Dell brings big battery life to new $379 Inspiron 11 notebook

With Intel’s new Haswell chip, manufacturers can choose to either build slimmer notebooks or try to optimize battery life as much as possible. Dell has clearly shown its dedication to the latter with the new Inspiron 11 3000 series. Budget notebooks don’t always have big batteries, but Dell claims the $379 Haswell version of the Inspiron 11 lasts up to eight hours and 20 minutes on a single charge.

Besides battery life, the Inspiron 11 is a fairly straightforward budget notebook. It’s highly portable at 3.15 pounds and 0.83 inches thick, and has what Dell calls “soft touch paint” that gives the notebook a pleasant, almost rubbery feel. And while the 11.6-inch display isn’t the brightest and sharpest on the market, it’s touch-enabled even at the starting price.

What’s even more interesting is what Dell is leaving off its new notebooks. The company stressed a new focus on “what it’s like to live with a PC” in everyday life. This will translate to a significant decrease in both bloatware and superfluous popups, like the persistent McAfee antivirus notifications. We’re not sure which apps have made the cut and will remain preinstalled on the new Inspiron, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. Dell says the Inspiron 11 3000 series will be available on October 3rd.