Dell Inspiron 1545 review

The latest laptop to join Dell's ranks, the Inspiron 1545 - or Inspiron 15, as it's called if you buy direct from Dell - has a lot to live up to.

Its most novel feature is the screen. Like Acer, Dell has opted for a panel with a 16:9 movie-friendly aspect ratio - a choice that reduces the black bars at the top of the screen when watching widescreen material. And, rather than the 1,280 x 800 screen resolution found on most 15.4in laptops, the Dell's native resolution is 1,366 x 768.

Although the display is bright, the quality is far from stellar. Poor contrast left our test images looking pale and washed out, while wayward colour reproduction resulted in pallid, unhealthy skin tones. A grain across the screen didn't help matters, either.

Performance was enough to restore a little of the Inspiron 1545's allure, though, and the Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 and 3GB of memory powered it to a fine 0.92 in our benchmarks. Gaming is out of the question, however, with the Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics struggling to a jerky five frames per second in our least demanding Crysis benchmark.

Thanks to Dell's decision to specify a 2,800mAh battery, longevity isn't one of the Inspiron 1545's greatest assets. Light use stretched to a mere 1hr 28mins, while heavy usage saw the Dell expire after just 45 minutes.

It's a shame the Dell doesn't acquit itself better, as in terms of looks and build quality it's rather promising. The chassis feels sturdy despite its modest 2.58kg weight, and the glossy blue and black colour scheme is attractive.

Sit in front of the Dell for any length of time, however, and it just isn't up to par. The glossy wristrest is soon covered in greasy marks, and the keyboard is held back by an overly tacky trackpad and unresponsive buttons.

The Inspiron 1525 may have been a thoroughbred budget laptop, but the Inspiron 1545 certainly isn't. It's keenly priced, but with so many other laptops vying for your cash, we recommend you give this Dell a wide berth.

Author: Sasha Muller