Dell Inspiron 15 vs HP Pavilion 15

Rank	Picture	Name	Shops
#1		Dell Inspiron 15 Brand: Dell Model Name: Insprion 3501	Price
#2		HP Pavilion 15 Brand: HP Series: 15-eg1000TU	Price

Both HP and Dell are well-known for professional laptops. Hence, this article compares two professional laptops from these brands. The Dell Inspiron 15 vs HP Pavilion 15 vsare new entries in the HP Pavilion and Dell Inspiron line-ups.

Since both the laptops are meant to be used professionally, we will base this review on performing the main tasks it is built for. Since both laptops have a relatively traditional professional design, it is evident they were designed to be used in office and home environments. As a result, we can deduce that their primary tasks include internet browsing, consuming content, and document manipulation.

Let us get into the details to understand which is the better laptop.

Pricing Comparision Dell Inspiron 15 vs HP Pavilion 15

Both Dell and HP rarely go wrong when pricing laptops, as they have been in the business for a long time. The two laptops we are comparing are also competitively priced based on their performance, specifications, and usage scenarios.

The HP Pavilion 15 has a moderate price of ₹ 55,990, while the Dell Inspiron has a price of ₹ 41,700. While the Dell Inspiron 15 is a newer model than the HP Pavilion 15, the presence of a dedicated 2GB graphic card from Nvidia and a better processor makes the HP laptop pricier.

However, under these prices, both laptops are a bargain. While the HP Pavilion 15 might seem like a bad deal, you can perform a quick online search to see that HP is a much sought-after brand, especially for everyday usage. Similarly, the Dell Inspiron 15 is also a good bargain since it contains all the basic specifications for a decent everyday computing machine.

Hence, we suggest that whichever laptop you prefer, you can check with the nearest authorized dealer or in their online stores. Enquiring these laptops might help you land reasonable offers, as authorized sellers often discount these everyday machines.

Design

Let us get obvious out of the way: The Dell Inspiron 15 is a better overall design when compared to the dated design of the HP Pavilion 15. Both laptops are designed to appeal to the average buyer, the targeted customer base of both models.

However, being the newer machine, the Dell Inspiron 15 has an overall slimmer profile. It also has thinner bezels on both sides of the display. As a result, the Dell Inspiron 15 looks much better than the HP laptop. The Dell laptop also has a larger trackpad to ensure better usability of the machine.

On the other hand, the HP Pavilion 15 is built robustly, as with HP laptops in general. The dual-tone finish of black and silver also helps the laptop stand out from the boring grey that Dell has used on their Inspiron 15.

If one were to compare both laptops’ aesthetics, one could easily observe that the Dell designers have gone for an angular aesthetic, while the HP laptop has more curves. Hence, when it comes to the looks of the laptop, you can choose the one which looks more pleasing to your eyes.

Display

Since both Dell and HP have built their laptops to appeal to ordinary users, they have provided the basic display on their respective machines. Dell Inspiron 15 and the HP Pavilion 15 have a 15.6 display running at the default 60 Hz refresh rate. Higher refresh rates are not available at this price point, and it is not even a requirement for the buyers buying these laptops.

Similarly, both displays are anti-reflective, which helps when viewing them under direct sunlight. However, the similarities between the displays stop here. A significant distinction between the displays is the difference in their resolutions. While Dell has generously provided us with a 1920 x 1080 or FHD display in the Inspiron 15, HP has only given the standard HD-ready resolution of 1366 x 768.

Once again, it comes to the user’s subjective perception since both displays and their respective resolutions are perfectly fine for undertaking common everyday tasks. While one may enjoy the extra crisp picture quality of the Dell Inspiron 15, others might feel at home viewing the standard-sized icons on the HD-ready display of the HP Pavilion 15.

Processor

Regarding the sheer processing power of a laptop, two significant factors come into play: the processor and memory of the machine. Once again, we can observe that Dell and HP know their customer base well, evident from the choice of CPU and RAM provided with the machines we are comparing.

The Dell Inspiron 15 comes with a 10th Gen Intel Core i3 – 1005G1 CPU. It has an onboard L3 cache of 4 MB, and the base speed is 1.20 GHz. However, it can turbo boost up to 3.40 GHz based on the user’s requirements. The 10th generation Intel Core series is a powerful processor family, and the 1005G1 is an exciting choice for this laptop. It helps in keeping the laptop running smoothly even under moderate load.

