List Price: $549.99
Sale Price: $479.99
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Likes:
The black textured plastic finish is very nice, and is used as top-side panels (top cover, palm rest). I like this better than the two-tone metallic finish since it looks more integrated, more business-like, and less as a "tack-on" like the metallic sheet accents in the 15RM. It also means the side and bottom plastic isn't a silver painted variety, but a hard ABS plastic that when scratched, will stay the same color and harder to detect. In my opinion, it is more practical and unpretentious, and the textured finish makes it no less aesthetically appealing--and in my opinion more so--than the metallic trim edition.
Windows 8 is apparently a very touch-centric OS. I suspect that may have caused some initial complaints and awkwardness with mouse and keyboard users (myself included). Having a touch screen really alters the experience. It's really more like a tablet with a keyboard than a PC with touch screen. In that sense, it is also more intuitive for users who are not tech-savvy or uncomfortable with computers. With a fairly large and vibrant glass touch screen, this laptop offers the full Windows 8 experience. I know this is a controversial issue, but while I still miss the start button, I grew to like the user experience, as did my family--especially my parents who were really uncomfortable of PCs in the past.
The overall build quality feels solid, with hard ABS plastic tub as the main chassis that's fairly durable. The touchpad is very responsive, and the keyboard has a good tactile feel. The glass touch screen apparently have enhanced the lid's rigidity as well, reducing flex which can often be an issue with large screen plastic shell laptops.
The i3 may seem like a low end processor, but to my understanding the i5 offers in addition "turbo" mode and virtualization. The former offers a small gain (a few hundred MHz in the lower end models) in clock speed for single thread applications (such as encoding), which isn't terribly common in daily tasks that are often multithreaded. The virtualization is used for Virtual Machines, XP Mode, VMWare, etc., which I suspect is probably not terribly useful for most of us. In that sense it's really the best bang for the buck, and it excelled at daily tasks like browsing, movies, Office, and the like. It handled everything we threw at it very smoothly.
The battery on this machine actually lasts longer than I expected for this screen size. With around medium usage like playing music and video, I was able to get 3-4 hours. If I try to use it mostly to encode a video or do some 3D gaming, I could still get 2-3 hours. It would last longer, such as 4-5 hours, if you were just doing light tasks like office or browsing.
The onboard Intel 4000 integrated graphics isn't the fastest or the most powerful, but other than 3D gaming, it really handles everything else with aplomb. It plays full HD videos without any issues, and the HDMI out can also let you connect to a larger monitor and TV with even higher resolution than the laptop monitor. It worked with my 27" 2560x1440 monitor just fine. Connect a bluetooth/usb keyboard and mouse, it can be an affordable and versatile energy efficient desktop as well.
It's easily upgradeable. This cannot be overemphasized especially seeing how the "ultrabook" concept often eschew upgradable ease for aesthetics. Both the hard drive and the two SO-DIMM memory slots are easily accessible through the bottom hatch cover with a few screws. It can house two SO-DIMM chips so the maximum capacity would be 16GB of RAM (it comes installed in both slots with 2GB each). The SATA drive can also be replaced with a SSD drive easily as well.
Good Connectivitycomes with bluetooth built in, something that can be appreciated when there are more bluetooth enabled portable devices/peripherals than ever: mice, keyboards, speakers, etc. 4 USB Ports (2 of which are USB 3.0) and HDMI makes for very updated connectivity. The built in multi-card reader as well as DVD burner drive also wouldn't hurt.
Some Potential Issues:
The aforementioned black textured top cover (on the back of the top lid and palm rest), while looking more expensive than it is, still manages to pick up and show oil mark from palm where it is handled. Similar issue with the touchpad and palm rest area. The black just shows oily smudges and lint/dust a bit easier. However, that largely depends on how it is used. A little cleaning easily takes care of that.
It's not the most portable computer at over 5 pounds. With a 15.6" screen, you probably shouldn't expect it to be. This is probably more suitable for infrequent relocation where you get a larger screen and full size keyboard as a trade-off.
The screen resolution is only 1366x768 (good enough for 720p), with no optional upgrades apparently. In the era of ultra high resolution displays (e.g. Retina), that's probably going to be a gripe for some. People would probably expect at least a full HD (e.g. 1920x1080) display, especially given the large 15"+ screen size. However, given the price point and touch screen, the resolution isn't unreasonable. It is suitable enough for most daily tasks, and the lower resolution density makes for larger text and pictures for much easier viewing (particularly for seniors). There is always the option of connecting to an external monitor via HDMI, as mentioned above.
The Intel HD4000 integrated graphics isn't good for 3D gaming, so you probably shouldn't look at this if you plan on playing 3D games with it, unless you can stand lowest rendering settings with low framerates. 2D games, however, are very smooth and easily managed.
