Dell Vostro 15 3535 review – AMD vs Intel? AMD wins.


Design and construction

The design is very similar to the Vostro 15 3530 which is actually good. The look of the laptop is modern and neutral enough even for office usage. Three color options are available – Titan Gray, Carbon Black, and Titan Gray Aluminum. We got the Carbon Black version that comes with a micro-pattern texture that is surprisingly grippy.

Just like the Intel variant, this machine can be found with a metal version or with a plastic one. We got the latter and unfortunately, the lid and the base flex a lot. The plastic laptop has a thickness of 16.96 – 18.99 mm and it weighs 1.67 kg. The metal model is thinner – 15.52 – 17.50 mm and its weight is 1.68 kg. So, no matter the chassis material, the Dell Vostro 15 3535 is at least 220 grams lighter than the Vostro 15 3530.

The lid can’t be opened with a single hand which isn’t good.

The bezels around the panel are narrow which leads to a modern look. Above the panel is placed a 720p Web camera. The aluminum versions have a 1080p version with a privacy shutter.

The spill-resistant keyboard is comfortable for typing because it has a long key travel and clicky feedback. Unfortunately, the base flexes a lot while typing which isn’t optimal for long writing sessions. The NumPad section can be a handy feature for everyone, especially for accountants. Our unit has a backlight, which is an option. The Power button doubles as an optional fingerprint reader. By the way, this button is also a bit harder to press so probably Dell wants to differentiate it from the other keycaps. The touchpad isn’t the biggest one out there (115 mm x 80 mm) but its smooth surface pairs very well with the fast refresh rate display.

This machine makes good use of the “lift hinge”. The lower side of the lid acts as a lever that lifts the back of the chassis when the lid is opened at almost 90 degrees. The slightly raised chassis leads to better comfort while writing something on the keyboard and it also increases the airflow to the laptop’s internals.

The bottom panel houses four small rubber feet, a ventilation grille, and two bottom-firing speakers.

The heat is pushed through a vent positioned on the back of the notebook. Sadly, the hot air blows directly into the lower section of the display.

 

Ports

On the left of the notebook, we can spot a charging plug, an HDMI 1.4 connector, a USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) port, and a USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen. 1) port. On the right, there is a security lock slot, an Audio jack, a LAN port, a USB 2.0 port that has been a common feature since the Fred Flintstone era, and an SD 3.0 card reader.



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