A gaming notebook for everyday life. Dell's new Inspiron 15 of the 7000 series proved that it has a right to exist in the gaming-notebook world. First of all, it has a well-made case, which allows end-user maintenance. However, there are only a few interfaces for a 15-inch notebook. In addition, the performance of the SD-card reader is poor. In return, the manufacturer has incorporated acceptable input devices. The keyboard even features a backlight and a number block and is splash-proof. However, we did not like the small arrow keys, which are especially inconvenient in racing games. The only real disappointment of the Inspiron 15 is the Full HD TN panel, which not only has very narrow viewing angles but is also very bluish. Dell should at least offer customers an IPS display option.

In the further course of the test, Dell's newest gaming notebook can show its strength: The Intel Core i7 processor and the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti are combined with a fast SSD and 16 GB DDR4 RAM. As a result, system and gaming performances are excellent. However, the Inspiron 15 also performs very well in other fields of application than gaming. During normal use, the fan is hardly audible and the temperature remains in an acceptable range in every scenario. Although, the gaming laptop might seldom be used as mobile companion because of its height and weight, its battery life makes it suitable for mobile use. Our test model shows higher stamina than several mobile subnotebooks.

Dell offers a superior gaming notebook for a price from 1000 Euros (~$1062), which does not even have to fear more expensive competitors.

Those who are put off by the display should consider the more expensive UHD variant. It remains to be seen whether the German models of the Inspiron 15 will use IPS panels. Nevertheless, the competitors should not be neglected. Those who wish for even higher gaming performance and an IPS panel should take a look at the Asus ROG Strix GL502VM.

Update 08-03-2017: The IPS panel outperforms the TN display in all respects and appears to be significantly better.