One of the most versatile laptops I’ve tested is a crowd-pleaser with solid hardware

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Dell’s 2024 Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is a great convertible laptop for the busy professional on the go.
• The model offers solid performance thanks to its AMD hardware and decent battery life.
• Some users will be disappointed in the lackluster display.

Dell is well known for making solid work laptops like the Inspiron 14 Plus 7440, a model I reviewed earlier this year with solid performance and nice quality-of-life features. But the company upped the ante with yet another solid work device in a convertible 2-in-1 form with the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 7445<!–>. 

The new convertible Inspiron 14 allows you to flip the screen all the way back and turn the device into a tablet, offering a degree of flexibility the previous model lacked. As a result, the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is a better fit for users who need a computer capable of doing multiple jobs. The touchscreen alone adds a lot to its tool kit, allowing creative professionals to draw on the fly or sketch diagrams for work.  

Also: The best touchscreen laptops in 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

Under the hood, you’ll find a different hardware setup from the older Inspiron. Instead of an Intel chipset, the convertible has an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor, an AMD Radeon 780M graphics card, and 16GB of memory. This configuration is geared to handle office-related tasks like multitasking with documents or hosting video calls with ease. 

View at Dell–>

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I was curious to see if it could outperform the Inspiron 14 Plus, which has an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU. So I ran some benchmark tests, and according to the results, the two models perform at a similar level. Although I noticed the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 had faster image rendering speeds than its counterpart, making it the better performing model.

Unfortunately, the Full HD Plus (1,920 x 1,200 pixels) touchscreen on the Inspiron 2-in-1 is rather disappointing. I’ve seen low resolution laptops make up for their lack of visual fidelity with software enhancers (like HDR 10), but Intel’s machine doesn’t have any of these, resulting in dull colors.

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That’s all the major differences between the two, besides a few minor mentions. The round wrist rest, for example, has returned, which makes for a comfortable experience. Speaking of the keyboard, it felt okay on my hands. Each of the keys have a mushy feel to them, but the keys’ generous travel distance makes up for it. I didn’t like the trackpad as much this time around, however, as it’s smaller.  

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If you travel or commute with your laptop for work, you won’t be encumbered with this machine, as it only weighs 3.77 pounds. It’s also made of aluminum, which gives it the sturdiness it needs to survive frequent travel. 

I should also mention the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 has the same downward-facing air vents for expelling heat, something I’m typically not fond of. However, in an interesting twist, the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 doesn’t generate a lot of heat in the first place. I had a very comfortable experience working on this laptop, as it stayed cool even during extended use. I’m not entirely sure what Dell did to improve the cooling system, but I’m glad to see it.