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The Dell Inspiron series is tailor-made for everyday laptop users, such as students and professionals, looking for a dependable device for streaming and daily digital work. The Dell Inspiron 14 5430 is one of its latest launches and here’s how it fares.
Design
The laptop features a clean design in a silver colour variant. Weighing in at 1.53 kg, the laptop isn’t heavy to carry around and with what feels like a sturdy build can withstand the frequent travel.
The Dell Inspiron 5430 | Photo Credit: Bijoy Ghosh
It sports a 14.0-inch 16:10 FHD+ (1920 x 1200) Anti-Glare Non-Touch 250nits WVA display which delivers sharp visuals — making it ideal for reviewing documents and enjoying classic concert videos by Queen and AC/DC on YouTube.
The display was a little too vibrant so I used the MyDell dashboard, to tune the colour and vibrancy levels down a bit. And, it was good to go!
The 1080P webcam located at the top of the display features a physical privacy shutter for those who would prefer it and dual microphones, ensuring decent performance during occasional video calls on Microsoft Teams. The keyboard offers comfortable key travel and feedback. Additionally, the keys feature a 2-level backlight that can be cycled using the F5 key, making late-night typing sessions a breeze. The hinge lift design provides a comfortable tilt for long writing sessions, besides providing ventilation and space for the speakers to be more audible off the table.
The laptop is equipped with two bottom-firing speakers on either side, enhanced with Waves MaxxAudio Pro support which helps customise the audio experience. While the speakers lack deep bass for music, the acoustics are decent enough for listening to podcasts and watching videos.
Connectivity
Dell Inspiron 14 5430 features a full size SD card reader | Photo Credit: Bijoy Ghosh
In terms of ports, the Dell Inspiron 14 5430 comes well-rounded with an HDMI port, a Thunderbolt 4.0 Type-C port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, an SD card reader and an audio jack. The HDMI port can only deliver up to 1920x1080 @ 60Hz output when connected to external monitors, while the Thunderbolt 4 port might appease those who want to hook up 4K displays.
Performance
The unit I reviewed came equipped with the 13th Generation Intel Core i7-1355U processor, 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB SSD. It handles almost a dozen Chrome tabs, multiple file uploads and photo edits on Windows 11 with relative ease. In CineBench R23, the Inspiron 5430 scored 1809 in CPU single-core and 8049 in Multicore which is on par with most laptops in this category. The laptop features Intel Iris Xe Graphics for i5/i7, which is sufficient for smooth performance in casual games such as AirFighters, Overkill 3 and Asphalt 9 at low to medium graphics settings.
Battery
The Dell Inspiron 14 5430 is powered by a 4-Cell 54 Whr battery. With day-to-day use, the laptop easily lasts 6-7 hours for light tasks like reviewing documents, photos and watching YouTube videos.
The laptop takes about 2 hours to charge with the 65W barrel plug charger and can be charged even faster via Dell’s Express Charge.
Verdict
The Inspiron 14 5430 is a reliable laptop catering to the generalist consumer with its compact form factor and powerful-enough configuration. It also offers well-rounded performance, making it a strong contender among laptops in the 70-80k price range. However, it comes with a slightly higher price tag compared to competitors such as the ASUS S 15 OLED and Acer Aspire 5 which offer a better viewing experience and more affordable option.
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