Lasting for nearly 13 hours in our video rundown test, the Inspiron 16 Plus offers excellent battery life for a desktop replacement. Overall, the battery life could be better, but itll still get you through a workday. The only disappointment is that Dell doesn't offer any other options like a touchscreen or one with greater brightness. Again, it's a good display. Viewing angle, color accuracy, brightness, Potential battery life in light and average use, Design, materials, durability and usability, Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 17 7706 (2-in-1), Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7610. The PCIe 4.0 slot supports drives with capacities of up to 2TB, which means if you order the 1TB configuration from the factory, you can outfit your Inspiron 16 Plus with 3TB of solid-state storage. Ive also covered the launches of dozens of groundbreaking technologies, from hyperloop test tracks in the desert to the latest silicon from Apple and Intel. Overall, the Dell's display offers a perfectly enjoyable viewing experience, with the only unequivocal downside being a lack of touch support. Rami Tabari Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers. Dell Update fast tracks some updates and drivers to your PC. It failed to run at 3K due to the lack of VRAM. I think the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 is a better bang for the buck buy. Meanwhile, the right features an SD Card slot, one USB Type-A port and a headphone jack. The Dell Inspiron 16 isn't one of the best laptops around, but it's pretty good when you consider the price. Sixteen-inch laptops aren't for everyone, and there are still relatively few alternatives to the Inspiron 16 Plus that share the same screen size. The typing experience is also a high point of the Inspiron 16 Plus. The Dell Inspiron 16 Plus runs on 11th-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processors with integrated or discrete Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics, up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. The Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 is large and heavy, weighing up to 2kg (4.4lbs) depending on the configuration. There is room above the screen for a 720p webcam with a sliding privacy cover, but IR support forface authentication via Windows Hellois absent. Power delivery is via a round-pin jack, which means the Thunderbolt port is always available. This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. I watched the trailer for the Uncharted film, and the screen was bright enough to capture Sullys weird art decor in the dimly lit condo while he and a baby-faced Nathan Drake talked about going on their first treasure hunting adventure. At 301 nits of brightness, the Inspiron 16 is rather bright for its price, but still cant match the premium average of 391 nits. Less demanding games like Rainbow Six: Siege run even more smoothly; the Dell averaged 150fps in that title at 1080p with Ultra quality settings. Ive covered the consumer tech world as an editor, reporter, and analyst since 2015. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. The real speakers project from two slits at the bottom of the chassis, with the sound bouncing off your desk or whatever surface the laptop is resting on. Meanwhile, the entry-level Inspiron 16 Plus features a six-core Intel Core i5-11400H, 8GB of memory, and a 256GB SSD. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time. Meanwhile, the center of the keyboard reached 92 degrees and the touchpad measured 79 degrees. Its short of the 10:24 premium laptop average and the Surface Laptop Studio (10:42), but it could be worse, like the Katana GF66 (2:30). The 16-inch IPS panel is clear and sharp, offering 3K (3072 x 1920, 226.4ppi) resolution. Sound quality is disappointing. ZDNet's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. To approximate more complex multimedia content creation, we render a 3D image in Cinebench, transcode a 4K video clip in HandBrake, and apply filters and effects in Photoshop using an automated test developed by Puget Systems. You do get a fingerprint sensor, which is built into the power button in the top right of the keyboard area. On the Geekbench 5.4 overall performance test, the Inspiron 16 scored 8,031, soaring above the premium laptop average (5,050). (Reading this at night? In the US, you must have a 512GB SSD if you select the RTX 3050, a configuration that costs $1,299.99. The bezels on the display are acceptably thin. The keyboard's 1.3mm of vertical travel might seem short at first, but the sturdy key switches and the satisfying thud they make when pressed help offset it. The built-in webcam, mics and speakers are all on par with what you'd typically get at this price -- fine but nothing special. Right side (above): 3.5mm combo audio in/out, USB-A 3.2, SD card reader. Because of chip shortages and production delays, prices and availability continue to fluctuate on laptops from Dell and others. But it has some tough competition. