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Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (2023)
An excellent option for anyone looking to get a mid-range laptop with tons of power and cool features thanks to the latest and best components available today.
Pros- Great display
- Elegant design
Cons- Numeric Pad might not be for everyone
- Would've loved more color options
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Dell inspiron 16 (2023)
Dell's Inspiron 16 is a solid mid-range laptop that will give you more for your money, along with an exquisite and stylish design.
Pros- Solid performance
- Great audio
- Several display options
Cons- A second USB-C port would've been great
- Only one color variant
The midrange laptop segment has several excellent options for those looking to get one of the best laptops and some of the best features available without breaking the bank. However, a couple of options stand out above the rest, so we have decided to put Lenovo’s IdeaPad Slim 5 against the Dell Inspiron 16 to see what’s the better option. So, without further ado, let’s dive in and find out which is the best laptop for you.
Price & availability: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (2023) vs Dell Inspiron 16 (2023)
Dell and Lenovo make some of the best Windows laptops you can get at a reasonable price, but they’re also focused on trying to give their customers more for their money. Dell’s Inspiron 16 is an excellent option for those on a tighter budget, as it starts for as low as $850 on its Intel Core i5 model, which comes packed with the basic configuration. Of course, you can also choose to get your new Inspiron 16 with an AMD chipset starting at $700, which will get you a new laptop with AMD’s Ryzen 5 7530U processor with Radeon graphics, 8GB RAM, 512GB M2 PCIe NVMe SSD storage.
Lenovo’s IdeaPad Slim 5 is also an excellent option for those looking to get more for their money, as it starts at just $830 on its AMD variant. This model comes packed with AMD’s Ryzen 5 7530U processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD storage, integrated AMD Radeon graphics, and more. And of course, you can also choose to get your new IdeaPad Slim 5 with Intel inside, though this variant appears to be unavailable at writing time.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (2023) Dell inspiron 16 (2023) Operating System Windows 11 Windows 11 CPU AMD Ryzen 3, 5, 7 U-series and 13th-generation Intel Core U, P, H-series AMD Ryzen 5,7 U series and 13th-generation Intel Core U and P series GPU AMD Radeon graphics and Intel UHD, Iris XE graphics AMD Radeon Graphics, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, and NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2050, 4 GB GDDR6 RAM Up to 16GB DDR4 3200MHz Up to 16GB LPDDR4x 4266 MHz Storage Up to 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD Up to 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD Battery Up to 75.4Wh battery 4 Cell 54Wh battery Display (Size, Resolution) Up to 2.5K (2560x1600) IPS 16:10 display Up to 16-inch 16:10 2.5K(2560x1600) Anti-Glare Non-Touch 300nits WVA Display w/ ComfortView Plus Support Camera Up to Full HD 1080p webcam + IR with privacy shutter 1080p at 30 fps FHD camera Speakers 2x 2W speakers with Dolby Audio Stereo speakers with Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Dolby Atmos, 2.5W x 2 = 5W total Color Abyss blue, Cloud grey, Violet Platinum Silver Ports 2x USB Type-C (3.2 Gen 1), 2x USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 1), 1x HDMI, 3.5mm combo headphone jack, microSD card reader 1 HDMI 1.4, 1 SD-card slot, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 Audio Jack, 1 Thunderbolt 4.0 (DP/PowerDelivery) Dimension Metal: 14.02 x 9.88 x 0.67 inches Plastic: 14.02 x 9.88 x 0.7 inches 14.05x9.91x0.72 inches Weight 4.17 pounds (1.89kg) 1.82-1.94Kg Price Starting at $610 Starts at $700
Design
Both laptops look great, which is nice, considering that they don’t offer tons of color options to choose from. First, Dell’s Inspiron 16 laptop comes in Platinum Silver, which makes this laptop look elegant and stylish. Indeed, 16-inch laptops might not be the most comfortable for carrying around, but then again, I don’t think that you will have any problems moving with the Inspiron 16 in your bag as it weighs a little under the 2 kg mark thanks to its aluminum shell which has recorded a minimum weight of 1.82kg, and a maximum of 1.94kg. You also get more than enough ports to connect anything you want, starting with one HDMI 1.4, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a universal audio jack, a Thunderbolt port with Power Delivery, and an SD card slot.
Lenovo’s IdeaPad Slim 5i arrives with a similar footprint and one color option, which is going to make things easier for anyone who has to decide which one to get. This model comes in Abyss Blue, which makes it look a bit more serious, though that depends on your taste. It is also lighter and relatively smaller than the Inspiron 16, as this one comes in at 1.79kg. The best part is that this model will be better for those who want more ports, as it comes with two USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, an audio jack, and an SD-card slot.
Maybe the most important design difference you will find between these two great laptops is that the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 comes with a full keyboard with a numeric keypad, a smaller touchpad area that’s placed a little to the left, and the speaker grill on the top, closer to the display, while the Dell Inspiron 16 has the speaker grills at the sides of the keyboard with a larger precision touchpad.
