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What we think
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Updated January 12, 2024·
The Dell Inspiron 15 3530 offers solid performance for its price with features suitable for general use and productivity tasks. However, the Lenovo Flex 5 has a higher storage capacity and includes a 2-in-1 convertible design that can be handy if you value versatility and tablet functionality. The Inspiron might save you some money, and while it's slightly larger and heavier, the Flex 5's lighter weight and smaller size make it more portable, and its 2-in-1 feature might be particularly attractive for presentations or creative tasks. Both come with similar RAM and a modern operating system, but the Dell's screen size is a bit more generous, which you'll appreciate if you prefer larger displays. If battery life is crucial, consider the Flex 5, which outlasts the Dell according to the specifications. Overall, choose the Inspiron for a more budget-friendly, larger-screen experience and opt for the Flex 5 if you seek portability, touch screen functionality, and longer battery life at a potentially higher cost. 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 3530
- The Dell Inspiron 15 3530 has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Flex 5 14.
Advantages of the Lenovo Flex 5 14
- Good for engineering and design
- Good overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
- Good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.6
6.4
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
220.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
277.0 nits
The Dell Inspiron 15 3530 has a better screen than the Lenovo Flex 5 14 for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Flex 5 14 has a better screen for content creation, and software development.
For general use, both the Dell Inspiron 15 3530 and the Lenovo Flex 5 14 offer adequate screen quality through their resolution and brightness, which is important for everyday tasks like browsing and document editing. In engineering and design, however, professionals may find the fair color accuracy and gamut coverage of both laptops limiting for precision work that demands true color representation. When it comes to gaming and 3D work, the lower refresh rates of these laptops mean less fluid motion and less immersive experiences compared to other laptops with higher refresh rates and better resolution, which are critical for fast-paced visuals and detailed graphic work.
Battery
6.5 Hours
11.5 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 15 3530 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has 11.5 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.
Build Quality
6.2
7.0
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has good build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3530 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$722
$950
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Dell Inspiron 15 3530 has a price of $722 and the Lenovo Flex 5 14 costs $950.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.4
7.7
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
220.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
277.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
11.5 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.3/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 and Dell Inspiron 15 3530 are both good for general use.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3530, with its Intel processor, sizable storage, and larger screen, is built for comfortable general-purpose use but offers more limited battery life and lacks a touchscreen, while the Lenovo Flex 5 14 features a Ryzen processor, double the storage capacity, a higher-resolution touchscreen that flips for tablet use, and superior battery life, making it versatile for various general uses, especially on-the-go. Both have ample memory and quality screens, but the Flex has the edge in portability and battery life, at the cost of a smaller screen size.
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.2
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 15 3530 and Lenovo Flex 5 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3530 offers a better screen refresh rate for smoother visuals in games and 3D applications, while the Lenovo Flex 5 has a higher-resolution display for crisper images but at a lower refresh rate. Both laptops have integrated GPUs which are capable but not optimal for intensive gaming; the Dell's GPU is more tuned for such tasks, but the Lenovo's offers versatility with its 2-in-1 convertible design and superior screen quality.
Engineering and Design
6.9
7.0
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Flex 5 14 to be good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3530 is only fair.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3530 offers a solid performance with its Intel i5 processor and integrated graphics, suitable for engineering and design tasks, and its high refresh rate screen provides smooth visuals, although its colors aren't as vibrant. In contrast, the Lenovo Flex 5 14 stands out with its AMD Ryzen 7 processor with stronger integrated graphics and a higher resolution touchscreen that enhances interactive design work, while also being slightly more portable and offering a significantly longer battery life, making it a more versatile option for on-the-go engineers.
Content Creation
7.3
7.6
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 and Dell Inspiron 15 3530 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.
Software Development
7.2
7.4
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 and Dell Inspiron 15 3530 are both good for software development.
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.
Portability
Good
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Flex 5 14 to have very good portability, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3530 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Dell Inspiron 15 3530 and the Lenovo Flex 5 14 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 3530 | Lenovo Flex 5 14 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$722 | $950 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | December 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 9.3'' x 0.65'' | 12.3'' x 8.9'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.64 lbs | 3.42 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.11" | 12.32" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.25" | 8.85" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1335U | AMD Ryzen 7 7730U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 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 | 11.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 41 Wh | 52.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1200 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 220 nits | 277 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8/10 | 8.3/10 | |
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 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
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 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Lenovo Flex 5 14
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | May 2021
"The highlight of the latest IdeaPad Flex 5 14 is clearly its AMD CPU. The octa-core Ryzen 7 5700U is insanely fast even when compared to the best Tiger Lake Ultrabooks in the market or even Core H CPUs in many gaming laptops. It's a lot of raw processing power for what is supposed to be a budget 14-inch convertible. If your daily workloads can benefit from extra multi-thread CPU performance, then look no further than the inexpensive AMD-powered Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14. For regular on-the-road browsing or video streaming, however, a slimmer and lighter 10th gen Core Yoga, Spectre, or XPS would be a more balanced option."
Get a great deal on the Dell Inspiron 15 3530 or the Lenovo Flex 5 14
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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