AI PCs have skyrocketed in popularity this year with the advent of mainstream LLMs and AI-assisted software, and laptop manufacturers have been quick to jump on the trend.
Dell, for example, has a wide range of AI PCs available from its most popular lineups, including Inspiron. Coming in just under the XPS series in terms of features and price, the Inspiron brand is one of my favorites to recommend to anyone who wants to spend less on a quality laptop.
In this case, Dell's Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (7640) is the latest model on the market, complete with Intel Core Ultra processors (CPU), stellar integrated Arc graphics, a 16-inch touch display, and some nice premium features like top-firing speakers.
Two models worth mentioning are on sale at Best Buy. The more affordable option at about $699 at Best Buy has an Intel Core Ultra 5 125U CPU, 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM, a 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, and a 16-inch FHD+ touch display.
It's a steal right now, especially for a convertible AI PC, but if you have an extra $50 lying around you might be interested in a rather significant upgrade. Dell usually asks about $1,150 for a model with Core Ultra 7 155H CPU, integrated Arc graphics, 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM, 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, and FHD+ display resolution, but you can instead pick it up for $750 at Best Buy during this limited deal.
🎃The best early Black Friday deals🦃
- 🕹️Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3-months) | $31.59 at CDKeys (Save $17!)
- 💻Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge (X Elite) | $899.99 at Best Buy (Save $450!)
- 🎮Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma (Xbox & PC) | $99.99 at Amazon (Save $50!)
- 🕹️Starfield Premium Upgrade (Xbox & PC) | $27.79 at CDKeys (Save $7!)
- 💻ASUS Vivobook S 15 (X Elite) | $899 at Amazon (Save $400!)
- 🕹️Final Fantasy XVI (PC, Steam) | $43.89 at CDKeys (Save $6!)
- 💻Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon | $1,481.48 at Lenovo (Save $1,368!)
- 🎮 Seagate Xbox Series X|S Card (2TB) | $249.99 at Best Buy (Save $110!)
- 🕹️Hi-Fi RUSH (PC, Steam) | $8.49 at CDKeys (Save $22!)
- 💻HP Victus 15.6 (RTX 4050) | $599 at Walmart (Save $380!)
- 🫙Seagate HDD Starfield Edition (2TB) | $79.99 at Best Buy (Save $30!)
- 🖱️Razer Basilisk V3 Wired Mouse | $44.99 at Best Buy (Save $25!)
- 🕹️Days Gone (PC, Steam) | $10.29 at CDKeys (Save $39!)
- 🖥️Lenovo ThinkStation P3 (Core i5 vPro) | $879.00 at Lenovo (Save $880!)
Why I love this deal on Dell's convertible AI PC
My colleague and Windows Central Editor Rebecca Spear reviewed the non-convertible version of the latest Inspiron 16 Plus (7640) about a month ago, ultimately handing it a Recommended Award.
The Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (7640) enjoying this deep $400 discount is similar, except it has 360-degree hinges that allow the lid and touch display to flip around for tablet, stand, and tent modes. Of course, it also works perfectly as a clamshell notebook thanks to the comfortable keyboard and large touchpad.
You don't have the option for discrete NVIDIA graphics here, but the Core Ultra 7 155H model does come with an integrated Intel Arc GPU, significantly boosting performance compared to the integrated non-Arc graphics in the Core Ultra 5 125U model. If you plan on using the laptop for light gaming or other GPU-intensive tasks, I recommend spending the extra $50 on the upgraded model. It also gets you twice as much storage space, which is worth the money alone.
Top-firing speakers are always great to see, as you'll be able to listen without muffling no matter how you use the PC. Dell fit four total speakers into the system, and they come with Dolby Atmos for further sound tuning.
Above the 1920x1080 (FHD+) touch display is a 1080p webcam that can take advantage of the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) in the Core Ultra CPU for Windows Studio Effects. Port selection shouldn't hold you back at all, even without a docking station. You get two Thunderbolt 4, two USB-A 3.2, HDMI 1.4, an SD card reader, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
The Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (7640) is considered an AI PC thanks to the Core Ultra CPU with NPU, but it's not a Copilot+ PC. Intel's first-gen Ultra chips don't have enough TOPS to make the cut for Microsoft's built-in Windows AI enhancements.
Nevertheless, that won't matter to a lot of people who simply want a bit of extra onboard power for AI tasks and who don't plan on taking advantage of features like Windows Recall, Live Captions, and Cocreator. And considering you can pick up an Inspiron 16 2-in-1 starting at about $699 with the Best Buy discount, you're getting a lot of PC for one tidy price.
