They’ve been joined at the hip for decades, Intel and Dell. Now the US PC manufacturer is punting on new Snapdragon processors from Qualcomm, with a notebook priced as cheap as a Chromebook.
Due to be released in Australia via Dell.com.au shortly, the new Inspiron 14 with a Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 is selling in the US for just $500 (A$750).
The notebook comes with 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage.
It’s also light, at 1.4kg, and has a 14-inch antiglare screen that’s LED backlight and offers 1080p resolution.
As for ports, there are two USB-C, one USB-A, a headset jack, and a Micro-SD card reader.
Wireless connectivity is via Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
Under the bonnet is Windows 11 Home in S mode. That means you’ll be limited to apps available on the Microsoft Store.
The 14-inch laptop offers three configurations, but an AMD Ryzen 7 5825U bumps the price to US$550, and a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1255U tops out at US $650.
The ARM chip is not as fast as an Intel or AMD processor, but it’s much more efficient and chews up less power.
For those who need to do Team calls there is Windows Studio Effects on board that enhances video calls with background blur, automatic framing, and a trick that makes it appear like you are maintaining eye contact even when you’re looking at the screen instead of the webcam.
