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If you're going back to school and you want a laptop you can easily tuck into your bag or under your arm, the Inspiron is a great choice. It's a little heavier than its competitors, but is there really any noticeable difference between 2.9 and 3.5 pounds?
The sorts of tasks most people use a computer for – emails, word processing, streaming music and movies – are no challenge for the Inspiron, and the tablet mode gives you that extra bit of flexibility for media consumption.
We liked
The bright, colorful touch screen is great for both work and goofing off. Movies and web content look rich and crisp, and the battery life is sufficient enough to keep you occupied for most of the day.
The attractive, backlit keyboard has great spacing and the keys have just enough travel. Even though we tested the smallest of Dell's 2-in-1 Inspiron line, the keyboard never feels cramped or crowded.
The tablet and laptop configurations offered me plenty of chances to get work done, then procrastinate, and switch back again. For relaxing and goofing off, tablet mode rules, but for emails and word processing and the sorts of tasks that lead a person to seek an outlet to procrastinate, the Inspiron 13 7000 series is perfectly competent.
We disliked
Storage space is at a premium, and if you want anything above 512GB, your only option is to go with the 17-inch model.
The speakers just don't complement the rest of the computer. It's not just a problem for FLAC-loving audiophiles, either. When used as a tablet, it sounds hollow to even untrained ears.
Final verdict
For light, everyday work tasks, the sort of thing you might do on the train to work, the Inspiron is quite lovely. It's not too ungainly and it remains cool even when running processor-heavy web applications, making it perfect for working.
The touch-enabled screen and ability to switch into a tablet turns it into a nice little machine to curl up in bed and zone out to an ebook or comic. What we're trying to say is, the Inspiron 13-7000 series is a competent work laptop in the streets, and a fun tablet in the sheets.
