Dell Inspiron 14 5000 review first-look: the most desirable budget laptop yet?

The light glinted off her frame. In a roomful of identical models, she stood alone. I glanced around; had anyone noticed her? No, my luck could be in. I stole up to her, nervous, and whispered, “What’s a gorgeous thing like you doing in a place like this? Who are you?”

“This is the Dell Inspiron 14 5000,” said the Dell rep, breaking my reverie. She noticed my look. “Yep, I like that colour too.”

While the immediate spell was broken (and, okay, it was nothing like that really; the lights were bright, and I’d already crushed the spirit of two other Dell booth guides with my incessant questions), the fact remains. The Dell Inspiron 14 5000 is a gorgeous laptop.

Dell Inspiron 14 5000 review: quick-fire questions

What’s its release date?	To be confirmed.
What colours does it come in?	Beautiful burgundy or dull silver (not the official names).
How much will it cost?	Also to be confirmed, but this is a mid-range Dell model – probably from around £700.
How fast is it?	Medium fast. It’s got eighth-generation Core processors in it, so should be speedy.
Who’s it for?	All-purpose family laptop.

Dell Inspiron 14 5000 review: anything else worth mentioning?

There are three other really nice features on this laptop. 

One is  Modern Standby. In the same way your phone is “always on” even though the screen is off, so is the Inspiron 14 5000. This means it doesn’t consume much energy but will instantly respond to you pressing the on switch.

The second sounds boring, but actually could make a big difference to your Skype calls. It features a “four-element lens webcam”, which helps gets rid of the fuzz you see in many calls. I was impressed by how well it worked, too.

The final one regards the exciting world of storage. The Inspiron 14 5000 has a slot for super-fast PCIe NVM SSDs, but you can also add a second drive at the time of order. 

Dell Inspiron 14 5000 review: what are the key specs?

• Eighth-gen Intel Core processors, exact models to be confirmed
• Up to 32GB of DDR4 memory
• Optional GeForce MX150 graphics
• PCIe NVM SSDs (so the fastest type around)
• Dual-drive options including Intel Optane memory
• USB-C port (not Thunderbolt, but does support DisplayPort and power delivery)
• SD card slot, three USB Type-A, HDMI, Ethernet port

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