A low-cost laptop worth having? Hmmmm…
When Apple Senior Vice President Phil Schiller introduced the new 9.7in iPad Pro, he said he hoped it would appeal to all the poor Windows users who were stuck using older PCs. This was a pretty daft thing to say.
People using older PCs are probably doing so because they get along just fine with them, and not because they’re waiting expectantly for someone to offer them a £499 tablet that can’t run desktop software and then charge them £129 on top for the keyboard. In fact, if you spend £628 on a laptop, you’ll rightly expect it to still work in a few years’ time.
Many of us, however, would rather not spend that much, and that’s where laptops like the Dell Inspiron 11 3000 come in. With an 11.6in screen that’s larger than the new iPad Pro, but smaller than the old one – it’s a handy size. Moreover, it has a proper keyboard, fastened on with a hinge so you can use it anywhere, tilted at the angle you prefer, which is better than trying to balance a floppy rubber accessory on your knees. It comes with Windows 10 and costs just £179, or even less, depending on what discounts Dell is offering when you look.
Ignoring Phil and his shiny new iPad, we got an Inspiron 11 3000 in to test. First impressions were good. Needless to say, the case is not crafted by robots from a single ingot of unobtanium. Instead, it’s knocked together from quite a lot of plastic, giving it a chunky feel. But the glossy red, white or blue finish looks smart and seems sturdy enough to survive any younger users it might attract.
Using the laptop wasn’t quite so much fun. While the touchpad worked well, the almost inert keys were difficult to type on. The screen has a matt coating to avoid reflections, but reflections would have been a welcome relief from the dingy display: you have to be at precisely the right angle to see anything properly, which is particularly annoying in a laptop. Even when you manoeuvre it to the correct viewing angle the colour quality is very poor.
At this price you wouldn’t expect high-end processing power, and you don’t get it here. Paired with a meagre 2GB of memory, the Inspiron 11 3000’s Intel Celeron processor can start up Windows 10, run text-editing software and browse websites without much trouble, and without noticeable noise or heat. But don’t plan to do all of those things at once, or anything more ambitious. Only 32GB of flash storage is built in, so you’ll need to add a microSD card (from around £10) for more or keep your work ‘in the cloud’. This option isn’t helped by the absence of any free online storage; nor do you get a year’s free Microsoft Office subscription, as you do with some PCs.
The battery lasted us six hours of video playback, which is not great, but acceptable. It lasts longer with less demanding activities, especially if you’re offline. Accessories are reasonably well catered for by two full-size USB ports – one USB 2.0, the other USB 3.0 – and an HDMI socket for an external monitor or HDTV. Usable speakers are built in, along with a headphone socket.
Unfortunately, Phil Schiller was right about one thing: cheap PCs don’t always measure up. Our quest for the ideal affordable laptop continues.
VERDICT
If anyone can make a really excellent laptop for under £200, surely Dell can. Sadly, it turns out they can’t.
SPECIFICATIONS
1.6GHz Intel Celeron N3050 dual-core processor • 2GB memory • 32GB SSD • 11.6in 1366x768-pixel screen • Webcam • 802.11ac Wi-Fi • 1x USB 2.0 port • 1x USB 3.0 port • HDMI port • Windows 10 Home • 19.9x292x196mm (HxWxD) • 1.18kg • One-year warranty