Dell Inspiron 15 1566 Review

A Deep Dive Into The Dell Inspiron 15 5566

Dell, an American multinational computer technology company, has been in the computer business since 1984. Their Inspiron series include affordable laptop computers that were launched in 1999 targeting the average consumer as their Latitude series was the counterpart for the business consumer market.

As technology advanced and computer needs grew, in 2000, Dell upgraded Inspiron models across multiple series offering different levels of computer tasks that address a variety of consumer needs.

Over time the overriding need for small and portable prompted in 2008 a launch of a low-cost mini-laptop or notebook and then in 2014, the 2-in-1s flooded the market.

In 2016 the Inspiron 15 5566 was released.

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Who’s It For?

Built for everyday tasks, the 15.6″ Inspiron 15 5566 Dell laptop is ideal for users who want to browse the Internet, create and edit documents, and stream TV shows or movies.

Should you need more room for storage, you can attach an external storage drive using the USB ports or SD media card reader.

This laptop will not run many popular games and only a fraction of the available game options.

What We Like About Dell Inspiron 15 5566

Dell has a good reputation when it comes to computers. The screen is clear. Excellent processing speed.

Battery life averages 6-7 hours when using the laptop for browsing. A comfortable keyboard and the rare DVD writer is a nice feature to have.

What We Don’t Like About Dell Inspiron 15 5566

The design of this Dell laptop is clunky and dull-looking lacking any aesthetic qualities. The screen images are not clear. The colors are not bright. The laptop has an overall cheap plastic look and feel.

The hard drive malfunctioned after a week. The buttons are inconsistently responsive.

What’s Included?

The Inspiron 15 5566 laptop computer includes an Intel Core i3-7100U processor, a 1TB hard drive, and a 15.6″ HD touchscreen display.

Overview Of Features

With a 15.6″ HD touch screen that features a 1366×768 resolution offering impressive color and clarity and also includes an LED backlight. Installed with Windows 10 operating system.

The 7th generation Intel Core i3-7100U mobile processor, smart dual-core, four-way processing performance offers you all the HD-quality computing you need. Multitasking needs are efficient with a system memory capacity of 6GB and more than enough high-bandwidth RAM allowing multiple applications and website browser tabs to remain open simultaneously.

With a 1TB hard drive file storage space what you get is a lot of space to contain music, HD videos as well as DVD movies, and also digital photos. Included is 5400 rpm spindle speed for standard read/write times.

The sterling image quality is due to the Intel HD Graphics 620 On-processor graphics which makes surfing the Internet, editing photos, and casual gaming a visual pleasure.

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Review Summary

The Dell Inspiron 15 5566 laptop weighs 5.5 lbs (2.49 kg) and is equipped with the 7th generation Intel Core i3 processors allowing you to quickly load up web pages, applications, and multimedia. The HD touchscreen display provides clear images due to its 1366×768 resolution. The included HDMI port enables a connection with an additional display to support multitasking and larger viewing.

The installed operating system is Windows 10 Home (64-bit) when you purchase this laptop and also includes up to 6GB of DDR4 RAM plus plenty of storage with a 1TB hard drive.

Wireless Internet connection is possible due to the 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi or for a stable wired connection, there is the Ethernet jack in addition to Bluetooth.

Viewing DVDs is made possible with the SuperMulti DVD drive and speakers. To make video conferencing calls this laptop includes a webcam, speakers, microphones, plus a 3.5 mm mic, and a headphone combo jack.

Buyer’s Guide

The laptop market is pretty vast with all the brands, levels of technology and even if a company puts out one really good model is not a guarantee that all of their models are of the same level of excellence.

So here are some tips to help you to find the right laptop that will suit your needs.

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Price

With all the laptops to choose from it is not at all difficult to find one that will fit your budget and give you what you need whether it is for work, entertainment like music and movies, or gaming. The first step in finding the right laptop is to be clear on exactly what you need.

Not all laptops are created equal. There will be some aspects of a laptop that are great and other areas less than desirable. While many are not terribly expensive (if you are not a gaming enthusiast) you still want to get your money’s worth.

We are not promoting one specific brand because each brand can come up with a winner one year and its competition may release a better one the next year.
The right laptop all depends on what you mostly do on your laptop regularly. What type of laptop user are you?

The Net Surfer

A laptop for surfing the web, emails, using a few Microsoft Office features like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel can easily be handled by most simpler quality laptops. The laptop won’t be worked hard at all so a net surfer can enjoy many years with the same laptop that offers essential apps.

There is a line that is crossed from inexpensive to cheap. First, pick it up. How does it feel? We’re not talking about emotional feel. Is it metal or plastic? Hefty hardware (keyboard, touchpad) or cheap parts.

