Dell Inspiron 15.6" i3535-5131BLK-PUS Carbon Black 2023

The Dell Inspiron i3535 is a budget 15.6-inch laptop with a 120Hz display, 512GB SSD, and plenty of ports for around $570. The Ryzen 5 7520U handles everyday tasks fine, but the soldered 8GB of RAM and dim 250-nit screen are real limitations. It's worth buying if you need a cheap, big-screen laptop for basic work, but skip it if you plan to keep it for more than a couple of years.

The Ryzen 5 7520U is a capable entry-level chip for web browsing, Office apps, and video streaming. It's not a powerhouse, and our database puts it in the bottom fifth for CPU performance among laptops. The integrated Radeon Graphics are fine for casual games and older titles, but don't expect to run anything demanding. The 512GB SSD is a nice inclusion at this price, and the 120Hz panel makes scrolling feel smoother than typical budget laptops. Just keep expectations in check: this is a daily driver, not a workhorse.

Stacked against the ASUS Zenbook UX3405CA or Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition, this Inspiron feels like a different class of machine. Those laptops have brighter displays, faster CPUs, and more RAM. The Lenovo Legion 5i is in another league for gaming, though it costs significantly more. Where the Inspiron wins is price and ports. You're not getting a premium experience, but you're also not paying a premium price. It's a value play, and it shows.

At $570, this Inspiron is a fair deal if you need a big-screen laptop for basic tasks. The 512GB SSD and 120Hz panel are genuinely nice touches for the money. But the soldered 8GB of RAM is the elephant in the room. You're buying a machine that's already at its memory ceiling, and that will hurt resale value and longevity. If you can stretch your budget by $100 or so, you'll find laptops with 16GB of RAM and better displays. If you can't, this will get the job done for now.

The Dell Inspiron i3535 is a budget 15.6-inch laptop that gets the basics right. You get a Ryzen 5 7520U, 512GB of NVMe storage, and a 120Hz display for around $570. That's a solid starting point for everyday work, school, and light media. The port selection is generous too, with three USB-A ports and HDMI, which is more than you'll find on many pricier ultrabooks.

But there are trade-offs. The 8GB of RAM is soldered LPDDR5, so you can't upgrade it later. The display is dim at 250 nits, and the Wi-Fi 5 card feels dated. For the price, it's a reasonable package, but it's not a machine that will age gracefully.

Skip this if you need more than 8GB of RAM, since it's soldered and can't be upgraded. Also skip it if you work in bright environments, because the 250-nit display will drive you nuts. And if you rely on Wi-Fi for video calls or large downloads, the flaky Realtek card and Wi-Fi 5 support are a real gamble. Power users, gamers, and anyone who keeps a laptop for 4+ years should look elsewhere.

This laptop is for students, office workers, and casual users who need a big screen and a full keyboard without spending a fortune. It handles everyday tasks fine and has enough storage for most people. If you're a gamer, a video editor, or someone who keeps 40 browser tabs open, look elsewhere. The 8GB of RAM and dim display will frustrate you quickly. But for basic productivity and streaming, it's a reasonable budget pick.