In terms of its size, the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is thin enough at 0.64 to 0.71 inches depending on where you measure, and it’s right in the ballpark for 14-inch convertible 2-in-1s at 3.43 pounds. The HP Spectre x360 14 stands out as being much more elaborately designed, but it’s also considerably more expensive. The Asus VivoBook Flip 14 and Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i are both similarly understated. The display bezels aren’t as small as I’d like along the top and bottom, but they’re not overly huge and don’t detract too much from a modern appearance. The display top and bottom and chassis front and rear edges are rounded, but the angles are simple, giving the laptop a minimalist appearance that’s attractive enough without standing out. My review unit was Mist Blue, and that’s a little deceiving - the laptop is actually two-toned, with the Mist Blue covering the lid and a dark gray (or brown in some lighting) covering the bottom chassis.

The Inspiron 14 2-in-1’s hinge was stiff, requiring two hands to open, but it held the display firmly in its four positions - clamshell, tent, media, and tablet - and it props up the keyboard deck for a comfortable typing angle and extra airflow.Īesthetically, the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 comes in two colors in the AMD configuration, Pebble Green and Mist Blue, and just Platinum Silver in its Intel incarnation. The $735 Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 was just as well-built and thus proves that you don’t have to spend $1,000 or more for solid build quality, while at the same time the $1,100 clamshell Acer Swift X had more flexing in the lid and keyboard deck. It’s built well enough for the price, and considerably better than the Asus VivoBook Flip 14 that’s about $300 less (with a lower-end Ryzen 5 CPU and half the RAM). The lid flexes just a bit under pressure and there’s some display distortion - never a good thing - but the keyboard deck and bottom chassis are solid.

The Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is constructed of a mix of aluminum in the lid and plastic in the chassis, and it manages its materials to give it a mostly robust feel in hand.

Lenovo ideapad brightness issue