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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Inspiron 14 5425, with its higher price, offers a stronger processor, more memory, and larger storage. It boasts a better battery and a more compact and lightweight form, making it more portable. Its display is smaller but has a higher resolution and quality which may benefit design or editing work. The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is less expensive, with a larger screen though at a standard resolution, and a higher refresh rate that can be good for smoother visuals. However, it has a smaller battery and lower performance due to its basic processor and lesser memory and storage. Your choice should depend on how much you value portability, screen quality, and performance against the lower cost and larger display size. 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 5425
- Good for general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for software development
- Good overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
- Good speakers
- Good keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 15 3520
- The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has no clear advantages over the Dell Inspiron 14 5425.
Key differences
General Use
7.7
6.9
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
279.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
259.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 is good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 offers superior performance for general use with its more powerful AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, double the RAM, and better battery life compared to the Dell Inspiron 15 3520, which has an Intel i3 CPU and less RAM, impacting multitasking and speed. Additionally, the Inspiron 14 5425's higher resolution and pixel density screen provides crisper visuals, while the Inspiron 15 3520, despite a larger screen size, offers a lower screen quality.
Engineering and Design
7.0
6.3
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 is good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 is better for engineering and design because it has a more powerful CPU, double the RAM, and a more capable integrated GPU compared to the Dell Inspiron 15 3520, which has a basic Intel CPU and less RAM, making it less suitable for demanding tasks. Additionally, the Inspiron 14 5425 has a higher screen resolution and better screen quality, which benefit detailed engineering and design work, although the Inspiron 15 3520 offers a larger screen and a higher refresh rate which could be more comfortable for extended use, but it comes at the cost of lower battery life and less portability.
Content Creation
7.5
7.0
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 and Dell Inspiron 15 3520 are both good for content creation, though the Dell Inspiron 14 5425 is somewhat better.
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
7.5
6.7
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 is good for software development, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
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.
Screen Quality
6.3
6.8
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
279.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
259.0 nits
The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 for software development, and content creation, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
When considering laptops for general use, the Dell Inspiron 14 5425 and Inspiron 15 3520 have fair screen quality, primarily because their resolutions and brightness are adequate for daily tasks like browsing and watching videos, but the panel type may not offer the most vibrant colors. For engineering and design work, the screens on both laptops provide fair quality due to acceptable resolution and brightness, but professionals may find their color gamuts lacking for precise color work. Gamers and those involved in 3D work would find both screens less suitable, as neither laptop offers the high refresh rates necessary for fluid motion, and while the resolution and panel type might be serviceable, they don't excel in these areas.
Battery
12.0 Hours
6.5 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 has 12 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has 6.5 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
6.2
The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 has good build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$500
$329
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 has a price of $500 and the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 costs $329.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.2
6.0
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 and Dell Inspiron 15 3520 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.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
3.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Inspiron 14 5425 to have very good portability, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Dell Inspiron 14 5425 and the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5425 | Dell Inspiron 15 3520 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$500 | $329 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.4'' x 9'' x 0.75'' | 14.1'' x 9.3'' x 0.83'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.4 lbs | 3.65 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.36" | 14.11" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.96" | 9.27" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5825U | Intel i3-1215U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 12 Hours | 6.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 54 Wh | 41 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 279 nits | 259 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7/10 | 6.3/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.1/10 | 7.7/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
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 | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Dell Inspiron 14 5425
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | August 2022
"A slim chassis, an acceptable weight (1.6 kg) and a real-world battery life of almost 13 hours turn the Inspiron into a mobile companion. Good: The battery can not only be charged using Dell's proprietary power adapter, but also with a universal USB-C power adapter (min. 45 watts). Office and Internet applications are handled by the built-in combination of Ryzen 5 5625U APU and 16 GB of RAM just as easily as modest computer games. Heat and noise development are generally okay, but the laptop should work a bit quieter under full load."
Dell Inspiron 15 3520
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Mark Knapp | January 2023
"Dell's Inspiron 15 (3525) is a peppy-enough and affordable-enough home or remote work machine, but it's not very ambitious; it does little to go beyond the basics. More the concern: It’s readily overshadowed by a number of machines that outperform and outclass it. Even if the Inspiron can get the job done today, its competition has the mettle to keep doing the job tomorrow in a way the Inspiron simply can’t promise. Plus, those alternatives are much more enjoyable after work."
Get a great deal on the Dell Inspiron 14 5425 or the Dell Inspiron 15 3520
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.
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About the laptop team
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CEO and Laptops Editor
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
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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