Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 review: The do-it-all multimedia laptop
The 2022 Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 directly succeeds the 2021 Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 by introducing 12th gen CPUs and faster GeForce RTX GPUs to replace the 11th gen CPUs on last year's model. The manufacturer has even revised the chassis for a different look after just a year in the market for the series.
Our test unit comes configured with the Alder Lake-H Core i7-12700H CPU, 65 W GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, and 16:10 3072 x 1920 IPS display for approximately $1400 USD. Other SKUs with the Core i5-12500H, 60 W RTX 3060, and 1920 x 1200 touchscreen are also available. A 2-in-1 version of the model exists called the Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 2-in-1.
Competitors in this space include other midrange to high-end 16-inch multimedia or creator laptops like the Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7, Huawei MateBook D 16, Acer Swift X, Asus Vivobook Pro 16X, or even the MSI Creator Z16.
More Dell reviews:
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
87.4 % | 08/2022 | Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU | 2.1 kg | 18.99 mm | 16.00" | 3072x1920 | |
86.7 % | 08/2021 | Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU | 2 kg | 18.99 mm | 16.00" | 3072x1920 | |
88.7 % | 08/2022 | Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 2 kg | 19.2 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 | |
83.6 % | 07/2022 | Huawei MateBook D 16 2022 i7-12700H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.7 kg | 18.4 mm | 16.00" | 1920x1200 | |
86.2 % | 07/2022 | Acer Swift X SFX16-51G-5388 i5-11320H, GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU | 1.8 kg | 18.9 mm | 16.10" | 1920x1080 | |
12/2021 | Asus Vivobook Pro 16X-M7600QE R9 5900HX, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU | 1.9 kg | 19 mm | 16.10" | 3840x2400 |
Case — Darker Tones
Visually, the differences between the 2021 and 2022 models are immediately noticeable. The ventilation grilles along the sides and rear, for example, are now rectangular and ovals, respectively, instead of circles. The chrome-cut edges and corners are now gone for a more monochrome and less ornate appearance.
Build quality remains about the same. The metal base twists and creaks a bit more than on a pricier XPS or Spectre and this is especially true of the lid. We were hoping that all the visual changes would lead to a stronger chassis, but this doesn't seem to be the case. If you're still rocking the 2021 model, then you're not missing very much from a design standpoint with the 2022 model.
One of our complaints about the Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 was its weight and this continues to be true for the 7620 despite the chassis redesign. At 2 to 2.1 kg, the system is a few hundred grams heavier than the 16-inch Acer Swift X or Huawei MateBook D 16. The new design isn't any smaller either as dimensions are actually slightly larger in footprint over the 7610.
Connectivity — Thunderbolt 4 Support
The 7620 carries all the same ports as found on the 7610 despite the exterior changes. A second USB-C port like on the Lenovo Yoga 7 16 Gen 7 would have been nice to have given how large and heavy the unit is.
SD Card Reader
Transfer rates with the SD card continue to be very slow. It's clear now that Dell wants users to upgrade to the pricier XPS series if they want faster SD card performance.
Note that the RTX 3060 SKU comes with a MicroSD reader instead of a full-size one.
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Dell XPS 15 9520 RTX 3050 Ti (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Asus Vivobook Pro 16X-M7600QE (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
Dell XPS 15 9520 RTX 3050 Ti (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Asus Vivobook Pro 16X-M7600QE (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) |
Communication
SKUs can be configured with either the Intel AX201 or AX211 for Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, respectively. The AX211 in our unit would exhibit excellent receive rates when paired to our 6 GHz router, but transmit rates are not as steady as expected even after multiple retries.
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
Acer Swift X SFX16-51G-5388 | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 | |
Asus Vivobook Pro 16X-M7600QE | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Acer Swift X SFX16-51G-5388 | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 | |
Asus Vivobook Pro 16X-M7600QE | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 |
Webcam — Now 2 MP Instead of 1 MP
Dell has upgraded the webcam from 720p or 1 MP on the Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 to 1080p or 2 MP on the 7620 model for cleaner images. There is support for Windows Hello and a physical webcam shutter for privacy.
