The Dell G series of gaming laptops has evolved significantly in recent years. The first G series laptop (G5) was announced in 2018 to cater to the entry-level market and users looking for an affordable gaming laptop from a reputable brand. However, the last few G series iterations have seen significant improvements in terms of both design and performance, resulting in a slight price increase. The company recently announced the Dell G15 and G16 series of gaming laptops, which look more like Alienware than a budget gaming laptop with a starting price of INR 89,990. I’ve been putting the Dell G15 5530 with the Intel Core i7-13650HX CPU along with the RTX 4060 laptop GPU through its paces. I’ve only had one doubt since I started gaming on this machine: is this the most practical mid-range gaming laptop of 2023? Let’s see.
Design
Over the years, I’ve reviewed nearly every major variant of the Dell G series gaming laptops. As a result, I didn’t have high hopes for this model’s design. I was both happy and surprised when I opened the box. The Dell G15 5530 does not resemble its predecessor. In fact, the design of this laptop is more similar to the more expensive Alienware gaming notebooks.
Furthermore, I like the dual-tone quantum white alongside deep space blue thermal shelf finish, which is both unique and trendy. Please keep in mind that the G15 2023 is a thick and heavy machine weighing 2.8 kg. However, for those who simply want a capable gaming machine that will likely spend the majority of its time inside a gamer’s den, this should not be an issue.
The dual-tone finish on the laptop is stunning and it features a vibrant high refresh rate display.
Connectivity
The G15 5530 does not disappoint when it comes to connectivity and ports, and I also liked how connectivity options like HDMI, DisplayPort, as well as the charging port are located on the back. The LAN port, 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as a couple of USB-A ports are on either side, which makes them easy to access, and it also supports Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E. Overall, the Dell G15 5530 is a functional yet fashionable gaming laptop.
Display
I’ve been testing the variant with FHD resolution and a refresh rate of 165Hz. In terms of colour accuracy, the G15 outperforms its predecessor and is comparable to other laptops of this calibre. However, the maximum brightness is limited to 300 nits, which may be an issue when watching films and videos, and the lack of HDR certification is also a disappointment. During my testing, I found the laptop’s display to be color-accurate, though not as good as that found on more professional notebooks. Again, if you intend to use this laptop primarily for gaming, this should not be an issue. Overall, a good upgrade and a positive step forward for the brand.
Keyboard
The Dell G15 5530 has a tactile keyboard with a dedicated number pad and an orange backlight that feels great while gaming, especially with the slightly deeper key travel as well as tactile feedback. A full RGB treatment on the keyboard, on the other hand, would have been better. This laptop’s trackpad is straightforward and works as expected. The keyboard on the laptop is orange-backlit and has good key travel.
Webcam and Audio
The low-resolution 720p web camera and subpar speaker setup are two minor drawbacks of this laptop. A 1080p web camera could have easily been incorporated by the brand. The speakers are tiny and lack bass for a notebook of this size. Dell may be able to improve on these aspects with the next generation.
Performance
If there is one aspect of this laptop that I love, it’s the performance. The laptop is powered by the Intel Core i7-13650HX, one of Intel’s most capable gaming laptop CPUs, with a clock speed of up to 4.9GHz, 14 CPU cores, and a maximum turbo power of 157W. When fully loaded, this CPU provides desktop-class single-thread and multi-thread performance, which we confirmed by running the most popular CPU-bound benchmarks such as Cinebench, CPU-Z, and Geekbench.
In terms of graphics, the laptop features an NVIDIA RTX 4060 laptop GPU with 8GB video memory, which is a great mid-tier GPU capable of handling most modern AAA titles even at 1440p resolution.
It’s not just the peak performance; the laptop features an improved cooling system with a dual fan design, ensuring long-term performance. While it does get hot when gaming continuously, the fans kick in to prevent thermal throttling. I’m also pleased to report that I didn’t notice any heat near the keyboard. The Dell G15 5530, like most gaming laptops, has an average battery life and could last for more than 4 hours on non-gaming tasks. The laptop comes with a massive 330W power adapter that can easily power this powerful machine.
The Intel HX series CPU provides excellent gaming and multi-threaded performance. Also, the laptop has outstanding single-core and multi-core CPU performance.
Verdict
The Dell G15 5530 is not just for gamers, thanks to its unique design and best-in-class CPU and GPU performance. In fact, content creators could use this CPU-bound machine for tasks such as video rendering, 3D visualisation, and more. Overall, Dell has created an excellent mid-range gaming laptop in the form of the G15 5530. Aside from performance, the appealing design makes it one of the best mid-range gaming laptops in India under INR 150,000.
