Premium-design laptops with 15-inch and larger screens can cost a pretty penny. Dell makes some of the best, with its XPS 15 and XPS 17 offering style, performance, and plenty of innovative features, but with the better configurations jutting up well into four figures. If your budget is more down-to-earth, the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 reviewed here could be a reasonable alternative to a flagship big-screen laptop. Its average-performing Intel Core i5 processor and stiff touchpad notwithstanding, this 2-in-1 convertible laptop offers plenty of screen real estate and physical flexibility for a palatable $734.99 asking price.
A Bright Silver Flipper
Like its predecessors, the latest Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 (model 7506) comes in two different versions. The entry-level version that’s the subject of this review has an 11th Generation (Intel “Tiger Lake”) Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, and a 256GB SSD. The components are wrapped up in a bright silver chassis that lacks the cutting-edge styling of the XPS line, but still offers enough pizzazz to distinguish it from stodgy desktop-replacement laptops of old.
The more upscale configuration of the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 is called the Black Edition; we tested it at the link. In addition to an upgraded Intel Core i7 paired with Iris Xe Max discrete graphics, it features a modified chassis that adds a built-in holder for an included digital stylus and a snazzy black color scheme. In the configuration we reviewed, the Black Edition retails for around $1,600, which means it really isn’t comparable with the entry-level model at all.
Regardless of which version of the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 you’re eyeing, you’ll get a laptop with a 360-degree hinge. This lets you convert it into a tablet, prop it up as an easel, or flip it into a tent for times when you need the display front and center but aren’t planning on using the keyboard. The latter two modes are the most useful ones for a big-screen 2-in-1, since their bulk typically precludes them from being held comfortably like a tablet.
Indeed, the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 weighs 4.2 pounds and measures 0.71 by 14 by 9.4 inches (HWD). These dimensions aren’t out of the ordinary for a laptop with a 15.6-inch display, but I do find that I can’t comfortably hold the unit in one hand while tapping on the screen with the other, as I’d expect to do with a phone or a smaller tablet. In tablet mode, this slab is going to work strictly in your lap or on a table.
Big Screen, Average Brightness
The expansive screen is the most obvious consolation prize for losing out on tablet-mode utility. A 15.6-inch display with a 16:9 widescreen orientation like the one on the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 puts side-by-side app windows within the realm of possibility, especially now that nearly all websites adapt their content to the size of the browser window.
The Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 uses a full HD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) panel that has a pedestrian peak brightness level of 300 nits. Colors appear rich, although the exceptionally glossy finish of the touch-enabled display does reduce visibility somewhat in bright light conditions. The brightest laptop screens are rated for 500 nits or more, and I had the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1’s panel turned up to the maximum level for nearly the entire time I spent testing it.
Tapping and drawing on the laptop’s display is a cinch, thanks to a sturdy hinge that keeps bouncing to a minimum. While you can use an optional digital stylus to tap on the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1’s display, digital artists and others who plan to make extensive use of pen input will prefer the built-in stylus and holder of the upgraded Black Edition. The screen itself is similar on the upgraded model, with the one exception being its superior 4K (3,840-by-2,160-pixel) resolution.
Above the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1’s display, there’s a webcam with a handy integrated privacy shutter. The shutter is invisible when it’s open, since it and the camera lens itself are both integrated into the upper bezel of the display. The camera lacks IR sensors to let you log into your Windows account via face recognition, a feature that comes standard on the Black Edition. Nevertheless, the base model does come with a power button that doubles as a fingerprint reader, so you can still avoid typing your password to log in, if you’re driven to do that.
You’ll find the power-button/fingerprint-reader combo next to the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1’s dedicated number pad, on the right side of the keyboard. Spreadsheet jockeys will appreciate the dedicated number pad, once a standard feature on 15-inch laptops. But the reason the number pad is disappearing on such laptops is painfully apparent on both the base model and the Black Edition: The smaller size of the chassis, versus the desktop-replacement laptops of old, makes the board feel cramped to accommodate the extra keys on the right. I would have preferred standard-size keys instead, though your preference may differ depending on how much you type and how often you need to peck in numbers.
The laptop’s buttonless, clickable touchpad is also slightly uncomfortable. I appreciate its large size and its position centered beneath the space bar, but the clicking mechanism needs a rethink. Clicks are easy enough in the bottom half of the pad, but impossible to accomplish in the upper portion without applying enough pressure to bend the keyboard deck.
Dimensional Sound
Pushing dimensional-sounding speech and a reasonable supply of bass, the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1’s audio system is above average for a laptop. There are two grilles on the underside of the machine, along the lower right and left edges. This means the sound profile will be slightly different when you’re using it propped up as an easel, since in that mode the grilles won’t be directly facing your desk and bouncing the sound off of it.
Neither the standard Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 nor the upgraded Black Edition have an extensive array of ports. That’s too bad, since the bigger the laptop, typically the more room it has for extra connections to make connecting to peripherals easier. You get a microSD card reader, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a headphone/microphone combo jack, an HDMI 2.0 port, and a USB Type-C port that supports Thunderbolt 4, power delivery, and DisplayPort video output. While Thunderbolt support and a memory card reader are nice perks on a laptop that costs less than $1,000, a second USB-C port would be more useful for many buyers.
