The Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (2023) is a Windows convertible laptop. This 7635 model isn't a direct replacement for the Dell Inspiron 16 7620 but rather an alternate model with AMD CPUs. It's available with an AMD Ryzen 5 7530U or Ryzen 7 7730U CPU, whereas the Intel-based 7630 model (successor to the 7620 from 2022) is available with an Intel Core i5-1335U or i7-1360P. Memory and storage max out at 16GB and 1TB, respectively. It has a 16-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS display, a 1080p webcam with a physical privacy cover, and Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity. You can configure the laptop with a 64Wh or 86Wh battery. Ports include two USB-As, two USB-Cs (no Thunderbolt 4 or USB4), an HDMI 1.4, an SD card reader, and a headphone jack.
See our unit's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section.
The Dell Inspiron 16 is great for school use. It feels well-built and is fairly easy to carry around. Its 16-inch display gives you plenty of room for multitasking, and you also get a comfortable keyboard and a large touchpad. Its AMD Ryzen CPU can handle light productivity tasks and some more demanding workloads; however, its integrated GPU performs poorly, so it isn't ideal for students needing high graphical processing power. The battery lasts around ten hours of light use and charges quickly over USB-C. The display gets bright enough for use in most indoor settings but not outdoors in broad daylight.
The Dell Inspiron 16 is mediocre for gaming. Its low-power CPU and integrated graphics aren't powerful enough to handle demanding AAA titles. You can play some lighter, older games, but you'll have to play at a lower resolution and with low graphical settings to get smooth gameplay. Also, its 60Hz display has a slow response time and doesn't support VRR to reduce screen tearing.
The Dell Inspiron 16 is good for media consumption. It's fairly easy to carry around, and its battery lasts over ten hours of video playback. Its 16-inch screen looks sharp and colorful, and since it's a 2-in-1, you can set it up in tent mode when watching a video or use it as a tablet. The downside is that the display doesn't get very bright and struggles with direct reflections, so it isn't suited for sunny environments or outdoors in broad daylight. It also has a low contrast ratio, making blacks look gray in dim settings. As for the speakers, while they get very loud and fire upwards, they sound slightly unnatural, with very little bass.
The Dell Inspiron 16 is good for use as a workstation. Its CPU can handle some moderately demanding tasks, and it's pleasant to work on, as it has a good keyboard and doesn't get hot or loud under load. However, its integrated GPU performs poorly and isn't suitable for GPU-intensive workloads like video editing or 3D graphics. Also, you can only get up to 16GB of soldered RAM, and its USB-C ports don't support Thunderbolt 4 or USB4.
The Dell Inspiron 16 is great for business use. It feels very well-built and is relatively easy to carry around for a 16-inch laptop. It has a large display for multitasking, a comfortable keyboard, and a large touchpad. Its AMD Ryzen CPU can easily handle general productivity tasks like text processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and video playback. Plus, its battery lasts over ten hours of light use. The webcam captures a detailed but underexposed image, and unfortunately, the USB-C ports don't support Thunderbolt 4 or USB4.
We tested the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (7635) with an AMD Ryzen 5 7530U CPU, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of storage. The CPU, memory, and storage are configurable; the options are available in the table below. Our review applies only to the 7635 model.
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See our unit's label here.
The Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 is a great general productivity laptop and among the best in its class. It stands out for its sturdy build, long battery life, and excellent thermal and noise handling. However, its lack of Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 support is disappointing, as there are cheaper laptops that support these standards.
See our recommendations for the best business laptops, the best Windows laptops, and the best budget and cheap laptops.
The Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (2023) and the HP ENVY x360 15 (2023) are both very good Windows convertible laptops that provide a similar user experience. The Dell feels sturdier but isn't quite as portable since it's a larger device. The HP comes out ahead in a few areas; it has a better 1400p webcam, a more comfortable keyboard, and nicer, brighter display options, including an OLED panel with full DCI P3 and Adobe RGB coverage. The Dell has longer battery life, although both last long enough to get you through a typical workday.
The Leonov Yoga 7i 16 (2023) and the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (2023) are both great convertible laptops designed for general productivity. The Lenovo is slightly better overall, as it has a sharper and brighter display, a better keyboard, Thunderbolt 4 support, and longer battery life. On the other hand, the Dell's touchpad feels more responsive, and its CPU doesn't throttle as much under load. If you like to draw or take handwritten notes, only the Lenovo has stylus support, though depending on the model, you may need to buy the stylus separately.
