Dell Inspiron 14 (5410) 2-in-1 review: An excellent hybrid laptop for work and play

Dell Inspiron 14 (5410) 2-in-1 review: Rs 52,989 onwards

Dell Inspiron 14 (5410) 2-in-1 review: Design and aesthetics

Over the years, Dell has become stronger when it comes to the way it designs its laptops. I love that most of its laptops aren’t flashy looking from the outside. The Inspiron 14 (5410) has an exterior crafted from aluminum while the base is plastic. Even though this notebook doesn’t qualify as an ultrabook, it’s still thin and light. It will easily fit into medium travel bags and backpacks.

The hinge, however, is my favorite feature of the Inspiron 14 2-in-1: the multiple forms it can take. You can use this device like a laptop, fold its touchscreen all the way back into tablet mode, or stand it up like a tent. The hinge is smooth and firm. A Dell Active Pen comes inside the box (at least in my review unit), which can be used for doodling or jotting down notes. It’s not the same level as the Surface Pen or Apple Pencil but seems precise and has plenty of pressure levels.

The hinge is smooth and firm. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

On the right side of the laptop’s deck is a USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a microSD card reader, and a full-size HDMI port, a USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, and a USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port along the left-hand side.

Dell Inspiron 14 (5410) 2-in-1 review: Display and audio

Opening the lid you’ll find a 14-inch Full HD (1080p) WVA display, with a 720p HD camera just above it. Display brightness is good enough to be used both indoors and outdoors, even in the sun. The bezels around the screen are thin, giving it a modern look. The screen is sharp and colour accurate, with excellent viewing angles. The webcam is fine for Zoom calls.

The screen is sharp and colour accurate, with excellent viewing angles. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Beyond the good display, I was a bit surprised to find how excellent the speakers are on this notebook. I have never heard such robust sound quality from a laptop, especially in this price range. The speakers produce a full and rich sound. Watching The Bold Type on Netflix also sounds better. For a second, I completely forgot that these are laptop speakers.

Dell Inspiron 14 (5410) 2-in-1 review: Keyboard and trackpad

I am also very pleased with the keyboard on the Inspiron 14 2-in1. After a very long time, I have used a keyboard that has the right travel and stability. The keys feel more stable when I type, they have a good feel when you press them deeply, and most importantly you get a totally silent typing experience. A fingerprint reader is integrated into the power button. The Trackpad, meanwhile, is responsive and accurate, and easily one of the best on any Windows laptop I have used so far.

The keyboard is fantastic on the Inspiron 14 2-in-1. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Dell Inspiron 14 (5410) 2-in-1 review: Performance and battery

Inside the new Inspiron 14 2-in-1, you will find Intel’s 11th generation i5-1135G7 processor. The model I tested came with 8GB RAM and 512GB of SSD and this configuration cost you Rs 72,490. Instead of running benchmarks, most of the testing was done with real-world usage, and I believe that’s the way to measure the performance of a laptop.

While the Core i3 is fine for light use, most will want either Core i5 or i7 versions. The model I tested, the one with the i5, handled general computing with ease. There was no slowdown, even with lots of Chrome tabs and five-six apps open, including Apple Music and Amazon Prime Video, in the background. I won’t say the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is the fastest notebook around, but it should be good for day-to-day productivity and media consumption. It can also be used for gaming, but keep your expectations low.  I mean, this notebook is not made to play AAA games.

With Windows 11, the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 becomes an even better laptop. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Even though this notebook came with Windows 10, I immediately updated the machine to Windows 11. Using a touchscreen feels so much better with Windows 11. You will like Microsoft’s new operating system, which is a total revamp and includes several new features including the new Start menu, Snap Layouts, Widgets, and more. For me, Windows 11 feels fresh yet it has the old charm of the traditional windows environment which you are already familiar with.

Battery life was slightly disappointing, with the Core i5 version lasting around four to five hours between charges, which wasn’t quite long enough to complete a day’s work without reaching for the charger. On average, I saw about four hours of battery life from using Chrome, streaming Apple Music and YouTube videos, and making video calls.

There are multiple ways of using the Inspiron 14 2-in-1. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Dell Inspiron 14 (5410) 2-in-1 review: Should you buy it?

Definitely. The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is an excellent notebook if you want a well-designed and reliable machine that gets the job done. It’s great for content consumption, has a solid keyboard and speakers, runs a full desktop operating system in the form of Windows 11, supports a stylus, and the computer feels fast. This is a mainstream 2-in-1 with the respectable build quality and acceptable hardware. Of course, it’s not a perfect laptop but still, it’s a great convertible Windows machine in the sub-Rs 75,000 price range.