I just look back twolaptops that cost $ 1,000 or less , theAsus Zenbook 14 Q425and theLenovo Slim 7i Gen 9 . They ’re excellent machine with very dainty OLED displays . Because thing often make out in threes , I have another $ 1,000 laptop to review , the 2024 Dell Inspiron 14 Plus , which enters the fray armed only with an IPS video display .
A few years ago , that was the norm . OLED panels were n’t nearly as ubiquitous and certainly not common at these prices . So , the Inspiron 14 Plus has a pitcher’s mound to wax . It offers a solid build , libertine components , and good battery life , but its display restrain it from being the strongest against as affordable laptops .
Specs and configurations
The Inspiron 14 Plus starts at $ 1,000 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chipset , 16 GB of RAM , a 1 TB SSD , and a 14.0 - inch 2.2 K IPS display . That ’s the configuration I reviewed . For $ 200 more , you could upgrade to 32 GB of RAM and a sharp-worded 14.0 - column inch 2.8 atomic number 19 display . Dell lists other configuration options , but none are presently on sale .
That ’s an attractive enough price for a midrange laptop computer . Dell ’s challenge is that recent laptop computer like the Asus Zenbook 14 Q425 and Lenovo Slim 7i Gen 9 are around the same monetary value with OLED display , albeit lower - res 1920 x 1200 models , and the fantabulous 2023 Asus Zenbook 14 OLED ( with a higher - res 2.8 K showing ) can be buy for under $ 800 . As we ’ll see , the Inspiron 14 Plus is a skillful laptop computer with one hand bond behind its back .
A good but forgettable design
The Inspiron 14 Plus mutation a very conservative aim . It ’s a solid “ Ice Blue ” color outline that runs throughout , giving the laptop a silverish lustre in some firing and a very pale blue one in others . The strain are smoothen out and have the usual tapered appearance to fire a slimness that ’s not really there . Overall , I find the laptop computer soundly - looking for , but it lacks the Asus Zenbook 14 Q425 ’s sharp angles and the Lenovo Slim 7i Gen 9 ’s more graceful , rounded edge . The more expensive Apple MacBook Air , a tweener that contend in both the 13 - in and 14 - inch laptop computer classes , offers an even more elegant design and add up in more attractive color .
Speaking of slimness , Dell lists the laptop ’s thickness as crop from 0.63 in to 0.75 inches . That ’s a bit boneheaded than the Zenbook and Slim 7i , which claim 0.59 inches . The Inspiron is also heavier at 3.83 British pound versus 2.82 and 3.06 pounds , respectively . The MacBook Air is an harebrained 0.44 inches fatheaded and weigh 2.7 pounds , which gives it a perceived density that these other laptops lack . queerly , the Inspiron does n’t seem to weigh tight to a full pound more than the others . I have no complaints about Dell ’s frame quality . The Inspiron ’s aluminium lid and chassis feel as robust as the others , and the hinge opens easy with one hand , yet another lesson of today ’s midrange laptops sporting premium - like human body .
I ’m a bit conflicted about the Inspiron 14 Plus keyboard . It has nicely size keycaps and plenty of key spatial arrangement , and the switching are deep and bouncy . But I did n’t like typecast on it as much as I did the Zenbook ’s or Slim 7i ’s keyboard , not to advert my preferred , Apple ’s Magic Keyboard . peradventure it was the bottoming action , which matte precipitous and fatiguing as I write this review . I also was n’t a fan of the mechanical touchpad , which was large enough but required too much force to aerate the louder buttons . tactile touchpads have n’t yet migrated to laptops be $ 1,000 or less , but I ’m looking forward to it when they do . There ’s no touch display selection , which is something available on competing laptop computer , and I missed it here .
Connectivity is a mixed old bag . There are lot of legacy ports , including two USB - A ports and an HDMI connection . However , there ’s only one USB - snow embrasure with Thunderbolt 4 reenforcement , and the laptop ships with a USB - degree Celsius might adaptor . That stand for that by default option , you ’ll have to use the lonesome USB - 100 port to power the laptop . There ’s a proprietary power connector , but you ’ll have to buy the adapter severally . One plus is the microSD carte reviewer , something several late laptops I ’ve reviewed did without . Wireless connectivity is also a strength , ranging up to the haemorrhage - edge Wi - Fi 7 , at least once the next reading of Windows is unloosen .
The Inspiron 14 Plus boasts a 1080p webcam , a resolution that ’s becoming the new standard , and it ’s beneficial enough . There ’s no infrared camera , but Windows 11 Hello is supported by a fingermark referee embedded in the power button that ’s quick and antiphonal .
Excellent productivity performance
The Inspiron 14 Plus apply the 28 - W Intel Core Ultra 7 155H , a Meteor Lake chipset with 16 cores ( six Performance , eight Efficient , and two Low Power Efficient ) and 22 threads . It ’s the most pop Meteor Lake chipset , plant in most laptop computer I ’ve survey in 2024 . Every laptop Godhead touts the chipset ’s Neural Processing Unit ( NPU ) , which power a few on - machine AI tools like Microsoft ’s Studio Effects videoconferencing utility . primarily , the NPU is good for futureproofing and thus far has little impact on tangible - world performance .
So , how does the Inspiron 14 Plus perform ? In most bench mark in our review suite , it ’s pretty fast . It was particularly unassailable in our Handbrake test that encodes a 420 M video in H.265 , and it did well in the multi - core run in Cinebench R23 . It also led the comparison mathematical group in the PCMark 10 Complete benchmark , which flux up productivity , casual , and creative tasks . Its individual - core execution was a bit behind in Cinebench R23 and Geekbench 6 , mean it wo n’t be the speediest in day - to - Clarence Shepard Day Jr. computation — not that anyone would get laid the difference . These are all profligate laptops for productiveness substance abuser .
The Intel Arc incorporated graphics are fast than the elderly Intel Iris Xe graphic but tedious than an ingress - level discrete GPU like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 . So , the Inspiron 14 Plus is n’t a great gaming laptop or a creator ’s workstation . It ’s speedy enough for everything else , though .
I ’ve seen sundry consequence with the Core Ultra 7 155H in terms of efficiency . Despite Meteor Lake ’s theorize improved efficiency , most laptops with the chipset have n’t impressed . However , the Inspiron 14 Plus did comparatively well with less battery capacity at 64 watt - hours versus 75 watt - hours in several other 14 - in laptops . I suspect the IPS display avail , although the Zenbook 14 Q425 ’s ( lower - res ) OLED display did n’t hold that laptop back from salutary length of service . I also wonder if firmware update have n’t improved efficiency since I ’ve survey some early laptop computer , something I ca n’t peradventure test .
In our web browsing and video recording looping tests , the Inspiron 14 Plus was more or less above average . It was well behind the Zenbook and even further behind the M3 MacBook Air , which is the efficiency loss leader by a monumental margin . Depending on your workflow , the Dell may or may not last an entire working day .
A very good IPS display, but it’s not OLED
The big difference between the Inspiron 14 Plus and the other $ 1,000 laptop I ’ve discourse in this review is its function of an IPS presentation instead of OLED . Dell chose two high - result displays in the strange 2.2 K ( 2240 x 1400 ) and 2.8 K ( 2880 x 1800 ) resoluteness , which are high than FHD+ ( 1920 x 1200 ) OLED video display in the Asus Zenbook 14 Q425 and Lenovo Slim 7i Gen 9 . However , the Dell ’s 2.2 K IPS presentation that I reviewed lacked dynamic color and inky inkiness . It was slightly needlelike , but it did n’t leap out out at me in the same way of life .
accord to my colorimeter , it ’s a very good IPS panel . It was bright at 418 nit and had good demarcation at 1,690:1 . But that ’s well below the approximate - infinite demarcation of OLED engineering science , and , by comparing , Black person still leaned toward greyness . I suppose I ’m cosset by review so many OLED laptop computer , but there ’s a reason why the engineering has become so pop . color were also good for IPS , at 100 % of sRGB and 79 % of Adobe RGB ( IPS is ordinarily around 75 % of the latter ) , but the 79 % of DCI - P3 was down in the mouth than I ’ve seen in some recent IPS show . Accuracy , though , was excellent by any standard at a DeltaE of 0.8 ( less than 1.0 is undistinguishable to the human eye ) .
Overall , I ca n’t help but rate the display as substandard . touchstone are changing , with recent laptops adopting technologies like OLED and mini - LED that provide much good colors and contrast . And some information processing panels , like the I Apple uses on the MacBook Air , also supply good colour . Dell ’s selection puts the Inspiron 14 Plus at a disadvantage . Note that the 2.8 K IPS display offers a 90Hz refresh charge per unit , while the 2.2 K display I tested is limited to 60Hz .
A good laptop that’s hard to recommend
If I were reviewing the Inspiron 14 Plus a couple of years ago , I could easily urge it . It ’s well - built , very tight , and it has secure battery life . What ’s not to like ? At $ 1,000 , it ’s a very safe midrange laptop by most criterion .
However , it ’s compete with laptops like the Zenbook 14 Q425 , which boasts the same caliber , has even in force battery life , and cost around the same monetary value but use a superior OLED display . The Inspiron also lacks an extra Thunderbolt 4 port , and its keyboard and touchpad are n’t the best . I suggest that you consider some other midrange laptop instead .
