Dell's Inspiron 15 7000 Packs Nvidia Graphics Into a Premium, Lightweight Design

When you think of Dell's premium consumer laptops, you probably don't think about the Inspiron. But that could change with the new Inspiron 15 7000. Dell is targeting its latest entry into the Inspiron line toward prosumers, powering it with a 9th Gen Intel Core i9 processor and a GTX 1650 GPU.

The Inspiron 15 7000 will start at $999, and launch sometime in June 2019.

Dell Inspiron 15 7000 price and specs

Starting at $999, the Inspiron 15 7000 will come with an Intel Core i5-9300H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 GPU with 3GB of VRAM, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and a 1080p display. However, you can configure the Inspiron 15 7000 with up to a Core i9-9880H processor, a GTX 1650 GPU with 4GB of VRAM, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 4K display. The machine also has dual SSD slots.

MORE: Best 15-inch Laptops

Design

The Inspiron 15 7000 will be available in Abyss Black and Platinum Silver. I got to see both in person, and if you can get the Platinum Silver version, do it -- it exudes premium, whereas the Abyss Black looks bland and cheap, despite being made of a magnesium alloy (aluminum versions will be available outside of North America). At the very least, the bezels are superslim on either version and the webcam is on the top bezel. What’s impressive was how light the laptop felt, coming in at 3.52 pounds and 14 x 9.4 x 0.71~0.78 inches.

The Inspiron 15 7000 has a solid array of ports, including three USB 3.1 ports, one Thunderbolt 3 port, an HDMI 2.0 port, a headphone jack and a microSD card slot. Some additional features are a fingerprint reader that also acts as the power button and Windows Hello integrated into the webcam.

Display

I’m excited to see the Inspiron 15 7000’s 15.6-inch, 3840 x 2160 panel, which will apparently average 500 nits of brightness.

The one I saw in person was a 1920 x 1080 anti-glare display that looked relatively bright and colorful in its own right.

Keyboard and battery life

I typed across the Inspiron 15 7000’s spill-resistant backlit keyboard and each key felt clicky and offered some decent travel, making for a comfortable typing experience. It also has a full-sized numpad, which enhances productivity.

One interesting feature is the new heating solution. Firstly, Dell worked on an Adaptive Thermal software designed to optimize cooling based on whether the laptop is being used on a desk or in your lap. On top of that, the Inspiron 15 7000’s hinge actually lifts the underside up slightly when the lid is open in order for the heat to exhaust out of hidden vents in the hinge.

Dell rated the Inspiron 15 7000’s battery life to last up to 14 hours, which is rather impressive if it proves to be accurate. According to the company’s tests, the 3-Cell Battery (56 Whr) option will last 12 hours and the 6-Cell Battery (97 Whr) will hit 14 hours.

Outlook

Given its specs and battery life rating, the Inspiron 15 7000 may be a solid contender for our best video editing laptops roundup, so we’re interested to see how it does when it gets through our lab. Stay tuned for the full review and benchmarks.

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