Maintenance
The bottom panel comes off easily with just a Philips screwdriver. Once inside, users will notice the revised cooling solution when compared to the older 7610. The changes have actually removed one SODIMM slot and one M.2 SSD slot from the 7620 leaving just one SSD slot and one SODIMM slot to work with as shown by our images below. More confusingly, users who opt for the RTX 3060 SKU will have 2x SODIMM slots.
8 GB of RAM comes soldered onto our board for a maximum of 40 GB if configured with a removable 32 GB DDR5 RAM module. RTX 3060 SKUs can be configured with up to 64 GB since they have 2x SODIMM slots and no soldered RAM.
Accessories and Warranty
There are no extras in the box other than the AC adapter and paperwork. The standard one-year limited warranty applies if purchased in the US.
Input Devices — Same As The Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 2-in-1
Keyboard
Dell has revamped the keyboard this year to exclude the numpad. The typing experience is otherwise similar to the Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 2-in-1 as the keys are still slightly softer than the keys on the LG Gram 16 or HP Spectre series.
Touchpad
The clickpad on our 2022 model is smaller than the clickpad on the 2021 model (11.5 x 8 cm vs. 13.5 x 9 cm) to be on equal footing with the clickpad on the Inspiron 16 7620 2-in-1. The new Mylar surface works great for cursor control as it's smooth when gliding quickly yet a little sticky when gliding slowly for more accurate clicks. Clicking on the clickpad is still softer and spongier than we would like, however.
Display — No Major Changes
Interestingly, Dell has changed panel suppliers from AU Optronics on last year's Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 to BOE for this latest model. Response times are slightly faster for less severe ghosting, but everything else remains mostly the same including the full sRGB coverage, ~1000:1 contrast ratio, and ~290 nit maximum brightness.
The viewing experience is good but still a few steps down from the XPS series or the OLED panel on the Asus VivoBook Pro 16X. Picture quality is noticeably grainier because of the aggressive matte overlay while colors aren't nearly as vibrant as on OLED. We understand that the Inspiron series isn't supposed to be top-of-the-line, but it's disappointing that Dell didn't make any significant changes to the display this year.
There are three 300-nit panel options to choose from: 3072 x 1920 matte non-touch, 1920 x 1200 matte non-touch, and 1920 x 1200 glossy touch. Our measurements below reflect only the higher resolution panel.
|
Brightness Distribution: 92 %
Center on Battery: 288.9 cd/m²
Contrast: 1111:1 (Black: 0.26 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.88 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 0.42
ΔE Greyscale 1.4 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
73.2% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.5% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
70.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.3
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 BOE NE16N41, IPS, 3072x1920, 16.00 | Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 AU Optronics B160QAN, IPS, 3072x1920, 16.00 | Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 Lenovo LEN160WQXGA, IPS, 2560x1600, 16.00 | Huawei MateBook D 16 2022 BOE NV160WUM-NH0, IPS, 1920x1200, 16.00 | Acer Swift X SFX16-51G-5388 Chi Mei N161HCA-EA3, , 1920x1080, 16.10 | Asus Vivobook Pro 16X-M7600QE Samsung ATNA60YV02-0, OLED, 3840x2400, 16.10 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | 3% | -5% | -5% | -7% | 25% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 70.8 | 74.1 5% | 67 -5% | 66.2 -6% | 65.1 -8% | 99.8 41% |
sRGB Coverage | 99.5 | 99.4 0% | 95.7 -4% | 96.4 -3% | 95.65 -4% | 100 1% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 73.2 | 75.8 4% | 69.3 -5% | 68.3 -7% | 66.75 -9% | 96.9 32% |
Response Times | -30% | 8% | 27% | 25% | 94% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 38 ? | 49.2 ? -29% | 36 ? 5% | 30.5 ? 20% | 30 ? 21% | 2 ? 95% |
Response Time Black / White * | 28 ? | 36.8 ? -31% | 24.8 ? 11% | 18.7 ? 33% | 20 ? 29% | 2 ? 93% |
PWM Frequency | 60 ? | |||||
Screen | -47% | -13% | -56% | -6% | -35% | |
Brightness middle | 288.9 | 296.8 3% | 393.7 36% | 319 10% | 276 -4% | 392 36% |
Brightness | 276 | 292 6% | 367 33% | 317 15% | 264 -4% | 396 43% |
Brightness Distribution | 92 | 87 -5% | 84 -9% | 90 -2% | 85 -8% | 98 7% |
Black Level * | 0.26 | 0.21 19% | 0.38 -46% | 0.23 12% | 0.16 38% | |
