Inspiron 15z

by Dell

3/5

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ThinkPad Helix

by Lenovo

4/5

$1,911.00

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IdeaPad Yoga 11S

by Lenovo

3.5/5

$680.00

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Surface Pro (128GB)

by Microsoft

4/5

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Pros
  • Large and wide touchscreen
  • Good audio performance
  • HD (720p) webcam
  • Built-in rewritable DVD drive
  • Can operate as a touchscreen notebook or a Windows 8 tablet
  • Solid-state drive speeds up frequently performed operations
  • Dual-battery arrangement delivers up to 6.5 hours of battery life
  • Excellent all-around design and ergonomics
  • Vivid IPS display
  • Full version of Windows 8
  • Ultrabook-caliber components.
  • Beautiful, 1920-by-1080 display.
  • Windows 8 grants full desktop application support.
Cons
  • Sluggish performance
  • Poor battery life
  • Heavy for an Ultrabook
  • Subpar audio
  • High-res screen can make small type difficult to read
  • Pricey considering its 11.6-inch display
  • Mediocre battery life
  • Meh performance
  • Bulkier than a standard tablet
  • Pen is a nice touch, but chintzy.
  • Display size and keyboard comfort will make you think twice.
At A Glance

The Inspiron 15z might appeal to Windows 8 users in search of a touchscreen option that won't break the bank, but its mediocre performance and subpar battery life fail to impress.

Able to serve as a laptop or a Windows 8 touchscreen tablet, the ThinkPad Helix is pleasingly versatile—but it’s also very expensive.

A major improvement over the original ARM-powered Windows RT device, but still short of being the ultimate hybrid.

Surface Pro is the best Windows tablet, but depending on your needs, it may not be the best Windows 8 hybrid for you.

Specs

Pricing

UPC Code 884116106609 887619336450 887263609818 885370525571

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Processor

Processor type Intel i5-3317U Intel Core i5-3337U Intel Core i5-3339Y Intel Core i5-3317U
Processor speed 1700.0  MHz 1800.0  MHz 1500.0  MHz 1700.0  MHz
Number of Cores   2.0 2.0  

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Memory

Memory size 6144.0  MB 4.0  MB 8.0  MB 4096.0  MB
Memory type DDR3 DDR3 DDR3  
Memory speed 1600.0  MHz 1333.0  MHz 1600.0  MHz  
Memory max 8.0  GB     4096.0  GB

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Display

Display size 15.6  inches 11.6  inches 11.6  inches 10.6  inches
Display type Glossy LCD with LED Backlight     Touch Screen
Touchscreen Multitouch Yes Yes Multitouch
Aspect ratio 16:9 16:9 16:9 16:9
Resolution 1366 x 768  pixels   1366 x 768  pixels 1920 x 1080  pixels

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Graphics

Graphics Type Integrated Integrated Integrated Integrated
Primary Graphics Chipset Intel HD Graphics 4000 Intel HD Graphics 4000 Intel HD Graphics 4000 Intel HD4000

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Storage

Drives included 1.0      
Drive size 500.0  GB     128.0  GB
Hard Drive Speed 5400.0  RPM      
Drive type Hard Disk Drive     Solid-State Drive
Drive 1 size   128.0  GB 240.0  GB 128.0  GB
Drive 1 type   Solid-State Drive Solid-State Drive Solid-State Drive

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Ports and Connections

Available Interfaces HDMI|USB 3.0 Thunderbolt|USB 2.0 HDMI|USB 3.0 Line Out 1/8|Mini DisplayPort|USB 3.0
Wireless connection 802.11n|Bluetooth 802.11b|802.11g|802.11n|Bluetooth 802.11b|802.11g|802.11n|Bluetooth 802.11b|802.11g|802.11n|Bluetooth
Audio Output       Yes

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Dimensions

Width 15.0  inches 11.7  inches 11.6  inches 10.81  inches
Depth 9.8  inches 8.9  inches 8.1  inches 0.53  inches
Height 0.9  inches 0.7  inches 0.6  inches 6.81  inches
Weight 5.3  pounds 1.8  pounds 2.7  pounds 2.0  pounds
Weight with Accessories 6.0  pounds 3.6  pounds 3.5  pounds  

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Optical Drive

Included Drives DVD Drive      

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Sound

Speakers Stereo      

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Storage Media

Memory stick Memory Stick      
SD card Yes     SDXC Memory Card

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Included Software

Operating System Microsoft Windows 8 Microsoft Windows 8 Pro Microsoft Windows 8 Home Microsoft Windows 8 Pro

