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Key Takeaways
- The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (7435) laptop offers a flexible design for tablet mode and has responsive touch inputs, making it convenient and versatile.
- With its AMD Ryzen 7000 series CPU, the laptop delivers power and performance for everyday tasks and moderate gaming.
- The long-lasting battery life, vivid display, and reliable inputs make the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 a reliable and satisfying choice for users seeking a portable and affordable laptop.
The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (7435) laptop marries portability, flexibility, and affordability. And while the hybrid laptop isn't chock-full of über-fancy specs, it delivers reliable performance that everyday laptop and tablet users will find satisfying.
Dell's Inspiron laptops have a history almost as long as the internet's release to the public—the first website launched in August 1991—while the first Inspiron came in 1999. With that kind of history comes a reputation, and despite some hurdles over the years, the Inspiron name is a trusted one. Depending on your configuration, Dell's newest line of Inspiron laptops offer an AMD Ryzen 7000 Series CPU and AMD Radeon graphics (like my test laptop) or Intel 13th Gen CPU and Intel UHD or Iris Xe GPU, plus some other solid specs. While I noticed a few performance blips using the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 laptop, I was pleased with its overall trustworthy delivery of power, long-lasting battery life, and useful hybrid forms.
Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (7435) Laptop
The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (7435) laptop features a flexible design for tablet mode, responsive touch inputs, and a modern design with portability in mind.
- Operating System
- Windows 11 Home
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7530U
- GPU
- AMD Radeon Graphics
- RAM
- 8GB
- Storage
- 512GB M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD
- Battery
- 54Wh (4 Cell, integrated)
- Display (Size, Resolution)
- 14in, 16:10, FHD+ 1920 x 1200
- Camera
- 1080p FHD
- Speakers
- 2 x up-firing speakers with Dolby Atmos Cores and Waves MaxxAudio Pro
- Memory
- On Board 8GB, LPDDR5, 4800MHz (for i3/i5)​
- Ports
- 1 x HDMI 1.4, 2 x Intel Thunderbolt 4.0 USB-C ports (DP, Power Delivery), 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, full-size SD card reader, 1 x 3.5mm universal audio / microphone jack
- Weight
- Starting weight 3.48lbs (1.58kg)
- Brand
- Dell
- Model
- 7435
- Adaptor and Battery
- 65Wh USB-C AC adapter, 54Wh integrated battery
- Card Reader
- Full SD card reader
- Keyboard
- Full-size 10 keyless spill-resistant chiclet keyboard with backlighting​
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi 6/6E, Bluetooth
- Box contents
- 1 x Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 7435 laptop, 1 x 65Wh AC adapter, 1 x
- Starting Price
- $549.99
- Long-lasting battery life
- Useful tablet mode
- AMD Ryzen 7000 series CPU quickly tackles tasks
- Vivid display and comfortable inputs
- Nice speaker quality
- Some performance stutter when heavily multitasking
- Problems running some games
- No down-firing speakers
The Design of Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (7435)
The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 laptop features an understated design. As a hybrid laptop, it has a 360-degree hinge so you can use it in what Dell calls four different modes—a laptop, a tablet, a stand (the laptop positioned with the display facing the user, keyboard facing down), or a tent (the laptop flipped inside-out, so its front edges are on a table).
Aside from this flexible functionality, the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 looks like a regular laptop with a traditional silver chassis. On the top lid, there's a Dell logo. Flip the cover, and you'll see a 14-inch FHD display, the integrated webcam recessed into the bevel-less screen, and two microphones on either side of the camera's privacy shutter.
The laptop's base features a full-size 10-keyless keyboard and a precision touchpad. The extra "key" in the top-right of the keyboard is an integrated fingerprint reader for biometrics. To each side of the keyboard is a four-inch long up-firing speaker. The bottom of the laptop houses a large cooling system.
Ports: Get Down to Basics
While the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (7435) doesn't have an excess of ports, it's got the basics. One HDMI port and two Thunderbolt 4.0 USB-C ports are on the left side of the device. On the laptop's right side is one 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack, a USB-A port, and a full-size SD card reader.
Keyboard, Touchpad, and Touchscreen: Comfy and Reliable
The inputs on the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 were a pleasure to work with. Whether I was gaming, browsing the internet, or working, the keyboard, touchpad, and touchscreen got any job done with ease.
The keyboard features a pleasant spring and light clicking sound, and the texture has a nice grit, so your fingertips stay solidly on the keys. The touchpad is large enough to be useful and small enough to prevent you from brushing your wrist against it while typing (something I, and other lazy typists, always appreciate).
When using the touchscreen, I was consistently happy with the reliability of the touch keyboard and other touch gestures. With some touchscreens, it's easy to find a million typos in a touch-typed paragraph, but the Inspiron was sensitive enough to skip most of these and autocorrect any blunders I did make.
Display and Graphics: Vibrant and Satisfying
Most light to moderate laptop users probably aren't going to fork over the extra cash for a 4K laptop, and it's questionable if 4K is worth it in a laptop unless you're a content or graphics creator. With that in mind, I felt the FHD+ display like the one on the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (7435) is more than enough to keep most users engaged in any media.
