Dell has been on a winning streak for a while now especially with the mass adoption of the XPS series laptops.
The Inspiron 11 3000 2-in-1 is another PC that seems to have made quite an impression too thanks to its curvy and colorful design. Furthermore, it seems to offer a better performance than you would expect from a PC of this configuration although it would have done better with a longer battery life and brighter displays.
DESIGN
The plastic build of the Inspiron 11 3000 2-in-1 comes in playful colors which would fit right into a kids bedroom and there are colors adults would find nice too. Its 360-degree hinges are sturdy, allowing transition between laptop, tablet, tent and stand modes. In addition it has a touchscreen display which is a good way to introduce the kids to devices with touchscreen capability.
It weighs 2.9 inches more than the Asus Transformer Mini T102HA (1.8 pounds) and the Lenovo Ideapad Miix 310 (2.4 pounds) both of which have detachable designs.
The Inspiron’s HDMI-out, microSD card reader and USB 3.0 port sits on the left side while on the right are the USB 2.0 ports, headphone jack, security lock slot, power and volume buttons.
DISPLAY
The display on the Inspiron 11’s 1366 x 768 screen is a bit underwhelming and even though you don’t expect to see a 1080p screen on a laptop this cheap, pixelation is a common feature watching movies and this is a major downside.
From our tests, the Inspiron 11 produces 69% of the sRGB spectrum which is similar to 67% you get from the nontouch Inspiron. Those scores pale compare with what was gotten from the Ideapadmix (84%) and the Transformer Mini (93%). Also, the Inspiron 11 doesn’t do too well outdoors, emitting only 146 nits of brightness which affects viewing angles.
The Inspiron 11’s screen is solid for the price, and it tracks input accurately, accepting Windows 10 three-finger navigation gestures. However, you might notice it lags while doodling or dragging to select a region of space.
KEYBOARD AND TOUCHPAD
Considering the price of the Inspiron 11, the keyboard and touchpad are decent though you may find typing on it a bit slower due to the 1.2mm travel distance between keys. We did notice that the keys require 69 grams of force to actuate, a mark within the accepted range of at least 60 grams.
The layout of the keyboard is really impressive too unlike the annoyingly cramped layouts you find with the Transformer Mini and Ideapad Miix. Also, the buttonless touchpad offers a firm click on touch and registers input well.
PERFORMANCE
The N3710 processor on the Inspiron 11 coupled with 4GB of RAM allows for the very modest amount of multitasking, and you would easily run several tabs on your Chrome browser streaming on YouTube at the same time.
The transfer speed on its 500GB RAM, 5,400-rpm SATA drive is less than what’s obtained from the Transformer Mini and the Ideapad Miix 310. Also, the graphics pushed 23,692 on the 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited benchmark, beating the scores on the Transformer Mini (16,176) and the score from the Ideapad Miix (17,451).
BATTERY LIFE
For a small PC, the battery life on the Inspiron 11 is far from impressive. Our test came up with a little over 5 hours. That’s less than a half of impressive 12 hours on the Ideapad Miix.
VERDICT
If you are in need of an affordable notebook, then the Inspiron 11 3000 2-in-1 is right up your alley. The audio on the device is, and the color options are fun. However, coming to a purchase decision would have been a lot better if the screen brightness and battery life were better.
Overall, it’s a reliable option for people in need of a secondary computer or the first laptop for their kid.
