Dell G15 (2022) Laptop Review

The Dell G15 laptop has a relatively simple design. Aside from the patterned speaker grills and the orange-colored keyboard backlight, it isn't too heavy on the gamer aesthetic. It has a tapered shape, so although it looks thick and chunky from the back, it looks a lot thinner from the front with the lid closed. There are vents on both sides of the laptop, the back, and the bottom. It's available in three color schemes: Dark Shadow Gray, Obsidian Black Special Edition, and Specter Green with Camouflage.

The build quality is just okay. There aren't any flaws in the construction, but it doesn't feel particularly sturdy either. It has a cheap-feeling plastic chassis with a finish that picks up fingerprints and scratches easily, and there's flex in the display and keyboard deck. The Obsidian Black Special Edition model has an aluminum lid. If you want a similar gaming laptop with better build quality, check out the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023).

The Dell G15 5520's hinge is okay. It feels smooth when opening and closing the laptop, and it's solid, with almost no wobble at all when typing aggressively or moving the laptop around. However, there's a little too much resistance to open the lid with one hand, which might be disappointing for some, as it's a nice quality-of-life feature.

The Dell G15 2022 and its power adapter are both bulky and heavy. If you want a more portable 15-inch gaming laptop, check out the ASUS TUF Dash F15 (2022).

The serviceability is great. It's very easy to access the internals as you only have to remove eight Philips screws and undo a few plastic clips. Four of the eight screws are captive, meaning they remain attached to the bottom panel, so you don't have to worry about losing or misplacing them. You can see the service manual here.

• Dell G15 gaming laptop
• 180W power adapter and cord
• Documentation

Note: Models with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070Ti GPU have a 240W power adapter.

The Dell G15 gaming laptop is available with the following displays:

• 15.6" IPS 1080p 120Hz
• 15.6" IPS 1080p 165Hz
• 15.6" IPS 1440p 240Hz

A 1080p resolution is fairly common for a gaming laptop this size, and it's a good match for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050, 3050 Ti, and 3060 as it isn't too hard to drive. Images and text look decently sharp, and you get enough space for split-screen multitasking. The 1440p display looks sharper, but you'll have to pair it with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti to get the most out of it, as the other GPUs will struggle to push high frame rates at 1440p. The 16:9 aspect ratio is good for gaming and media consumption; however, some may find it doesn't have enough vertical space for productivity, meaning you have to scroll more when reading a document or website.

The lowest-end display configuration is the 1080p 120Hz panel. It provides better responsiveness and displays a slightly clearer image than a standard 60Hz panel, but the response time is slow, causing noticeable ghosting behind fast-moving objects. The 1080p 165Hz panel has an advertised response time of 13ms, which is faster but still slow for its refresh rate, and the same goes for the 1440p 240Hz panel, which has an advertised response time of 10ms.

The 120Hz panel has a great contrast ratio for an IPS panel. However, it's still a relatively low number compared to other panel technologies like VA or OLED. Blacks look grayish in dim settings, so it isn't the best option for dark room viewing. The 1080p 165Hz and 1440p 240Hz panels will likely have similar contrast.

The Dell G15's 120Hz panel gets reasonably bright, a little better than the advertised 250 cd/m². It's enough for use in most indoor settings but not quite for a brightly-lit environment or outdoors in broad daylight. For dark room viewing, it gets dim enough to help reduce eye strain. The 1080p 165Hz has an advertised 300 cd/m² of brightness, which is only marginally better. The 1440p 240Hz panel has an advertised 400 cd/m² of brightness, which is bright enough for outdoor use, albeit just barely.

The reflection handling is decent. It has a matte anti-reflective coating that diffuses bright, direct reflections like a lamp or open window during the day; however, it doesn't reduce the intensity of the reflections and spreads them out instead, causing a haziness in other areas of the screen. It makes it hard to view dark content but isn't as much of a problem when viewing bright content. You can still see some reflections when viewing bright content with the screen at max brightness, though they aren't overly distracting.