The Lenovo Yoga 7i 14 (2021) and the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (2023) are both productivity-focused 2-in-1 convertibles. The Dell is better overall; it has a sturdier build, a larger and brighter display, a larger touchpad, a better webcam, and a wider port selection. It also performs better, as it's available with newer, faster AMD Ryzen 7030 series CPUs. The Lenovo has longer battery life, though both laptops can comfortably last through a typical workday of light use.
For most uses, the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (2023) is better than the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023). The Inspiron 16 has a sturdier full-aluminum chassis, and it's a more versatile device since you can use it as a tablet. It has a more colorful display with full sRGB coverage, a better 1080p webcam, and a wider port selection with a second USB-C port. Also, unlike the Vivobook, the Inspiron 16's USB-C ports support video output. The Inspiron 16 has longer battery life; it lasts over ten hours of light use, whereas the Vivobook lasts only around eight.
The Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (2023) and ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (2024) are both general productivity-oriented laptops that meet different needs. The Dell is a 16-inch 2-in-1 convertible. The main advantage is that you can use it as a tablet for taking notes (although it doesn't come with a stylus) or in tent mode for watching content. The Dell also has superior battery life, so you don't need to worry about charging it during the workday if you are doing light productivity tasks. The ASUS is a 14-inch ultraportable with a traditional clamshell form factor. It's more portable and has a sharper color-accurate 2.8k OLED display, making it suitable for color correction work.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) and the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (2023) are similar overall. The main difference is the display. The ASUS has a 2.8k OLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, whereas the Dell is limited to an FHD+ resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. The ASUS' screen also gets brighter to combat glare. The Dell's screen is bigger, giving you more room for multitasking, but it also makes the device less portable and harder to use as a tablet. As for ports, the Dell has more, but unlike the ASUS, its USB-Cs don't support Thunderbolt 4 since it's an AMD system.
For most uses, the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (2023) is better than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 (2021). The Inspiron 16 has a sturdier build and a longer battery life, and it's more versatile, as its 2-in-1 form factor lets you set up the laptop in tent mode for media consumption or use it as a tablet. It has a better keyboard and touchpad and is available with newer, faster CPUs. The Inspiron 16 also has a wider port selection, and unlike the IdeaPad 3, its USB-C ports support charging and video output.
For most uses, the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (2023) is better than the ASUS VivoBook 15 OLED K513 (2021). The Inspiron 16 has a sturdier build, and it provides a better user experience with a more comfortable keyboard, a larger touchpad, and a better 1080p webcam. It also has a wider port selection, and unlike the VivoBook, its USB-C ports support charging and video output. The Dell Inspiron 16 is available with newer, faster CPUs, and its battery lasts over ten hours of light use, whereas the VivoBook lasts only around six. The only advantage the VivoBook has over the Inspiron 16 is its OLED display. Its near-infinite contrast ratio and full Adobe RGB and DCI P3 coverage make it a better option for media consumption and color-critical tasks like photo editing and graphic design.
The ASUS Vivobook S 16 Flip TP3604 (2023) and the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (2023) are both Windows convertible laptops that provide a similar user experience. The Dell has a sturdier build and longer battery life; however, the ASUS is available with more powerful H-series CPUs and a nicer 3.2k OLED display.
For most uses, the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (2023) is much better than the Acer Aspire 3 15 (2023). The Inspiron 16 has a sturdier build and a longer battery life and is available with much faster CPUs. It also provides a better user experience overall with a brighter and more colorful display, a more comfortable keyboard, and a more responsive touchpad. The Inspiron 16 has a wider port selection, as it sports a second USB-C port, and its 1080p webcam captures a significantly sharper image on video calls.
The Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 is only available in the Dark River Blue color. See the bottom of the laptop here.
The build quality is outstanding. Its aluminum chassis feels very sturdy, with no gaps or obvious flaws in the construction. There's only a small amount of flex on the keyboard deck and almost none on the lid or the display. The finish is fairly scratch-resistant but easily picks up fingerprints and smudges. The feet feel solid and stick firmly to the bottom of the laptop.
The hinge is good. Since this is a 2-in-1 convertible, you can flip the screen around and use it as a tablet. It feels smooth when opening and closing the lid and is very stable, exhibiting almost no wobble. Unfortunately, you can't open the laptop with one hand as the hinge has too much resistance, and the base is too light.