Contrast | 1111 | 1413 27% | 1036 -7% | 1387 25% | 1725 55% | |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 1.88 | 2.56 -36% | 1.97 -5% | 3.4 -81% | 1.8 4% | 1.74 7% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.37 | 4.76 -9% | 5.46 -25% | 8.1 -85% | 3.77 14% | 3.18 27% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.42 | 1.86 -343% | 0.62 -48% | 0.8 -90% | 0.63 -50% | 1.85 -340% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.4 | 2.6 -86% | 2.1 -50% | 5.7 -307% | 2.76 -97% | 1.77 -26% |
Gamma | 2.3 96% | 2.07 106% | 2.1 105% | 2.1 105% | 2.37 93% | 2.22 99% |
CCT | 6634 98% | 6628 98% | 6461 101% | 7433 87% | 6564 99% | 6483 100% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -25% /
-34% | -3% /
-9% | -11% /
-33% | 4% /
-2% | 28% /
1% |
* ... smaller is better
The display is well calibrated out of the box much like what we discovered on the 7610. Average grayscale and color DeltaE values would sit at 1.4 and 1.88, respectively, while our own calibration attempts would improve the averages even further to just 0.5 and 0.42. If you value sRGB accurate displays, then you'll like what you'll see here.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
28 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 13.2 ms rise | |
↘ 14.8 ms fall | ||
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 67 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
38 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 21.2 ms rise | |
↘ 16.8 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 49 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM not detected | |||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18100 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. |
Outdoor visibility is comparable to last year's model since maximum brightness has not changed. The Lenovo Yoga 7 or Asus VivoBook Pro 16X have brighter displays, but glare from their glossy overlays is more difficult to avoid.
Performance — 12th Gen Brings Higher Performance And Power Consumption
Testing Conditions
We set our unit to Performance mode via Windows and Ultra Performance mode via the pre-installed MyDell software prior to running any benchmarks below. Users should become familiar with MyDell as it the hub for warranty concerns, product registration, battery charging settings, and performance modes.
Nvidia Optimus comes standard with no MUX option.
Processor
Raw multi-thread performance is about 30 to 50 percent faster than the last generation Core i7-11800H to represent a fairly significant year-over-year boost. Performance sustainability could be a bit better, however, as CineBench R15 xT scores would drop by about 18 percent when running the benchmark in a loop. We're not sure how much of a performance dip users should expect if downgrading to the Core i5-12500H configuration as we've yet to test any laptop with such a CPU as of this writing.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
System Performance
PCMark 10 results are consistently higher than on the previous generation Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 as well most other 16-inch multimedia laptops.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 | |
Average Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU (8855 - 9542, n=5) | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 | |
Asus Vivobook Pro 16X-M7600QE | |
Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 | |
Huawei MateBook D 16 2022 | |
Acer Swift X SFX16-51G-5388 |
CrossMark / Productivity | |
Huawei MateBook D 16 2022 | |
Average Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU (1595 - 1792, n=5) | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 | |
Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 | |
Acer Swift X SFX16-51G-5388 |
CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
Huawei MateBook D 16 2022 | |
Average Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU (1383 - 1768, n=5) | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 | |
Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 | |
Acer Swift X SFX16-51G-5388 |
PCMark 10 Score | 6846 points | |
Help |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
LatencyMon reveals minor DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs on our homepage. 4K video playback at 60 FPS is otherwise smooth with just a single dropped frame during our minute-long test video.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Acer Swift X SFX16-51G-5388 | |
Asus Vivobook Pro 16X-M7600QE | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 | |
Huawei MateBook D 16 2022 | |
Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Our test unit comes with a budget 512 GB PCIe4 x4 M.2 Kioxia SSD for sequential read and write rates of up to ~2700 MB/s each. A copper heat spreader lies on top to aid in cooling. The drive in our unit would exhibit no performance throttling issues when running DiskSpd in a loop.