While I'm a sucker for a crisp 3-4K laptop, I found the 1920 x 1200p (otherwise known as WUXGA) resolution plenty for casual gaming and streaming. On YouTube, I could still see plenty of details, such as the tiny hairs on a meerkat's head or the texture of a jagged cliffside.
I did notice that YouTube videos from creators who regularly post in 4K were noticeably less detailed, but mostly because I wasn't staring at every pore and movement like they were directly in front of me. I enjoyed streaming shows like "The Great British Baking Show" and "Supernatural" on the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 and found the color contrast and clarity well-balanced, even in shadowy scenes. But since the screen is glossy, expect a lot of glare at particular angles. I preferred watching shows or gaming in a dim room or at nighttime because of this.
Performance: Smooth Sailing with Moderate Use
My Inspiron 14 2-in-1 held up pretty well during my crazy workloads. Pushing the RAM to its limits, I played music on Spotify, edited photos in Photoshop, and had close to 30 browser tabs open at one time. This used about 95% of the available memory, and the CPU hovered somewhere between 20 to 40%. I could multitask as I regularly would, with little problems until I ran too many programs at once. Thankfully, the CPU's six cores and 12 threads (and 19MB cache) let me get away with most of my usual routine.
I did experience issues, however, when I had around 30 tabs open, streamed YouTube and Spotify simultaneously, and worked editing some photos in Photoshop. My browser tabs and Photoshop both froze for a few minutes and the speediness dropped by about 20%. This also happened when Xbox was running in a similar working scenario. For most moderate users, this shouldn't be a problem. If you're running too many programs for the Inspiron's memory cap, just close something out and get back to work and everything should return to smooth sailing. Heavy gamers and content creators, however, might want to invest in something with a bit more guts.
Gaming: Casual Gaming is a Go
Light to moderate gaming on the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is doable, and for the most part, was quite enjoyable. But with the limits of the specs, I found the best gaming happened whenever every program—including browser windows—was closed prior to a gaming session.
I played everything from futuristic shooter "The Outer Worlds" to survival-based "Grounded" and ran into some latency issues whenever I left programs open. During "Grounded," I had to lower the game's depth of field blur and frame rate (plus close Spotify) to get smooth gameplay.
Similarly, "The Outer Worlds" struggled until I closed every other open application I had running. The Inspiron works well for any games with light to moderate resource requirements, but games with higher demands should be skipped. I also had a particular issue with one game loading to only a black screen, even after uninstalling and reinstalling it.
Tablet Mode
As a 2-in-1, the Inspiron 14 excels. Although it's a bit too bulky and heavy to hold up with one or two hands for long, I enjoyed using the Inspiron 14 in tablet mode on the couch or in bed. I could also see it being a helpful feature when traveling via airplane or bus.
The tablet doesn't come with a pen, and frankly, I didn't miss it because the touchscreen was so sensitive. However, there's a compatible Dell Active Pen you can purchase separately.
Inputs and Outputs: The Microphones, Speakers, and Webcam
The Inspiron's dual speaker system is better than one would expect considering there are only up-firing speakers. These speakers fall into the above-average category, thanks to the fact that they have Dolby Atmos Cores and Waves MaxxAudio Pro. While they aren't the best laptop speakers I've ever heard, they provided a clear sound and a loudness level that was satisfying for streaming music, movies, or playing games.
The webcam is also good quality. In bright lighting, I got a crisp video capture that made me happy enough to avoid plugging in an external webcam. However, in dim lighting, the results were not as pleasing. If bright lighting is scarce for you, you'll do better picking up one of the best webcams of 2023 to skip the frustration of fuzzy Zoom calls.
As for the integrated microphones, they have an average performance and can do well for basic video conferences, but they don't have any noise cancelation, so in noisy spaces you'll need to reduce microphone background noise some other way.
Microphone Test of the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in1 (7435) Laptop in a Quiet Environment
Microphone Test of the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in1 (7435) Laptop in a Noisy Environment
Battery Life and Charging: Long-Lasting Power
Thanks to the AMD Ryzen 7000 series CPU's improved power efficiency (it hogs less battery life than Intel 13th Gen) I experienced a long-lasting charge. On average, the battery life drained about 10 to 15% average per hour, which meant I could easily charge the device just once per day. When left in sleep, and untouched, the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 drained just 46% in about 48 hours.
Charging took a bit longer, but wasn't drastically slow. My device charged at a rate of 0.71% per minute, or 42.6% per hour.
Should You Buy the Dell 14 2-in-1 (7435) Laptop?
The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (7435) laptop is a great buy for those looking for a reliable 2-in-1 laptop with moderate specs and long-lasting battery life. With a good speaker system, sensitive and useful inputs, and an overall stand-out performance, there isn't much to lose. For those who need more storage and power, you may consider customizing your configuration for an extra cost or investing in a premium Dell like the Dell XPS 17 (2023).
You can buy the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (7435) laptop starting at $549.99 today.
Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (7435) Laptop
The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (7435) laptop features a flexible design for tablet mode, responsive touch inputs, and a modern design with portability in mind.