Pros: Core i5 CPU, Full HD touchscreen, Windows 10 pre-installed, 8 GB of RAM, competitive price.
Cons: Not a gaming laptop (integrated graphics chip)
Review in a nutshell: The new Dell laptop is highly recommended for those who are looking for a powerhouse laptop for general purposes or as a desktop replacement. It's not designed for gaming because it lacks a dedicated graphics card. However, it's Core i5 CPU (4th gen), 8 GB of RAM, 1 TB of storage and vast connectivity options make it clear that we're looking at a mid range powerhouse laptop. We also appreciate the Full HD screen and though we don't see the point in the screen being touch sensitive it's a nice feature that will surely win a lot of followers.
Lately it's becoming increasingly more common to find laptops with high definition screens at an affordable price. The most popular case of this is the Asus F555LA-AB31 with its full HD screen and powerful specs at an entry level price point. However, it's still not the norm, therefore when we find a Full HD laptop at a budget-conscious price you can be sure it'll still manage to grab a few headlines.
Such is the case of today's notebook; the Dell Inspiron 15 i5558-5718SLV. However, Dell's new signature edition laptop doesn't stand out solely because of its screen. The Core i5 CPU, 8 GB of RAM and ample storage also help us take notice of it and today we're going to do a bit more than that as we delve deep to provide you with an extensive review of the Dell Inspiron 15 i5558-5718SLV. Are you ready?
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Dell Inspiron 15 i5558-5718SLV: Our unedited review with everything you need to know
Let's start with a Full HD display and a "premium" design
But the surprises don't stop there, at least when it comes to the screen. See, it's also a touchscreen giving you a very rare combo that combines a Full HD panel with touch capabilities at an affordable price.
Truthfully the only other laptop that presents this combo is the Acer Aspire E 15 E5-574G-52QU, though this one is a bit more expensive it also features a 6th generation Core i5 CPU as well as a powerful dedicated graphics chip.
Leaving the screen aside, another aspect we like about Dell's new notebook is its sleek design in conjunction with its chiclet styled keyboard with backlit keys. It's quite thin, accounting for a depth of less than 1 inch and it's also quite portable weighing barely above 5 pounds.
How does it perform? Is it good for multitasking?
To know how a laptop performs one must know a few vital things; mainly the CPU, OS and RAM. These will be the elements that define a laptop's overall performance as well as its chances of being a futureproofed device.
In the case of the Dell Inspiron 15 i5558-5718SLV we're quite pleased to say it is, in fact, futureproofed. As such, the new notebook falls onto our laps with a dual core 4th generation Core i5 CPU (model 4210U) that works at a standard speed of 1.7 GHz and goes up all the way towards 2.7 GHz thanks to turbo boost.
Though this isn't a CPU from the current generation, truth is, it's a very good model that has proven to work very well on some of the most distinguished laptops launched in the past couple of years.
Along with the processor, the other key factor (component-wize) is the RAM and in this case we've got plenty. Specifically, we're looking at 8 GB of DDR3L SDRAM that clocks in at 1600 MHz. That's more than enough for most powerusers and for the less demanding set of users it should guarantee you several years of service.
Under Windows 10 with 8 GB of RAM you can rest assured that your multitasking needs will be met, being able to run several programs at the same time and have dozens of browser tabs open at the same time without noticing any lag in terms of performance.
How about gaming? Is it a good laptop for gaming?
Gaming depends heavily on the graphics card and a simple rule of thumb is that if a laptop features a dedicated graphics card it's good for gaming but if it has an integrated graphics card it's not.
Unfortunately, the Dell Inspiron 15 i5558-5718SLV isn't an ideal laptop for gaming since it comes with an integrated Intel HD 4400 Graphics card. Under different tests this has proven to be a good graphics card for games such as Minecraft (at low settings) but it's far from a good option if you're looking to do some serious graphic intensive gaming.
Overall, this laptop is ideal for those looking to skype with friends, get some office work done, watch Full HD movies etc. You can also do processor-intensive tasks such as running a virtual machine, code, etc.
What's the storage like? And the battery Life?
Dell hasn't provided much info in regards to the battery life of the Dell Inspiron 15 i5558-5718SLV. However, once we consider that it features a 4 cell battery and uses a 4th generation Core i5 processor, it's presumably within the realm of the 4 to 5 hours. Typically, if the battery life where astounding then the manufacturer would be sure to let us know.
In terms of storage we're not loving it but we aren't hating it either. The notebook comes with a 1 TB hard drive that operates under your standard speed of 5400 rpm. It's plenty of storage but we would've appreciated an SSD unit now that they aren't as expensive as they once were.
That said, you can purchase your own SSD unit at a very low price and we would personally recommend buying at least a 250 GB SSD for less than $80. However, this would also suppose a substantial decrease on storage capacity so I guess you're going to have to determine which is more important for you: plenty of storage vs very fast storage.
Wrapping things up with the ports
It's time to start wrapping things up in our review of the Dell Inspiron 15 i5558-5718SLV but we can't leave without taking a look at the connectivity options.
To the point, the notebook has all the options we would expect: 3 USB ports, 1 HDMI port, an RJ45 (ethernet) port, a card reader, superfast a/b/g/n/ac 802.11 WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and of course a high definition webcam to chat with your friends and family in a crystal-clear screen.
Bottom line: Is it worth buying? Will I be satisfied?
Depending on the user's needs this laptop should provide with a very good experience. It's far from an entry level laptop and features enough RAM as well as a good CPU to keep up with the most demanding set of tasks you can throw at it.
It's by no means a gaming laptop and the graphics chip makes that clear from the get-go. However, games like minecraft will perform well under low settings.
Overall we're very pleased with our review of the Dell Inspiron 15 i5558-5718SLV and consider it to be a very good purchase when we look at the spec/price relationship (check price here). As a counterpoint, we would've liked to see a small SSD instead of a 1 TB HDD but that's because we're speed freaks. Other than that it's an excellent option, more so if you opt to insert your own SSD drive.
Not a 100% sure? Take a look at what people are saying about this laptop!