Dell Inspiron 15 3511 vs Lenovo Legion 9i

The Dell Inspiron 15 3511 is good for general use with its solid CPU and ample RAM, offering a balance of performance and battery life that suits everyday tasks in a lightweight design; however, its screen quality lags behind with lower brightness and color coverage. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 9i excels in general use, boasting a superior CPU, a high-resolution Mini LED screen with exceptional brightness and color range, and robust build quality, but is less portable and has shorter battery life due to its more powerful components and gaming-oriented features.

The Dell Inspiron 15 3511's gaming and 3D performance are limited due to an integrated graphic unit which is less powerful than a dedicated GPU, and its standard screen refresh rate is only suited for basic tasks. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion 9i excels in gaming and 3D rendering, thanks to its high-end dedicated graphic card and a much higher screen refresh rate, which provide smoother visuals and can handle demanding graphics workloads more effectively.

The Lenovo Legion 9i excels in engineering and design due to its superior Intel i9 processor, Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU, and Mini LED screen with higher resolution and brightness, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3511 has a less powerful Intel i5 processor and Intel Iris Xe graphics, paired with a lower resolution IPS screen. Although the Dell Inspiron offers decent performance for basic engineering tasks and is more portable, the Lenovo provides an enhanced experience required for intensive engineering and design applications due to its high-end components but at the cost of less portability.

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.

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.

The Dell Inspiron 15 3511 may have a display that suffices for daily tasks and some engineering work given its resolution and brightness, but its color coverage is likely not wide enough for precise design tasks and its refresh rate too low for smooth 3D rendering. The Lenovo Legion 9i, on the other hand, excels in screen quality for both general use and engineering, offering a high-resolution, bright display with wide color gamut support, ensuring accurate color representation; however, similar to the Dell, its lower refresh rate hinders the 3D gaming experience where fluid motion is key. For a balance of work and play, it's important to consider that both laptops may fall short under demanding 3D scenarios, but for productivity and professional design tasks, the Legion stands out, albeit possibly at a higher price point.

Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.

PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.