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What we think
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Updated January 12, 2024·
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is a more cost-effective choice that still provides decent performance for day-to-day tasks with its Intel i3 processor and integrated graphics. It's lighter and has an average battery life, making it suitable for portability and general use. However, the Lenovo Legion 5 15" offers a much more powerful AMD Ryzen processor and Nvidia RTX graphics card, larger storage, and higher RAM, making it better for gaming, 3D work, and intensive engineering programs. The trade-off for the Legion's enhanced performance is a heftier build and possibly shorter battery life due to its higher-spec components. It also has a higher resolution screen for more detailed visuals. In summary, go for the Dell if affordability and basic tasks are priorities, or the Lenovo if you need high performance for demanding applications and are prepared to invest more. 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 15 3520
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 5 15"
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.9
7.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
259.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is recognized for its high screen resolution, powerful AMD processor, more RAM, and better graphics card, making it adept for more demanding applications and therefore good for general use, but it is heavier and has a shorter battery life compared to the Dell Inspiron 15 3520, which is considered fair for general use due to its lower-spec CPU, and RAM, along with a standard screen quality but offers better portability with its lighter weight and longer battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.0
7.9
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" outperforms the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 in gaming and 3D due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, which significantly enhances gaming graphics and 3D rendering capabilities, and a higher screen refresh rate, which provides smoother visuals during fast-paced scenes. In contrast, the Dell Inspiron 15 3520, with its Intel i3-1215U UHD Graphics and lower screen refresh rate, offers more modest gaming and 3D performance, suitable for less demanding tasks.
Engineering and Design
6.3
8.2
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" excels in engineering and design due to its higher-end CPU, more RAM, and much more powerful GPU, paired with a high-quality screen with advanced resolution and color accuracy, factors crucial for demanding tasks and detailed work.
Software Development
6.7
7.3
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" 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
6.8
8.0
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
259.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Dell Inspiron's screen offers an acceptable level of clarity and brightness, but the Lenovo Legion's screen surpasses it with sharper resolution and more vibrant colors, making it very good for everyday tasks. In engineering and design, both displays provide reasonable color accuracy; however, the Legion slightly edges out with better coverage of professional color gamuts, translating to more precise color representation for detailed work. When it comes to 3D tasks, both the Dell Inspiron and Lenovo Legion fall short on high refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth visuals, hence their lower evaluation in this area despite reasonable resolutions and panel technologies.
Battery
6.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has 4 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
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.3 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 5 15" has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
7.6
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" 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
$329
$999
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has a price of $329 and the Lenovo Legion 5 15" costs $999.
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Key similarities
Content Creation
7.0
7.4
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" and Dell Inspiron 15 3520 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.
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How the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 and the Lenovo Legion 5 15" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 3520 | Lenovo Legion 5 15" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$329 | $999 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | April 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 9.3'' x 0.83'' | 14.1'' x 10.3'' x 0.95'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.65 lbs | 5.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.11" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.27" | 10.33" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i3-1215U | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6.5 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 41 Wh | 60 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 259 nits | 350 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
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."
Lenovo Legion 5 15"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | September 2021
"The Lenovo Legion 5 15 is an affordable gaming laptop with a lot of power. The new AMD processor Ryzen 7 5800H offers plenty of performance and it is also very efficient. The combination with the fast 130W version of the GeForce RTX 3060 ensures high gaming performance. We also like the fast 165 Hz display with the 1080p resolution. The automatic graphics switching causes some problems with stutters, which are very annoying. If you do not need long battery runtimes, you should definitely deactivate the hybrid graphics mode in Lenovo's Vantage app. The Legion 5 15 is never silent."
Get a great deal on the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 or the Lenovo Legion 5 15"
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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