Dell G15 (2022) - Full Review with Pros and Cons
Dell finally updated its gaming series of laptops with Intel 12th generation chips and they seem promising this time around. With the Introduction of Dell G15, and minor upgrades, Dell seems to be taking small steps and refining the overall experience. The previous generations were quite impressive and with upgrades they might just turn out to be perfect. Let us explore how this new contender turns out to be.
Build and Quality
This laptop looks just like any other gaming laptop. It does not fear to look distinct, but in a good manner. This is a very tried and tested design and Dell is sticking with it. The Dell G15 a very functional design and the protruded fan does look aesthetically pleasing. It really depends on personal preference. The plastic does feel premium and so does the metal casing. The front facing vents looks sleek and stylish. The orange accents on the keyboard also looks pleasing. Design department gets a thumbs up.
The hinge is good and it does not wobble much, though the single-handed lift is not possible. The second problem with the design starts when we consider the weight, it starts at 2.5 kilos which is on the higher side for this range of laptop. Gaming laptops do have a lot of weight but it is one of the areas Dell could have tried a but harder. Overall, the build is fine and functional and not many would be disappointed.
Ports, I/O and Connectivity
Moving on to ports, the Dell G15 checks every box a gaming laptop requires. The port list includes 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB Type-C port with DisplayPort with alt mode, SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.1, Power adapter port, RJ45 & Headphones. Everything considered, the port selection is good and every mainstream gaming laptop at this price should have these ports as standard.
On to the wireless connectivity options, this laptop supports Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (2×2) Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5.2 Wireless Card. This is one of the areas where Dell has excelled and for a good reason. Either wireless or wired the connectivity options do not feel lacking.
Maintenance
On the maintenance front, The Dell G15 does support RAM expansion. This does come in handy as the base RAM model starts at 8 GB. The accessibility is also not hard with the bottom screws unscrewed we can access the motherboard.
Input Devices
Keyboard– The Dell G15 has a proper qwerty keyboard and has a full-function key row. There is also a dedicated numeric keypad. For what it’s worth the keyboard experience is nice and the key does have good travel. There is a single-coloured orange backlighting which is a boon if you are a user who uses a laptop in an unevenly lit condition. But lack of RGB does hurt.
Trackpad– The trackpad is good enough but is small. Gamers would rather opt for a dedicated mouse. The precision is considerably good enough.
The webcam is HD RGB camera with digital-array microphones in camera assembly hence the video calling experience is a decent experience.
Display
Coming towards the display, this is one of biggest highlights of this laptop. The Dell Inspiron 5620 has 15.6″display with FHD 1920×1080 resolution. A refresh rate of 120Hz with AG, WVA, LED-Backlit technology. But a mere 250 nits of brightness this seems like a decent option. For the price point and targeted audience, this display is a no brainer. There are other variants of the laptop with higher refresh rate, higher resolution and higher brightness, but everything comes at a cost.
The display is adequately good. The viewing angles are also decent and so is the colour reproduction. Overall, a pretty decent display but a higher refresh rate at this price is expected.
Performance
Jumping on the performance part, the Dell G15 has an all-new 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-12500H with 18 MB cache, 12 cores,16 threads and maximum clock speed up to 4.50 GHz Turbo. This intel processor sits above Intel® i5 11th gen and Ryzen 5 5625U. The biggest advantage of the newer processors is the performance. This laptop flies with medium to heavy tasks and Intel has done a commendable job at keeping the thermals in check. Heavier tasks do not take a toll on performance at all. That being said, the laptop runs cool and does not tend to heat up except while charging.
Gaming is an an area of focus on this laptop. The NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050, 4 GB GDDR6 Graphics is same as last year, but with newer processor it performs even better. Though better than previous generation, this laptop has come a long way. Triple A titles runs smooth in medium settings and if not pushed too hard churns out stable performance. If looking for heavy gaming, the variant with NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 is recommended.
Overall, a very decent performing laptop and an easy recommendation for not very heavy gaming.
Speakers
Tuning to the speakers’ section, the Dell G15 has a good media consumption experience. The Stereo speakers with Stereo speakers with Realtek ALC3254, 2 W x 2.5 W provide decent sound quality and the 15.6-inch display enhances the overall experience. For movie watching, gaming, music or even casual video calls, the speakers are quite capable enough.
Battery
Lastly, the battery on the Dell G15 is good for a gaming laptop. It is a 56 Wh 3 cell unit is not large for gaming laptop, but given the new efficient processor, it lasts long. On the charging front, it has a 180W power adapter which is included in the box and charges the device in around 1.5-2 hours. This is on-par with the competition and is one of the places where laptop does impress a lot.
- Pros
- Great Performance
- Dedicated graphics
- 120 Hz Display
- Port Selection
- Cons
- Too heavy
- Price to Performance ratio is bad
Dell G15