The included 500GB hard drive is a typical 2.5" 5400RPM drive. Like its storage capacity, it's adequate, and hasn't presented me with any issues with performance or responsiveness. One should probably not expect better at this price point. It may feel slow to some (especially if you are used to desktops with 7200RPM drives or even SSDs), yet it does have the advantage of reduced heat and power consumption over 7200RPM hard drives. If speed is really a priority, SSD is the way to go (at a premium), and can be easily upgraded.
No D-Sub VGA port. It should probably be phased out in modern laptops anyway. This may be an issue only if you use legacy products with only VGA support, such as older presentation projectors. However, a HDMI to VGA adapter is inexpensive and easily solves that.
Notes:
Dell has been a solid choice for budget laptops for years. I personally think this is a great iteration that doesn't feel cheap, but looks professional and almost expensive. The touch screen really completes the included Windows 8, and makes for an intuitive user experience that may be worth your giving it the benefit of the doubt. This is not meant to be a high end laptop, so if you tend to have CPU or graphic intensive tasks (e.g. video rendering, 3D Modeling, 3D gaming, etc.), or want something ultra-portable, you should probably look to pay more for something else. (In my opinion, if you really need ultra-portability, tablet/smartphones is probably the way to go). Yet if you don't carry around your laptop often, or just want something more efficient and smaller than desktop PC, without sacrificing too much power and comfort: this Inspiron offers easy upgradability, vibrant touch-screen, decent battery life, solid construction, and good performance. If you don't mind the bulk, this is a very affordable, functional and solid laptop that will easily satisfy.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This laptop really packs a punch! It will do all of the web surfing, email, itunes, music, etc that you can throw at it! I've even done a little low end gaming and a little video editing on it and it even works smoothly for that! I'm gonna try to touch a little on each aspect of the laptop and how it has performed to me so far..Webcam
Pretty Solid, It appears to be better than the iPhone cameras and my old laptop one, or so say my callers :P
Hard Drive
Nice and speedy, is not a 7200rpm though but I'm sure people don't move copious amounts of data on their laptops though.
DVD Burner
No blanks, burns fast and isn't as annoyingly loud as my previous laptops drive.
Media Card Reader
A great feature to have, It works and no more draining my cameras battery life in order to get pics off of it!
Processor
Is a new Core i3 dual core and this beats my old laptops core2duo hands down. Much snappier, never lags and even works great to render some small videos, I was surprised how well it performs compared to my farm more expensive Core i7 in my gaming rig I just built.
RAM
4GB? That's more than you will ever need in an "Everday Lappy"
Windows 8
I was so worried about trying Win8 The new start menu and everything seemed like such a turn off but it's actualy fairly pleasant because you have a touchscreen so it really does feel more natural. Just like Win7 Win8 is smooth and very efficient unlike that "Vista" mishap *cough*
Touchscreen
The screen is very bright, crisp and clear. Give it a nice wipe down with a microfiber at the end of each day in order to prevent smudging and fingerprinting. It's very responsive and it smooth to the touch as well. Something I never thought we would see in this price range for awhile!
Audio/Speakers
It's okay, again it is a laptop so don't expect excellent quality bass and everything with the built in speakers. For everyday use and some light gaming it is more than adequate though.
Battery Life
Laptop seems to be energy efficient, I am getting at least 5-6 hours with surfing use on a single charge. Charging time is pretty snappy as well.
Touchpad
Smooth but a light textured feel to it so there is no "skidding" of your fingers when you are trying to scroll fast, Responsive.
Bluetooth
I do not own any bluetooth devices but this should be handy for those of you who like the wireless headphones or have that wireless data cards.
Wireless
This thing gets some pretty strong signal range. Our router is kept up in the attic and I get full signal anywhere in the house, and even out to the edge of our property in both the front and back yards. It's been nice sitting in the shade outside as summer winds down and be on skype calls or the like outside.
Build Quality
Weighs in at around 5 pounds, Have a nice solid feel to it although it is made with a plastic shell. The screen has a little flex to it, It's fairly thin but it shouldnt be a problem unless you really "try" to flex it. I would imagine that it would survive many falls from your lap onto the floor though. The outside texture/design is pretty cool too. Nothing fancy, but it's better than just a smooth and plain texture.
Graphics
The build in Intel graphics look pretty sweet. Playing some of my DVD and Bluray collection on the laptop looks amazing. It can even be used as a "player" when hooked up to your HD tvs via the HDMI connection. This plays my favorite games at around medium settings with shadows turned off (shadows are the hardest on the graphics processors to process) and it has performed well even after hours of playing.
Software/Bloatware
Just say no, Make it a habit to remove all of the factory included software. :]
Best Deals for Dell Inspiron 15 i15RV-6144BLK 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Black
Being a Windows 8 hater really forced me to carefully choose a laptop for a friend as Win7 laptops are sparse and usually only the over priced models are available.With that said, this laptop has a touch screen, which is pretty much required to make the best use of Win8, it has the ivy bridge processor which is best for power management. Some laptops in this price range don't have DVD/CD players in them but this one does.
