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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420, with its lighter weight and smaller screen, is more portable and suitable for general use or business, also offering good battery life. Consider the Dell for everyday tasks and easy carrying, or opt for the Lenovo if you need more power and are using it for specialized tasks, understanding that it's a bit bulkier and will need charging more frequently. 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 portability
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4
8.0
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i provides a more immersive gaming and 3D experience as it comes with a superior Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 165Hz, enhancing visual fluidity and gaming performance. Conversely, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 comes with a less powerful Nvidia MX570 GPU and a standard 60Hz refresh rate, which results in fair gaming performance but lacks the graphical finesse and smooth motion of higher-end gaming systems.
Engineering and Design
7.1
8.4
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is good.
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is seen as good for engineering and design because of its competent CPU and dedicated Nvidia GPU, along with good screen resolution and color accuracy, all packed into a lighter chassis translating to higher portability.
Screen Quality
6.5
8.1
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
279.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 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 adequate resolution and brightness, offers a satisfactory display experience for general tasks, but it may lack the color accuracy and gamut coverage that engineering and design professionals need for precise work. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i excels in providing sharp and vibrant visuals for both general use and professional design tasks, owing to its higher quality display that covers a wider range of colors, making it suitable for detailed color work. However, both models fall short for 3D applications and gaming because of their lower refresh rates, which means less smoothness in fast-paced visuals that are key for these activities.
Battery
10.0 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has 3.5 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.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
5.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.6
7.5
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
279.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.6/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i are both good for general use.
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is a solid choice for general use with its balance of CPU and RAM, a decent display, and very good portability bolstered by a decent battery life. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro also offers strong general-use performance with a powerful CPU and RAM combo, superior screen quality, but it is less portable due to its heavier weight and has a shorter battery life.
Content Creation
7.5
7.6
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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
7.5
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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.
Build Quality
7.0
7.4
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$971
$999
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has a price of $971 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i costs $999.
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How the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5420 | Lenovo Legion Pro 5i |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$971 | $999 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | March 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.4'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | 14.3'' x 10.3'' x 0.97'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.4 lbs | 5.6 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.36" | 14.31" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.96" | 10.25" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1255U | Intel i7-13700HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 3.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 54 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2240 x 1400 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 279 nits | 368 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.3/10 | 6.6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 4 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
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 Legion Pro 5i
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Brian Westover | August 2023
"The midpriced Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 follows some of our favorite gaming machines, including last year's model and the higher-end Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 tested earlier this year. But pedigree doesn't count for much in the computer world, and gaming laptops require a certain level of power and graphics performance to justify their prices. The Pro 5i Gen 8 just doesn't do that, offering middling CPU and GPU performance rather than the sort of muscle that would make it a great value."
Get a great deal on the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 or the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
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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