A powerful Chromebook 2-in-1, not just for the school

Thanks to IFA 2018 in Berlin last week, we now have several new Chrome OS options. Lenovo has announced three different Chromebooks, including a top-of-the-range model with a 4K screen, which Ryan has taken a closer look at, and Acer unveiled a sequel to its popular Chromebook 14, but I was not impressed by the quality of the production equipment I got my hands on.

Until now, Dell had not shown much interest in the mainstream Chromebook, instead choosing to focus on the education market. It seems that society is ready to change that with the introduction of a brand new model. The Dell Inspiron 14 is marketed as a 2-in-1 device for today's mobile consumer, and the specs and price justify it. It is equipped with an 8th generation Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which puts it at about the same level as other Chromebooks (Lenovo Yoga offers 8GB of RAM ).

If you consider Google's $ 1000 Pixelbook as a top-quality Chromebook (like me), it could more easily be described as a higher mid-range product, but a status higher than $ 500. On the money side, you expect the build quality to be much better than a standard $ 200 Chromebook, and I'm happy to say that's what you get here. The Inspiron 14 not only feels well built thanks to aluminum, but it almost resists blame. Although the screen rotates completely to provide different orientation modes, this thing would be way too heavy to use as a tablet for long periods of time. The 1080p screen itself looks great, even though it's incredibly bright and that it can be hard to see in certain lighting conditions. Relatively small frames around the screen add to what is a generally elegant design.

Unlike the new Lenovo Yoga, the Dell machine includes an EMR pen that lives in a slot under the keyboard. There was not one in this niche model that we had seen at IFA, so I can not speak of its quality. The keyboard is nothing special, although it is backlit, which should be given on a 600-dollar laptop, but that's not always the case. Typing on it is better than most other Chromebooks, even if it's a little soggy for my taste. In this respect, it does not meet the very strict standards set by the Pixelbook, but in all honesty, nothing happens.

As with the most recently launched Chromebooks, it charges via USB Type C, with ports on both sides. There is also a Type A port, a MicroSD card slot and a headphone jack, so you should be able to avoid the dongles unless you want to do something more exotic. Dell promises 15 hours of battery, which would be very competitive if it proved accurate. The performance was spectacular in my brief time with her, unsurprisingly, given the features of the device.

Because of its size and weight, I would not say that the Inspiron 14 is a particularly portable Chromebook, but it should be great to have at home. Its processor and RAM configuration make it extremely fast, it has a large touch screen so you can get the most out of Android applications, and its aluminum construction will ensure good durability. The only real stop is the mass of the machine as a whole.

If you want to spend a little more money on a Chromebook, there are now decent options – the $ 600 price puts Dell to the test of Lenovo Yoga and HP's Chromebook x2. Dell's first attempt at a premium premium consumer Chromebook is expected to stand up to these competitors, even if it does not have a sophisticated 4K display like Yoga or the detachable form factor of the x2 tablet. It is also interesting to see what Google announces during the October 9th hardware event, although it is unlikely that there is anything in this price range.

The Dell Inspiron 14 Chromebook 2-in-1 will be available in the United States on October 23 for $ 599.99.