Following the lead of Lenovo and HP, Dell has introduced its own Yoga-like 11-inch notebook, the Inspiron 11 3000 Series. This system's screen folds back 360 degrees, converting from a traditional clamshell into a tablet, making this $449 hybrid a teampting option for those who want a tablet and notebook in one.
We took the Insprion 11 3000 for a quick spin and liked its build quality, keyboard, and fairly slim profile.
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Like the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 11, the Dell Inspiron 11 has an 11.6-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1366 x 768. Its IPS panel means that viewing angles should be fairly wide, important when you're using it in tablet mode.
Weighing 3.07 pounds, the Inspiron 11 is slightly heavier than the 2.8-pound Yoga, but we like its sleek looks and island-style spill-resistant keyboard. Dell estimates that the 3-cell 43-wHr battery in the Inspiron 11 should last up to 7.5 hours, slightly less than our ultraportable average. However, if Dell hits that mark it would be about two hours longer than the Yoga 11.
Ports include three USB (two 2.0,one 3.0), HDMI, and a full-size SD card slot--nothing spectacular, but nothing missing.
For the starting price of $449, consumers will get an Intel Celeron Dual Core N2830 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive. A more powerful Pentium Quad Core N3530 CPU, similar to what's offered in the Yoga 2 11, will also be available.
Dell Inspiron 13 7000
Dell has also announced a 13-inch convertible, the Inspiron 13 7000 Series. Unlike its 11-inch sibling, the Inspiron 13 has a slot for a built-in stylus, a nice addition. However, it's a passive, not an active stylus, as on the Surface Pro 3.
At 3.68 pounds, this system is on the heavy side as a tablet, so we expect most will use it as a laptop first. This system will come with a Core i3 or i5 processor, and can be configured with 4GB or 8GB of RAM, as well as a 500GB hybrid hard drive. Consumers will also be able to opt for a 1366 x 768 touchscreen, or a higher-resolution 1080p IPS display.
We're looking forward to testing both the Inspiron 13 7000 and the Inspiron 11 3000, and seeing how they compare to similar offerings from HP and Lenovo. While not as sleek as detachable systems, these fold-back designs could prove popular among those on a budget looking for a 2-in-1 design.