Drive Performance Rating - Percent | |
Huawei MateBook D 16 2022 | |
Asus Vivobook Pro 16X-M7600QE | |
Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 | |
Acer Swift X SFX16-51G-5388 | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 |
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance — Slightly Faster Than Before
Graphics performance from our GeForce RTX 3050 Ti is only about 10 percent faster than the RTX 3050 in last year's model. Though the RTX 3050 series is generally disappointing since the older and cheaper GTX 1660 Ti is superior, at least Dell's implementation here is faster than most other laptops sporting the same GPU.
Upgrading to the RTX 3060 configuration is expected to boost graphics performance by up to 20 percent. The GPU would be limited to a 60 W TGP, however, which is on the lower-end of the spectrum for mobile RTX 3060 options.
3DMark 11 Performance | 18923 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 40737 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 12647 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 5835 points | |
Help |
Cyberpunk 2077 1.6 | |
1920x1080 Low Preset | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU (48.2 - 81.9, n=9) | |
Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 | |
1920x1080 Medium Preset | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU (47.4 - 67.4, n=9) | |
Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 | |
1920x1080 High Preset | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU (39 - 51.5, n=9) | |
Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU (31 - 50.5, n=9) | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 | |
Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 | |
2560x1440 Ultra Preset | |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU (20 - 25, n=4) |
Witcher 3 FPS Chart
low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | |
GTA V (2015) | 181.7 | 176.1 | 148.7 | 75.4 | 53.4 |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 297.3 | 183 | 108.4 | 57 | |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 171.8 | 157.5 | 148 | 140.7 | |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 138.9 | 77.7 | 54.1 | 38.1 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 132.5 | 115.6 | 92.8 | ||
Strange Brigade (2018) | 307 | 138.3 | 110.2 | 95.2 | 69.1 |
Cyberpunk 2077 1.6 (2022) | 79.5 | 66.2 | 47.9 | 39.5 | 23.4 |
Emissions — Could Be Quieter
System Noise
Fan noise is ever present as both fans are never truly idle even when sitting on desktop with no running applications. At its quietest, we're able to record a noise of 25.7 dB(A) against a silent background of 23.3 dB(A) even when set to the "Quiet" power profile. Additionally, it takes a while for the fan noise to calm back down after running high loads like games. After closing Witcher 3, for example, the fans would remain loud for several minutes thereafter.
Fan noise would stabilize at 49.2 dB(A) when running Witcher 3 on Ultra Performance mode or 46.1 dB(A) if on Balanced mode to be louder than the Vivobook Pro 16X equipped with the same RTX 3050 Ti GPU. The high 40 dB(A) range has more in common with high-power gaming laptops than other multimedia laptops.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 25.7 / 26.1 / 30.6 dB(A) |
Load |
| 46.2 / 49.4 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 23.3 dB(A) |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Kioxia BG5 KBG50ZNS512G | Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU, i7-11800H, Kingston OM3PDP3512B | Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1260P, Micron 2450 512GB MTFDKCD512TFK | Huawei MateBook D 16 2022 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-12700H, Silicon Motion PCIe-8 SSD | Acer Swift X SFX16-51G-5388 GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU, i5-11320H, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HBLU | Asus Vivobook Pro 16X-M7600QE GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU, R9 5900HX, SK Hynix HFM001TD3JX013N | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | 3% | 14% | 8% | 3% | 1% | |
off / environment * | 23.3 | 24.4 -5% | 23.6 -1% | 24.2 -4% | 25.4 -9% | 26 -12% |
Idle Minimum * | 25.7 | 24.4 5% | 23.6 8% | 24.2 6% | 25.4 1% | 27 -5% |
Idle Average * | 26.1 | 24.4 7% | 23.6 10% | 25.8 1% | 25.4 3% | 27 -3% |
Idle Maximum * | 30.6 | 24.4 20% | 23.6 23% | 30.5 -0% | 27.8 9% | 27.5 10% |
Load Average * | 46.2 | 48.3 -5% | 37.7 18% | 39.8 14% | 41 11% | 41.7 10% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 49.2 | 48.9 1% | 40 19% | 39.8 19% | ||
Load Maximum * | 49.4 | 48.9 1% | 40.2 19% | 39.8 19% | 47 5% | 45.3 8% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
Hot spots are on the very center of the keyboard where temperatures can reach 50 C when running high loads like games. Other 16-inch laptops like the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X, Lenovo Yoga 7, and even the older Inspiron 16 7610 are cooler by more than a few degrees when under similar loads. The palm rests can be warmer than expected as well at 30 C compared to the more common mid 20 C range. The Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 is certainly more of a desk laptop than a lap laptop.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 46 °C / 115 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 45.8 °C / 114 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.8 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 36.8 °C / 98 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 30.6 °C / 87.1 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-1.8 °C / -3.3 F).
