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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Inspiron 15 3525 is significantly less expensive and offers a good balance for general use with ample storage and a decent processor, though its performance for 3D, machine learning, and engineering tasks is limited. It's bulkier and has a larger 15.6-inch touchscreen but with a lower quality display. Its battery life is modest and it's less portable. On the other hand, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is a premium model with powerful capabilities for intensive tasks like engineering, 3D rendering, and machine learning, thanks to its high-end processor and graphics. It has a superior display in terms of resolution, brightness, and color, making it a great choice for creative professionals. It also has a higher price, a smaller but sharper 14.5-inch touchscreen, and overall better build quality, keyboard, and speakers. The Slim Pro 9i is slightly more portable and offers longer battery life suitable for on-the-go usage. 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 Lenovo Slim Pro 9i.
Advantages of the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Best in class overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0
8.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
259.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
618.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 is good.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3525 offers moderate performance with its CPU and RAM, which suffices for general tasks, but its screen quality, hefty build, and shorter battery life compared to premium models affect its suitability for demanding and mobile users. In contrast, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i provides exceptional CPU performance, high-quality RAM and display, excellent portability with its lightweight design, and long battery life, ensuring smooth performance in a wider range of activities including those requiring mobility.
Gaming and AI
6.0
7.6
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 is only fair.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i offers superior gaming and 3D performance over the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card and a higher screen refresh rate, which make for smoother visuals and more responsive gameplay. Additionally, the Lenovo's CPU is better suited for these tasks, and its Mini LED screen provides better quality with higher brightness and color accuracy compared to the Dell's IPS panel.
Engineering and Design
6.4
8.9
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 is only fair.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3525 is equipped with a moderate AMD processor and graphics, with a standard RAM capacity and an IPS screen, making it a fair choice for engineering and design tasks that don't require intense computing power. In contrast, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i boasts a more powerful Intel processor and Nvidia graphics, a significantly higher amount of RAM, and a superior Mini LED display with higher resolution, which collectively make it an excellent option for more demanding engineering and design workloads.
Content Creation
7.1
8.5
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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
9.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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
9.6
15.6in
SIZE
14.5in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
259.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
618.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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 may offer a standard screen resolution and brightness suited for daily tasks, but it likely lacks the wide color gamut and higher resolution that the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i boasts, ensuring more vivid and accurate colors for professional design work. However, for gaming and 3D applications where a high refresh rate keeps visuals smooth, neither laptop's display is optimized due to their focus on color and resolution over the fastest possible screen refresh. Therefore, while the Lenovo's display is superior for general use and color-critical work, enthusiasts in gaming and 3D modeling would benefit from a laptop tailored to those specific needs with a faster refresh rate display.
Build Quality
6.2
8.0
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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
$1,500
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Dell Inspiron 15 3525 has a price of $400 and the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i costs $1,500.
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Key similarities
Battery
6.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 15 3525 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has 6 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
Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.5in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Dell Inspiron 15 3525 and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 and the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 3525 | Lenovo Slim Pro 9i |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$400 | $1,500 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2022 | February 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 9.3'' x 0.75'' | 12.9'' x 9.6'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.71 lbs | 3.7 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.11" | 12.9" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.27" | 9.64" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5625U | Intel i7-13705H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6.5 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 41 Wh | 75 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14.5" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3072 x 1920 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 259 nits | 618 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.8/10 | 7.7/10 | |
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 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
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."
Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Matthew S. Smith | August 2023
"The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is an impressive laptop with a brilliant Mini-LED display, a powerful 100-watt version of Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics, and excellent connectivity. Having run the Cinebench benchmark again, we were impressed with the CPU performance. That makes the Slim Pro 9i is an easy recommendation, especially for those who care about GPU and CPU performance. It’s also a fantastic choice if you frequently view HDR movies and games on your laptop."
Get a great deal on the Dell Inspiron 15 3525 or the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
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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