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, It wasn't long ago that large laptops with powerful CPUs and GPUs struggled to break five hours of battery life, but today the Inspiron only finished between the Surface Laptop 4 and XPS 17. This version lacks a discrete GPU, relying instead on the Intel UHD integrated graphics built into the processor. On the Assassins Creed Odyssey (Ultra, 1080p), the Dell Inspiron 16 scored 34 fps, which is far from the Katana GF66 (63 fps) and the average premium laptop (43 fps). You might also decide to wait a few months, as there are sure to be at least a few more 16-inch laptops on the horizon. (The porthole vents are a nice touch, too.). Fully loaded it's $1,616 right now, which is much less than the $2,199 Apple wants for the base 16-inch MacBook Pro. Thanks in part to thinner bezels and the 16:10 aspect ratio, the Inspiron 16 Plus is only 5% bigger than its 15.6-inch stablemate while affording 11% more screen area. As it stands, the Inspiron's backlight is relatively dim, measured at 298 nits in our testing, but the matte finish helps make up for it. We may earn commissions from Amazon for purchases made via the links below. Charging a low battery with a quick power burst could be helpful. Streaming video playback battery drain test (minutes), Dell Inspiron 16 Plus starts at about $1,000, HDMI 2.0, Thunderbolt 4.0 USB-C, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (x2), SD card reader, combo audio jack, Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-11800H; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 3,200MHz; 4GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050; 512GB SSD, Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 3.2GHz AMD Ryzen 7 5800H; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 3,200MHz; 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070; 512GB SSD, Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-1135G7; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 3,200MHz; 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650Ti graphics; 256GB SSD, Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 1.9GHz AMD Ryzen 7 5800U; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM; 4GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050Ti; 512GB SSD, Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 3.2GHz AMD Ryzen 7 5800H; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 3,200MHz; 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060; 512GB SSD. Although there's no mention of MIL-STD compliance in thespec sheet for the Inspiron 16 Plus,the outer shell is aluminium top and bottom, and the lid of my review unit was reassuringly solid. Rami Tabari is an Editor for Laptop Mag. Display: 16-inch, 3K, 16:10 If Dell offered the Inspiron 16 Plus in more color options and with a touch-enabled display, it would be nearly flawless. That means you can see more of a web page before you need to scroll. The last thing you need is a laptop scorching your precious jewels while youre trying to get some work done, but the Dell Inspiron 16 manages to balance its heat rather well. Theres also some presets, like Rock, Hip-Hop and Pop. Then you've caught me testing gear and editing reviews of laptops, desktop PCs, and tons of other personal tech. It needed an extra dose of saturation. Price: $1,199 ($1,454 MSRP) Popping open the lid revealed the subtle silver accent that crept its way around the chassis into the touchpad. There are still clear differences in materials, build quality and component options, but laptops like the Inspiron 16 Plus really do look and feel like you're buying a high-end device at a lower price. There are two 11th generation Intel processor choices:Core i5-11400Hor, as in my review unit,Core i7-11800H. The Dell Inspiron 16 features solid performance, decent battery life and a 3K display, but it doesn't have the best keyboard. The most notable being Apple's MacBook Pro, but there's also the excellent LG Gram 16 and Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Extreme, as well as a handful of gaming laptops. All rights reserved. From drivers and manuals to diagnostic tools and replacement parts, Dell Product Support has you covered! While the Inspiron isn't a gaming laptop per se, it does feature a gaming-class GPU, so its performance in our 3DMark and GFXBench gaming simulations fell below the Alienware but far surpassed the integrated graphics of the HP and Microsoft laptops. Battery life is healthy given the large screen size, with a fully charged laptop falling to 63% in a three-hour working session using the web for writing and streaming pretty much constantly. That's the case with the Inspiron 16 Plus. I usually appreciate it when laptop makers branch out from the usual silver or gray, but in this case the blue tint is so faint that it might as well be gray. The touchpad is spacious and effective. There's much to like here, from its aluminum exterior and palm rest to its port assortment to its excellent performance and battery life. Wireless connectivity comprises an Intel Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) module with 2x2 MIMO support, as well as Bluetooth support. Laptops with 16-inch screens were once rare because of physical design limitations. However, on the Grand Theft Auto V benchmark (Very High, 1080p), the Inspiron 16 only managed 55 fps, falling short of the Katana GF66s RTX 3060 (84 fps) and the category average (82 fps). Reading this during the day? Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Someday we will have beautiful 4K laptop webcams that make you look as good as you deserve, but today is not that day. It's the sole display option, with a unique resolution of 3,072 by 1,920 pixels. While the Inspiron 16 Plus ships from the factory with a single SSD, the motherboard actually has room for a second drive in another M.2 slot that supports the latest PCI Express 4.0 interface. The Dell Inspiron 16s bottom-firing speakers are loud but congested and shallow. In the top right corner of the keyboard, you'll find the power button, which doubles as a fingerprint reader. Laptop Mag is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Those models all have something else in common besides their screen size, though: They're more expensive than the Inspiron 16 Plus, which starts under $1,000. The Surface Laptop Studio slowed down, at 11:24, but the Katana GF66 closed in on the finish line with 6:37. The laptop measures 355.28mm wide by 247.5mm deep, and is 18.99 mm thick at the back, tapering slightly to 16.80mm at the front (13.99in. You can install a drive that you bought yourself fairly easily, as the M.2 slots are accessible as soon as you remove the base cover by loosening its screws. The touchpad is smooth and accurate and I didn't experience any palm-rejection issues or cursor jumpiness. Overall, the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus isn't perfect but it's a decent option for the performance it can offer you. The Inspiron 16 transcoded a 4K video to 1080p on the Handbrake benchmark in just 7 minutes and 13 seconds, flying past the category average (14:02). On the all-encompassing PCMark 10 test, it easily clears the 4,000-point mark that represents excellent office productivity. As is, if you want those features you can find them in the also excellent XPS 15 and XPS 17, but will have to pay considerably more. Graphics can be handled by the CPU's integrated Intel UHD Graphics, or by a discrete Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 or GeForce RTX 3050 GPU with 6GB and 4GB of dedicated video memory respectively. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. On the Laptop Mag battery test, the Inspiron 16 survived for 8 hours and 11 minutes. Keep in mind that this category features laptops with price tags above $2,000 and $3,000. In our testing, the screen displayed 100% of the sRGB color gamut (more on that later), matching its rating. Apart from the large screen, the other reason for the size and weight is the sturdy chassis. See how Dell performed on our Tech Support Showdown and Best and Worst Brands ranking. The percussion was especially hard to hear, as the speakers didnt have enough bass to emphasise them. VAT) in the UK. Also, the display covers 100% sRGB and 81% AdobeRGB color gamuts. Dells 512GB SSD has a transfer rate of 638 megabytes per second, which doesnt compete with the premium laptop average (701 MBps) or its competitors: The Katana GF66 (1TB SSD, 651 MBps), and Surface Laptop Studio (1TB SSD, 1,051 MBps). Why your next laptop is going to be 16-inches, Lenovo ThinkBook 16p Gen 2 review: A lightweight and affordable 16-inch laptop for power users and creators, Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (AMD) review: A 16-inch creator laptop with great battery life, Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Max, late 2021) review: Apple supercharges its flagship laptop, Best Windows laptop 2021: Top notebooks compared, Best laptops 2021: The top 5 laptops for all users. PCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. To my eyes, the Mist Blue color scheme of the Inspiron 16 Plus looks rather dull. Both are spacious and feel good. 2022 CNET, a Red Ventures company. You will receive a verification email shortly. Josh Goldman helps people find the best laptop at the best price -- from simple Chromebooks to high-end gaming laptops. