When you think of desktop replacement PCs, you think of chunky notebooks that run hot and are noisy. It’s still true for high-end gaming desktops, but mainstream ones like the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus are now svelte and offer good performance. During more intensive apps, the Inspiron 16 Plus gets pretty hot. With its Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics, it can handle most games at modest, medium settings. At 1080p and High, the Dell managed 64fps in Watch Dogs: Legion. That’s just a couple frames less than an affordable mainstream gaming notebook like the HP Victus 16. PCMark 10’s score (7,147) is also closer to gaming notebooks than content creation PCs like the Surface Studio Laptop from Microsoft. When it’s hot, you can definitely hear the Inspiron’s dual fans.
The Inspiron 16 Plus has a 16-inch 3K screen. This matte screen could be brighter, and the colors don’t really pop. Overall, it’s decent enough, especially the resolution. It’s got slim bezels, for one. There’s a physical privacy shutter on the webcam at the top. In addition to the 1080p quality, some laptops now have 5MP cameras. No face recognition. You’ll have to tap the power button, which also works as a fingerprint scanner. The keyboard could be more tactile, and the key travel is also middling. I liked the smooth, clicky touchpad, though.
Design-wise, the Inspiron doesn’t stand out. My review unit’s aluminum chassis is a solid dark green with just a Dell logo on the lid. Considering its 16-inch size, I was expecting more ports than two USB-A, a USB-C Thunderbolt 4, and a HDMI. There’s a SD card slot, which isn’t that common in laptops anymore. But the cooling vents take up a lot of space. There are four speakers on the Inspiron 16 Plus, two at the top. Even at higher volumes, they sound balanced. Bass isn’t great, though.