When the first generation of ultrabooks was around, affordable was not a word that well described them. Now however, things have changed. The second-generation ultrabooks with Intel Ivy Bridge processors have arrived, clearly aimed at specific demographics across multiple price points. The Dell Inspiron 14z is one such ultrabook, undeniably aimed at the budget segment.
Build & Design
Straightaway, the family resemblance with the Inspiron laptops is evident. The lid has the dual tone grey and silver finish. No Snap-on cover features here, however. The Inspiron 14z is an affordable ultrabook from Dell, offered alongside the premium XPS range. The design and the materials used are very similar to the Inspiron R Special Edition laptops. That’s a good thing, because that takes out any apprehensions of “budget-ness”. The grey colour looks quite sophisticated.
Open the Inspiron 4z up, and the dark grey brushed metal tone continues around the keyboard. Similar silver finish on the bezel, but that is plain matte. On the left spine is a full-fledged Ethernet port, HDMI and USB. All three have very classy covers that do the job of hiding the ports well. On the right side is the optical drive, one of the few ultrabooks that actually offer this, another USB port and the card reader.
Features & Specifications
The spec sheet of the Inspiron 14z is all set for a good reading. This has the Ivy Bridge series Intel Core i5 – 3317U processor paired with 4GB of RAM. This processor clocks at 1.7GHz, with Turbo Boost taking it to 2.5GHz.
The Inspiron 14z’s 14-inch (1366 x 768 pixels) display is fairly decent in terms of the quality, but the non-reflective nature makes it very comfortable for usage. The display quality is quite okay, with enough crispness to make the text readable. With text on certain coloured backgrounds, edge noise would creep in though. Black colour depth and white saturation are average, while pixel stability score is the lowest among all ultrabooks. Despite these apparent shortcomings in the display tests, the HD video playback quality was very good. Admittedly, this screen doesn’t have very good viewing angles, but clearly handled the fast motion scenes smoothly.4
Bottom Line
The Dell Inspiron 14z is a praiseworthy attempt to make an affordable ultrabook. It has fairly good performance, doesn’t miss out on the connectivity options including an optical drive and is built fairly well. The only disappointment is the battery life, which is on the lower side. But then again, for this much money, we can’t be too picky. It is perfect for the college going crowd, and for anyone who wants to experience ultrabooks without spending a bomb.
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