Laptops have come a long way from their invention. Current generation laptops look nothing like the first generation of laptops. The first laptop ever invented was in 1981 which only had 5¼ floppy drives, a five-inch screen and a bundle of software programs.
While floppy disks have gone extinct, they have been replaced with HDDs and SSDs which can hold so much more information and are much faster. Comparing the specifications of those laptops to the ones we have available today makes us realize how far we’ve come with technology.
Two tech giants HP and Dell have always delivered top of the line computers and laptops. Their computers have never failed to impress us and have always evolved throughout the years.
One could argue that one is better than the other. While they might be right in some cases, HP and Dell have had a pretty strong rivalry for making high-quality laptops and computers.
The HP Envy series and the Dell Inspiron series delivered few of the most iconic laptops of current generation. As they are so impressive, you might get confused which is the best one.
Before we dive into the comparative analysis of the two laptop series, let’s look at the history of the two tech companies and of these two flagship laptop series.
HP Envy History
The HP Envy (stylized as HP ENVY) series is one of the high-end laptop series manufactured and sold by HP. The HP Envy series was originally launched on October 15th, 2009 with two iconic models, the Envy 13 and the Envy 15.
When HP and VoodooPC merged, these models replaced the Voodoo Envy laptops. This laptop series was expanded with the addition of the Envy 14 and Envy 17 models.
In 2012, the Envy series was replaced by Pavilion series after the discontinuation of the Envy 13, 14, 15, and 17. HP Envy laptops are very popular and of high demand due to their performance and looks.
HP has built a great reputation for their Envy laptops and are continuing to manufacture great laptops from this series.
Dell Inspiron History
Dell laptops have been relevant from the first Inspiron laptops in the early ’90. This line of laptops have sold well and have been pretty popular in the tech community. Although the Inspirons were never the bleeding edge technology manufactured by Dell, they were generally great quality laptops with good enough features at a good price point.
Early Dell Inspiron laptops were run by the Celeron 1.4 GHz processor. The laptop series got a processor upgrade in the early 2000s with a Pentium M, which was soon replaced by the Centrino processor.
The motherboards also grew in capabilities during these times, adding more USB ports, and onboard power management. The batteries grew denser in terms of their energy storage capabilities which became a reason for disaster.
This higher density batteries caused the laptop recall of mid-2006, as these new batteries would promote overheating, and result in internal failures and disasters.
HP Envy vs Dell Inspiron
For this comparison, we will be using the best laptops of each series. Our contender from the HP Envy series is the HP Envy 15 (2020) and from the Dell Inspiron series, it is the Dell Inspiron 13 7000 (2020).
Let’s look at the features of each laptop and see which one is better.
HP Envy 15
Design
The Design of the HP Envy 15 is simple and minimalistic. The natural silver aluminum body and the all black screen makes it look very eye catching. The polished chrome HP logo stands out and looks great.
Laptop Size
In terms of size the dimensions of the laptop are 14.09 x 9.32 x 0.73 in. Area wise, this is a large enough size for a laptop. But in terms of thickness, this amazing laptop is on the thinner side.
Monitor
For the laptop’s monitor, you get 15.6 inch 4k Ultra HD screen with 100% DCI-P3 color gamut and 400 nits of brightness. This is a powerful display on a laptop that provides crisp quality images.
Keyboard
The laptop comes with a full-size, island-style, backlit, cool gray keyboard that is admired by both regular users and gamers. The button clicks are smooth and the backlight feature allows you to use the laptop even in the dark.
Battery Life
The battery of this HP Envy laptop is a 6-cell, 83 WH Li-Ion polymer battery. The battery is powerful and the charger supports super-fast charging that charges the battery up to 50% in less than 45 minutes.
Processors/CPU
The Processor that runs this amazing laptop is the Intel Core i7-10750H (2.6 GHz base frequency, up to 5 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, 12 MB L3 cache, 6 cores).The storage features include 16 GB of RAM (2 x 8 GB) and 512 GB Intel SSD.
Ports and Connectivity
The HP Envy 15 offers a lot in terms of connectivity. This laptop comes with 2 SuperSpeed USB Type-C ports with 10Gbps signaling rate,1 SuperSpeed USB Type-A port with 5Gbps signaling rate, 1 SuperSpeed USB Type-A for charging (HP Sleep and Charge), 1 HDMI 2.0A, 1 AC smart pin, a headphone/microphone combo jack and 1 microSD media card reader.
Speakers
The laptop boasts Dual speakers for audio by Bang & Olufsen that provide crisp and great sound quality that tops most of the laptops in this price range. The dual audio ensures an immersive experience while watching movies or shows, or listening to music.
