Dell Inspiron 14 Plus Review: A Reliable Workhorse for Everyday Use

Comparos Rating: 8.0/10

Introduction

Though it may not have the fads of an OLED display, a flexible design, or a sophisticated webcam, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus shines in terms of dependability and usefulness. Priced little over Rs 1,00,000, its outstanding performance and battery life set it apart from other high-end laptops. What distinguishes the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus in its class is examined in more detail below.

Design and Display

Corporate-friendly and simple in style is the Inspiron 14 Plus. Its strong construction—which doesn't flex or creak under pressure—is attributed to its metal lid and plastic base. Every day use of the laptop is guaranteed to be sturdy thanks to this design. The laptop, at about 1.6 kg, feels heavy and robust despite its semi-metal design. Though not the lightest in its class, the weight adds to its robust feel.

Because of the laptop's rounded corners and chamfered edges, extended use is more comfortable. Its normally professional look gains a distinctive touch from the Ice Blue color scheme, which also extends the eye-catching hue to the keyboard deck.

With its 2K (2240 x 1400) resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio, the 14-inch display is perfect for productivity chores such reading emails, articles, and PDFs. The aspect ratio enables more material to be shown vertically, which lessens the need for frequent scrolling, and the increased quality guarantees clear text and detailed images.

But the display's brightness tops at 300 nits, and in intense outside lighting, its matte texture can make it seem a little dark. Even if the matte coating significantly lessens glare, more brightness may be added overall for greater outdoor visibility. A little letdown considering the laptop's pricing range is the screen refresh rate cap of 60Hz. All the same, the display provides good viewing angles and reliable color reproduction, which makes it appropriate for daily work and media consumption.

Ports, Webcam, and Audio

Many different communication requirements are met by the wide range of ports available on the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus. Along with a Thunderbolt 4 connector, a 3.5mm mic-audio combination jack, a microSD card reader, and two USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, it features. Fast data transfer and connecting to external screens are especially benefited by the Thunderbolt 4 connector. Though it also includes a barrel-style charging port, the laptop comes with a 100W power brick that employs a Type-C connector.

One drawback is that users of higher resolution or higher refresh rate external monitors may find it restricted as the HDMI connector can only output 1920 x 1080 at 60Hz. Positively, the downward-firing speakers deliver a solid depth and a surprising loudness that makes for a good audio experience for watching movies and making video chats.

A 1080p camera on the laptop offers sophisticated Windows Studio functions including portrait blur and auto-framing. The integrated NPU powers these functions, therefore keeping the CPU from becoming overloaded. Enhancing security and privacy, the webcam also has a privacy shutter that lets users physically block the camera while it's not in use.

Trackpad and keyboard

The Inspiron 14 Plus's keyboard is a major asset; it provides a quiet typing experience with well-spaced keys. Long typing sessions are made possible by the keyboard deck's durability and resistance to flexing under strain. The laptop's lid design, which protrudes somewhat and positions the keyboard at an ergonomic angle, improves typing comfort and promotes cooling.

Backlighting on the keyboard makes it easy to use in dimly lit areas. While Windows Hello facial recognition is not supported by the webcam, the laptop has a fingerprint sensor built into the power button. Easy and safe device unlocking is made possible by this dependable and fast sensor.

Mylar makes up the trackpad, which provides a smooth and sensitive navigation surface. A smooth and natural user experience is ensured by its seamless support of multi-finger motions. Size and responsiveness of the trackpad make it ideal for a variety of productivity jobs.

Performance, Thermals, and Battery Life

Intel's Core Ultra 7 155H processor and 16GB of 6,400MT/s LPDDR5X RAM power the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus. With its six performance cores (P-cores), eight efficiency cores (E-cores), and two low-power efficiency cores (LPE cores), the CPU offers a well-balanced combination of power economy and performance. The laptop has an eight Xe core, Arc-integrated GPU from Intel.

The Inspiron 14 Plus is a very good performer that can easily multitask. It smoothly and quickly handles processes with several Chrome tabs and programs like Slack, Asana, and AirTable. Benchmark tests demonstrate even more of its capabilities; in both single-core and multi-core tasks, the laptop outperforms similarly priced rivals.

Casual gaming is also possible with the Arc GPU; 1080p resolution and high settings of previous AAA games like GTA V work flawlessly. Its potential for eSports games, where faster frame rates are preferred, is limited by the 60Hz display, though. If required, the Thunderbolt 4 port allows the laptop to be connected to an external high refresh rate monitor.

Although there is usually acceptable thermal performance, the laptop does become rather warm under intense loads—during protracted gaming sessions, individual cores can reach temperatures of up to 100 degrees Celsius. The laptop performs steadily without appreciable throttling even at this high temperatures.

An other excellent point of the Inspiron 14 Plus is its battery life. For consumers in need of a dependable, long-lasting gadget, the laptop offers over seven hours of typical use on a single charge and lasted over 13 hours on the PCMark 10 Battery assessment.

Comparos Says

For consumers who choose solid performance and long battery life above glitzy extras, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is a dependable option. Though the 1080p HDMI output, 60Hz display, and plastic base are drawbacks, they are reasonable compromises given the total value provided in this price range.