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU | Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 Intel Core i7-11800H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU | Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 Intel Core i7-1260P, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Huawei MateBook D 16 2022 Intel Core i7-12700H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Acer Swift X SFX16-51G-5388 Intel Core i5-11320H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU | Asus Vivobook Pro 16X-M7600QE AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heat | -12% | 24% | 3% | -6% | 9% | |
Maximum Upper Side * | 46 | 46.4 -1% | 39 15% | 41.8 9% | 52.4 -14% | 39.4 14% |
Maximum Bottom * | 45.8 | 54.8 -20% | 34.2 25% | 47.3 -3% | 50 -9% | 43.6 5% |
Idle Upper Side * | 29.2 | 31.4 -8% | 21.2 27% | 28.3 3% | 30.3 -4% | 27.6 5% |
Idle Bottom * | 31 | 36.6 -18% | 21.6 30% | 30.2 3% | 30.4 2% | 27.5 11% |
* ... smaller is better
Stress Test
When running Prime95 stress, the CPU would reach 3.5 GHz and 80 W for the first 15 seconds or so until core temperature hits 90 C. Thereafter, clock rates and board power draw would gradually fall before stabilizing at 2.3 GHz and 50 W, respectively, in order to maintain a core temperature of 86 C. Running this same test on the 2021 model would result in slightly lower core temperatures and a board power draw of 83 C and 45 W, respectively.
GPU clock rate, temperature, and board power draw would stabilize at 1627 MHz, 85 C, and 64 W, respectively, when running Witcher 3 compared to 1837 MHz, 69 C, and 63 W on the Inspiron 16 Plus 7610. There's no question that the processors in the 2022 model are running warmer in order to provide higher performance levels.
Running on battery power limits performance even if set to Ultra Performance mode. A 3DMark 11 test on batteries would return Physics and Graphics scores of 10252 and 8609 points, respectively, compared to 22210 and 18923 points when on mains
CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | Average GPU Temperature (°C) | |
System Idle | -- | -- | 39 | 36 |
Prime95 Stress | 2.3 | -- | 86 | 64 |
Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 1.5 | ~1597 | 86 | 83 |
Witcher 3 Stress | ~0.6 | 1627 | 90 | 85 |
Speakers
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 22.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.5% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (13.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 19% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 76% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 10% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 86% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(+) | good bass - only 3.8% away from median
(+) | bass is linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (2.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (4.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 0% of all tested devices in this class were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 0% of all tested devices were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Energy Management — Power-Hungry CPU
Power Consumption
Power consumption is similar to the 2021 model when idling on desktop or when running very low loads. When running higher loads, however, the 2022 model becomes more demanding especially if such loads are CPU intensive. Running Witcher 3, for example, draws only 5 percent more power while Prime95 would draw a whopping 72 percent more. The significantly higher consumption is in line with most other laptops we've tested thus far powered by 12th gen Alder Lake CPUs.
We're able to record a maximum draw of 137 W from the medium-sized (~15.3 x 7.5 x 2.6 cm) 130 W AC adapter. Dell has made no changes to the AC adapter or its rated capacity despite the more power-hungry CPU.
