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Updated January 10, 2024·
Deciding between the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus involves considering balance among cost, performance, and specific use cases. The Inspiron 15 is less expensive and includes a larger screen with a number pad on the keyboard, making it suitable for general use and good for budget-conscious customers. However, its performance in intensive tasks and battery life are more modest, and it’s heavier, so it’s less portable. The XPS 13 Plus, on the other hand, costs more but offers superior performance, especially for engineering, 3D rendering, or machine learning tasks. It boasts a higher quality display with better colors and resolution, a longer battery life, and is lighter, enhancing portability. Thus, if high performance and portability are top priorities and budget is less of a concern, the XPS 13 Plus is the better choice, while the Inspiron 15 is more economical for everyday tasks. 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 3525
- The Dell Inspiron 15 3525 has no clear advantages over the Dell XPS 13 Plus.
Advantages of the Dell XPS 13 Plus
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0
8.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
259.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
374.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.1/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 is good.
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.
Engineering and Design
6.4
8.2
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 is only fair.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is better suited for engineering and design with its more powerful Intel i7 processor, higher RAM capacity, and superior OLED screen which enhance design precision and multitasking capabilities, compared to the Dell Inspiron 15 3525's more modest AMD Ryzen 5 CPU, lower RAM, and standard IPS screen. While the Inspiron 15 offers a larger screen, making it less portable, the XPS 13 Plus, being lighter and thinner, also features higher build and screen quality, which support intensive tasks better, though it might generate more operating noise due to the higher performance components.
Content Creation
7.1
8.3
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for content creation, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 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
6.9
8.3
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for software development, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 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
6.3
8.4
15.6in
SIZE
13.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
259.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
374.0 nits
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3525's screen offers adequate clarity, resolution, and brightness for everyday tasks but lacks the vibrancy and wider color gamut needed for precision in engineering and design. The XPS 13 Plus, with its higher resolution and superior color accuracy, provides a much clearer and detailed visual experience, beneficial for professional design work, though both may fall short for gaming and 3D applications due to lower refresh rates. While the XPS 13 Plus excels in display quality for general use and professional work, neither is optimized for the high refresh rates crucial for smooth gaming and 3D rendering.
Battery
6.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 15 3525 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The Dell XPS 13 Plus has 10 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
Excellent
15.6in
SIZE
13.4in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has excellent portability, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
8.5
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has very good build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$400
$1,849
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Dell Inspiron 15 3525 has a price of $400 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus costs $1,849.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.0
6.4
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus and Dell Inspiron 15 3525 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus offers a higher quality gaming and 3D experience due to its more powerful Intel Iris Xe graphics, compared to the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 which is equipped with a less powerful Vega 7 GPU from the AMD Ryzen 5 5625U series. Additionally, while both laptops have the same screen refresh rate, the Dell XPS 13 Plus features a superior OLED display with higher resolution, ensuring more vibrant and detailed visuals for gaming and 3D applications.
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How the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 3525 | Dell XPS 13 Plus |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$400 | $1,849 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2022 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 9.3'' x 0.75'' | 11.6'' x 7.8'' x 0.6'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.71 lbs | 2.71 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.11" | 11.63" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.27" | 7.84" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5625U | Intel i7-1280P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6.5 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 41 Wh | 55 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 13.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 259 nits | 374 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.8/10 | 9.2/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Dell Inspiron 15 3525
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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. Many of its slightly higher-end rivals have to be on sale (and frequently are) to match it on price, but the Inspiron 15 (3525) is outclassed even by some similarly priced options, making it a difficult recommendation."
Dell XPS 13 Plus
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | July 2022
"The XPS 13 Plus is powerful, but has its drawbacks. Dell did not only update the processor generation, but also decided to offer two completely different models from now on. The XPS 13 Plus gets the faster Intel Alder Lake-P chips, and the Core i7-1260P in our review unit offers good performance figures. However, the device once again shows the problems of the current Intel CPUs, because the high performance requires a lot of power. This affects the battery runtime as well as temperatures, so the new model (even with the Optimized power profile) is louder than the older model."
Get a great deal on the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 or the Dell XPS 13 Plus
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.
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