The Dell 15 Laptop with Core i5, 16GB RAM is on sale for $549.99, which is $170 off the regular price. For that money, you are getting a current 13th Gen Intel Core i5-1334U processor with 10 cores and speeds up to 4.60 GHz, 16GB of DDR4 memory, and a 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe solid state drive. Put in plain terms, this is more than enough power for day to day work, school, and home use. You can run a bunch of browser tabs, Office apps, Zoom, and light photo work without the system feeling slow. The 512GB SSD gives you good space for files, photos, and some games, and it will boot Windows 11 Home quickly. At this price point, many systems cut memory down to 8GB or storage down to 256GB, so you are getting a stronger setup for the money.
The 15.6 inch Full HD display runs at 120Hz, which is a nice touch if you are used to a basic 60Hz screen. Scrolling in web pages and moving windows should look smoother, and some simple games will look nicer too. The panel is IPS, non-touch, and has a WVA anti-glare finish with 250 nits brightness, so it should be fine for indoor use, even near a window. You also get Intel UHD Graphics, which is fine for streaming video, casual games, and light photo edits, but you should not expect high frame rates in newer AAA games. The Carbon Black plastic case keeps the weight around 4.19 pounds, which is pretty standard for a 15 inch system. It is not ultra thin, but it is still easy enough to carry around campus, between rooms, or from home to the office.
For ports and connections, this Dell 15 Laptop with Core i5, 16GB RAM covers the basics that you actually use. You get two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, one USB 2.0 port, a USB Type-C data port, HDMI 1.4 for plugging into monitors or TVs, a universal audio jack, and an SD card slot for moving photos from a camera or adding cheap extra storage. Wireless is handled by a Realtek Wi-Fi 6 card with Bluetooth, so you are set for fast home or office networks and for pairing things like wireless headphones or a mouse. The 720p HD camera and built in mic on the plastic model are fine for calls and meetings, and the two tuned speakers are good enough for streaming and YouTube. It also comes with a 30 day trial of Microsoft 365 and McAfee+ Premium, so you can try those out before deciding if you want to pay for them.
You get a 3 cell 41WHr battery with a 65W AC adapter, plus one year of basic onsite hardware support after remote diagnosis. That means if there is a hardware issue in that first year, you are not left to figure it out alone. The English US non backlit keyboard and precision touchpad are standard, nothing fancy, but they will get the job done for typing and everyday work. If you want a simple, newer 15 inch Windows 11 laptop that can handle real multitasking and has enough storage to last a while, this deal at $549.99 is worth a look. You avoid the usual slow downs that come with low memory and tiny drives, and you are getting a current Intel chip, high refresh display, and Wi-Fi 6 without pushing into much higher price ranges.