When it comes to laptops “judging the book by its cover” does inform what you are going to get for your money.
Computer stores display their laptops not just so you can see how it looks. Pick up the laptop from the table and check out how quickly – or slowly – files and programs open. Is the laptop sluggish in the store? If yes, then you know it won’t work any better if you buy it and then load it up with apps, files, movies, and games.

Even for the simplest standard, the laptop should have at least 6-8GB of RAM for a smooth-running laptop. If you want to store movies and games 500GB will fill up pretty quickly, so start with 750GB or even 1TB and you won’t feel a pinch when loading up the hard drive.

The Traveler

Portability becomes a primary concern for the commuter who is not working in the same office or location every day. Size and weight are factors but a few other features get shaved down like shallow and cramped keyboards. So try typing on the store model and see if it’s a comfortable fit.

Take the trackpad through its paces to assess responsiveness, navigation as well as gesture accuracy, and comfort. The touchscreen may not be an option for many slim and lightweight notebooks. Is that necessary for your needs?

The processor makes a significant difference in how smoothly a laptop will operate. The Intel Core includes Y and U-series that generate low heat which is important since thin laptops and notebooks have no room for an internal fan. They both operate with low voltage which also prevents the laptop from overheating.

The solid-state drive (SSD) has become the laptop hard drive of choice because it runs faster and lighter and contains no moving parts. For a reduction in storage space, the notebook’s performance is far better. For additional storage, it would be worth purchasing an external drive for photos and movies.

A backlit keyboard is worth it for people who are working in dimly lit spaces.

Movie Viewer

After getting off from work many people enjoy the entertainment value of their computers. The laptop may even be their entertainment center including TV, stereo, and media players all in one device.

High-resolution widescreen is a priority for viewing. You want to check that the screen is bright. View the screen from different angles and be certain there are no image distortions or inverted colors. Is it bright enough to avoid glares and not so dim to make your eyes strain? Do you prefer a glossy (vibrant) or a matte (outdoor use) screen?

Built-in laptop speakers don’t compare to external speakers yet some laptops do have better audio quality. Test out the sound. You don’t want mechanical or tinny sounds coming through at high volumes. Brands do not guarantee quality. The optimal speaker placements are on the sides or top of the notebook facing you.

To store all of your entertainment you will need to start with 1TB storage.

Battery life is important if you are binge-watching your favorite series. If the battery is advertised to last five hours, more likely you can count on getting three hours on a single charge.

Movie and Music Maker

The processor (quad-core QM) and RAM (32 GB will improve speed) are vital for heavy-duty work like video editing and music creation. The laptop has to be able to optimally perform multitasking when simultaneously running Photoshop, Premiere, and GarageBand.

A combination of hard drive and SSD allows for large storage capacity and speed bumps of flash memory because storage space is crucial. This kind of work fills up the drive pretty quickly. Storage of 1TB is only the beginning. External storage drives will be necessary for the near future.

USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt ports support high-speed file transfer rates between your laptop and external drives. It will drain your battery quickly so keep your charger nearby at all times.

How about Software?

Now that we addressed a lot of the hardware considerations for your laptop you will also need the operating system that will also fit your computing needs.

For the Linux user, the choices are going to be Windows 8 or Mac OS X. The differences between the two are with Windows you can do a little custom-tailoring, for the appearance you will like Mac much better.

Whichever one that you choose you will get a large app ecosystem as well as hardware support. So depending on whether you prefer Mac or Windows OS will also determine your choice of having the laptop that will support your lifestyle.

In Conclusion

Here you have been given some indicators of what to look out for depending on what you do with a computer. Power, portability, battery life, processor, keyboard, trackpads, and on and on.

This is a good starting point but you must take the time and check out the laptops to your satisfaction. With this guide in hand, you can begin to tease out which laptops are not going to meet up your standards and narrow down the search until you get to the one you really want.

This is a purchase of something you will be using for many hours a day – every…single…day. So you want to look at this as a long-term investment. It’s your hard-earned money going into something that is going to be with you for a time. The research process is totally worth the time investment. You will feel confident about your choice because of your efforts.

Be certain you are avoiding any pitfalls, pay attention to what you are willing to sacrifice that won’t pinch you during your computer tasks. If you are looking to buy a one-size-fits-all laptop then you have a better chance of chasing windmills.

For the basic email and websurfer stay away from a costly gaming computer. Focus your attention on getting the basic features that address your computer needs. Will the “bells and whistles” truly enhance your computing needs? You can do a little custom tailoring so you are happy with what you buy.

You want to get the most from the product giving your money’s worth.