Decent 2-in-1 lacks battery stamina

The Dell Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1 (7373) comes with a 38 watt-hour battery.
The Dell Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1 (7373) comes with a 38 watt-hour battery.

The versatile 2-in-1 convertible is here to stay as PC makers continue to churn out new models in this genre. The latest is the Dell Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1 (7373), which has been refreshed with an Intel eighth-generation processor.

These hybrid devices let users switch easily between multiple usage modes, such as a tablet with a stylus for taking notes, a stand mode for videos and touch-based games.

Personally, I am not sold on the usefulness of larger convertibles like the 13-inch Inspiron. They make poor tablets because they are awkward and heavy to hold.

For example, the Inspiron weighs about 1.45kg, or almost twice as much as a Windows tablet such as the Microsoft Surface Pro.

A telltale sign that Dell does not expect the Inspiron to be used primarily as a tablet is the position of the power button. It is not at the side and is hence difficult to access when folded into a tablet. There is also no volume rocker.

The Inspiron does not belong to Dell's premium XPS line of PCs. Hence, its aluminium body is not as sturdy as XPS machines, which are reinforced with carbon fibre.

Its screen bezel is also not as slim as the infinity display on the XPS 13 laptop. But I have no complaints about the screen, which is bright and offers excellent viewing angles. Its 1,920 x 1,080-pixel screen resolution is standard for its size.

  • TECH SPECS

    PRICE: $1,899

    PROCESSOR: Intel Core i7-8550U (1.8GHz)

    GRAPHICS: Intel UHD Graphics 620

    RAM: 8GB

    SCREEN SIZE: 13.3 inches, 1,920 x 1,080 pixels

    CONNECTIVITY: HDMI, 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1, SD card reader, audio jack

    BATTERY: 38 watt-hour

  • RATING

    FEATURES: 4/5

    DESIGN: 3/5

    PERFORMANCE: 4/5

    VALUE FOR MONEY: 4/5

    BATTERY LIFE: 2/5

    OVERALL: 4/5

Unlike the XPS laptops that place the front-facing camera below the screen, the Inspiron's camera is located above the display.

This infrared camera detects a user's face promptly to unlock the device using the Windows Hello facial recognition feature. While it is not as reliable as Apple's Face ID, it definitely beats typing in a password to log in.

The keyboard has good spacing between the keys and offers decent key travel. Within a few minutes of familiarising myself with the keyboard, I was typing at my usual speed. The touchpad is spacious and responsive, though its surface does not feel as smooth as the glass-coated ones on premium laptops.

Although it supports an active stylus pen that lets the user scribble and draw using the built-in apps available from the Windows Ink Workspace feature in Windows 10, the Inspiron does not come bundled with a pen, which costs $79.

In addition to having the latest processor, the Inspiron also sports a USB Type-C port for display and data. It also has an HDMI port and a standard USB Type-A port for older devices.

It performs up to par for a computer sporting the latest Intel chip. Its overall PCMark 10 score - which tests the performance in a number of popular apps - is 3,769, a result similar to the Yoga 920 that The Straits Times tested recently.

But for a 13.3-inch laptop, the Inspiron's 38 watt-hour battery is on the low side. The Inspiron lasted only 3 hours 20 minutes in a video-loop battery test with the screen set to maximum brightness.

This is much shorter than the six to seven hours on an ultrabook.

• Verdict: Dell's latest 2-in-1 is good value for its price. But its short battery life is a glaring weakness.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 07, 2018, with the headline Decent 2-in-1 lacks battery stamina. Subscribe