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Other Features

Devices Backlit Keyboard|Built-In Microphone|Built-In Webcam Built-In Microphone|Built-In Webcam|Docking Station|Keyboard|Touchpad|Track Stick/Eraserhead Built-In Microphone|Built-In Webcam|Touchpad (Multitouch) Built-In Microphone|Built-In Webcam
Input devices Touchpad (multitouch)     Pen (Stylus)|Touch Screen|Touchpad (multitouch)

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Power

Battery Type   Lithium Polymer Battery Lithium Polymer Battery Lithium Ion Battery

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Requirements

Operating System Compatibility       Microsoft Windows 8

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Battery

Charging Interface       Proprietary Connector

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Performance

Product Type

Subcategory

All Purpose      

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Overall Performance

Worldbench Score

59.0 285.0 243.0 265.0
Worldbench Version

8 8.1 8.1 8.1

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Battery

Battery Life

(hh:mm)

 3:22 6:32 4:33 5:08

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Start Up

Start Up

seconds (lower is better)

 15.7 14.6 10.3 9.2

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Office Productivity

PCMark 7 Productivity Suite

score (higher is better)

 2160.0 2533.0 2064.0 2287.0

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Web Browsing

Peacekeeper

score (higher is better)

 1972.0 2181.0 865.0 2073.0

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Storage Performance

PCMark 7 Storage Test

score (higher is better)

 4454.0 5308.0 5241.0 5145.0
File Compression

seconds (lower is better)

 153.9 140.6 184.7 139.1

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Content Creation

Image Editing

seconds (lower is better)

 642.8 258.3 348.1 604.4
Video Encoding

seconds (lower is better)

 208.0 206.0 234.0 253.0
Audio Encoding

seconds (lower is better)

 305.7 288.4 401.5 300.7
Image Editing - GPU Accelerated

seconds (lower is better)

   168.4 482.0 337.8

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Power Usage

Working power usage

Watt hours

 3.0 3.0 1.7  
Idle power usage

Watts

 9.4 18.2 8.2 9.2

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Gaming

3DMark 11, 1280x720 Performance

score (higher is better)

 642.0     547.0
Civilization V, Leader Benchmark, Low Quality, 1366x768

Frames per second (higher is better)

 632.1     690.9
Civilization V, Late Game View, Low Quality, 1366x768

Frames per second (higher is better)

 11.3     7.6
Dirt Showdown, Low Quality, 1366x768

Frames per second (higher is better)

 34.9     34.5
3DMark, Ice Storm

score (higher is better)

   26434.0 25522.0  
3DMark, Firestrike Extreme

score (higher is better)

   186.0 180.0  
3DMark, Cloud Gate

score (higher is better)

   2858.0 2722.0  
3DMark, Firestrike

score (higher is better)

   398.0 392.0  
Dirt Showdown, Low Quality, 1024x768

Frames per second (higher is better)

   15.4 30.1  
Crysis 3, Ultra Quality, 1024x768

Frames per second (higher is better)

   6.2 6.6  
Bioshock Infinite, Low Quality, 1024x768

Frames per second (higher is better)

   19.2 17.7  
3DMark 11, 1920x1080 Extreme

score (higher is better)

       179.0
Civilization V, Leader Benchmark, Ultra Quality, 1920x1080

Frames per second (higher is better)

       11.8
Civilization V, Leader Benchmark, High Quality, 1920x1080

Frames per second (higher is better)

       14.7
Civilization V, Late Game View, Ultra Quality, 1920x1080

Frames per second (higher is better)

       5.5
Civilization V, Late Game View, High Quality, 1920x1080

Frames per second (higher is better)

       5.9
Dirt Showdown, High Quality, 1920x1080

Frames per second (higher is better)

       17.6

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TouchXPRT

Beautify Photo Album

Photos/sec (Higher is better)

 1.13      
Beautify Photo Album

seconds (lower is better)

 44.37      
Prepare Photos for Sharing

Collages/sec (Higher is better)

 0.42      
Prepare Photos for Sharing

seconds (lower is better)

 16.79      
Convert Videos for Sharing

X (higher is better)

 7.6      
Convert Videos for Sharing

seconds (lower is better)

 11.24      
Export Podcast to MP3

X (higher is better)

 89.9      
Export Podcast to MP3

seconds (lower is better)

 19.92      
Create Slideshow from Photos

Photos/sec (Higher is better)

 2.79      
Create Slideshow from Photos

seconds (lower is better)

 17.94      

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