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Its brightness hit 291 nits -- just below its rated 300 nits -- which might have been an issue with a glossy screen, but with this display's matte finish, reflections are minimized. CPU and GPU muscle, plus a 16-inch 3K screen, for under $1,400. It can also be charged through its Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port; its 130-watt power supply uses a barrel connector. Connectivity options include a full-size HDMI output and two USB ports on the left edge, with an SD card slot, a third USB port, and a headphone jack on the right. Dell Digital Delivery delivers your software purchases to your PC. A graduate of Middlebury College, I also have a master's degree in journalism and French Studies from New York University. There is also some Windows 10 bloatware installed, like Hidden City, Roblox and Solitaire. The body is roughly the same size and weight as the 16-inch MacBook Pro, and its aluminum body, slim screen bezels and clean design give it a higher-quality look and feel you might not expect from an Inspiron laptop. Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones fall to $279 in time for back-to-school season, Pixel Buds Pro: The best pair of Google earbuds yet. The Inspiron 16 comes with a one-year limited warranty. I got 73 words per minute on the 10fastfingers.com typing test, which is a bit under my current 78-wpm average. While the 16-inch MacBook Pro and Dell XPS 17 are much more expensive, you might also consider the latter if you have the budget for it, so I'm including it as a comparison system in our benchmark charts. While upgraded sound quality is often a selling point for premium large-screen laptops like the MacBook Pro and the XPS 17, the Inspiron 16 Plus's two speakers deliver rather pedestrian audio, more befitting of its price. The display's 300 nits maximum brightness might be a little low if you work in a brightly lit office, or venture outdoors with the laptop, while the absence of a touch-screen option may disappoint some potential buyers. However, the display was more than sharp enough to capture those luscious strands of hair on Tom Hollands head. At 3K, it hit 72 fps. The Dell Inspiron 16 Plus starts at about $1,000 at the moment in the US, 815 in the UKand AU$2,999 in Australia. And I haven't even mentioned what you can get inside yet. There are plenty of 15.6-inch laptops, but 16-inch models like the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus are something of a rarity. But unlike many Inspirons we've reviewed beforeespecially the recent, rather uninspiring Inspiron 15 7000 seriesyou'd be hard-pressed to tell that even the deluxe configurations of this laptop still cost under $1,500. x 9.74in. 'ZDNet Recommends': What exactly does it mean? https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/dell-inspiron-16-plus-7610, Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. The blues in my pineapple shirt looked accurate in the photo. It affords plenty of room for cursor movements from one corner of the 16-inch screen to the other, but as with any large mechanical pad, the clicking mechanism tends to be too stiff at the top and too mushy at the bottom. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. Apple jump-started the category with its ultra-high-end 16-inch MacBook Pro; Lenovo recently introduced its Legion 5 Pro gaming laptop; and now we're starting to see other options. The touchpad is large, almost reminiscent of a MacBooks Force trackpad. ZDNet's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. PCMag Digital Group. 1996-2022 Ziff Davis. x 0.75-0.66in.). I just wish they were a little more pronounced. As long as you don't expect too much from the speakers or need a touch screen, this could be a worthwhile purchase for power users and creators. Packed within the Dell Inspiron 16s thin chassis lies an Intel Core i7-11800H processor with 16GB of RAM. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant. The Dell Inspiron 16 I reviewed currently costs $1,199 ($1,454 MSRP) and is outfitted with an Intel Core i7-11800H processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. But with this laptop as good as it isour new Editors' Choice award winner for midrange desktop replacementsthere's little reason to wait. The 16-inch display is a great size since the laptop is barely bigger than a 15.6-inch model, but you get more room for work and typically a roomier keyboard and touchpad along with it. published 31 October 21. Remarkably, the battery life is also really good considering it has discrete graphics, hitting 10 hours, 11 minutes on our streaming video test. Size: 14.0 x 9.7 x 0.7~0.8 inches In fact, it approaches 6,000 points and is not far behind the XPS 17, which is equipped with the same processor but twice the memory. If youre itching to get more ports, check out our best USB Type-C hubs and best laptop docking stations pages. One of those up-ticked configurations is the model reviewed here, which combines Intel's latest 11th Generation H-series Core i7 CPU and the latest GeForce RTX 3000-series graphics processor from Nvidia.