Off / Standby | 0.08 / 0.99 Watt |
Idle | 6.8 / 9.6 / 17 Watt |
Load |
117.5 / 137.4 Watt |
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU, Kioxia BG5 KBG50ZNS512G, IPS, 3072x1920, 16.00 | Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU, Kingston OM3PDP3512B, IPS, 3072x1920, 16.00 | Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Micron 2450 512GB MTFDKCD512TFK, IPS, 2560x1600, 16.00 | Huawei MateBook D 16 2022 i7-12700H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Silicon Motion PCIe-8 SSD, IPS, 1920x1200, 16.00 | Acer Swift X SFX16-51G-5388 i5-11320H, GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ512HBLU, , 1920x1080, 16.10 | Asus Vivobook Pro 16X-M7600QE R9 5900HX, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU, SK Hynix HFM001TD3JX013N, OLED, 3840x2400, 16.10 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | 1% | 35% | 29% | 21% | 1% | |
Idle Minimum * | 6.8 | 7.7 -13% | 6.6 3% | 6.1 10% | 7 -3% | 8.2 -21% |
Idle Average * | 9.6 | 10.7 -11% | 8.3 14% | 10.6 -10% | 10.1 -5% | 16.2 -69% |
Idle Maximum * | 17 | 16.8 1% | 9.8 42% | 11.5 32% | 15 12% | 19.7 -16% |
Load Average * | 117.5 | 100.39 15% | 66 44% | 65.5 44% | 63.3 46% | 65.8 44% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 113.1 | 108 5% | 52 54% | 61.2 46% | 63.3 44% | 65.6 42% |
Load Maximum * | 137.4 | 129 6% | 67.1 51% | 68.4 50% | 94 32% | 104 24% |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption Witcher 3 / Stresstest
Power Consumption external Monitor
Battery Life
Battery capacity hasn't changed from last year's model for similar runtimes between them. Users can expect 9.5 hours of real-world WLAN use on the Balanced power profile. A lesser 56 Wh battery option is available on some SKUs for a lighter overall weight.
Charging from empty to full takes about 2 hours with the included barrel AC adapter. The system can also be recharged via third-party USB-C chargers.
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU, 86 Wh | Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7610 i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU, 86 Wh | Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 71 Wh | Huawei MateBook D 16 2022 i7-12700H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 60 Wh | Acer Swift X SFX16-51G-5388 i5-11320H, GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU, 58.7 Wh | Asus Vivobook Pro 16X-M7600QE R9 5900HX, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU, 96 Wh | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | 67% | 4% | -26% | 7% | 7% | |
Reader / Idle | 1114 | 1230 10% | 734 -34% | 1218 9% | ||
WiFi v1.3 | 575 | 591 3% | 475 -17% | 424 -26% | 484 -16% | 675 17% |
Load | 69 | 199 188% | 113 64% | 90 30% | 66 -4% | |
H.264 | 506 | |||||
Gaming | 68 |
Pros
Cons
Verdict — Part Multimedia, Part Creator, Part Gamer
The most notable advantage of the Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 when compared to the 7610 is its 12th gen Intel Core-H CPU as it offers up to 50 percent faster multi-thread performance. If your workloads can exploit the faster processor, then the 7620 may be a worthwhile investment over its predecessor.
Most of the other changes are a sidestep for the series or only relatively minor upgrades at best. For example, the higher resolution 2 MP webcam is nice, but it's nowhere near the 5 MP webcams on the HP Spectre or Envy 16. The revised chassis design is nice as well, but it doesn't really make the system any lighter, smaller, or stronger than the older 7610 design. Alternatives like the lighter Asus VivoBook Pro 16X come with the RTX 3050 Ti and an OLED panel the latter of which our Dell still doesn't offer. A faster refresh panel, such as the 120 Hz panel on the HP Envy 16, would be a great option to have.
The Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 is a lot faster than the 7610 when it comes to CPU performance. Otherwise, most everything else is largely the same or even worse such as the warmer temperatures and fewer expansion slots.
Meanwhile, several other changes can be seen as downgrades such as the omitted numpad, smaller clickpad, higher power consumption under load, warmer temperatures, and fewer number of SODIMM and M.2 SSD slots. It's still a powerful system with both the colors and performance fit for casual gaming and content creation, but it's not exactly a homerun when some features are lacking.
Price and Availability
Amazon currently has one configuration available with the Core i7-12700H, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, 3K display, and RTX 3050 graphics for $1450 USD. We recommend ordering directly from Dell for more options.
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7620
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08/18/2022 v7
Allen Ngo