I also like that the USB-C ports on these laptops now support DisplayPort and power delivery simultaneously. A rep plugged one of them into a nearby monitor, and not only did its contents quickly appear on the larger screen, but the notebook also started charging from the display’s power source.
As you’d expect, the number of ports on each Inspiron grows the bigger it is. The 13-inch Inspiron 7000, for example, only has one port each for USB-C and USB-A, plus HDMI 2.0 and a microSD slot. The 15- and 17-inch models have an additional USB-A socket and a full-sized SD card reader. You can also get discrete graphics cards on the two larger models — either the NVIDIA MX130 on the 15-inch or the MX150 on the 17-inch. The smallest Inspiron doesn’t have room for that, which is understandable considering its skinny profile. In fact, that little guy might be my favorite of the lot — it’s almost the same size as the XPS 13, and I dig its premium build and appealing display.
It’s hard to tell whether the updates will amount to a better overall experience without testing these notebooks ourselves. From what I already saw, though, the Inspiron line looks sharper than before.
The Inspiron 5000 14 costs from $600, while the more-premium Inspiron 7000 series’ starting price ranges from $850 to $1,100, depending on size. Special “black edition” variants are also available at about $400 more. As the name suggests, these are black versions of their regular silver counterparts and are exclusive to Best Buy. All these configurations will be available October 2nd. If you’re shopping for a new laptop this holiday season, the refreshed Inspirons look like good, affordable and flexible options to consider.
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