The Dell G15's black uniformity is good. The screen looks a little patchy, but there's no visible backlight bleed, and the patchiness is only noticeable when viewing dark content in a dim setting.

The Dell G15's horizontal viewing angle is passable. The image looks inaccurate from the side, but the picture quality is still good enough to share casual content or even text documents with someone else. If you need perfect accuracy for color-critical work, it's best to be more or less directly in front of the screen. The other panels will likely have similar viewing angles.

The vertical viewing angle is passable. The image dims and washes out when viewing from above or below. It's fine if you're only looking at documents or content where accuracy isn't important, but you need to look at the screen from more or less straight on if you need perfect accuracy, which can be hard if you're in a tight space with very little room to tilt the screen.

The Dell G15's out-of-the-box color accuracy is alright. Most colors look inaccurate because the 120Hz panel has a narrow color gamut and can't reproduce the correct colors. However, the white balance is great, and the color temperature is very close to the 6500k target. The gamma sticks to a mostly flat 2.2 instead of following the sRGB curve, making dark content too dark and bright content too bright.

The 120Hz panel has a poor color gamut. It doesn't even have full coverage of the commonly-used sRGB color space, making most content look dull and washed out. It also has very limited coverage of the wider Adobe RGB, DCI P3, and Rec. 2020 color spaces. This panel isn't suitable for any color-critical work or viewing HDR content. The other displays will look better as the 1080p 165Hz panel has an advertised 100% sRGB coverage, and the 1440p 240Hz panel has an advertised 99% DCI P3 coverage.

The Dell G15 laptop's backlight is entirely flicker-free, which helps reduce eye strain.

The Dell G15 gaming laptop has a good keyboard. It feels spacious, and it has a fairly standard layout that's easy to get used to. The plastic used for the keycaps is okay; it isn't particularly premium or cheap. The keys have a lot of travel and don't require much force to actuate, but they feel a little mushy. Overall, it provides a good typing experience and doesn't cause fatigue over time. You can toggle between two backlight brightness levels or turn it off completely using F5; however, you can't change the color. There are models with a 4-zone RGB backlight if you want more colors, and there's also an Obsidian Black Special Edition model with a 12-zone RGB backlight.

The touchpad is mediocre. It's tiny even though this is a 15.6-inch device. There aren't any issues with palm rejection, but it doesn't always respond to taps, and actions like dragging and dropping can be frustrating. Also, the click mechanism feels mushy and cheap.

The Dell G15 has up-firing speakers that get pretty loud with minimal loss in sound quality at max volume. They have a lot of emphasis in the mids and low-treble frequencies to produce clear vocals, but they lack bass and treble extension and sound a little boxy and hollow. In short, they're great for spoken content but aren't ideal for music or movies.

The webcam's video quality is good. Even though it's a 720p camera, it captures a decent amount of fine details with vibrant colors, good exposure, and very little noise. The microphone sounds loud and clear with almost no background noise, but voices are slightly nasal.

The Dell G15 gaming laptop has a good port selection. All of its USB ports support USB 3.2 Gen. 1 data transfer speed (up to 5Gbps). The USB-C can output a video signal to an external display, but it doesn't support charging, meaning you can't use it to charge the laptop. The USB-C on models with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or 3070Ti support Thunderbolt 4.

The wireless adapter is an Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201. Some models have an Intel Killer 1650i wireless adapter.

The Dell G15 is available with the following CPUs:

• Intel Core i5-12500H (12 cores/ 16 threads, up to 4.50GHz, 18MB cache)
• Intel Core i7-12700H (14 cores/ 20 threads, up to 4.70GHz, 24MB cache)

They're both high-power mobile CPUs designed for gaming laptops and mobile workstations. Unlike Intel's 11th Gen. processors, this new generation of CPUs utilizes a hybrid architecture with a mix of performance and efficiency cores, similar to Apple's M1 SoC and other ARM-based processors found in most smartphones. Both CPUs have 8 efficiency cores, but the Core i5-12500H has four performance cores, while the Core i7-12700H has six, providing better multi-thread performance. Only the performance cores have Hyper-Threading technology to allow the cores to work more efficiently and process more threads simultaneously.

