Dell Inspiron 15 5575 review: AMD Ryzen's proving ground

Full Specifications

⦁ CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
⦁ GPU: AMD Radeon RX Vega 8
⦁ DISPLAY: 15.6", Full HD (1920 x 1080), TN
⦁ OS: Windows 10 Home
⦁ STORAGE: 1000.00GB HDD
⦁ WEIGHT: 2.03 kg (4.5 lbs)
⦁ RAM: 8GB - expandable up to 32GB
⦁ Storage: 1TB
⦁ Battery: 42 WHr

Design

The Dell Inspiron 15 isn't the most good-looking laptop out there. It is built out of a hard plastic material and looks like a conventional laptop. The lid has curved edges making it easier for users to lift the lid to open the laptop. The hinge is pretty tight and you will have to use both hands to open the lid. It's actually a good thing because the lid stays where you intend to keep it due to the resistance of the hinge.

The machine is well built and there aren't any signs of flex in the body. Though the company has used plastic construction, it doesn't really give you that vibe. You won't be able to differentiate until you look closely. The laptop has a thick form factor, which is a setback considering how the OEMs are poised at making slimmer laptops. The incorporation of the DVD drive is the prime reason for the added fat here. But since the company is aiming at an average Indian user and office goers, the DVD drive could come in handy.

Overall the Inspiron 15 is a simple looking laptop and not trying too hard to impress users with its looks. However, the company should be given the credit to keep its weight under 2.2Kgs, which is impressive compared to other laptops in the same category.

Display

The Dell Inspiron 15 5575 sports a 15.5-inch full HD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution which is a good value for money. The display has a LED-backlit display panel with an anti-glare coating that minimizes the reflections on the screen. The display quality is really impressive and watching movies on the bright screen is fun.

It would have been great if the company trimmed down the bezels a little bit. Also, the viewing angles could have been better. It's enough if two people are watching something on the screen, but you'll find yourself adjusting the screen angles if there are more than two viewers.

Audio and Connectivity

The Dell Inspiron 15 also offers MaxxAudio Pro software which plays using the two specifically tuned speakers. The audio output is good enough for light music, but it lacks clarity while playing sound heavy music. Using an external speaker or plugging in a headphone would be a better idea.

On the connectivity front, the laptop offers a standard layout. It houses one USB 2.0 port, and a DVD drive on the right, while the left side has two USB 3.1 ports alongside an HDMI 1.4 port. It's surprising that Dell restricted itself to HDMI 1.4 despite the fact that AMD Ryzen 5 2500U can support monitor with 4K resolution over HDMI 2.0. The laptop also offers an SD card slot and an Ethernet port as well.

The laptop is definitely well equipped on the connectivity front and has all the essential. However, an additional USB 3.1 Type-C port would have justified the price tag of the Inspiron 15 5575.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The laptop comes fitted with a standard keyboard. The spacing between the keys is apt for long typing sessions making it easier to type without looking at the keyboard. The noise while typing is minimal and the feedback from the keys is satisfactory. Overall the typing experience on the keyboard was good.

Talking of the trackpad, though the functionality is good, the rough finish of the pad isn't soothing enough to the fingers. This makes it hard to use for a longer duration. I had to use an external mouse during most of the time with the laptop.

However, the clicking feedback of the trackpad is good and the mechanism is as good as you'll find on other laptops. The trackpad also uses Windows Precision drivers allowing users access to all the Windows 10 trackpad gestures.

Performance

Now coming to the most important part, which is the performance of the Inspiron 15 5575. The Dell Inspiron 15 is powered by AMD Ryzen 5 2500U processor with Radeon Vega 8 graphics, backed by 8GB of DDR4 RAM.

I used the device for a couple of weeks as my primary laptop. The usage mostly included long typing sessions, media consumption, and sometimes gaming. The laptop managed to perform well in most of the situations, but we did notice some stutter while launching apps, or switching screens. Since it's a mid-range laptop, you shouldn't expect too much from its gaming prowess. However, you can still play games that do not ask for a high-end setup.

Speaking of the battery life, the device has a 42WHr battery tucked in. The battery backup of the device, to be precise, is below par. I only got around four hours of backup during moderate usage, while the backup dropped down to three hours when I ran few games and streamed few movies. Considering Dell wanted to build a power-packed laptop, a bigger battery would have made more sense.

Overall, the performance of the device isn't something exceptional as one would expect. Day to day tasks such as writing, watching movies and videos or even simple video-editing works like a charm on the Dell Inspiron 15 5575. But if put the device through heavy usage, it might wobble at times. But Dell allows you to upgrade the RAM up to 32GB, which could be helpful to amplify the performance.

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Verdict

The Dell Inspiron 15 is one of the first laptops to feature the AMD Ryzen processor. The new chips are impressive and have a lot of potentials. This makes the new laptop different from what we have seen earlier. Plus, the company allows for upgradeable RAM and ROM. You can swap the HDD for an SSD, which makes room for future enhancements.

If you are a first-time buyer, the Inspiron 15 could be a great option. It carries all the essential along and is ready for the upcoming tech. It will be a good choice for an office goer or a student. It sure lacks few of the feature you'll find on rival laptops, if you look beyond the flaws of the laptop, it could be a good bargain as it offers the latest processor along with a decent performance.