Dell Latitude E6400 (Dell Latitude E6400)

Member Name: cdonkin

Product:	Dell Latitude E6400
Date:	06/04/09 (751 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: stylish , Portable

Disadvantages: Weight

Dell Latitude E6400

Overview:

The Latitude E series is the next step in Dells line of corporate laptops. This model replaces the trustworthy D630. The Dell Latitude brand is targeted at the business market meaning that parts are standardized throughout the line and available for several years. The design of this series means that maintenance is quick and easy.

The E Series laptops all include an Intel Centrino2 chipset and an Intel Celeron or Core 2 duo processor. The E6400 is a 14.1" mainstream model of the E Series. Currently retailing for £769 for the base model and available in three colours (Black Red and Bue)

The laptop I am reviewing has the following:
Intel core 2 Duo 2.8GHz
4 GB DDR2 RAM
14.1 inch WXGA screen
Integrated 0.3MP camera
250GB freefall hard drive
Intel Wifi Link 5100
Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth
8X DVD drive

Design

You may be required to take your laptop to presentations, conferences, meetings, places where your laptop will be seen. You will be on show for your whole company. You don't get a second chance at a first impression. Therefore your laptop needs to send out a good message about your company. This the E6400 does very well.

The E series looks have been greatly improved on compared to the D series range it is replacing. The 6400 is finished in black with silver metallic hinges. There is a grain like pattern on the laptop. The dell logo pokes out from the black with a silver shine. The keyboard is clean and well laid out; blue LED lights shine up at you from the machine. This device screams sophistication, attention to detail and finesse. Stroll into a conference with one of these and heads will turn. Best make sure your suit is nicely pressed.
Features

The new 6400 features all the usual suspects when it comes to a modern business laptop (USB slots, wifi, Bluetooth) but also features a slot for a SIM card so you can use Mobile Broadband, an integrated web cam , Biometric fingerprint reader (though my model doesn't include this) , Smart card reader, DVD burner, PC card slot, EEE 1394, audio ports, USB powershare, VGA port, 3 button mouse, backlit keyboard, and eSATA port.
Performance

The model I am using is built for performance, with 4GB of ram and a 2,8GHz processer I have had no problem multi tasking on this machine. I can run Crystal reports, whilst listening to music from ITunes and chatting on MSN with no loss of performance. The 7200 rpm Hard Drive means loading files and data is swift.

The keyboard is easy to use; your fingers just glide across it and find the buttons easily. The function keys are easily visible and usable. The mouse is sensitive but not too sensitive and also allows you to zoom in and resize the screen.

The built in speakers aren't the best and do become a bit tinny at high volumes, but this machine isn't really made for playing your favourite CD. For streaming audio from a video call the speakers are adequate. There is also an audio jack so if you are worried about audio quality you can hook the latitude up to your favourite headphones and rock away.

The screen at 14.1 inches is large and with its backlighting is thinner and uses less power than other monitors. It also features an ambient light sensor which will change the brightness of the laptop screen depending on the lighting in y our local environment.

Battery Life

As with any laptop battery life is important for on the go workers. I have been impressed with this battery. From just using the machine normally I was able to get over 4 hours life out of the battery, which is a lot more than I have ever got from other Latitudes.

Overall I have been very impressed with the E6400. Dell has really stepped up a gear with their latitude series. They have updated the looks and the features to create a very good looking, powerful mobile workstation. My only downside would be the weight of the machine. At 2.5 kg it is on the heavy side for a laptop.

Summary: A great upgrade to the Latitude line

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