The Dell Inspiron 3521 is a typical representative of the Dell Inspiron range of budget notebooks typically used for tasks that don't require much performance. What does the American company offer us for a very reasonable amount?
Appearance: strict but stylish
Initially focused on office tasks, all Dell Inspiron laptops are designed in a restrained, simple style. The Dell Inspiron 3521 is also designed. However, the designers were able to surprise with the interesting design of the surface of the lid and inoperative areas of the laptop: it is covered with small volumetric triangles, a kind of “pyramids” - this gives the design an originality, highlighting the model among hundreds of faceless competitors.
Is such a coating practical? And no, and yes.
No, because dust and dirt will necessarily get stuck between the triangles, and the laptop will quickly lose its external gloss (or you will have to make efforts to return the pristine beauty).
Yes, because a laptop with such a coating does not express out of hand, it is convenient to carry it from place to place.
In any case, the design of the Dell Inspiron 3521 will certainly not be a disappointment. The feedback from the model owners only confirms this.
In terms of dimensions, a budget laptop, of course, cannot catch up with the brand-new ultra-compact ultrabook models, but, nevertheless, the parameters are reasonable: a model weighing 2.2 kg and 2.5 cm in thickness with a screen size of 15.6 "will fit into most bags and backpacks, and traveling with her will be quite comfortable even for a girl who does not differ in physical strength.
Everything you need to work: interfaces, keyboard, touchpad
Oh, there is something to rejoice about. All the necessary interfaces for comfortable work are available, and the designers didn’t miss out on the location.
The back side of the laptop is pristine, and this is not bad: even a rarely used connector on the back side is still periodically needed, and getting there is not so easy, and this is annoying.
The left side is the heaviest, here are:
- Charging cable slot.
- HDMI (an indispensable thing for presentations).
- A set of USB ports: 1 port version 2.0 and 2 ports of a more modern version 3.0 (the speed of working with external HDDs will be comfortable).
- RJ-45, providing 100 Mbps (still common in offices or hotels).
- Headphone jack
- Ventilation holes.
By the way, the interesting fact is that USB 3.0 have a special icon, but are not marked with the traditional blue color - apparently, this was done for the sake of consistency of the general style.
In front of the Dell Inspiron 3521 is a series of indicators and a card reader that can work with memory cards of all common formats: MS, SD, SDHC, SDXC, which is very convenient for owners of digital cameras without wireless communications.
On the right panel there is a DVD-RW drive and another USB 2.0 (the total number of USBs is 4 pieces).
As you can see, everything you need is in place, there is nothing superfluous - you can say that Dell has found the most balanced solution that allows you to provide the user with everything you need without having to pay extra for unnecessary technology. Unless many would refuse a DVD drive, but, given the preinstalled Linux OS on board, perhaps it would not be superfluous.
The installed touchpad pleases with excellent quality: it works quickly, there are no glitches, it’s nice to touch. You can not take a mouse with you.
An ambiguous assessment can be given to the keyboard of the Dell Inspiron 3521. Owner reviews contain information about the lack of key travel, which reduces comfort when typing large amounts of text, as well as a slight bend in the center. But there is an additional digital panel, which greatly facilitates the work with numbers and calculations. Backlight, alas, no. In general, the keyboard deserves an average rating: you can adapt.
What about entertainment? Screen and sound performance
The Dell Inspiron 3521 laptop is basically designed for non-productive tasks, so you can forget about the latest games demanding on resources - unless you can run it at the minimum settings. However, the laptop will completely pull various casual toys, and immortal solitaires will not slow down either.
What is offered as a filling in the Dell Inspiron 3521?
The specifications leave a pretty good impression: Intel Core i3-3217U (2 physical cores; 1.8 GHz), 500 GB HDD with 5400 rpm, 2, 4, 6 or 8 GB of RAM, and - depending on the configuration a specific model - either integrated Intel HD graphics or a discrete AMD Radeon HD 7670M graphics card with 1 GB of video memory. By the way, if you choose the last option, then you can already play games of past years with a more or less decent picture and FPS.
A 40 W battery is not particularly impressive, but a class “U” processor with reduced power consumption (TDP 17 watts) still draws the battery life to a more or less decent level - an average of about 3 hours. In the mode of reading books, he can hold out for 4 hours, but you are unlikely to play for more than 1.5-2 hours. However, this is a good result for a budget device.
The screen size of 15.6 "stars from the sky is not enough: the usual resolution for the budget segment of 1366x768 pixels is quite enough for most tasks, the viewing angles are also modest, but the brightness is not bad - the picture will be visible even on a sunny day. Parameters comparable to IPS You should not wait for color rendition and contrast, however, you can come to terms with it - nevertheless, the price of the device allows you to close your eyes to many shortcomings.
The sound of the built-in speakers pleased with the excellent volume and the absence of wheezing: it will be comfortable to listen to music and watch movies, especially since due to the competent design of the case the sound goes towards the user.
conclusions
So where do we come from? In fact, with what we started: Dell Inspiron 3521 is a high-quality budget model for work, although you can also watch a movie on the go or play something undemanding.
The model compares favorably with its competitors in a pleasant design “with a twist”, the presence of all the necessary and yet well-placed interfaces, an excellent Intel Core i3-3217U processor with reduced power consumption, good sound, and a convenient touchpad.
The Dell Inspiron 3521 is a balanced solution for work or study.