many others in this price range opt for a lower resolution like 1366 x 768, but the Inspiron 15 comes with a Full HD (1920 x 1080) display, so you're already going to have a solid experience. You don't get any upgrade options for it, but it's already a solid display to begin with. For sound, you get two 2W speakers, which is a decent output for an affordable laptop like this. Above the display, there's a 720p camera, which is forgivable considering the price point and that even Dell's premium laptops often use 720p webcams.

The overall design is where you see most trade-offs with this laptop, but it's not like it looks bad by any means. It uses an all-black plastic build, which means it looks fine but doesn't stand out all that much. It also doesn't pack convenience features like a fingerprint reader or IR camera for Windows Hello. It doesn't try to be particularly thin or light, either, measuring up to 18.99mm in thickness and weighing 3.82lbs. What it does have is a full number pad, something most other laptops on this list can't say.

As for connectivity, you get three USB Type-A ports, HDMI, a headphone jack, and an SD card reader, plus a barrel charger port. This is a decent selection, but the lack of any USB Type-C ports and Ethernet is a bit surprising. Still, most peripherals should work with the ports you have here, and you can easily connect a second monitor too.

While it isn't the flashiest and most premium laptop around, the Dell Inspiron 15 offers a solid experience all around, and it's very affordable. At writing time, the Core i5 model is available for just $430, thanks to a $170 discount. If you have a slightly higher budget, the newer Dell Inspiron 16 is an even better choice.

Dell Inspiron 15

The Dell Inspiron 15 is an affordable laptop that still delivers solid performance and a Full HD display.

Those are our choices for the best Dell laptops you can buy today. The Dell XPS 13 Plus takes our best overall pick thanks to its blend of portability, a premium ultra-modern design, and performance, packing everything you'd want out of a 13-inch ultrabook into a chassis that looks like it came from the future. But portability isn't the number one priority for everyone, so the other options are equally great. I'm personally smitten by the Dell XPS 17 and how much power it crams into a relatively small chassis. Everyone will have different priorities, but as long as you have an idea of what you need, you're bound to love the options on this list.

AdChoices
AdChoices

More from XDA Developers

XDA Developers
XDA Developers
image beaconimage beaconimage beacon