Dell rebrands Inspiron gaming laptops to G Series, serves up four new models

Dell has announced a name change for its Inspiron-branded laptops for gamers: the G Series. With the new brand come four new laptops starting at $749 and packing features like the latest eighth-generation Intel Core processors, discrete GeForce graphics with Max-Q technology, and Ultra HD screen resolutions. They arrive in three Dell-icious flavors: the G7 family, the G5 family, and the G3 models.

Right now, Dell only serves up one 15.6-inch G7 laptop, one 15.6-inch G5 laptop, and two laptops under the G3 banner sporting 17.3 and 15.6-inch screens. First, let’s start with the G7 and G5 models that are mostly the same save for a few slight differences, which you’ll find below in italics.

G7 and G5 15.6-inch laptops

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You’ll see a few differences between the G7 15 unit and the G5 15 version. For starters, you can only get the Core i9-8950HQ processor in the G7 version, along with system memory clocked at 2,666MHz: the G5 unit only includes DDR4 memory clocked at 2,400MHz.

Other differences include an additional 1TB 5.400RPM hard drive option for the G5 laptop, and a different set of colors between the two units: Matte Black or Beijing Red for the G5, and Licorice Black or Alpine White for the G7.

Note that both laptops support Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q technology. This essentially means Nvidia turned down the chip’s power consumption so it can run inside thin notebooks without the need for bulky cooling fans. But due to the power reduction, the chip has a 10 percent lower performance than the non-Max-Q version installed in larger, bulky gaming laptops. The trade-off, of course, is a quieter, cooler gaming laptop without reverting to integrated graphics.

Finally, the G5 provides an optional fingerprint scanner, whereas the G7 doesn’t appear to have any additional security-related hardware.

G3 17.3-inch and 15.6-inch laptops

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Overall, these two G3 models aren’t too different from the G7 and G5 units on a hardware level. The G3 series is the only family here that offers a 17.3-inch screen, but you sacrifice the UHD resolution for both the 17.3-inch and 15.6-inch units. You also don’t get the eighth-generation Core i9 option as seen with the G7 model.

Outside those differences, you get the same basic hardware choices, with the G3 models sporting discrete graphics chips, storage, and port complement. Note that the USB-C port supports USB 3.1 Gen2 (10Gbps) by default, with Thunderbolt 3 serving as an extra, optional cost when configuring the laptop. The G3 series also provides Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity versus the Bluetooth 4.2 component in the G7 and G5 models.

Dell’s new G Series gaming laptop family is available now to configure and order, with a starting price of $749. The company provides limited configurations for now, followed by more customization choices on April 16.