Hasta La Gadget!

Head over to Dell’s shopping site and you’ll find the laptop section is a bit confusing. In addition to the premium XPS line and the gaming-centric Alienware brand, there’s a vast selection of Inspirons. Some are just called “Inspiron.” Some are “Inspiron R.” Heck, there even used to be an Inspiron Z (RIP). Fortunately, Dell’s trying to clear things up. The company is moving to a “good, better, best” setup, with three lines called the Inspiron 3000, 5000 and 7000 (Dell’s enterprise notebooks already have a similar naming scheme). Though the company isn’t unveiling all of its new consumer laptops today, it is taking the wraps off the 7000s, along with one of the 3000-series models.

Given that these start at $699 and are way less expensive than Dell’s top-of-the-line XPS offerings, it’s best if you think of these as mid-range machines; specifically, the best mid-range machines Dell has to offer. Available in 14-, 15- and 17-inch screen sizes, they feature a nicer design than you might expect, with all-aluminum surfaces, backlit keyboards and Gorilla Glass touchscreens (1,366 x 768 is the native resolution, but 1080p is also an option). On the inside, they run Haswell processors, with optional discrete graphics on the 15- and 17-inch models. Battery life, meanwhile, is said to range from eight to 12 hours depending on the configuration and screen size. All three will be available September 26th, with the 15-inch model priced from $699, while the 14 and 17 start at $849.%Gallery-slideshow73367%

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So far at CES, Dell has announced that its XPS 13 Ultrabook will finally get a higher-res screen. Now it’s shifting its attention to the lower end: the company just refreshed its mainstream Inspiron R line with optional touchscreens and a slimmed-down form factor. All told, the line includes three screen sizes: 14, 15 and 17 inches. Now that they’ve all gotten a bit of a makeover, the smaller two measure about an inch thick and weigh in at less than five pounds. Still, they’re all just thick enough to accommodate a tray-loading optical drive, and the 15R and 17R also have enough room for a numpad on the keyboard.

Spec-wise, you can trick them out with Core i7 processors, up to 8GB of RAM, Intel Wireless Display and discrete graphics (either a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GT640M or a 2GB AMD Radeon HD 8730M). Still, there’s a considerable gulf between the top-end options and the base specs. Though you can choose a Core i3, i5 or i7 CPU, for instance, they actually start with Celeron. Ditto for storage: you could get 1TB, but you’ll get just 320 gigs at the entry level. The 14R and 15R top out at 1,366 x 768, while the 17-incher comes standard with 1,600 x 900 resolution. 1080p displays are also available for the 15- and 17-inch models. Sounds reasonable to us: these systems are mid-range at best. Speaking of the sort, prices start at $430 for the Inspiron 15R and $500 for the 17R. However, if you want that touchscreen, the prices start at $650 for both the 14R and 15R.

Filed under: Laptops, Dell

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