Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (7445) vs Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x 15.3" Laptop

The Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is the pick for anyone who wants a touchscreen, a hinge that folds to tablet mode, and a fingerprint reader on a compact 14-inch body. The IdeaPad Slim 3x is the better everyday work machine: 16GB of memory against 8GB, a larger 15.3-inch panel, and a Snapdragon X chip that runs quiet and cool. Build quality is close, both are aluminum-topped plastic-bodied laptops, and owners of each rate them well. The Inspiron's 8GB of soldered-style single-stick memory is its weak point for multitasking, and the IdeaPad's Snapdragon chip can stumble on some legacy Windows apps and games.

• Choose the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 if you want a touchscreen convertible with a fingerprint reader that you can flip into tablet mode for notes, drawing or watching video on a tray table.
• Choose the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x if you mostly do browser tabs, documents and video calls and want more memory and a bigger screen in a machine that stays quiet.