The ASUS Zenbook 13, priced in the lower midrange, is more portable with a higher portability score and offers great color accuracy with its OLED screen, which is exceptional for general use and professional work that requires color precision. Its AMD Ryzen processor and integrated graphics provide good general performance, but may not be well-suited for more intensive 3D, machine learning, or engineering tasks. The battery life is decent, and it comes with a lightweight design.
On the other hand, the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 comes at a budget price and includes more RAM, which can benefit multitasking and engineering applications. The device features a larger screen with a higher resolution and an aspect ratio that's beneficial for productivity in a slightly bulkier form factor. Though it also uses integrated graphics, the Inspiron's Intel processor might perform differently from the Zenbook's AMD one in various tasks. The Inspiron has a decent battery life as well, though the overall portability is lower due to its size and weight.
Choosing between these two laptops depends on your preference for either a more portable and vibrant display option with the Zenbook or a budget-friendly work-centric laptop with a larger screen and more processing memory in the Inspiron. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook 13
Good overall display quality
Excellent portability
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 16 5620
Very good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.8/10
6.2/10
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
378.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
265.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
When considering screen quality for general use, the ASUS Zenbook 13 stands out due to its higher resolution and brightness, which offers clearer and more vibrant visuals compared to the Dell Inspiron 16 5620. For engineering and design, the ASUS Zenbook 13's advantage lies in its wider color gamuts, ensuring more accurate color representation vital for detailed work, whereas the Dell provides only fair performance in this area. However, neither is ideal for gaming and 3D applications, as both lack high refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth motion rendering; although, they may still suffice for casual or non-intensive tasks.
Portability
Excellent
Good
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has excellent portability, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$890
$500
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has a price of $890 and the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 costs $500.
The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both good for general use.
The ASUS Zenbook 13 with its OLED screen, lighter weight, and slightly better battery life is tailored for high-quality visuals and portability, but has less RAM than the Dell Inspiron 16 5620, which offers a larger screen with a higher resolution and more RAM, making it more suitable for multitasking and productivity tasks that require more memory. While both laptops have adequate CPUs and storage for general use, the Dell has a more spacious keyboard and potentially better heat management, but it's less portable due to its larger size and weight.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
6.2/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.3/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The ASUS Zenbook 13's gaming performance is fair with its AMD Radeon Vega 8 graphics, which offer decent capability for lighter gaming and 3D tasks, complemented by a 60Hz OLED screen delivering good image quality but with limited refresh rates for fast-paced games. The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 also falls into the fair category for similar tasks due to the integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, which can handle casual gaming adequately, and an IPS display with a 60Hz refresh rate that provides a larger screen and higher resolution but may not satisfy those seeking high refresh rate gaming experiences.
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
7.0/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook 13 and Dell Inspiron 16 5620 are both good for engineering and design.
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has an AMD Ryzen CPU with integrated Vega graphics, which is fair for engineering and design due to its decent computational power but may be limited for highly demanding tasks, and while its OLED screen offers vivid colors and high brightness, its RAM is only 8GB which might not be sufficient for complex projects. In contrast, the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 comes with an Intel i5 CPU and Iris Xe graphics which offer good performance for such applications, plus a larger, higher-resolution screen and double the RAM, which makes it more capable of handling intensive engineering and design workloads.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.6/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.3/10
7.5/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Battery
9.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has 9 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 has 8 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook 13 and Dell Inspiron 16 5620 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS Zenbook 13 and the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 compare to other laptops
"The Asus ZenBook 13 is a compact 13-inch laptop with a fast Ryzen 7 5800U and OLED display. The subnotebook is also light and the modern design is convincing. The selection of high-quality materials make the device not only light, but also very stable. In addition, the visuals and haptics of the device offers a high-quality impression. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800U is a very good fit for the ZenBook 13, ensuring a high performance in the test. However, in terms of the 3D performance, we also notice that the Vega architecture is beginning to hit its limits."
"If the world is exciting enough right now, you can do far worse than a solid performer that you know will get the job done. Our review model is as powerful as you'd want an office machine to be unless you're performing specialist tasks and the price point is pretty attractive (unless work will let you have a MacBook Air instead)."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook 13 or the Dell Inspiron 16 5620
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
About Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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