Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition

Bottom Line

The Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition's bulky plastic exterior may not look like much, but the top-end model covered by most reviewers excels under the hood. Powerful components, interesting features and a stunning 1,080p display make it a strong contender if you aren't looking for Ultrabook-style sleekness.

Performance

A wolf in sheep's clothing. The base model's Core i5 processor and 6 GB of RAM should be plenty of power for everyday tasks, but the frequently reviewed top-end configuration blows it away thanks to a quad-core Core i7 processor, 8 GB of RAM and speedy solid-state cache drive (*Est. $1,050). Still, it can't match the Asus Zenbook UX51VZ (*Est. $1,840 and up) in speed tests.

Every Inspiron 15R model comes with discrete AMD Radeon HD 7730M graphics, which open up gaming possibilities if you play at medium settings. A CD/DVD burner is standard, but you can swap that out for a Blu-ray drive in most step-up configurations. Battery life is subpar, lasting 3.5 to 5.5 hours in tests.

Ergonomics

Heavy, but comfortable to use. At 6 pounds, the Dell Inspiron 15R SE "is not exactly back-breaking, but compared with today's ultrabook laptops it is monstrous and your shoulder will feel its presence," PCMag.com says. Both the touchpad and the backlit keyboard win praise for their comfort, and the notebook is loaded with ports.

Design

Beauty more than skin deep. Although the thick and plastic exterior of the Inspiron 15R SE is universally panned, all models now sport a gorgeous 1,080p, 15.6-inch screen, and the Skullcandy speakers sound loud and clear.

Support & reliability

Strong warranty, but terrible phone support. The Inspiron 15R SE comes with a one-year warranty, including in-home service to fix warranty-covered problems after remote diagnosis. "Premium phone support" with faster answering times and more extensive help is good for 90 days.

However, Dell's phone support proves "dismal" in a test at Laptop Magazine. Reps "repeatedly gave us pushy and unnecessary sales pitches, even going so far as to fake a sweepstakes" to sell a pricey extended warranty, staffers say. Dell finishes dead last among laptop brands in the magazine's critique of tech support.

Although Dell does improve its tech support score in this year's PCMag.com reader survey, it still doesn't win a Readers' Choice award, which also considers reliability.

Value

Good for the price. Even the 15R SE's top-end configuration proves surprisingly affordable for the firepower provided. If you don't mind the heavy plastic case and don't expect much help by phone, the Dell Inspiron 15R SE is a steal.