The ASUS Zenbook 14 is less expensive than the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and offers a vibrant OLED display and solid build quality, making it suitable for everyday tasks and entertainment. However, if you need more power for engineering, 3D, or machine learning, the Dell Inspiron might be the better choice despite its higher cost as it has a more powerful processor and a dedicated Nvidia graphics card. The Dell also has more storage and memory, which helps with multitasking and large projects. For gaming, the Dell's dedicated graphics will provide better performance, but the ASUS is lighter and more portable for daily carry. For extended periods away from power outlets, consider the ASUS Zenbook for its longer battery life. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook 14
Very good overall display quality
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
Very good battery life
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.3/10
6.5/10
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
339.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has a better screen for content creation.
The ASUS Zenbook 14's superior panel type, higher resolution, and greater brightness make it excellent for general tasks and engineering work, ensuring crisp visuals and accurate color representation critical for design. However, for gaming and 3D applications, its lower refresh rate hinders smooth motion rendering. Meanwhile, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420's modest screen capabilities offer adequate performance for general and engineering use but fall short for gaming and 3D due to its lower refresh rate and less impressive color accuracy.
Battery
8.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has 10 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
7.8/10
7.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 both have good build quality, though the ASUS Zenbook 14 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$300
$971
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a price of $300 and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 costs $971.
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
6.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
7.1/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 are both good for engineering and design.
The ASUS Zenbook 14, with its high-resolution OLED screen and Intel i5 integrated graphics, caters to engineering and design with excellent visual fidelity, but the Dell Inspiron 14 5420, equipped with a dedicated Nvidia GPU and more RAM, may handle complex tasks and multitasking more efficiently, though with an IPS display less vibrant than the ASUS's. Both models offer solid CPU performance suitable for demanding software common in engineering and design, with the ASUS being slightly more portable and having a quieter operating noise, whereas the Dell offers more storage capacity and longer battery life.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.5/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and ASUS Zenbook 14 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
7.2/10
7.4/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and ASUS Zenbook 14 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.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the ASUS Zenbook 14 and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 compare to other laptops
"Users who travel frequently and are looking for a portable laptop are in the right place with the Asus ZenBook 14. The sleek case is extremely light (1.2 kg) and surprisingly thin (1.5 cm). Outdoor use is also enjoyable thanks to the bright Full HD display, which is something that can rarely be said about laptops with TN or IPS panels. The excellent battery life complements this as well. Longer trips are no problem with the ZenBook 14. Another plus point is the high-performance Ryzen 7 5700U, which often leaves the Intel competition in the dust thanks to its large number of cores."
"If laptops were food, then the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is arguably a Big Mac. There are cheaper and more expensive options, but this arguably represents the baseline of quality and value in the world of mobile computing… something that’s underlined by the attractive $1,279 price tag."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook 14 or the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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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