Dell Inspiron 14z

The 2011 version of the 14z (which looks very different from this one) was also a great-looking, slim, fairly priced laptop. It's almost enough to make you forget about Dell's higher-end XPS laptops. I wish the keyboard felt a little tighter, and a higher-res screen wouldn't hurt, either. Still, if finding the right price/performance/design balance is important to you, it wouldn't hurt to take the Inspiron 14z for a test drive.

Price as reviewed / Starting price	$899 / $699
Processor	1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U
Memory	8GB, 1,333MHz DDR3
Hard drive	500GB 5,400rpm / 32GB SSD
Chipset	Intel HM7
Graphics	AMD 7570M / Intel HD 4000
Operating system	Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Dimensions (WD)	13.7x9.5 inches
Height	0.8 inch
Screen size (diagonal)	14 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter	4.1 pounds / 5.1 pounds
Category	Midsize

The good: With a new slim design, the Dell Inspiron 14z impresses by including an Intel Core i5 CPU and discrete AMD graphics, all for a very reasonable price.

The bad: There's still a bit of a budget feel to parts of the body. Battery life, while decent, isn't going to get you through a full day.

The bottom line: Dell has managed to give a very upscale feel to its mainstream Inspiron 14z, a 14-inch ultrabook that comfortably juggles price, design, and performance.