The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is a budget-friendly option that's lighter and offers decent general use performance, plus good battery life and portability, making it suitable for everyday tasks. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 costs more but provides substantial upgrades in performance, especially for 3D rendering, machine learning, engineering applications, and intensive gaming, with a higher-refresh-rate screen and improved battery capacity. It also has more RAM, storage, and a better graphics card, but it is heavier, which may affect its portability. Both laptops offer a backlit keyboard and multiple USB-C ports, but only the Lenovo has an Ethernet port and hardware ray tracing support. 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
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Slim 5
Good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.9/10
7.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
259.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 offers fair general use capabilities with its basic processor and RAM, suitable for everyday tasks, while its portability and battery life are decent, providing some flexibility for on-the-go use. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5, on the other hand, boasts a more advanced processor and double the RAM, enhancing performance for a broader range of activities, and despite being heavier, it compensates with a superior battery life and screen quality for an overall improved experience.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
7.7/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is better for gaming and 3D due to its high-end Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and faster screen refresh rate of 144Hz, which allows for smoother visuals and more frames per second in games. In contrast, the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has a basic integrated Intel UHD Graphics GPU and a lower refresh rate of 120Hz, which translates to less detailed graphics and could cause choppier gameplay.
Engineering and Design
6.3/10
8.0/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 surpasses the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 in engineering and design use primarily because it has a more powerful CPU, double the RAM, and a superior GPU, which are very important for demanding tasks and software. Additionally, the Legion Slim 5 has a higher-quality screen with greater brightness and a slightly larger battery, while the Dell is lighter and therefore more portable, though portability is less critical for this use case.
Content Creation
7.0/10
7.5/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 and Dell Inspiron 15 3520 are both good for content creation, though the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
6.7/10
7.4/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
6.8/10
7.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
259.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 offers a decent visual experience for everyday tasks and productivity applications due to its resolution and brightness levels, which are crucial for clarity and comfort in general use, but its limited color gamut falls short for the detailed color work needed in engineering and design, and the lower refresh rate hampers the immersive and fluid experience desired in gaming and 3D applications. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5, with better overall screen quality, excels in general use and satisfies the needs of engineering and design professionals through more accurate color reproduction, but like the Dell, doesn't provide the high refresh rates that provide the smoother visuals critical for gaming and 3D work. As a result, those focused on engineering or general use may prefer the Lenovo for its superior display color accuracy, while gamers and 3D artists should consider other models specifically tailored to their high refresh rate requirements.
Portability
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
$335
$1,000
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has a price of $335 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 costs $1,000.
"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."
"The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 acknowledges that a gaming laptop doesn’t have to be as thick as possible and can still ensure adequate cooling when the muscles need flexing. To this end, in the Slim 5 Gen 8, it finds a neat balance of refined, trimmed-down design that still lets its internals cruise (even above their max power ratings). Lenovo then added in some high-end build quality with an altogether excellent keyboard that’s useful for both work and play."
Get a great deal on the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 or the Lenovo Legion Slim 5
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.
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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