The best Dell laptops 2021

The best Dell laptops 2021

The best Dell laptops 2021

When it comes to Windows laptops, it’s hard to do much better than the best Dell laptops. Don’t get us wrong; companies like Asus, HP, and Razer have excellent offerings as well. However, Dell laptops’ smart design and powerful performance, coupled with their fantastic feature set, are tough to match.It’s no wonder that the best Dell laptops rank alongside the best laptops and are among the best Windows laptops available right now. In fact, they’re perhaps the closest Windows laptops have ever come to the best MacBooks. So, while you might find more affordable options out there, Dell laptops are a better value if you take into consideration their top-notch design and all that power packed into them.Since there’s a wide range of excellent Dell machines, you’ll find the best laptop for you no matter if you’re looking for Chromebooks, Ultrabooks, or gaming laptops. And, to help you find that special portable, we’ve rounded up the best Dell laptops right here.

Best Dell laptops at a glance

  1. Dell XPS 15 (2020)
  2. Alienware M15 R3 (2020)
  3. Dell XPS 13 (Late 2020)
  4. Alienware m17 R4 (2021)
  5. Dell Latitude 7490
  6. Dell XPS 17 (2020)
  7. Dell G5 15 SE (2020)
  8. Alienware Area-51m
  9. Dell Inspiron 13 7000 2-in-1
  10. Dell G3 15

The best Dell laptops: Dell XPS 15

(Image credit: Dell)

1. Dell XPS 15 (2020)

All-powerful laptop for creative students

CPU: 10th Gen Intel Core i5 – i7 | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti | RAM: 8GB – 64GB | Screen: 15.6″ FHD+ (1920 x 1200) InfinityEdge Non-Touch Anti-Glare 500-Nit – 15.6″ UHD+ (3840 x 2400) InfinityEdge Touch Anti-Reflective 500-Nit Display | Storage: 256GB – 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe

Amazing speakers
Beautiful display
Comfy keyboard
GTX 1650 Ti is a little weak

The Dell XPS 15 might be a bit pricey for regular students, but it’s easily one of the best laptops for students in the creative field. Combining staggering power in a stylish thin and light chassis, this laptop doesn’t hold back when it comes to internals and features that improve your computing experience overall, making this the best Dell laptop of 2021. Among those amazing features are a gorgeous bright display with 500 nits of brightness, an extremely comfortable keyboard, impressive speakers, and a terrific trackpad. We’re not saying that this laptop is perfect, but our coveted 5 out of 5 rating should speak for itself.

Read the full review: Dell XPS 15

Alienware M15 R3 (2020)

(Image credit: Dell)

2. Alienware M15 R3 (2020)

A brilliant gaming beast that just got a little bit better

CPU: Up to 10th Generation Intel Core i9-10980HK | Graphics: Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super | RAM: Up to 32GB DDR4 | Screen: 15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080) 144Hz 7ms 300-nits 72% NTSC – 15.6″ OLED UHD (3840 x 2160) 60Hz 1ms 400-nits DCI-P3 | Storage: Up to 4TB RAID0 + 512GB SSD

Great build quality
Sublime all-round performance
4K OLED panel not optimal for gaming
Nvidia Max-Q GPU a little limited

Dell’s Alienware gaming laptop line has established itself as among the very best on the market. But for 2021, one of the best Dell laptops is back and better than ever, rocking the best internals for gaming that money can buy. Of course, that means that its configurations cost a pretty penny, but if you have the money to spare, it’s certainly worth the splurge because of its sublime gaming performance. That’s without factoring in its quirky yet attractive design, excellent build quality, and display with fast refresh rates. We’ve been fans of the line since its design overall a couple of years ago, and that hasn’t changed.

