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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is generally more expensive but offers a dedicated graphics card, which is better for engineering and 3D tasks than the graphic capabilities of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro. However, the IdeaPad is lighter and more portable, has a higher resolution touchscreen, and provides a more vivid color display. If you need better graphic performance for specialized tasks and don't mind the extra cost and slightly heavier build, the Dell could be a better choice. Conversely, if you prioritize a lighter laptop with a superior display for general use and can work with integrated graphics, the Lenovo would suit you better. 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 Dell Inspiron 14 5420
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
- Good overall display quality
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.5
7.7
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
279.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420, with its fair screen quality for general use and engineering, likely has adequate resolution and brightness, but may have a limited color gamut which hampers performance in color-sensitive tasks. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro's very good screen suggests it offers high resolution, brightness, and wider color coverage, beneficial for detailed work in design and general use. Both laptops have screens with lower refresh rates, which along with resolution and panel type, are less suited for the fast-paced visuals required in gaming and 3D applications.
Battery
10.0 Hours
8.5 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has 8.5 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
7.0
7.8
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 both have good build quality, though the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$971
$799
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has a price of $971 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro costs $799.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.6
7.3
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
279.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.7/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro are both good for general use.
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 offers a powerful processor with a dedicated graphics card, suitable for everyday multitasking and some lightweight gaming or creative work, but its battery life is shorter compared to the Lenovo. The IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro, with its higher-resolution touchscreen and superior screen color accuracy, makes for a compelling choice for media consumption and productivity tasks, and it is slightly more portable and offers longer battery life, though it relies on integrated graphics which are less suited for graphic-intensive tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.4
6.1
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has an Nvidia MX570 GPU with a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which affects its gaming and 3D performance compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro, which uses Intel Iris Xe graphics and offers a higher screen refresh rate of 90Hz, potentially delivering a smoother visual experience for such tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.1
7.0
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.0/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro are both good for engineering and design.
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 with a more powerful dedicated Nvidia GPU and a high-end processor is better suited for engineering tasks that require more graphics processing power, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro, though it has a high-resolution screen with better color accuracy, comes with an integrated GPU which is less powerful for intensive graphical tasks but provides good screen quality for design work.
Content Creation
7.5
7.4
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.0/10
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 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
7.4
7.3
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 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
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 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 Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5420 | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$971 | $799 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.4'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | 12.3'' x 8.7'' x 0.62'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.4 lbs | 3.04 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.36" | 12.29" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.96" | 8.74" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1255U | Intel i5-11300H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 8.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 54 Wh | 60.7 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2240 x 1400 | 2880 x 1800 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 90Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 279 nits | 395 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.3/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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Dig into reviews and images
Smarthouse
Nick Ross | March 2023
"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."
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | October 2021
"The main selling point of the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro versus a regular IdeaPad Slim 7 is its faster Core H-series CPU. In reality, the Core i7-11370H is only marginally faster than the U-series Core i7-1165G7 to the point where most users are not likely to notice the benefits. The slight performance uptick comes at the cost of slightly higher power consumption as well meaning owners will have to deal with potentially warmer temperatures or louder fans to compensate. Unless if you happen to be a power user, then the regular non-Pro model will be more than enough. Once you go 90 Hz, you can't go back."
Get a great deal on the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
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.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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