The Dell Inspiron 14z is a 14-inch ultrabook well finished and affordable. Powerful enough for all common applications, its autonomy and overweight harm it.
The promise
More affordable than the beautiful XPS 14, the Dell Inspiron 14z is another 14-inch ultrabook. Taking the lines draw inspiration 15R and 17R, it seems a little late. According to the datasheet, Power version of this notebook combines performance and storage space. But a few options are missing.
Reality
The Dell Inspiron 14z is a 14-inch screen ultrabook that is available for an affordable price tag. Sold from 699 euros on the Dell website, it is available in four configurations. Thick (2.35 cm) and rather heavy (1.87 kg) for an ultrabook, the 14z is finished, but it is not a large nomadic. Video playback, it takes less than 3 hours 30 minutes, very disappointing for a machine meant to accompany you on a trip, sold for 799 euros. Display High Definition (1366 pixels by 768) screen is bright and is not the most light (only 216 cd / m 2 on average). It remains well mixed (842:1). For photos or movies, the color rendering is generally satisfactory.
Configuration of Dell Inspiron 14z is versatile enough
For common uses – office, Internet surfing, video playback … – Power version of the Dell Inspiron 14z is just the job, but not for 3D gaming. The storage of your data is ensured by a 500 GB hard drive, coupled with a module mSATA SSD 32GB. This alliance enhances the speed of file transfer, the overall responsiveness of the machine booting Windows 7 and exit watch fast (less than 3 seconds). To backup your data on DVD (or play a movie), Dell has thought of placing an internal drive in the Dell Inspiron 14z. Ultrabook Like any good, the Inspiron 14z features an Intel low power. This is the Core i5-3317M clocked at 1.7 GHz and supported by 6 GB of memory against 4 GB, in general, for its competitors. For display, Dell relies on the integrated graphics processor. In practice, the entire mechanical and responds well made game is properly distributed on the sides of the machine. There are two USB 3.0, HDMI video outputs and an audio output combining stereo and mic input. For communications, a network socket (only 10/100), a Wi-Fi module n and Bluetooth 4.0 are present in it. Standard in use, the Inspiron 14z is quiet (32.2 dB), and consumes only 13.2 watts. For heavier tasks such as video compression, encoding movies or large file transfers, ventilation gets underway. At its height, it reached 38.1 dB, which is quite acceptable for sensitive ears. Mercury, it climbs up to 46 ° C under the machine and has stagnated at around 30 ° C on the palm rests in brushed aluminium.
A good keyboard in Dell Inspiron 14z but not software
Keyboard in Dell Inspiron 14z ultrabook, it is comfortable, pleasant to the touch. It regrets that the Enter key is so small and, more generally, that the keyboard is not backlit. Above the keyboard, there are three shortcut keys. The first interface launch several smaller control panels on – among others – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and screen brightness. The second is used to vary the different sound profiles (movies, games, music, etc.). Moreover, its Audio is powered by Skull Candy speakers. Software for audio is also particularly well done and offers a variety of adjustment possibilities. The last shortcut button can be associated with the application you want. The touchpad, meanwhile, is well proportioned, its touch is quite nice. In the pilot, it is possible to set parameters for sensitivity, speed of scrolling / vertical or pointer small animation support. Finally, like most draw inspiration, bundled software is pretty poor. Dell preinstalls Microsoft Office Starter 2010, a trial version of McAfee Security Suite, software house to keep the machine up to date, Skype and games.
The verdict Dell Inspiron 14z
The Dell Inspiron 14z, Power version is an ultrabook with a standard configuration, which is what is being asked, but lacks endurance. A major problem for a machine called nomad. For the price, we would have liked to have a matte screen and a backlit keyboard. Namely, Dell offers other versions of the device on its site, with SSD, a real graphics card AMD Radeon or a 3G module. This was all regarding one of the promising affordable ultrabook Dell Inspiron 14z.