For gaming, the Core i5-12500H is powerful enough to provide a good experience. Upgrading to the Core i7-12700H doesn't affect performance significantly in GPU-limited games, but it's noticeable in CPU-intensive titles like real-time strategy and open-world games. The Core i5 is suitable for demanding production workloads like video editing and 3D animation, but the Core i7 can complete tasks and provide a smoother experience overall.

You can configure the Dell G15 with the following GPUs:

• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 with 4GB GDDR6 VRAM (95W TGP)
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti with 4GB GDDR6 VRAM (95W TGP)
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 with 6GB GDDR6 VRAM (130W TGP)
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti with 8GB GDDR6 VRAM (140W TGP)

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050, 3050Ti, and 3060 are GPUs designed for 1080p gaming. The RTX 3050 can deliver around 60 fps or slightly more at medium or high settings. The RTX 3050 Ti is only marginally better, with around a 10% performance increase on average over the 3050. The RTX 3060 is a good deal faster than the RTX 3050 and will get you higher frame rates, around 90 fps in very demanding games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but well over 100 fps in lighter games. The RTX 3070 Ti is the top-end configuration and the best GPU to pair with the QHD 240Hz display.

All four GPUs support ray-tracing and DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling). Ray-tracing has a high-performance cost, so it usually isn't worth enabling on the RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti as it will cause the frame rate to drop to an unplayable level. It may be worth it on the RTX 3060 and 3070 Ti, but you'll have to also enable DLSS to make up for the performance loss. DLSS is a feature that boosts performance in supported games by rendering images at a lower resolution and subsequently upscaling it to minimize any loss in visual quality. However, the performance increase depends heavily on each game's implementation. DLSS also tends to work better at higher resolutions, so you may only see a small performance increase if you play at 1080p. If you want a similar budget gaming laptop available with NVIDIA 40-series GPUs, which support Frame Generation, check out the MSI Katana A15 AI (2024).

You can configure this laptop with 8, 16, or 32GB of memory. For gaming, it's best to get at least 16GB because 8GB isn't enough for some games and will cause stutters. Also, the 8GB model uses a single RAM module in a single-channel configuration, which can reduce performance in CPU-intensive scenarios.

You can configure this laptop with a 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD.

The Dell G15 5520 with an Intel Core i5-12500H has an outstanding overall score in Geekbench 5. It has remarkable single- and multi-thread performance, meaning it can handle all types of workloads, including demanding tasks like video editing or 3D animation. The overall performance is still behind Apple's M1 Pro and M1 Max SoCs but among the best for x86 CPUs of its generation. The Core i7-12700H is faster overall, but mainly in multi-threaded workloads because it has two more performance cores.

As for the GPU compute, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 has an excellent score and can handle demanding workloads, though the RTX 3060 and 3070 Ti will provide a much smoother experience and complete tasks faster.

The Dell G15 2022 with an Intel Core i5-12500H performs remarkably well in Cinebench R23. It has fantastic single- and multi-thread performance, beating even the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) with an M1 Max SoC. It's more than capable of handling even the most demanding professional rendering tasks. If you want better performance still, you can upgrade to the Intel Core i7-12700H.

The performance in Blender is outstanding. Although the Intel Core i5-12500H can render the bmw27 scene quickly, it's always better to use the dedicated NVIDIA RTX GPU because it supports NVIDIA Optix API hardware acceleration.

The Dell G15 gaming laptop with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 has a great score in the Basemark GPU benchmark. It's better than the RTX 3050 in the HP Victus 16 (2021) and the Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 6 15 (2021), but only slightly. The RTX 3050, 3050 Ti, and 3060 can provide a smooth gaming experience at 1080p, though you may have to lower some settings on the RTX 3050 to get to 60 fps in very demanding titles. In the case of the RTX 3070 Ti, it can reach at least 60 fps at 1440p, even in graphically-intensive games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2.

