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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420, while more expensive, offers an Intel i7 processor with a dedicated Nvidia MX570 GPU, which makes it better suited for intensive engineering tasks compared to the LG Ultra 16 that has an AMD Ryzen 7 processor with integrated Vega 8 graphics. However, the LG Ultra 16 has a larger screen and significantly better battery life, which makes it a strong contender for prolonged general use without needing to recharge often. If portability and battery life are priorities for you over performance for demanding applications, you might lean towards the LG Ultra 16, whereas if you require more power for tasks like 3D rendering or engineering software, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 would be the better choice despite its higher price. 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
- Good overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Good keyboard
Advantages of the LG Ultra 16
- Excellent battery life
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.5
6.2
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
279.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
270.0 nits
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has a better screen than the LG Ultra 16 for general use, and engineering and design, while the LG Ultra 16 has a better screen for software development.
When considering general use, both the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and the LG Ultra 16 fall into the fair category due to their adequate resolution and brightness, which are crucial for a good viewing experience, but they may lack the top-tier panel quality found in higher-end models. For engineering and design tasks, these laptops provide acceptable screen quality with decent coverage of color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, important for color accuracy, though they don't match the precision of professional monitors dedicated for this work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, their lower refresh rates make them less suitable, as these activities benefit from higher refresh rates combined with better resolution and panel types to deliver smoother and more detailed visuals.
Battery
10.0 Hours
17.0 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has 10 hours of battery life. The LG Ultra 16 has 17 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.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.6
7.7
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
279.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
270.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
17.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The LG Ultra 16 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 are both good for general use.
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and the LG Ultra 16 are both good for general use; the Dell has a powerful Intel i7 processor with a dedicated Nvidia graphics card and delivers high-quality visuals through its IPS display, albeit with a slightly heavier frame and shorter battery life. In contrast, the LG boasts a competitive AMD Ryzen 7 processor with integrated Vega 8 graphics, a larger screen size for more immersive viewing, top-notch heat management with silent operation, and a longer battery life, at the cost of a less potent speaker system and keyboard quality.
Gaming and AI
6.4
6.2
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and LG Ultra 16 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420, with its Nvidia MX570 GPU, is on par for gaming and 3D tasks with the LG Ultra 16, which relies on AMD's integrated Vega 8 graphics; both are fair performers due to having standard screen refresh rates of 60Hz, which are less suited for high-end gaming that benefits from higher refresh rates. Despite differences in screen resolutions and integrated versus dedicated GPUs, neither laptop is designed for intensive gaming, although they can handle less demanding games and 3D applications reasonably well.
Engineering and Design
7.1
7.0
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and LG Ultra 16 are both good for engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.5
7.7
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The LG Ultra 16 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
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The LG Ultra 16 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.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
3.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Inspiron 14 5420 to have very good portability, while the LG Ultra 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0
6.5
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Inspiron 14 5420 to have good build quality, while the LG Ultra 16 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$971
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has a price of $971 and the LG Ultra 16 costs $1,000.
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How the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and the LG Ultra 16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5420 | LG Ultra 16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$971 | $1,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | March 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.4'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.64'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.4 lbs | 3.63 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.36" | 14.02" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.96" | 9.78" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1255U | AMD Ryzen 7 7730U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 17 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 54 Wh | 72 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2240 x 1400 | 1920 x 1200 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 279 nits | 270 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.3/10 | 7.9/10 | |
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 | 10/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
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."
LG Ultra 16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Jentsch | October 2022
"Unlike the gram, the Ultra PC isn't designed to be as lightweight as possible. The 16-inch laptop is a whole 400 g (0.88 lb) heavier than its 16-inch gram counterpart partly because its chassis is not made of magnesium. Other than that, the Ultra PC seems like a copy of the gram – but with longer battery life, lower noise levels, and a clean, delicate look."
Get a great deal on the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 or the LG Ultra 16
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 LG
LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, and are often on sale.
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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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