It worked perfectly out of the box, is fast, and allows Win8 to achieve its greatest potential.
Honest reviews on Dell Inspiron 15 i15RV-6144BLK 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Black
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program My Laptop & Windows History:Prior to getting this laptop I'd been using my previous one for about 4 years. It was an ASUS and had Windows 7 on it. I liked that one but it was getting old and outdated, full and slow. It was time for a new one. Earlier this year I purchased a Samsung laptop that came with Windows 8. The laptop was horrible. It was slow and cheaply made. I ended up returning it after just a few days. Since this was my first experience with Windows 8 it left a bad impression in my head. I thought my problem with that laptop had something to do with that. When we returned that laptop we told Customer Service that it was like taking a laptop from 10 years ago and slapping a new title on it and installing Windows 8 on it. It was really primitive.
This Laptop with Windows 8:
I was a bit nervous getting this Dell laptop since it comes with Windows 8 but that's pretty much all you can find on the market today. Turns out that I was nervous for nothing. This laptop rocks! Although I'm not a huge fan of Windows 8, it's certainly not as bad as I thought it was. It's easy to maneuver around it.
Size and Keyboard Layout:
Bigger is not always better in my findings with laptops. I do a ton of typing so the keyboard layout is very important to me. I find the layout on the 15.6" laptop very comfortable and spaced out just right. It's not too compact making it difficult to type and it's not too spaced out that you have to reach a bit more than you'd like. They number pad and the arrows are really great on this laptop. On my ASUS laptop I hit the wrong button often and my wrist was a little uncomfortable when using the number pad. The layout on this laptop is just perfect for me in every way.
Other thoughts:
SpeedI think this laptop is very fast. And I love how you can boot it up and you're good to go in less than a minute.
Picture QualityThe picture looks great on this laptop. With that Samsung laptop that I had, the picture quality was awful. I have absolutely no complaints about the graphic quality on this laptop. It's very high quality.
Touch ScreenI've never used a Touch Screen laptop before so I wasn't sure how good it would be. What a great feature. It works really well and always does what I'm telling it to do. I haven't had any issues with it and although I thought I'd have fingerprints or smudges all over the screen I don't. I love this feature.
Space500GB is the minimum that I wanted in a laptop so this is a great size for me. Really good for the price.
CD / DVD DriveA CD Drive is not an option for me, it must have one. There are so many laptops out there nowadays that no longer have this feature. I was very happy to see that this laptop has it. It works great too. On my previous laptop I was constantly accidentally opening the CD Drive. This isn't a problem on this laptop. It stays closed. You have to push a small little button in just the right way to get this one to pop open. This is a plus for me.
Textured FinishAlthough I like the feel of the textured finish on this laptop, it leaves way too many fingerprints. It's difficult to clean them off too. When the laptop is just lying there closed it doesn't look too great because it always looks like there are greasy fingerprints all over it. Our hands are always clean when we use the laptop so it's just the oils from your skin that leaves marks. This would probably be the only thing that I would complain about with this laptop.
SolidnessWhen I had the Samsung laptop for a few days I noticed that it felt empty. It just felt like an empty plastic shell. This laptop feels solid and it's not a cheap plastic feel. This laptop feels how a laptop should feel.
Getting startedRight out of the box I found this laptop to be fast and easy to set-up. I had it up and running in probably 5-10 minutes. It's a very simple set-up process.
Overall I absolutely love this laptop and I would highly recommend it. It's a great everyday laptop that I find to be very high quality.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Dell Inspiron 15 i15RV-6144BLK 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Black
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This Dell Inspiron was my first foray into Windows 8, and I think the touchscreen really made the new OS shine. It's easy to use and fairly intuitive, something I can see appealing across generation lines from little kids to seniors.The touchscreen is certainly the most advanced feature this laptop can boast. Overall, this is a budget laptop that does everything an average user needs it to do.
It's a large, fairly heavy laptop best suited for a desk. It's not the sort of laptop I imagine people will move from room to room throughout the day, more for someone who wants to have a computer that's portable so they can occasionally bring it with them when they really need to. The screen resolution is fairly low for 2013, but it's really fine for most uses and it has an HDMI out so you can connect it to a larger monitor or your TV easily on occasion. I don't love the textured finish, but that's really an aesthetic choice on my part and nothing that takes away from the functionality of the laptop.
For those who aren't ready to go completely to the cloud, or like to watch or burn DVDs, it has a DVD±R Drive. I think this is an important feature in this price range. It does offer both bluetooth and a media card reader in addition to 4 USB drives, which should be enough for any average user.
Everything I tested ran fairly fast and generally smoothly. It does not have a lot of pre-loaded software, but users can pick and choose what they really need or use cloud apps, so that isn't a deterrent for me. This is not a great choice for a gamer or graphic designer or a hard core photographer, but otherwise, I'd recommend it.
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