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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 16, 2024·
If your priority is to save money and you're looking for a basic laptop for general use, the Dell Inspiron 15 3530 could be a suitable choice. However, if you prefer a laptop that is slimmer, potentially has better performance, and you don't mind spending a bit more, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i may be a better option. Keep in mind that a slimmer design like the IdeaPad's often comes with a tradeoff in terms of less upgradeability and possibly fewer ports. If you plan to perform tasks that require more processing power or you value a sleeker design and possibly longer battery life, leaning towards the Lenovo could be beneficial. Conversely, if affordability and a potentially more rugged build are higher priorities, then the Dell Inspiron might be the way to go. 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 IdeaPad Slim 7i.
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i
- Good for engineering and design
- Good overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.6
6.9
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
220.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
340.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 15 3530 for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i, with its superior resolution and brightness, offers clearer and more vibrant visuals compared to the Dell Inspiron 15 3530, ensuring a better browsing and media consumption experience. In engineering and design tasks where color accuracy is crucial, the IdeaPad's better coverage of professional color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB makes it a more suitable choice for those who work with graphic design or video editing. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to their poor refresh rates, but the shortfall is slightly more tolerable on the Dell Inspiron 15 3530, which despite its lower overall screen quality, may handle motion in games a bit better due to its panel type.
Battery
6.5 Hours
11.5 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 15 3530 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i 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.
Portability
Good
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
2.9 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i has very good portability, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3530 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
7.8
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i 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
$899
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Dell Inspiron 15 3530 has a price of $722 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i costs $899.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.4
7.7
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
220.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
340.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
11.5 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.9/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i and Dell Inspiron 15 3530 are both good for general use.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3530 is well-suited for general use with a solid CPU, adequate RAM, and a quality IPS screen, while being slightly heavier impacting its portability despite a decent battery life; additionally, it offers good keyboard quality and excellent heat management. Conversely, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i, also good for general use, boasts a more powerful CPU, a similarly equipped IPS screen with higher brightness and color coverage, and better portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life, along with higher-rated keyboard and speaker quality but comes with a shorter refresh rate display.
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.2
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 15 3530 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3530 offers better gaming and 3D experience due to its higher screen refresh rate, which can provide smoother motion in games compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i. However, the IdeaPad Slim 7i excels in screen quality with superior color coverage and contrast ratio, which enhances visual experience but doesn't match the gaming fluidity of the Dell due to its standard refresh rate.
Engineering and Design
6.9
7.1
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i to be good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3530 is only fair.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3530 is equipped with an Intel i5 CPU, integrated Iris Xe graphics, and a 15.6" screen with modest color coverage and contrast ratio, making it suitable for engineering tasks that don't require the most powerful components or the best screen quality. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i features a faster Intel i7 CPU, the same integrated Iris Xe GPU, and a 14" screen with higher color accuracy, which benefits more detail-oriented design work, while still offering enough power for most engineering applications.
Content Creation
7.3
7.7
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i 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
7.5
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i 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.
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How the Dell Inspiron 15 3530 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 3530 | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$722 | $899 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | October 1, 2020 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 9.3'' x 0.65'' | 12.6'' x 8.2'' x 0.59'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.64 lbs | 2.99 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.11" | 12.62" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.25" | 8.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1335U | Intel i7-1165G7 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6.5 Hours | 11.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 41 Wh | 60.7 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 220 nits | 340 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8/10 | 8.9/10 | |
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 | 9.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 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 | 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
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Ted Needleman
| January 2022
"Among Lenovo's multiple laptop brands, the IdeaPad family is decidedly the one designed for consumers: people who want decent performance at a reasonable price. Consider, then, this laptop a paragon for the pickier members of that crowd. With a 14-inch touch-enabled display, a comfortable keyboard, an Evo-certified Intel Core i7 11th Generation CPU, and the latest Windows 11 operating system, the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro ultraportable ($1,199 as tested) is a slick mainstream machine at a bit of a premium price, and quite capable for everyday tasks."
Get a great deal on the Dell Inspiron 15 3530 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i
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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