Read the full review: Alienware M15 R3 (2020)

Dell XPS 13 (Late 2020)

(Image credit: Dell)

3. Dell XPS 13 (Late 2020)

Dell does it again

CPU: Up to 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 | Graphics: Up to Intel Iris Xe Graphics | RAM: Up to 32GB 4267MHz LPDDR4x | Screen: 13.4″ FHD+ (1920 x 1200) InfinityEdge Non-Touch Anti-Glare 500-Nit – 13.4″ UHD+ (3840 x 2400) InfinityEdge Touch Anti-Reflective 500-Nit Display | Storage: Up to 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe

Stunning design
Gorgeous 16:10 display
Excellent battery life
The sound quality is just OK
Pricey

At this point, we doubt that the Dell XPS line can do anything wrong. Its yearly updates have consistently made it to our best laptops list, and they’re only getting better. The Dell XPS 13 (2020) is not only a gorgeous piece of kit. It also comes, as expected, with excellent performance, a stunning display, and long battery life, alongside a few others. Much like its predecessor, it’s a pricey investment – but that is barely reason enough for us to discourage Ultrabook fans. This is among the best Dell laptops of 2021, and it’s worth every penny.

Read the full review: Dell XPS 13 (2020)

Alienware m17 R4 (2021)

(Image credit: Dell)

4. Alienware m17 R4 (2021)

Big. Powerful. Beautiful.

CPU: 10th-gen Intel Core i7 – i9 | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 – 3080 | RAM: 16GB – 32GB DDR4 2933MHz | Screen: 17.3″ FHD (1920 x 1080) 144Hz 7ms 300-nits – 17.3″ UHD (3840 x 2160) 60Hz 25ms 500-nits | Storage: 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD – 4TB RAID0 + 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD

Blazing fast performance
Stylish chassis
A ton of RGB
Expensive
Basically no battery life

Dell’s best gaming portable is back for 2021 and better than ever, cementing its status as among the best gaming laptops out there. This breathtakingly powerful gaming laptop doesn’t compromise, tackling all the latest AAA games without even breaking a sweat. Those tired of the same dated “gamer” aesthetic will also appreciate its thicc yet attractive design decorated with lots of RGB lighting, which sets it apart from everything else out there. It’s a little on the pricier side and its battery life could use a boost, but if you want the best of the best, you’ll want this one.

Read the full review: Alienware m17 R4 (2021)

The best Dell laptops: Dell Latitude 7490

Dell Latitude 7490 has many of the makings of a great computer. (Image credit: Dell) (Image credit: Dell)

5. Dell Latitude 7490

Intel’s new silicon and a honed design make a great combo

CPU: 8th-generation Intel Core i3 – i7 | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620 | RAM: 4GB – 16GB | Storage: 128GB SSD – 512GB SSD

Reasonable price
Excellent performance
Great battery life
Dell proprietary PSU

Despite the derivative design, the Dell Latitude 7490 has many of the makings of a great computer and one of the best Dell laptops 2021 has on offer. It’s all thanks to its excellent performance, a long battery life, and more than decent memory and storage options. It isn’t the cheapest, but it’s definitely worth the price.

Read the full review: Dell Latitude 7490

Dell XPS 17 (2020)

(Image credit: Dell)

6. Dell XPS 17 (2020)

A brilliant 17-inch Ultrabook

CPU: Up to 10th Generation Intel Core i9-10885H | Graphics: Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6 with Max-Q | RAM: Up to 64GB DDR4-2933MHz | Screen: 17.0″ FHD+ (1920 x 1200) InfinityEdge Non-Touch Anti-Glare 500-Nit – 17.0″ UHD+ (3840 x 2400) InfinityEdge Touch Anti-Reflective 500-Nit | Storage: Up to 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe

Great screen
Long battery life
Powerful
Not the most portable
Lack of ports

For a 17-inch laptop, the Dell XPS 17 (2020) is impressively thin and light, especially when you consider the fact that it boasts powerful specs for that top-notch performance that content creators require. Among the best Dell laptops out there, this is practically the whole package, touting a big, gorgeous screen, fantastic battery life that will last you the entire day, and a gorgeous design on top of everything else. That’s without even mentioning its mid-range price of entry, giving the MacBook Pro 16-inch a good run for its money.

