The Dell Inspiron 14 7420 offers a balance of performance and portability with a slightly higher price and a good display. It has a solid build, a backlit keyboard, and is well-suited for general use and less intense engineering tasks. However, its battery life is shorter compared to the LG Ultra 16, which offers great battery life and silent operation with fanless design, making it a strong choice for extended use on the go, although it has a lower build and keyboard quality. Both have similar storage, RAM, and touchscreens, but if you need longer unplugged usage, consider the LG Ultra 16, or if you prioritize better performance and design, the Dell might be a better fit. 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 7420
Good overall build quality
Very good portability
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the LG Ultra 16
Good for engineering and design
Excellent battery life
Good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.2/10
6.2/10
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
260.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
270.0 nits
The LG Ultra 16 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 7420 for content creation, and software development.
If you prioritize a clear, sharp display for activities like browsing or document editing, both the Dell Inspiron 14 and LG Ultra 16 have displays that meet these needs, but their lower brightness might not be ideal in brightly lit environments. For engineering and design, where accurate colors are crucial, these laptops may fall short due to their limited coverage of professional color spaces, leading to less precise color representation. When it comes to gaming or working with 3D content, the lower refresh rate of these screens can result in less fluid motion, and while their resolutions are acceptable, they won't provide the quickest visual response times desired for fast-paced gaming or smooth 3D animation work.
Battery
7.5 Hours
17.0 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 14 7420 has 7.5 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.
Build Quality
7.4/10
6.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 7420 has 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
$801
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Dell Inspiron 14 7420 has a price of $801 and the LG Ultra 16 costs $1,000.
The LG Ultra 16 and Dell Inspiron 14 7420 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
6.2/10
6.2/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 7420 and LG Ultra 16 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
Both the Dell Inspiron 14 7420 and the LG Ultra 16 are considered fair for gaming and 3D due to their similar integrated graphics capabilities, which provide adequate but not top-tier performance, and standard 60Hz screen refresh rates that are fine for casual gaming but might not satisfy serious gamers who prefer faster displays. Additionally, while they both have decent CPUs and screen quality, they don't reach the high-end graphics performance desired by heavy gamers or professionals working with advanced 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
6.9/10
7.0/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers LG Ultra 16 to be good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7420 is only fair.
The Dell Inspiron 14 7420 is well-suited for engineering and design due to its powerful Intel i7 processor, ample RAM, and capable integrated graphics, along with an IPS display that offers decent color coverage and brightness. Meanwhile, the LG Ultra 16 features a comparable AMD Ryzen 7 processor with integrated Vega graphics, a larger screen with IPS technology for quality viewing, and a fanless design for silent operation but has slightly less color accuracy in its display, making both laptops strong contenders for such work, with tradeoffs in screen size and acoustics.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.7/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The LG Ultra 16 and Dell Inspiron 14 7420 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
7.3/10
7.5/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The LG Ultra 16 and Dell Inspiron 14 7420 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
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
3.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Inspiron 14 7420 to have very good portability, while the LG Ultra 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Dell Inspiron 14 7420 and the LG Ultra 16 compare to other laptops
"Notable qualities of the Inspiron 7420 2-in-1 include the 16:10 aspect ratio, strong hinges, 12th gen Intel CPU with optional GeForce MX graphics, and easy serviceability. Such features would typically cost hundreds of dollars more on higher-end alternatives from competing manufacturers. The value proposition is therefore relatively high for users looking to maximize bang for the buck."
"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 7420 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.
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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