Dell Inspiron 16 Plus laptop review: A sleeper powerhouse

Price When Reviewed

$1,649.99

Best Prices Today: Dell Inspiron Plus 16 7630

$1649.99

Dell’s Inspiron lineup is often the place you’d discover its machines which can be aimed on the common Jane or Joe, with trendy efficiency and possibly even some options which have trickled down from the higher-end XPS computer systems. But this Inspiron 16 Plus 7630, new for 2023, is a special beast.

This new machine tries to separate the distinction between the premium XPS 15 and a typical Inspiron with an enormous show. What it throws in to sweeten the pot is an honest-to-goodness Nvidia graphics chip. But is that this machine a jack of all trades or a grasp of none? Read on to be taught extra.

Looking for extra choices? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops accessible proper now.

Dell Inspiron 16 Plus: Specifications

Our evaluate unit comes geared up with an Intel Core i7-13700H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of NVMe PCIe SSD storage. For the total spec data, take a look at the listing under:

• CPU: Intel Core i7-13700H (14 cores, 20 threads: 6 efficiency, 8 effectivity) 
• Memory: 16 GB DDR5 RAM
• Graphics/GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM
• Display: 16-inch 16:10 2.5K (2560×1600) antiglare IPS display
• Storage: 1 TB M.2 NVMe PCIe strong state drive
• Webcam: 1080p with bodily privateness shutter
• Connectivity:  1x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (1x always-on charging), 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x 3.5mm combo audio, 1x DC-in barrel plug
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
• Biometrics: Fingerprint reader
• Battery capability: 86Wh
• Dimensions: 14.05 (W) x 9.92 (D) x 0.79 (H) inches 
• Weight: 4.54 kilos, 5.56 kilos with AC adapter
• Price as Reviewed: $1,649.99

Dell Inspiron 16 Plus: Design and construct high quality

IDG / Brendan Nystedt

There’s one space the place Dell excels within the midrange–it’s bought some well-built machines for the cash. The Inspiron 16 Plus is not any exception, with its mostly-aluminum construct save for the black plastic bezel across the show. The design is somewhat generic, but it surely’s not one that’s unattractive. On a desk, the chassis feels strong to kind on with none bounce or flex.

Due to the recent parts inside, the Inspiron has a ton of vents you’ll discover instantly, with vents alongside the edges, again, and backside. In order to get cool air into the system, the rear of the show pops the laptop computer up only a tad on the again. All of this stated, the all-metal construct makes it so that you would possibly really feel the warmth for those who’re throwing intensive duties or video games on the system. While by no means burning sizzling, this factor completely will get toasty. 

Dell Inspiron 16 Plus: Connectivity

IDG / Brendan Nystedt

You’d assume in an enormous 16-inch class laptop computer, you’d get plenty of ports, proper? Well, with the Inspiron 16 Plus, not a lot. This laptop is so devoted to preserving its sizzling internals cool that you just’re left with solely a handful of ports. Thankfully, there’s a Thunderbolt 4 port, which will be tailored right into a ton of various ports or used to dock with a single twine–simply be certain your dock can cost at a fee of 130W as a result of Inspiron 16 Plus’s power-hungry chips.

Otherwise, you’re left with a pair of USB-A ports at 10 Gbps speeds, an HDMI 2.0, a 3.5mm headset jack, and, no less than in fashions with the Nvidia 4060 GPU, a microSD slot. That final choice is swapped out for a full-size SD slot in lower-spec Inspiron 16 Plus fashions in line with Dell’s web site.

Wireless connectivity is top-tier, with WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1 utilizing Intel’s AX211 chip, and though I seen weak sign within the nook of my condo, many different units hit this snag so I can’t ding the Dell an excessive amount of for this shortcoming.

Dell Inspiron 16 Plus: Keyboard and trackpad

IDG / Brendan Nystedt

Dell redesigned its keyboards a bunch of occasions through the years, not afraid to experiment. Thankfully, the keyboard you get within the Inspiron 16 Plus may be very good to make use of and doesn’t mess along with your expectations an excessive amount of. Key journey is satisfying and though I’ve used extra responsive keys, these are completely usable and I used to be off and typing at excessive speeds very quickly. One good contact is that the keyboard hides the usual fingerprint reader within the energy button, making it a brief attain to press and activate a Windows Hello log-on.

The massive trackpad works fairly nicely on the entire and the truth that it’s an excellent slick piece of glass makes it really feel good to make use of instantly. Like with all massive Precision touchpads, although, I sometimes run into palm detection points the place I flip round and unexpectedly my cursor’s moved to a completely totally different spot in a doc once I begin typing once more.

Dell Inspiron 16 Plus: Display, audio system, and webcam

IDG / Brendan Nystedt

Other than the smokin’ quick Intel CPU and ray tracing Nvidia GPU, I’d say the opposite costar right here is the Inspiron 16 Plus’s high-res (2550×1600), excessive refresh display with tremendous skinny bezels. Plus, because it’s a slightly-taller 16:10 widescreen form, I by no means felt missing for display area, making for a pleasant café working expertise with two home windows snapped side-by-side.

Sure, it’s not a touchscreen and it’s solely accessible in a matte end (which, personally, I want) but it surely’s an IPS panel that’s colourful and will get pretty vivid. By default, the display can ramp up from the usual 60Hz refresh all the way in which to 120Hz to offer actions like scrolling a super-smooth look. Of course, for gaming, that is helpful for titles that profit from quick-twitch reactions. The extra frames you’ll be able to see, the quicker you’ll be capable to shoot the opposite individual.