Read the full review: Dell XPS 17 (2020)

Dell G5 15 SE (2020)

The Dell G5 15 SE (2020) boasts impressive AMD specs, especially in the CPU department. (Image credit: Dell)

7. Dell G5 15 SE (2020)

A fantastic value gaming laptop

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4600H – 7 4800H | Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 5600M | RAM: 8GB – 16GB | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare LED Backlight Non-Touch Narrow Border WVA Display – 15.6 inch FHD(1920×1080) 300nits WVA Anti-Glare LED Backlit Display(non-touch), 144Hz refresh rate | Storage: 256GB – 1TB SSD

Excellent CPU performance
Very affordable for a gaming laptop
Quick and vibrant display
Gets pretty hot under strain
The plastic build feels flimsy

Though Dell has its premium lines, it’s also been very good at building excellent budget machines. The Dell G5 15 SE (2020) is a very good example of that, touting impressive AMD specs, especially in the CPU department, to keep cost down without compromising performance. Here’s an affordable gaming laptop that delivers a staggering performance for the price, with a stunning display to boot. Of course, being a budget laptop, some sacrifices have been made – namely, its build and heat management. However, for the budget-minded, this is certainly among the best Dell laptops out there for gaming.

Read the full review: Dell G5 15 SE (2020)

The best Dell laptops: Alienware Area-51m

Alienware Area-51m is a performance beast fitted with high-end processors and high-end graphics cards. (Image credit: Alienware)

8. Alienware Area-51m

An out-of-this-world gaming laptop

CPU: 9th-Generation Intel Core i7 – i9 | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 – 2080 | RAM: 64GB | Storage: 2TB SSDs + 1TB (+8GB SSHD) Hybrid Drive

Extremely powerful
Aesthetic
Widely user upgradeable
Very expensive
Gets hot
Loud fans

Hands down, the Alienware Area-51m is a stunner of a gaming laptop, with a beautiful yet unique chassis and a comfortable keyboard to complement it. But it goes beyond looks; it’s also by far the most powerful gaming laptop on the market right now (and obviously, one of the best Dell laptops). Not that it’s perfect, as it does get really hot and its fans can get very loud. However, it’s a performance beast fitted with high-end processors and high-end graphics cards, and your gaming experience with it will be an absolute pressure.

Read the full review: Alienware Area-51m

The best Dell laptops: Dell Inspiron 13 7000 2-in-1

The Dell Inspiron 13 7000 2-in-1 is a versatile 2-in-1 with a lot going for it under the hood. (Image credit: Dell )

9. Dell Inspiron 13 7000 2-in-1

A step up for Inspiron

CPU: 10th Generation Intel Core i5 – i7 | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics | RAM: 8GB – 16GB | Screen: 13.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) – 15.6-inch UHD (3840 x 2160) Truelife Touch Narrow Border WVA Display with Active Pen support | Storage: Intel Optane Memory H10 32 GB with 512 GB Solid-State Storage – 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD

Competent performance
Highly versatile
Premium design
Quirky display
4K battery drain
Bunk speakers

The Dell Inspiron 13 7000 2-in-1 is a versatile 2-in-1 with a lot going for it under the hood.  This premium laptop is more than just about its premium design; it also has high-end internals to compete with the likes of the more powerful Dell XPS 13.  Rounding that out is a 4K display, and a clever stylus slot that makes us wonder whether they actually beat Microsoft to the idea. Granted, the display is a bit of a battery drain, and the speakers impressive, but this is still among the best Dell laptops out there.

Read the full review: Dell Inspiron 13 7000 2-in-1

The best Dell laptops: Dell G3 15

Dell G3 15 (Image credit: Dell)

10. Dell G3 15

Budget gaming in style

CPU: 9th Generation Intel Core i5 – i7 | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 – 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design | RAM: 8GB – 16GB | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-glare LED Backlit Non-touch | Storage: 1TB HDD – 512GB SSD

Affordable
Great performer
Flimsy build

When it comes to gaming, more often than not, you have to invest in premium parts to get that gaming edge you want. That’s especially true if you’re going for smooth 1440p or 4K gaming. In other words, while there’s a number of budget gaming laptops out there, very few really get you to where you want to go. Among those few is the Dell G3 15 gaming laptop, Dell’s affordable answer for gamers who want solid performance without splurging. It’s all thanks to those latest yet economically-priced internals it’s fitted with. It’s probably not going to get you competitive level, but if you want a cheaper laptop to game on for the sake of gaming, this will go a long way.