On the other hand, the HP Pavilion 15 is equipped with a 5th Gen Intel Core i7 – 5500U CPU. It has a base speed of 2.40 GHz, which can be turbo-boosted up to 3.00 GHz, depending on the requirements. Despite being a whole 5 generations behind the i3 in the Dell laptop, this CPU can keep up in terms of performance as it is an i7 and a member of the ‘Unlocked’ series of processors, which is evident by the suffix ‘U’ in the model number.

Regarding sheer performance, both laptops behave more or less the same due to the difference in the CPU models and their generations. The i7 inside the HP laptop might be older, but it can still provide tough competition to the newer i3 inside the Dell laptop when we talk about performance figures.

Graphic Card

Due to the age difference between the two laptops we have for comparison today, their graphic performance is similar when undertaking common everyday tasks. The standard everyday laptop tasks include web browsing, document handling, and videos, either stored on the laptop or streamed from an online service.

The integrated graphic processing units of the latest generation of Intel CPUs can undertake the common tasks that users require of their laptops. Hence, Dell has provided only the integrated Intel UHD Graphic unit on the Dell Inspiron 15, which shares its memory with the laptop RAM.

On the other hand, the HP Pavilion 15 comes with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce 840M GPU with 2 GB of VRAM, which is more than enough to fulfill daily tasks. The GPU can play light video games and AA titles with lowered graphic settings. Hence, if you plan on light gaming or beginner-level video editing, you can choose the HP laptop over the Dell one.

Memory

System memory is a crucial component of the laptop from a performance standpoint. Memory or RAM is what programs require to run smoothly in a computer. Hence, the more free RAM you have on your system, the faster the machine is in terms of sheer performance.

To this effect, both Dell Inspiron 15 and HP Pavilion 15 come with 8 GB of RAM, which is adequate to undertake the standard tasks expected from the laptop. However, there is a clear distinction in the kind of RAM used since the HP laptop comes with DDR3, while the Dell laptop is equipped with DDR4 RAM technology.

Due to the difference in the DDR generation, the newer DDR4 RAM will be faster comparatively. However, the difference is minimal since the older Dell laptop is rocking the top-of-the-line 5th Gen Intel i7 of the ‘U’ series. Hence, any performance gain from better RAM will be mitigated by the comparatively lower-end 10th Gen Intel i3 CPU in the Dell Inspiron 15.

Ports

The port selection is an often-overlooked part of laptop specifications. Most people do not consider the ports when checking the laptop specifications they intend to buy. While it is true that most of the functionality can be used with the help of correct adapters, it is always better if you have the required port in the laptop itself.

The HP Pavilion 15 has a good selection of ports, considering that it is an older machine. It has 3 USB ports, an SD Card reader, an Ethernet RJ-45 port, an HDMI port, a 3.5mm earphone-mic combo jack, and a barrel plug port for charging the system. The port layout is also good, as all the required ones are available on both sides of the system.

The Dell Inspiron 15 also has a similar port selection to the HP machine. It comes with 3 USB ports, of which 2 are high-speed USB 3.0 connections. It also has an SD card reader, an Ethernet RJ-45 port, an HDMI port, a 3.5mm earphone-mic combo jack, and a barrel plug port for charging the laptop. Like the HP laptop, Dell has also provided a good layout for ports, which are accessible from the sides.

Hence, in terms of port selection, both laptops are almost identical, and we need no issues connecting the common accessories used in everyday laptop computing.

Conclusion

The Dell Inspiron 15 and the HP Pavilion 15 are good laptops for their price. They are great systems with OOD(Object-Oriented Design) build quality and decent hardware specifications. While the HP might seem older with its dated looks, it makes up for its strong performance, considering that it is equipped with a top-of-the-line ‘unlocked’ Intel Core i7 CPU.

However, the Dell Inspiron is no slouch either with the newer Intel Core i3, which is great at this price range. Hence, let us make your choice very simple: if you plan on light gaming and are fine with the somewhat dated look, choose the HP Pavilion 15. However, if you wish to have a better-looking everyday machine, choose the Dell Inspiron 15.