Dell's new 2-in-1 PCs run the gamut in screen size
They include the world's first 17-inch 2-in-1 and an affordable 11-inch device.
It's no secret that the PC market has been shrinking due to the onslaught of smartphones and tablets, but if you ask Dell, it's apparently bucking the trend thanks to its 2-in-1 notebooks and gaming laptops. At Computex, Executive Director Monty Wong told us that Dell saw 13 consecutive quarters of increasing PC market share, to the point where it overtook HP as the number one PC brand in the US back in Q1, according to IDC. As such, it's no surprise that the PC giant has been mostly focusing on 2-in-1s at this year's show, with the new lineup running the gamut from the world's first 17-inch 2-in-1 all the way down to a $249 11-inch device. Let's take a closer look.
Starting off at the high end, we have the aluminum Inspiron 7000 series 2-in-1s, which come in sizes of 13, 15 and 17 inches. The 17-incher is a first in the 2-in-1 market, with its beastly size making it especially handy for kitchen use, small meetings and maybe movie watching. These are all designed with prosumers in mind. As such, they pack Intel's sixth-generation Core processor, NVIDIA's GeForce 940M graphics chip and a backlit keyboard.
These will also come with an infrared camera for Windows Hello's facial recognition login feature. In addition to the HDMI port, the two full-size USB connections (one of them USB 3.0), the SD card slot and the usual power plug socket, there's also a USB Type-C port on the left for an external dock, monitor or secondary battery. This series starts at $749 and will be hitting Dell's US site on June 2nd, followed by retail availability at Best Buy.
Next up we have the more mainstream Inspiron 5000 series. While their bodies are made of plain plastic, I'm digging their clean, understated design. There are only two size options: 13 inches and 15 inches, both offering a full HD touchscreen with wide viewing angle. The infrared camera is here to stay, and these machines will support up to 16GB of dual-channel DDR4 RAM. In terms of sockets, you'll miss out on the USB Type-C port featured on the 7000 series; instead you'll get an additional full-size USB 3.0 port. These start at $529 and will be on Dell.com at the same time as the 7000 series.
Finally, there's the Inspiron 11 3000 2-in-1, an 11-inch convertible laptop aimed at children and budget-conscious shoppers. Given its $249 entry price, there's not much to expect in terms of performance: It comes with an Intel Pentium chip, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage space and a 1,366 x 768 touchscreen. That said, you still get one USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 connections, an HDMI socket and a microSD slot. It will be available June 2nd, initially in red and blue, followed by gray and white at a later date.
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