Dell’s webcam doesn’t support Windows’ recently added Studio Effects, such as auto framing and background blur, which require AI processing hardware on the processor die that this laptop lacks. Its 720p stills and videos look reasonably well-lit and colorful, but blurry and vague.
Sound from the bottom-slit speakers is hollow and rough, with adequate volume but a flat response. You can make out overlapping tracks, but you’ll hear neither treble nor bass to speak of.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
It’s not easy to look pale and dark simultaneously, but the Inspiron’s screen manages it: Its colors are bland and washed-out, while an overall lack of brightness makes everything dim and muddy. The screen’s viewing angles are reasonably wide, and the details displayed are fairly sharp in brighter areas but swallowed up in darker ones. Its contrast is minimal, and its white backgrounds don’t pop more than primary colors. The screen is usable for word processing and spreadsheets and tolerable for videos, but it basically screams economy class.
Dell’s keyboard has a numeric keypad and a midsize, buttonless touchpad with decent glide and a comfortable click. You’ll find dedicated Home and End keys on the top row, but Page Up and Page Down are relegated to the Fn key, plus the hard-to-hit, half-size up and down arrows; as with too many laptops, the arrow keys are arranged in an unwieldy HP-style row instead of the easier-to-finger inverted T.
On the Inspiron’s keys, I managed a respectable typing speed with few errors, but the keyboard felt flat and lifeless, more like a tablet’s type cover than a snappy laptop layout. The keys’ travel is shallow, and their feedback is minimal. I also missed backlighting more than I thought I would. On the plus side, you’ll find no Copilot key here.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The preinstalled MyDell software provides movie, animation, sports, and no-blue-light display color profiles. The app also includes undetectably different audio presets for various kinds of music and a choice of power and cooling modes. Finally, Dell’s preinstalled SupportAssist app centralizes system updates, drive management, and network optimization.
