Well I used to sell for Dell and I agree and disagree with some of what has been said.

Dell laptops have the most bang for your buck on the market right now, but they have a very cheap feeling to them. The casing flexes very easily and doesn't feel durable at all.
Most bang for your buck is definately correct. The flexing of the case and cheaper feel has been a common complaint that I have heard.

Pros:
Cheap
Decent performance
Average battery life
Cheap if meaning great price then I agree. Performance is like any other laptom in my opinion. Average battery life??? Actually thones I sold had better than average battery life and many publications rater the Dell very well with regard to its battery life.

But in the end, as with everything, you get what you pay for.