Speed, audio, battery make up for display drawbacks

SINGAPORE — The Dell Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 is a workhorse with good looks.

It comes with a classy, dark grey aluminium lid and a brushed-metallic deck with an undersized keyboard that leaves plenty of space for your wrists and palms. Its 15.6-inch screen is connected to the base via a pair of metal hinges that lets it transform from laptop mode into three other modes — tablet, tent and stand (screen facing backwards). The lid feels sturdy and stays in place when subjected to movements and bumps.

However, the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 is bulky when in tablet mode. It felt awkward in my hands when I wanted to show a video or photos, especially if I was holding it with one hand in portrait mode. Weighing 2.17kg and measuring 381.9mm x 252.5mm x 19.9mm, the device is better off left on the table in laptop, tent or stand modes.

In terms of display performance, Dell could have done better. Images were decent and sharp, but the screen was not bright enough, which is a problem when used outdoors, especially with bright light.

If you are a hardcore gamer and need vivid graphics, the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 may also be an underwhelming choice, due to its limited brightness, resulting in colours that are rather muted and dull.

Nonetheless, Dell makes up for the shortcomings in display with impressive audio. The Waves MaxxAudio® Pro speakers at the front lip of the base offer crisp sounds that are loud enough to fill a living room. The default Waves MaxxAudio software improves sound quality and gives you control over equaliser settings.

My review set came with the sixth-generation Intel® Core™ i7-6500U Processor, Intel HD 5500 integrated graphics, 8GB of RAM and 1TB of hard disk space. Web surfing, videos and simple productivity tasks such as Microsoft Office were a breeze with no lag. One standout feature is the battery life. I had about seven hours of use, which included frequently streaming videos and music, as well as surfing websites.

The Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 comes with one USB 2.0 port, two USB 3.0 ports, an SD card reader, HDMI out for connecting to monitors, an audio jack, and a Kensington lock slot. There are enough ports for most home users, but the lack of dedicated Ethernet and VGA ports may be a downside for anyone planning to use the device for business or productivity.

The Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 starts from S$1,399 for its lowest configuration and can be purchased from www.dell.com.sg. KHAIRUL AMRI MOHD SIDIK