This laptop is beautifully constructed. Lightweight, easy to type on, and peppy touchpad. I purchased this particular `ultrabook` because it has a DVD drive but still weighs in at about 4lbs. Battery life seems to be acceptable (I get about 4 hours unplugged watching TV/movies). I do think it`s a lot of bang for your bock for ~$500.
That said, there are a few things that would benefit the 14z (5423). First is a backlit keyboard. Second is the screen quality could be better, it requires a lot of adjustment when watching movies. The WiFi periodically disconnects and the device needs to be re-booted, however I have been advised that updating the drivers may remedy this. Windows 8 is not very intuitive and is optimized for a touch screen, which the 14z does not have. Finally, the DVD tray release button is ultra sensitive and accidentally pops open constantly with the slightest pressure or when something brushes against it. Perhaps this is just a defect with my particular device.
This is a nice attempt by Dell but it would be a perfect laptop if just a few of those flaws were addressed in future models.

I first ordered this laptop because the ad description said it was a core I5 with Windows 7. Simple huh? When it arrived it turned out it was a Core I3 with windows 8, I sent it back and reordered from another vendor this one came with Core I7 and windows 8 it also has touch screen and a backlit keyboard and the case is brushed aluminum with a bright finish. So this time I got much more than I bargained for, in a good way. My point is that the vendors mislead the customers by selling something different than what is listed. I do know what I was ordering I own another 14z-5423 I purchased a year ago and it is exactly as described in the description of this product. If I would have received what I ordered I would have rated it higher.

I believe some poor reviews of products are due to the fact that the users may be misinformed about the product or just unable to understand the product. With that said, I review the Dell Ultrabook 14z Inspiron 5423 as a computer tech with many years of experience. There are several incarnations of the Dell 14z Ultrabook, and each one has a different configuration. So be very careful when choosing one for you may not be getting what you thought you wanted. The processor in this 5423 is an i7-3517U @1.9GHz. This is a sharp looking laptop with a very sturdy brushed aluminum case. The front corners of the case has an annoying lip that has the potential of catching on things - like your arms and wrists! The keys on the keyboard are spaced nicely, but because so there is no separate keypad. For some reason Dell chose to leave off the lighted keyboard - bummer. It has a generous sized touch pad which can be turned off if using a mouse. It only has two 3.0 USB ports - many less expensive laptops have three ports! One of the ports is on the left by the HDMI port and both have a cover over them, which can be a hassle when plugging into. The wired network port also has a cover. With the i7 processor, 8 Gig of memory and the SSD acting as cache memory this laptop is very fast. It could have been even faster if Dell had used a 7200 HD instead of the slower 5400. It seems that all computer companies chintz out a little on their builds thinking it will give them an edge in the market. As far as I am concerned it just makes them look stupid! The web cam is OK, but not up to the quality of the rest of the laptop. I casually tried to pair this laptop with a Bluetooth headset and was unable. Do not know if it is the laptop or the headset - not big issue right now.Read more ?

The RST technology with the solid state drive in this laptop is unbelievable. I use this in my living room connected to my entertainment system mostly for movies. It boots up in about the same time as my Blu-Ray player and much more convenient for browsing netflix, amazon prime, Hulu, or youtube than trying to use the very limited interfaces built in to a television or blu-ray player. It`s also got a great battery life when I`m reading pdf books or dabbling around on the net from my couch. Great product!
Con: Weak wireless card for connecting to a router on the other end of your house. Probably throttled back the power to save on the battery life.