The Dell Inspiron 16 is relatively thin and light, but ultimately, it's still a 16-inch laptop, so it might not fit in some smaller bags. The power adapter is compact and lightweight.
The internals are easy to access; you only need to remove nine Philips screws and undo the clips holding the bottom panel. The clips are pretty snug, so having a prying tool is best. Unfortunately, the memory isn't replaceable, and there's only one storage slot.
You can see the user's manual here.
The FHD+ resolution looks decently sharp on a 16-inch display. You can see individual pixels if you're close to the screen, but this isn't a problem at normal viewing distances. There's enough room to work comfortably with two windows placed side by side, though you may still need to scroll a little to the left or right to see all the content on some web pages. Its 16:10 aspect ratio is slightly taller than a standard 16:9 screen, which is great for productivity, as the increased vertical space lets you see more information when reading a document or website, reducing the need to scroll. If you want a 16-inch 2-in-1 laptop with a sharper screen, check out the Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (2023).
The Dell Inspiron 16's display gets bright enough for use in most indoor settings but not in sunny environments or outdoors in broad daylight. It gets very dim at the lowest brightness setting, which is great for dark room viewing as it causes less eye strain.
The display's reflection handling is okay. Its glossy finish doesn't do much to reduce the intensity of bright reflections, so it's best to avoid having light sources directly behind you, as the reflections are visible, even with the screen at maximum brightness. On the upside, it doesn't cause a halo effect in other areas of the screen like matte finishes typically do.
The display's horizontal viewing angle is okay. The image dims and washes out relatively quickly as you move to the side, so you need to be more or less directly in front of the screen to see an accurate image.
The vertical viewing angle is decent. Like the horizontal viewing angle, the image looks dimmer and more washed out from above or below. You need to look at the screen more or less straight on if you need perfect accuracy, which can be challenging in tight spaces with very little room to tilt the screen, like on a bus or airplane.
The Dell Inspiron 16's display accuracy is poor out of the box. The white balance is off, as there's a noticeable yellowish tint, in part due to the warm color temperature. Most colors are inaccurate, fine for general productivity and media consumption, but not ideal for color-critical work like photo editing. The gamma roughly follows the sRGB curve; most scenes look too dark, particularly very dark and very bright scenes.
The display's color gamut is excellent. It has full sRGB coverage, which is great for general use, as most content is in that color space. It has excellent DCI P3 and Adobe RGB coverage but not enough for professional photo editing or for producing HDR content.
The Dell Inspiron 16 laptop has a good keyboard. The layout feels spacious and is easy to get used to. The keys have a lot of travel and don't require much force to actuate; however, they feel slightly mushy, and key stability isn't uniform across the keyboard. Typing noise is low and isn't bothersome in quiet settings. You can adjust between two backlight brightness levels (Low or High) or turn it off completely using the F6 hotkey.
The touchpad is excellent. It's large and feels smooth. It tracks all movements and gestures well, and there are no issues with palm rejection or actions like dragging and dropping. You can only click in the bottom half of the touchpad, though, and the click mechanism feels a tad mushy.
The Dell Inspiron 16's up-firing speakers get very loud with minimal compression artifacts at max volume. They deliver speech and vocals clearly; however, they're a tad sibilant, and some instruments sound unnatural. There's some bass, but not enough for a good music-listening or movie-watching experience.
The webcam's video quality is good. The image looks detailed, but the exposure is too low, and there's an unnatural hue. As for the audio, while voices sound clear, the microphone's gain is too high, and there's some static noise in the background. There's a physical privacy cover; closing it also disables the webcam at the software level. If you want a 2-in-1 convertible with a better webcam, check out the HP ENVY x360 15 (2023).
The port selection is outstanding. The USB-A ports support USB 3.2 Gen. 1 data transfer speed (up to 5Gbps). The USB-Cs support USB 3.2 Gen. 2 data transfer speed (up to 10Gbps), DisplayPort 1.4, and Power Delivery. The latter allows for fast charging of the laptop and other PD-compatible devices connected to the port. The HDMI port's maximum output is 1080p at 60Hz; you need to use the USB-C port to output at a higher resolution.
