When you’re looking for the best i3 laptop and the best laptop that also has a tablet mode, one model you might find yourself considering is the Dell Inspiron 14 5481. This 2-in-1 device is perfect for any student or casual user, providing both touchscreen features and a decent amount of internal storage in a compact, portable design.
Why We Like It – Dell Inspiron 14 5481
In this Dell Inspiron 14 5481 review, we cover some great points of the 2-in-1 device (such as its casual gaming capabilities, touch screen, and lightweight design), as well as a few shortcomings of the device.
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- 14” Touch Display
- Uses a 128 GB SSD (In Place of a Hard Drive)
- Also Available With An i7 Processor (Though Oddly Not With A Core i5)
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- You Will Have to Upgrade to a Better Model for a Full HD Touch Screen
- Short Battery Life
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Power & Performance
It’s not a powerhouse, but the Inspiron 14 has enough power for casual use and light gaming. The laptop uses an 8th Generation Intel Core i3-8145u Processor, which has a 4MB Cache and runs at speeds of up to 3.9 GHz. Graphical processing power is provided by Intel UHD Graphics 620. Internally, this 2-in-1 device has a relatively limited amount of storage at only 128 GB (if you want more storage you may want to consider the HP 17.3 laptop instead). It comes with 4 GB of RAM, but this is expandable up to 16 GB.
Battery
Battery life is not a strong point of this device. This laptop uses a 3-cell 42 WHr battery, which charges fairly slowly (taking up to 5.5 hours to reach full capacity). The battery‘s performance is severely lacking, lasting between 4-6 hours per charge. This definitely isn’t enough to last an entire day, so expect to be carrying the charger around with you if you plan on leaving the house (check out our HP 15.6 laptop review for a device with a better battery).
Ports & Expandability
You’ll find one USB-C port, one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port, a media card reader, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack on the Inspiron 14 5481. This setup should give you everything you need for daily use, so we can’t really complain about anything here. The device only has 128 GB of internal storage with 4 GB of RAM (upgradeable to 16 GB) on the base model, but higher-end models offer 512 GB of storage with 8 GB of RAM.
Build Quality
Cased entirely in plastic, the Inspiron 14 lacks a premium feel but should be durable enough for daily use. The touchscreen display bends back 180° and has relatively thin bezels. It isn’t very bright (maxing out at 220 nits), and only offers standard HD (1366 x 768), not full HD, on the base model. It does have a built-in webcam, but don’t expect any luxury features like a fingerprint reader on this device. This is unfortunate because we’ve seen high-end features on cheaper laptops.
Value
At $599, we feel the Dell Inspiron 14 is slightly overpriced. For that price, you get the laptop, charger, a one-year warranty, and free shipping. There are also protection plans available, costing $65.99 for two years and $113.99 for four years of protection. Most customers seem content with their purchase, as this Inspiron scores 4.4 out of 5 stars (based on 897 ratings), but we’d recommend taking a look at our ASUS VivoBook 15 review if you’re looking for a more budget-friendly alternative.
Dell Inspiron 14 5481 Wrap Up
If you’re looking for a beginner laptop for a young student then the Dell Inspiron 14 5481 is a perfect choice! The specs aren’t fantastic, but they are enough for schoolwork, Youtube, and Minecraft. On the other hand, if you’re looking for something high-end with a lot of processing power then you will want to look elsewhere.
