Dell Inspiron 13 7370 Review - Capable Mid-range Bezel-less Laptop
Meet the Inspiron 13 7370 |
Like the higher-end XPS series, the Inspiron 13 7370 also has the company's infinity display technology with tiny top and side bezels. It has a 13.3-inch FHD+ IPS screen, 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U chip, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD storage, and a fingerprint reader for just PHP 51,990.
Now, let's check if it is the right mid-range grade business grade laptop for you!
Here's our review!
Dell Inspiron 13 7370 Specs
Weight: 1,400 g
Disclaimer: This unit was borrowed from Dell Philippines for our unbiased review.
Note: The Dell Inspiron 13 7370 will come with a traditional laptop box with the usual proprietary charger.
Build Quality / Design
Lightweight metal clad build |
The Dell Inspiron 13 7370 has one of the best build and design at this price point. The body is made out of mostly metal which feels durable even if it is considered as a lightweight laptop (1.4kg). In particular, it measures at just 309.7 x 215.7 x 16.42 mm which is 2.53 mm slimmer than its predecessor, the Inspiron 7460.
Cooling system at the back |
The design also looks very modern. Why? It has tiny bezels! The 7370 has Dell's infinity display technology with tiny top and side bezels for that near border-less look. The bottom bezel on the screen is also slimmer than the 7460. Moreover, the selfie camera is back on its traditional top bezel placement.
Ports at left |
Power button / fingerprint scanner |
The laptop is also easy to open. The edges are smooth as well. It even has 180-degree hinge design which allow users to bend the screen and make it look flat. Below, it goes with rubber stoppers below to prevent slippage.
Spacious backlit keyboard and touchpad |
The keyboard and touchpad are also spacious. It has one of the better keyboard and touchpad at this price point despite the small size of the laptop. By the way, the keyboard has water spill resistance!
On the power button, there's a fingerprint scanner. It also has the 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1x USB 3.1, 1x USB 3.1 w/ Powershare, 1x USB 2.0, 1x headphone / microphone combo on the sides.
Display Quality
Nice screen! |
This laptop has a beautiful 13.3-inch FHD IPS Truelife LED-Backlit display. Its resolution 1920 x 1080 resolution at 166 ppi is considered as sharp enough for its size. Color accuracy and balance are respectable. Since it is near bezel-less, viewing angles are wider than your usual laptop.
Wider viewing angles than old-school laptops!
It can also go bright up to 300 nits. Indoor screen performance is stellar in its class for us. However, it'll struggle with reflections and legibility for outdoor use.
There's a touchscreen version of this laptop. The one we got is a non-touchscreen variant.
Audio Quality
The 7370 has 2 speakers with Waves MaxxAudio Pro software audio enhancement. The speakers are loud with good amount of clarity and details. But, don't expect it to perform as great as other laptops with subwoofers. Bass response is thin and highs doesn't have much sparkle. Overall, it is good enough for casual users. Distortion is audible at 80 percent loudness.Headphone audio output is loud. It is clear and crisp as well. Tonal balance is respectable too. It is good enough to make most low powered headphone and earphones shine.
The microphone is pretty clear, but it has noise. If you have a higher-end dedicated mic for skyping, recordings, and calls, use it.
Battery Life
The Inspiron 13 7370 has 38WHr of battery capacity. In our real life usage test, it can last for around 7 hours of regular usage on 50 percent brightness with WiFi.But, we only got 4 hours and 15 minutes of usage under heavy usage. It include photo editing, rendering, listening to music, and occassional gaming.
For a laptop this slim, battery performance is not the best, but it is respectable.
Dell claimed that it also has fast charging. In our experience, it is fast enough at around 2 hours from 0 to 100 percent.
Camera
Exposed outdoor shot, thanks Yrda and Ida for the photo |
Unfortunately, like most notebooks, there's not much to say about it. It only has an HD webcam that is only decent to use in well-lit places. For indoor use, it'll be very grainy. It can record up to 720p HD videos and has face recognition though.
Indoor selfie shot |
Performance
Good scores! |
Inside, this notebook is powered by Intel's 8th Gen Core i5-8250U quad-core processor paired with Intel UHD Graphics 620.
Dxdiag screenshot |
That chipset is more than fast enough for a laptop at this price point. the Intel UHD Graphics 620 can also play some heavy games at alow settings and render some videos, but don't expect it to perform as well as dedicated GPUs. Sadly, this device has no dedicated graphics card.
Fast enough performance, large SSD storage!
Fortunately, Dell paired it with large enough non-upgradable 8GB DDR4 RAM (There's a more expensive 16GB RAM variant though). As a result, our multitasking experience on casual usage is mostly great.
As a matter of fact, we were able switch from Chrome on at least 10 tabs, Photoshop, Vegas, Spotify, Google Keep, and Notepad++ apps with ease.
For heavier apps, you will experience minor stutters, but it is acceptable. Thermal management could have been better when running the likes of Photoshop and Sony Vegas.
Dell also added 256GB SSD storage which is (obviously) faster than your regular HDD. Sadly, it has no separate HDD like the 7460 to keep the laptop slim.
My tip is you must have an external HDD for your heavier files.
WiFi connectivity is somehow strong and stable. We also like that it has a fingerprint scanner. It works, but it isn't as accurate and speedy compared to the fingerprint scanners found on modern smartphones.
Pros - Stunning design, tiny bezels, backlit water spill resistant keyboard, fast performance, plenty of ports
Cons - Thermal management should have been better, no dedicated GPU, storage not expandable
Verdict
The Dell Inspiron 13 7370 variant with Core i5-8250U, 8GB RAM, and 256 GB SSD storage is a solid deal for those in-need of a sleek near bezel-less screen, fast enough performance, and respectable battery life for the price.However, if you are craving for more power, go for the bulkier similarly priced laptops with better specs.
But overall, the 7370 is a must check laptop under PHP 60K. It's like the baby XPS.
Build / Design - 4.5
Display - 4.25
Audio - 3.75
Battery - 4
Camera - 2.5
Performance - 4
Average - 3.83 / 5
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