Dell continues to supply many of its Inspiron laptops with traditional AC power adapters that use barrel-style plugs instead of USB-C plugs. That’s true on the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1, which has a dedicated power connector for the proprietary plug. That eliminates some of the need for a second USB-C port, although it also means you can’t use the AC adapter included with the laptop to charge your phone or other USB-C peripherals.
The laptop’s standard wireless loadout includes support for 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), as well as Bluetooth 5.0. There’s no LTE or 5G connectivity as an option, something that laptops in this price range occasionally offer. One option for LTE connectivity in a reasonably priced 2-in-1 convertible notebook is the 14-inch HP Pavilion x360.
Dell supports the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 with a one-year limited hardware warranty, and additional warranty and support are available for purchase. You can configure an additional warranty online when you order the laptop, or you can set it up from the Dell support app on the device once you receive it. The support app is one of a few programs that Dell adds to the standard Windows installation, and the laptop is mercifully free from cumbersome third-party “bloatware” apps.
Testing the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1: Iris Xe Gaming Prowess
The Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU and the Iris Xe graphics in the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 help it achieve decent performance on everyday computing tasks. My app launches, window resizing, and web browsing with multiple tabs open were hindered more by the clumsy touchpad than by any sluggishness or lag. I did notice some occasional noise from the Inspiron’s cooling fan while performing these tasks, and the fan even audibly spooled up from time to time while the laptop was in sleep mode on my desk.
The upgraded Iris Xe graphics and latest Intel processor technology mean that this laptop performs about in the middle of the pack versus comparably priced systems with similar features. It’s not quite as fast on processor-intensive workflows as AMD Ryzen-based systems like the Asus VivoBook Flip 14 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14. On the other hand, it can serve as a fairly capable entry-level gaming platform if you’ve got some less-demanding titles, which is more than can be said of laptops with Intel UHD Graphics silicon.
We compared the machine against this test set of competing systems, the 2-in-1s (Asus, HP, Lenovo) all with smaller screens…
The PCMark 10 test we run simulates different real-world productivity and content-creation workflows. We use it to assess overall system performance for office-centric tasks such as word processing, spreadsheet jockeying, web browsing, and videoconferencing. (See more about how we test laptops.) On our PCMark 10 run, the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 posted a strong finish. It came in ahead of the decidedly budget-minded Dell Inspiron 17 3000 (a clamshell-only model), which has a less-capable Core i5, but behind the AMD-equipped Asus and Lenovo.
PCMark 8, meanwhile, has a Storage subtest that we use to assess the speed of the storage subsystem. Most laptops with SSD boot drives perform relatively equally on this test, and this Dell was on par, as you can see.
On Maxon’s CPU-crunching Cinebench test, the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 again finished in the middle of the pack. Cinebench, which is fully threaded to make use of all available processor cores and threads, stresses the CPU rather than the GPU to render a complex image. The result is a proprietary score indicating a PC’s suitability for processor-intensive workloads.
The Cinebench results mirror those of our Handbrake video-editing trial, another tough, threaded workout that’s highly CPU-dependent and scales well with cores and threads. In it, we put a stopwatch on test systems as they transcode a standard 12-minute clip of 4K video to a 1080p MP4 file.
We also run a custom Adobe Photoshop image-editing benchmark. Using an early 2018 release of the Creative Cloud version of Photoshop, we apply a series of 10 complex filters and effects to a standard JPEG test image. We time each operation and, at the end, add up the total execution time. As with Handbrake, lower times are better here. The Photoshop test stresses CPU, storage subsystem, and RAM, but it can also take advantage of most GPUs to speed up the process of applying filters, so systems with powerful graphics chips or cards may see a boost.
The Iris Xe graphics may have helped the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 finish in first place on this test. They also mean the laptop can run games reasonably well, as long as you’re willing to dial down graphics detail settings. On our 3DMark and Superposition game simulations, the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 did exceptionally well for laptop with integrated graphics on the forgiving Sky Diver and 720p subtests. These simulations render and pan through detailed 3D scenes and measure how the system copes.
Battery life isn’t bad, with the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 posting more than 10 hours on our rundown test…
This is about what we expect for a budget-friendly mainstream laptop, though it’s significantly shorter than the IdeaPad Flex 5 14’s time.
A Big-Screen 2-in-1 You Can Afford
As a budget-minded, large-screen convertible laptop (a rare bird indeed), the Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 won’t disappoint. We noted a few problem areas, including a touchpad that needs a rethink, some frequent fan noise, and that single USB-C port. But if your minimum requirements include a 15.6-inch display, these are likely acceptable compromises.
If you’re willing to drop an inch of screen real estate, the similarly priced IdeaPad Flex 5 14 is likely a better choice overall. That Editors’ Choice winner offers better performance for the money thanks to its AMD Ryzen processor, and it delivered longer battery life in our identical test. But if you’re looking decidedly large-screen, this Dell entry will get you in the door (and get a tablet in your lap) for a bunch less money than deluxe models like the big-screen HP Spectre x360 15 or Dell’s Black Edition version of this machine.
