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With its svelte metallic chassis and compact dimensions, the Dell Inspiron 14z is a far cry from the company’s previous all-purpose laptops. Taking a design cue from its redesigned XPS range – such as the Dell XPS 14z – which itself is based heavily on the Apple MacBook Pro, there are very few reasonably priced laptops that look this good.
Lifting the lid reveals a recessed hinge design that helps keep the laptop as compact as possible – it limits the amount of screen tilt, but Dell’s superb WLED display still handles itself well under harsh overhead lighting. The glossy finish isn’t ideal, and we would have liked a higher resolution than 1,366×768, but the incredibly vibrant colours and ample contrast make this one of the better budget screens we’ve seen recently.
Even though it lacks a dedicated graphics card to power its display, the Inspiron 14z is still powerful enough for high definition video thanks to the graphics chip built into Intel’s Core i5 processor. We could play 720p clips smoothly on the laptop and Full HD videos on an external display. Unfortunately it wasn’t a match for our Dirt3 test, managing an unplayable 13fps at our demanding settings. Modern games might be out of the question, but turn down the details and you should still be able to play some older titles.
Desktop performance was thankfully much better, thanks to the excellent Core i5-2430M and 4GB of RAM. Running at 2.4Ghz, the processor can Turbo Boost up to 3Ghz in certain tasks for some extra grunt when needed. Our multimedia benchmarks certainly saw the benefit, with an overall score of 49 – this proves that, while no powerhouse, it can still run most applications smoothly.
Despite the powerful processor, the Inspiron 14z still managed an astounding eight hours in our light-use battery test. By sticking to less energy-intensive tasks such as web browsing or word processing, you should be able to go most of the working day without having to reach for a charger.
In everyday use, we had no trouble typing on the large QWERTY keyboard thanks to its full-size keys and standard layout. There’s no numerical keypad, but we would always prefer not to have one if its inclusion meant shrunken keys. The Chiclet-style design never felt cramped, and each key has plenty of bounce to make typing comfortable and responsive. The large touchpad directly below the keyboard is large enough to navigate the desktop in one movement, with minimal friction thanks to its metallic surface. The touchpad buttons are just as tough and create audible clicks when pressed, so you’re always sure when you’ve pressed one.
Unlike the more expensive XPS, the Inspiron 14z keeps most of its connectivity at the sides of its chassis rather than hiding them at the back. The three USB ports, of which two support the faster USB3 standard, and combination audio jack are hidden beneath plastic flaps, as are the HDMI and mini-DisplayPort video outputs. A multi-format card reader and DVD optical drive are other welcome inclusions.
We’re big fans of Dell’s new push towards good looking laptops – some of their older systems certainly would have seen the benefit of better styling, and it helps the Inspiron 14z stand out from the competition. The model we looked at is the mid-range option, so you can save around £80 by opting for a slightly slower Core i3 processor and only 500GB of storage space. Whichever you choose, this is an excellent choice for a new laptop.