The wireless adapter is a MediaTek Wi-Fi 6E MT7922. You can also get the laptop with a MediaTek Wi-Fi 6 MT7921 wireless adapter. Wi-Fi 6E gives access to the 6GHz band, providing faster speeds, lower latency, and less signal interference than previous Wi-Fi standards. However, you need a router that supports Wi-Fi 6E to benefit from these features.
The Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 is available with the following CPUs:
Both CPUs are designed for light to moderately demanding productivity tasks, like text processing, web browsing, spreadsheets, and video playback. The Ryzen 5 7530U and Ryzen 7 7730U are refreshed versions of the older Ryzen 5 5625U and the Ryzen 7 5825U, respectively, but with faster clock speeds. The Ryzen 7 7730U has more cores and threads, making it a better option for heavy multitaskers or more intensive applications.
The Dell Inspiron 16 laptop is only available with AMD Radeon graphics. This integrated GPU can only handle light productivity tasks, not demanding workloads like video editing or gaming. The Ryzen 7's GPU is faster than the Ryzen 5's, but the performance difference is small and isn't noticeable.
You can configure this laptop with 8GB or 16GB of RAM. The memory modules aren't user-replaceable.
You can configure this laptop with 512GB or 1TB of storage. The SSD is user-replaceable; the slot supports an M.2 2230 or 2280 SSD. The KIOXIA SSD is a PCIe Gen. 4 drive, but the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U and Ryzen 7 7730U only support PCIe Gen. 3, so even if you replace it with a faster PCIe Gen. 4 SSD, it'll operate at PCIe Gen. 3 speeds.
The Dell Inspiron 16's overall score in Geekbench 5 is great. The AMD Ryzen 5 7530U performs well in single- and multi-threaded workloads, making it suitable for light to moderately demanding workloads. If you're a heavy multitasker or use more intensive programs, it's best to upgrade to the AMD Ryzen 7730U, as it has more cores and threads to ensure a smoother experience. As for GPU computing tasks, the CPU's integrated Radeon GPU performs poorly. If your workload needs a lot of GPU processing power, a laptop with a discrete GPU or an Apple MacBook Pro with an Apple ARM-based SoC is best.
You can use the Dell Inspiron 16 for 3D graphics rendering and other related workloads but know that you may experience some slowdowns and stutters in extremely complex work. If you want the smoothest experience and the fastest render times, it's best to get a laptop with a better cooling system and a more powerful H-series CPU, like the Intel Core i9-12900HX in the MSI Raider GE67 HX (2022).
The Dell Inspiron 16 performs poorly in the Basemark GPU benchmark. The AMD Ryzen processor's integrated GPU can't handle graphically demanding games. You can play some lighter puzzle-like or older titles, but you'll have to play at a lower resolution or with low settings to get playable frame rates.
The storage drive performance is outstanding. It's on the slower side for a PCIe Gen. 4 SSD since it's operating at PCIe Gen. 3 speeds, but it's still plenty fast for a general productivity laptop. The system boots up, launches apps, and transfers files quickly. The 1TB SSD is likely faster, as larger capacity drives typically perform better.
This laptop is also available with an 86Wh battery, which will give you a few more hours of light use.
Borderlands 3 isn't playable at 1080p. The game is too choppy, even with the lowest graphical settings. The AMD Ryzen CPU's integrated graphics can't handle this and other similarly demanding games.
Civilization VI and other similar strategy games are playable on the Dell Inspiron 16 laptop, but you need to play with low graphical settings to get smooth gameplay. The average turn time is decent and within the expected range for a low-power ultraportable CPU like the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U. Upgrading to the AMD Ryzen 7 7730U won't improve the turn time significantly.
The performance in CS:GO is okay. The average frame rate is good; however, there are frequent stutters due to frame drops, which isn't ideal for an FPS game. The gameplay is smoother with low settings, but occasional stutters still exist.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is unplayable at 1080p with high graphical settings, as the average frame rate is too low. You can get close to 30 fps with low settings, but the game will still feel choppy, which isn't great in a game that requires some aiming. You can expect the same performance in other similar AAA titles.
The keyboard is cool when idle and only gets mildly warm under load. The fan is very quiet at full speed and easily gets drowned out by ambient noise.
The Dell Inspiron 16 has many pre-installed applications, including:
There's a fingerprint sensor built into the power button. You can use it to log into Windows, authorize Windows Store purchases, and auto-fill saved passwords on supported websites.