Upgradability
In terms of internal hardware, the HP Envy 15 does not allow any sort of upgradability. You can install external drivers, but that’s about it. In terms of software, you can upgrade the Operating System to the latest version of Windows.
Pros
- Sleek design
- Powerful processor
- Connectivity and ports
- HP crisp audio
- Good battery life.
Cons
- Not budget friendly
- Not much available in terms of upgradability.
Dell Inspiron 13 7000
Design
The Dell Inspiron 13 inch 7000 laptops come with very narrow borders that provide you extra screen space in a smaller design. It comes with hinges that are sleek and reduce the number of lines that interrupt the style of the laptop.
The vents through the hinges are hidden, which makes the backside of the laptop look way better. This design of the hinges offers some elevation when the laptop is being used on a desk.
The edges on the cover and palm rest are tightly stamped and are crisp yet gentle on the hands. The contrasting surface finishes of anodized, hairline and diamond cuts harmonize throughout the aluminum interior and exterior.
Laptop Size
The Size of the laptop in terms of length, width and height is 8.5 inches x 12.08 inches x 0.54-0.63 inches.
There are two variants of the laptop and they have different weights. The FHD version has a starting weight of 1.4kg (3.09lbs), while the UHD version has a starting weight of 1.39kg (3.07lbs).
Monitor
This amazing laptop by Dell comes with a 13.3-inch UHD (3840 x 2160) screen that supports Truelife Touch with Active Pen support. The narrow border WVA Display looks great and lets you enjoy more screen space. The pen support is a nice touch (pun intended) and allows you to use the laptop like a tablet.
Keyboard
The keyboard is sleek and elegant and comes with a power key that is also a fingerprint scanner. This feature allows you to unlock your laptop using your fingerprint just like smartphones.
The power buttons and the keyboard keys are tested for 40,000 presses and 5 million clicks without failure. The keys are smooth and doesn’t hamper your typing pace.
Battery Life
The Dell Inspiron 13 7000 series laptops use a 4-Cell built-in Battery, that offers a battery life of 52 WHr. This is a moderate battery life and is said to last at least 5 hours if used non-stop. It charges pretty fast and goes from 0% to 80% in about an hour of charging.
Processors/CPU
This laptop comes with up to 10th Gen Intel Quad Core processors. This processor provides you with ample power for all your entertainment, projects and more.
Ports and Connectivity
This laptop features a lot of ports and slots. It comes with a 3:1 Micro SD Card Reader, a Universal 3.5 mm audio jack, a USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, and an HDMI 2.0 port. For charging the laptop features a Thunderbolt 3 with Power Delivery and for extra display connectivity, a Display Port.
Speakers
The Dell Inspiron laptops include Standard Waves MaxxAudio Pro audio software for an enhanced “multimedia experience with an impressive soundstage”. The sound quality is good and immersive.
Upgradability
Similar to the HP Envy, Dell Inspiron does not allow any sort of hardware upgrades. You can upgrade to the latest version of Windows to stay up to date (also similar to the HP Envy).
Pros
- Amazing display
- UHD touch screen with active pen support
- High performance processor
- Lightweight.
Cons
- Sound quality is rather disappointing
- Lack of upgradability freedom.
Our Verdict
Comparing the two laptops we can see that, the HP Envy beats the Dell Inspiron in most cases. Although we must mention, the competition was head to head and it was hard to decide which laptop is the superior one.
On one hand you have the HP Envy which is overall amazing. The processor power, RAM and storage, looks, and everything else about this laptop is just great!
But then you have the Dell Inspiron one, which comes with touch screen and an active pen for operating it. This laptop provides better air ventilation as well, which reduces the risks of overheating. This is a great feature to have in a laptop.
However, we are not saying that the HP Envy has bad air ventilation. The HP Envy laptops are known for having a good cooling system and heating up less often than you would think.
It comes down to two more things: requirements and budget. If you are an artist or someone who wants to draw and create art on your laptop, the Dell Inspiron 13 inch 7000 is the right one for you. But if that is not a requirement, we recommend the HP Envy 15.
If we had to compare the prices, the Dell Inspiron beats the HP Envy, as it is comparatively less expensive. But we would say, 200 extra dollars would be worth the money.
So in conclusion, we can say that the HP Envy would be a better overall option.
Check HP Envy Models Prices & Reviews on Amazon
Check Dell Inspiron Models Prices & Reviews on Amazon
Conclusion
What do you think? Which laptop is better for you? Don’t take our word for it entirely. Compare the two yourself and see which one works for you. Both HP and Dell manufacture amazing laptops, so you wouldn’t be disappointed with either one.
But if you want the overall best laptop, we suggest you go for the HP Envy laptops. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed.