The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is a budget-friendly option with decent performance for everyday use, longer battery life, and is lighter for better portability. It's suitable for general tasks like browsing, office work, and light media consumption. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" is a midrange laptop that costs more but offers significantly better performance for gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering software, thanks to its powerful processor and graphics card. It also has a better display quality and a larger, higher-resolution screen, but it's heavier and may have a shorter battery life compared to the Dell Inspiron. 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
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16".
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16"
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.9/10
8.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
259.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
502.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" is very good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is considered fair for general use largely because it has basic specifications suitable for everyday tasks such as having an Intel i3 processor and 8 GB of RAM, along with a standard screen resolution and quality; however, its battery life is relatively short at 6.5 hours, and it delivers just adequate performance for general tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
8.2/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" is very good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 offers modest gaming performance due to its integrated Intel graphics and a lower screen refresh rate, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 has a powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card and a higher refresh rate display for robust gaming and 3D applications. The Legion's GPU and display capabilities make it better suited for demanding graphical tasks, whereas the Inspiron, with less powerful hardware, is more for casual or light gaming.
Engineering and Design
6.3/10
8.6/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has an Intel i3 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and integrated UHD Graphics, which provide enough capability for basic engineering tasks but may struggle with more intensive design and modeling work. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 boasts a high-end AMD Ryzen CPU, double the RAM at 16 GB, and an Nvidia RTX GPU, which, paired with a superior screen, makes it very well-equipped for demanding engineering and creative tasks that require robust processing and graphic capabilities, albeit at a higher cost and slightly less portability.
Content Creation
7.0/10
8.3/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" is very good for content creation, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is good.
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
8.0/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" is very 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
8.7/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
259.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
502.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
Considering your needs, the Dell Inspiron 15's display will suffice for everyday tasks and work in engineering where high color accuracy isn't critical, but the lackluster brightness and standard resolution could make it less ideal for long hours of use or precise design work. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7, with superior brightness and resolution, offers a more vibrant and sharp display, enhancing the visual experience for both general computing and detailed engineering or design tasks, although it may not satisfy the demand for fluid motion in gaming or 3D modeling because of its limited refresh rate. To make the most of 3D applications or gaming, you would benefit from a laptop with a high refresh rate, which neither of these models specializes in, but for general use and professional tasks involving color work, the Lenovo stands out as the better option.
Build Quality
6.2/10
7.6/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" 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
$1,344
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has a price of $329 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" costs $1,344.
"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 7 is a slim Legion notebook that is just as excellent with Nvidia & Intel. However, the Legion Slim 7i slightly sullied by lacklustre battery life. You get a slim aluminium chassis, great input devices, decent port selection, fast high-quality WQXGA display and great performance. Supporting Thunderbolt 4 is one advantage of the Intel/Nvidia model tested in this review. Moreover, this variant has slightly higher CPU performance as well as better GPU performance in certain applications (e.g. CUDA-based apps). The Lenovo Legion S7i is thin, premium and performant – but less efficient than its AMD counterpart."
Get a great deal on the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 or the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 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 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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