Display
This is where things start getting more interesting. Dell’s Inspiron 16 gives you three 16-inch display options to choose from, starting with a 16:10 FHD+ option with anti-glare coating and up to 250 nits of brightness, and ComfortView support, which lacks touch support, and is the most affordable option of the three. The second model has the same FHD+ display, but you get a 60Hz refresh rate with wide viewing angles, which is also slightly brighter. It comes with ComfortView Plus and supports touch input. Finally, the best option will get you a 2.5K display with 300 nits of brightness, anti-glare coating, ComfortView Plus, and touch support.
In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 only offers one display option, which comes with a 16-inch WUXGA FHD+ panel with anti-glare coating, 60Hz refresh rates, 300 nits and touch support with IPS technology and a 45%NTSC rating, which makes it great for most users, but it might not be so great for those interested in working on video or photo editing.
That being said, both laptops will deliver an acceptable viewing experience with very small bezels that will keep you focused on whatever you need to do. Most users will be just fine with a Full HD+ display, as it will be more than capable of delivering an excellent viewing experience in a 16-inch panel. Dell’s 2.5K display might be the best option if you’re not planning on getting a monitor. Still, I would rather get my hands on a larger monitor with better resolution if I really needed and wanted a better visual experience and a larger canvas to work with.
Performance, cameras, and battery life
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 and the Dell Inspiron 16 were created with affordability and reliability in mind, as they will help you complete your schoolwork, manage emails, browse the web, watch movies, and more without spending too much. Yes, you can choose between different configurations if you want or need more power, but remember that these laptops aren’t high-end powerhouses meant for graphics-intensive apps, so keep that in mind before choosing one of these products.
Dell’s Inspiron 16 comes packed with the latest Intel and AMD have to offer, meaning that you can get your new laptop with the 13th-generation Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7, which will deliver processing speeds of up to 4.60GHz and 5GHz, respectively. If you’re expecting to do more multitasking, then you should consider picking up your laptop with AMD’s Ryzen 5 7530U 6-core and 12-thread processor or the Ryzen 7 7730U chip with an 8-core and 16-thread chip, both of which include Radeon graphics.
The Dell Inspiron 16 will also let you choose between 8 and 16GB LPDDR4x memory modules, 512GB, and 1TB storage options. The Intel-powered version comes with Intel Iris Xe Graphics on the base model, but you can also choose to spend a bit more and get yours with a 4GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 GPU, while the AMD model comes with AMD Radeon graphics built in.
Lenovo’s IdeaPad Slim 5 is just as potent as Dell’s offering, as this model also includes the latest 13th generation U-Series Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors with up to 16GB RAM and the same storage options, getting you up to 1TB to keep all your data safe. Finally, in the graphics department, we find Intel Iris Xe Graphics, which will be more than enough to get your day-to-day work done. You also get similar options to the Dell Inspiron 16 if you go for the AMD version.
The Dell Inspiron 16 comes with a 1080p FHD camera capable of capturing video at 30 fps and dual-array microphones, so your conference calls are always great. On the other hand, we have the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 packing a FHD camera that will also capture content in 1080p, but it includes a ToF sensor and an ambient light sensor, even though these last two come optional, which also means that it will make your laptop a bit more pricey.
Finally, in the battery department, we have that the Inspiron 16 has an integrated 54 Wh battery that will get charged thanks to a 65W AC adapter that will get you through the day just fine. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 will allegedly give you up to 11 and a half hours of regular use with its 47Wh battery. However, it's important to remember that these battery claims usually exaggerate and that battery life will depend on how you use your laptop and what you do with it. I mean, watching videos with your display using low brightness won’t be as demanding as editing and rendering videos with max brightness.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 vs Dell Inspiron 16: Which should you buy?
Choosing a winner between these amazing and budget-friendly laptops is tough since they both offer a lot of power and features without breaking the bank. However, a couple of important features may make or break the deal for most users, and these are mainly design choices made by each company.
Let’s say that you’re more interested in privacy and you don’t mind paying a bit more for the higher-end configurations with maxed-out specs. In that case, your best option comes with the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5, which also includes an extra USB Type-C port, making it perfect for those who love connecting tons of peripherals to their laptops. Just remember to go for the AMD models if you’re interested in multitasking.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (2023)
Lenovo's IdeaPad Slim 5 is an excellent mid-range laptop that arrives with a very aggressive price tag and several amazing features that make it perfect for students and most users who don't need to deal with graphics-intensive apps.
Dell’s Inspiron 16 is still an excellent option for those interested in getting a new laptop, and it will be especially more compelling for anyone looking to have a larger and centered touchpad and those who don’t need to have the extra keys that come with the numeric pad on Lenovo’s option. Of course, you can also check out our selection of the best laptops in 2023, where you will find tons of amazing options that will help you accomplish more demanding tasks. Also, you can check out our list of Lenovo’s best laptops of 2023 to see if there’s something that accommodates your needs.
Dell inspiron 16 (2023)
Dell's Inspiron 16 is an elegant-looking laptop that packs tons of power under the hood. It is also extremely affordable and one of the best value laptops you can get today.