Dell 15 2026, Core i7-1355U, 16GB, 512GB SSD, Carbon Black

The Dell 15 pairs a solid 10-core i7-1355U with a disappointing 250-nit display. Gaming performance is a brutal 15.3 out of 100, so this is strictly a productivity machine. At $695 it's a decent deal, but the $860 listings are overpriced for what you get.

The Core i7-1355U is the star here, and it's a solid performer for everyday work. 10 cores and 12 threads with a 5.0GHz max turbo means it chews through browser tabs, Office apps, and light creative work without breaking a sweat. But here's the thing: in our database, this CPU only lands in the 43rd percentile. That's about average for laptops overall, which tells you how far laptop silicon has come. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM helps keep things snappy, though that's also middle of the pack at the 51st percentile.

The integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics are fine for streaming and spreadsheets, but don't expect much else. Gaming performance scores a brutal 15.3 out of 100, which is one of the worst we've seen. The 512GB SSD is quick for boot times and file access, but capacity-wise it's in the 37th percentile. You'll be leaning on cloud storage or external drives before long.

Stacked against the competition, the Dell 15 has a tough time. The Apple MacBook Pro M5 absolutely destroys it in display quality, GPU performance, and battery life, though you'll pay significantly more. The Lenovo Legion 5i and ASUS ROG Flow are gaming machines that make this Dell's 15.3 gaming score look embarrassing, but they're heavier and pricier. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition is probably the closest competitor, and it beats the Dell on screen quality and build while trading blows on CPU performance. Even the Acer Predator Helios Neo, despite being a gaming laptop, offers a better display and more storage for not much more money. The Dell's only real advantage is price at the low end and the touchscreen, which some of these competitors lack.

Pricing is all over the place. US listings range from $695 to $860, a spread of $165 for what should be the same machine. That's a huge gap, and it means you need to shop carefully. The CAD listing at $1,000 is a different market entirely, so don't try to compare those numbers directly. At the low end of the US range, you're getting a decent productivity laptop for the money. At $860, you're paying a premium for a machine with a below-average screen and questionable reliability. The best deal is clearly at the $695 end, assuming you can find a seller that isn't cutting corners on the listing.

The Dell 15 is a study in contradictions. You've got a 13th Gen Intel Core i7-1355U with 10 cores and a 5.0GHz turbo ceiling, paired with 16GB of DDR5 and a 512GB SSD. That's a genuinely capable productivity setup. But then you look at the display: 250 nits of brightness and 45% NTSC color coverage. That's not just mediocre, it's a weak spot that lands in the bottom half of our database. The screen is the window to everything you do, and this window is a bit dim and washed out.

Customer ratings sit at 4.2 out of 5 across 30 reviews, which puts social proof in the 85th percentile. People generally like this thing. But reliability scores tell a different story, landing in the 33rd percentile. One reviewer had their unit quit working after about a month. The specs say business laptop, but the reliability numbers say budget machine with a fancy processor sticker.

Skip this if you care about your screen. The 250-nit, 45% NTSC display is a weak spot that lands in the bottom half of our database, and it's the thing you'll stare at for hours every day. Also skip it if you want any kind of gaming, the 15.3 out of 100 gaming score speaks for itself. And if reliability matters to you, the 33rd percentile reliability ranking combined with reports of early hardware failures should give you pause. Creative professionals, gamers, and anyone who values longevity should look elsewhere. This is a machine for basic productivity and web browsing, nothing more.

The Dell 15 is a capable office machine hiding behind a disappointing display. The i7-1355U and 16GB of RAM will keep you productive for years, and the 4.2-star customer rating suggests most buyers are happy. But that 250-nit screen with 45% NTSC coverage is a daily reminder that you bought a budget laptop with a mid-range processor. If you can find it at $695, it's a reasonable deal for students and office workers who mostly dock to an external monitor. At $860, you're better off looking at the Surface Laptop or saving a bit more for something with a screen that doesn't make you squint.