If you prioritize a larger screen and slightly better storage, the Dell Inspiron 16 5635 would be suitable, especially if a lower price is important to you. However, it's bulkier and heavier, which may impact portability. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 offers a more compact and lightweight option with a superior build quality, a better keyboard, and longer battery life, making it more portable and well-suited for business use, although it has less storage and costs a bit more. If touchscreen capability, facial recognition, and a higher quality display are important to you, the Lenovo would be the better option. 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 16 5635
Very good for general use
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
Good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Excellent portability
Very good battery life
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.6/10
7.0/10
16.0in
SIZE
13.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
265.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
379.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 16 5635 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, the Dell Inspiron 16 5635's screen may not be as sharp or vivid due to average resolution and brightness, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 offers a clearer, brighter display. In engineering and design, the ThinkPad’s better color coverage ensures more accurate color representation, which is crucial for detailed work, unlike the Inspiron with its fair color range. However, both laptops may fall short for gaming and 3D tasks as they lack high refresh rates, which is key for smoothness in fast-paced visuals.
Battery
8.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 16 5635 has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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
16.0in
SIZE
13.3in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has excellent portability, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5635 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0/10
8.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has very good build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5635 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$700
$1,000
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Dell Inspiron 16 5635 has a price of $700 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 costs $1,000.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Inspiron 16 5635 to be very good for general use, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is good.
The Dell Inspiron 16 5635 excels in general use with a large screen, ample storage, and excellent heat management, ensuring silent operation, but it is less portable and has shorter battery life compared to the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13, which offers greater portability, a higher resolution touch screen with better color accuracy, and longer battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
6.3/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.1/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Dell Inspiron 16 5635 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Dell Inspiron 16 5635's integrated Vega 8 graphics in its AMD Ryzen processor offer modest gaming performance but are limited for demanding 3D tasks, complemented by a standard 60Hz refresh rate screen which is adequate for casual gaming but not ideal for fast-paced or competitive games. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 also has integrated graphics, specifically the AMD Radeon 680M, which provide similar gaming performance with the same 60Hz screen refresh rate, but its smaller screen and slightly higher pixel density mean a sharper but smaller display for gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
7.3/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Inspiron 16 5635 and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 are both good for engineering and design.
The Dell Inspiron 16 5635 is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Vega 8 GPU, combined with a 16-inch IPS screen of high resolution, making it well-suited for engineering and design tasks that require a large, quality display and capable processing power. Meanwhile, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 offers a similarly powerful AMD Ryzen 7 CPU with a Radeon 680M GPU, but stands out with its smaller, highly portable design and touch-enabled, high brightness & color-accurate 13.3-inch screen, favored for on-the-go productivity and detail-oriented work.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.8/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Inspiron 16 5635 and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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
7.7/10
7.7/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Dell Inspiron 16 5635 and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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 16 5635 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 compare to other laptops
"Compared to the previous year’s Inspiron, Dell upgraded the screen aspect ratio on this generation, but also transitioned to a more minimalistic centered keyboard flanked by up-firing speakers. The 16-inch screen is huge plus and I really appreciate the extra real estate without sacrificing the footprint much. This year’s model is a little larger than last, though, as the former model was already very small for a 15 incher."
"In the premium ultraportable space, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 competes with the best of the best, and still manages to shine. The design is an impressive departure from the bland bare-metal laptop that's become so popular in recent years, and the AMD-powered system has performance that's just as impressive. It's a stark alternative to the Intel-based majority, and it stands up well enough to the impressive Apple M2 processor."
Get a great deal on the Dell Inspiron 16 5635 or the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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