Dell’s put a fairly strong webcam contained in the Inspiron 16 Plus. When I attempted it, it stored my face uncovered even with difficult lighting from behind me and above. It’s solely a 1080P decision, however appeared sharp sufficient to my eye, selecting up loads of element with out a lot blotchy noise. The webcam additionally has a bodily privateness shutter, which I’ll all the time want to an digital swap.

Dell’s put a quad-speaker system into the Inspiron 16 Plus and it may possibly get loud while you actually crank it up. But when watching the trailer for upcoming sci-fi film The Creator, the sound actually fell aside, missing punch and making the dialogue sound considerably crunchy. In distinction, the Dell XPS collection has approach higher audio system and a MacBook Pro 14-inch I in contrast the Dell to had a much more satisfying detailed sound stage.

Dell Inspiron 16 Plus: Performance

With its 20-thread Intel Core i7-13700H chip, the Inspiron 16 Plus comes at duties with an quantity of energy unthinkable in a cellular system a decade in the past. Needless to say, it’s overkill for regular office-type work, however for those who want additional oomph for media manufacturing or for those who recreation sometimes, it’s bought the products. The solely downside is that this turbo-clocked 5GHz chip can rev all the way in which as much as 115W if wanted, sending the Inspiron 16 Plus’s followers spinning into overdrive to do away with the warmth. 

IDG / Brendan Nystedt

We use the PCMark 10 benchmark to get an general image of a laptop computer’s efficiency in typical duties–workplace use, net looking, and even video conferencing are used to simulate the work a pc. Given its performance-focused energy profile, the i7 contained in the Inspiron 16 Plus had no issues passing this take a look at with flying colours. If you’re a university pupil on the lookout for a pc that may maintain schoolwork and a few gaming, this could be an excellent decide for you.

IDG / Brendan Nystedt

Using Cinebench R20, we will check out a laptop computer’s efficiency rendering a 3D mannequin. This may help us gauge how nicely all of the machine’s processor cores work collectively to perform a demanding process. Here, we will see that the Intel i7-13700H within the Inspiron 16 Plus holds its personal, however lags behind costlier laptops, designed solely for intense, sustained workloads.

IDG / Brendan Nystedt

Although the Inspiron 16 Plus will be geared up with out one, the mannequin we tried packs a contemporary Nvidia GPU inside, on this case the GeForce RTX 4060, with ray tracing capabilities and all. While not as highly effective because the chip inside desktops sporting the identical identify, it helped this Inspiron flip in good numbers in our 3DMark take a look at. While it’s not bleeding edge laptop computer efficiency, you’re getting nearly efficiency near that from the 2021 Razer Blade 14, at one heck of a reduction.

IDG / Brendan Nystedt

While it’s a loser when stacked up towards current gaming laptops, we expect that getting round 109 frames within the Shadow of the Tomb Raider take a look at is kind of respectable. It may not push tons of of frames of eye-cuttingly sharp 4K graphics in a 2023 AAA recreation, but it surely ought to be capable to provide you with loads of nice gaming on the go. Note that the Acer Swift X has a barely weaker GeForce GPU that’s restricted to working with decrease energy than the chip contained in the Dell, therefore the considerably decrease efficiency.

To check out the Inspiron’s actual world gaming efficiency, I loaded up Cyberpunk 2077 for a playtest. While I by no means bought greater than 55 FPS in anyone setting, it’s doable to play this recreation with nice-looking graphics at a strong 30 FPS on the display’s native decision with the Ray Tracing: Ultra preset. Overall, I got here away impressed with this Dell’s capability to deal with the video games I threw at it.

IDG / Brendan Nystedt

Finally, in our benchmarks, we run each laptop computer by means of a Handbrake video compression state of affairs. This lets us clock how lengthy it takes to crunch a full-resolution HD film into one suited to an Android pill. In this take a look at, the 20-core Inspiron 16 Plus put in strong work, even when it was barely behind different Intel H-class processors.

Dell Inspiron 16 Plus: Battery Life

IDG / Brendan Nystedt

As a part of our battery of exams (pun meant) we loop a 4K video on each system to see how lengthy it lasts on a single cost. Thanks to Intel’s effectivity cores and the large 86Wh cell contained in the Inspiron 16 Plus, we clocked it at over 11 and a half hours. That places it in regular ultrabook territory, and lets it finest the gaming-type laptops we’ve in contrast it towards in our graph. Anecdotally, I seen round 12 % battery drain throughout an hour of my typical workflow writing in OneNote, with a handful of Edge tabs open and YouTube taking part in within the background.

Dell Inspiron 16 Plus: Should you purchase it?

On paper, the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus nearly appears too good to be true–does this massive steel pocket book actually provide this a lot efficiency for less than round $1,600 (relying on Dell’s extremely variable sale pricing)? Where’s the catch? Well, no less than throughout our time with this laptop computer, we will say that aside from it getting actually toasty and loud underneath load there actually isn’t a catch. 

If you’re on the lookout for a strong new laptop computer that may pull double obligation taking part in video games, then the Inspiron 16 Plus does an excellent job so long as you don’t want bleeding-edge efficiency. It even may give you all-day battery life for work situations, assuming you’re not knowledgeable gamer, after all. Dell’s put collectively a machine that feels prefer it may price a complete lot extra, and that offers premium methods (even Dell’s personal XPS 15 and the pricier Razer Blades) a run for his or her cash.