Dell Inspiron 13 7000 Series (Special Edition) Review

[byalexandr]

 

Today we're looking at a not so new but still popular 2 in 1 from Dell. This one happens to be the Special Edition (model 7353) which means it comes with a soft touch plastic finish and aluminum keyboard tray, whereas the standard 700 series comes with plastic that appears to be aluminum from first glance.

 

 

These are available exclusively at Best Buy and Dell.com. I happened to get mine from Best Buy for $599, $300 off the list price of $899. My model includes the following specs:

 

Intel Core i7-6500U Skylake Processor (http://ark.intel.com/products/88194/Intel-Core-i7-6500U-Processor-4M-Cache-up-to-3_10-GHz)

Intel HD 520 Integrated Graphics

8GB of DDR3-1600MHz Memory

256GB Samsung PM871 M.2 SATA Solid State Drive

Intel Dual-Band Wireless-AC 3165 + Bluetooth

13.3" IPS 1920x1080 Display

Backlit Keyboard

2x USB 3.0 + 1x USB 2.0

SD Card Reader

HDMI Out Port

3.5mm Headphone/Mic Combo Jack

Kensington Lock

 

This one is nearly the highest available, second to the model with similar specs, the only difference being a 512GB SSD. The Inspiron line is meant to be a budget segment, but it still uses high quality materials found in the XPS line, Dell's high end segment. That along with the availability of high end components makes it a compelling offer.

 

Taking a look at the ports, we find two USB 3.0 ports on the left side, along with an HDMI Out, the DC Power In, a 3.5mm combo jack, as well as a Kensington lock:

 

 

Along the right side, we have a single USB 2.0 port along with an SD card reader, as well as a lock button and volume rocker, both of which provide tactile feedback and are very satisfying to use:

 

 

The notebook does not have anything on the front or the rear (besides the power LED on the front right), however cooling is taken care of on the bottom rear by a filtered port, with a very silent fan. The only complaint here is that when it's a bed for instance, the port can be blocked a bit and although it doesn't overheat or anything it can get a little warm.

 

 

Inside the notebook, there is a beautiful and sharp 1920x1080 13.3" IPS display. The viewing angles are great and color reproduction is on point. It does have a multi-touch display, however it does not support Dell's Active Stylus, only passive capacitive styluses, similar to ones used on an iPad.

 

 

The keyboard has a bright white backlight with no number pad, and feels extremely nice to type on. It has a satisfying and audible click, and the keyboard shows no flex when typing. The key travel isn't near a mechanical keyboard by any means, but it still nice to type on, especially compared to other laptop keyboards. Full marks here. The touchpad works pretty well and feels pretty nice to use, although it is a bit sensitive to taps, sometimes clicking when I didn't want it to. Gestures are recognized very well, and the pad doesn't show fingerprints very easily.

 

 

The aluminum keyboard tray feels excellent to the touch and stays cool even during high workloads. It resists fingerprints remarkably well, and very much compliments the dark grey outer shell. The outer edges as well as the trackpad are milled to have a mirror finish, which finishes the look quite well.

 

 

Overall I'd say it's one of the best buys for a budget laptop. Not only do you get great specs for the price, but you get an excellent and solid build quality in which Dell notebooks are known for. I chose this over an HP or Lenovo machine simply because it felt nicer in my hands (and I'm one of those people that take nicer quality and looks over extra performance). Luckily I was able to find this higher spec'd model, so it was a win win situation. It is a little hefty at 3.7 pounds, but I like the weight, and contrary to other reviews, I don't really use the 2 in 1 feature so I don't see a problem with the weight.

 

I'd definitely recommend picking this up if you're in the market for a budget laptop for school or work, as it's definitely a premium feeling and high performing product for the cost.

 

Photography and written review by @byalexandr

 

Thanks! Post your feedback below.

 

[shadowbyte]

nice review!

excellent lighting on those pics as well

[DarkBlade2117]

Quite interested in what car that is because it reminds me of the Masamune from Rocket League

[byalexandr]

12 minutes ago, DarkBlade2117 said:

Quite interested in what car that is because it reminds me of the Masamune from Rocket League

McLaren P1

[DarkBlade2117]

3 hours ago, byalexandr said:

McLaren P1

I feel like an idiot, I've never seen the back of one lol

[MingDelta]

Yeah nice review, 

I currently have a XPS 13 and it works really well. However seeing the specs and the deal that you got makes me kinda wish I looked a bit harder. But dell has the best value of any PC manufacturer IMO so long as you don't get anything too cheap.