The storage drive performance is outstanding. Its fast read and write speeds make the system feel snappy and responsive, shortening the time it takes to boot up, launch apps, and transfer files. The speed of the SSD may vary depending on the size, as larger SSDs tend to perform better.

The Dell G15 has poor battery life. Regardless of your workload, you'll have to plug it in at some point to get through a typical 8-hour workday, and the same goes for media consumption. For gaming or demanding tasks like video editing, you'll have to use the laptop plugged in almost the entire time. Some models have a larger 86Wh battery, so if battery life is something you care about, it's best to check the specifications first. Battery life varies greatly depending on your usage and the laptop's configuration, as higher-end GPUs and displays with a faster refresh rate or higher resolution consume more power.

The Dell G15 gaming laptop's performance in Borderlands 3 is middling. The average frame rate at high settings is decent, but there are frequent stutters. You'll have to lower the settings a bit to reach 60 fps with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 or 3050 Ti. Upgrading the memory to 16GB in dual-channel mode will improve performance, especially the 1% and 0.1% lows. The RTX 3060 and 3070 Ti can run this game smoothly without any issues.

Civilization VI runs well on the Dell G15 with an Intel Core i5-12500H and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050. The average frame rate at high settings is well above 60 fps, and there aren't any noticeable stutters. The average turn time is decent, though not a significant improvement over Intel 11th Gen. CPUs, like the Core i5-11400H in the HP Victus 16 (2021). Upgrading to the Core i7-12700H will only shorten the turn time slightly. Every configuration can run this game smoothly.

The performance in CS:GO is outstanding. The average frame rate at high settings is fantastic, well above the refresh rate of this laptop's 1080p displays. There are some stutters, but they don't happen often. Upgrading the memory to 16GB in dual-channel mode will improve the overall performance, bringing it closer to the performance of the HP Victus 16 (2021). Every configuration of this laptop can run this game smoothly.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider runs well. The frame rate at high settings is above 60 fps most of the time, though it can sometimes dip into the 30s. Again, upgrading the memory to 16GB in dual-channel mode will improve performance, especially at lower settings. The RTX 3050 Ti, 3060, and 3070Ti can run this game without any issues. The large frametime spikes are scene changes and aren't representative of the laptop's performance.

The Dell G15's thermal and noise handling is alright. In an idle state, the keyboard deck is cool, and the fans are barely audible. The keyboard deck gets warm under load; however, the hot spots are near the top, away from where most people rest their hands. The fans are audible under full load, but they aren't overly loud or annoying. The above results are measurements taken in the Balanced thermal profile. If you don't mind a little more fan noise or prefer a quieter laptop, you can change the thermal profile through the Alienware Command Center software. The other options are Performance, Quiet, and Battery Saver. If you want a gaming laptop with quieter fans, check out the HP Victus 15 (2022).

The performance over time is outstanding. The CPU gets pretty hot under load, but the GPU remains relatively cool. There's a small amount of thermal throttling on the CPU and GPU; however, it isn't noticeable. The other configurations will likely perform similarly.

The Dell G15 gaming laptop has many pre-installed applications, including:

• Alienware Command Center: Lets you monitor the system's thermals and adjust the power profile.
• Dell Customer Connect: Lets you answer surveys to help Dell improve their products.
• Dell Digital Delivery: Lets you download digital content purchased from Dell.
• Dell Mobile Connect: Lets you connect your smartphone to the laptop, similar to Windows' My Phone app.
• Dell Update: Lets you check for firmware and driver updates.
• Disney+: App for the video streaming service.
• Dolby Access: Adds Dolby Atmos support. This is only a 7-day trial; a one-time purchase is necessary to continue using the app.
• IntelliGo Neptune: Lets you enable AI noise canceling to reduce surrounding noise when using the built-in microphone.
• My Dell: Lets you access information about the laptop, register your device with Dell, and adjust system settings.
• Spotify: App for the music streaming service.
• SupportAssist: Helps optimize the laptop for best performance and troubleshoot issues.