Laptop Review: Dell Latitude E4300
I recently sprang for a refurbished Dell Latitude E4300 laptop (2.4ghz CPU \ 4GB RAM \ 160GB 7200 RPM HD \ Webcam) from the Dell outlet store for $976 and wow — it is one fantastic machine. Easily the best laptop I’ve ever used and one which offers an insane value proposition which should suit most people. Why? A few notes:
Size & Weight: The E4300 is a 13″ widescreen. Having used both smaller (12″) and larger (14″) laptops I feel qualified to opine that 13″ is really the sweet spot on the size/usability continuum. 12″ laptops become consciously irritating when writing long documents or trying to compare things side by side. 14″ laptops are just too big/heavy to conveniently haul around. 13″ is just right. The E4300 is not particularly thin, but nor is it fat. Most importantly, with the standard 6-cell battery, it weighs a mere 3.3lbs! Impressive engineering.
Screen: The E4300 uses the newer ‘backlit LCD’ display, instead of the older cathode tube display. Backlit LCDs are lighter, brighter, and thinner. It’s a beautiful screen, easy on the eyes for long hours. Only the high end Sony Vaio’s have nicer screens, with the Latitude’s coming in a close second. Standard 1280×800 WXGA resolution.
Input Devices: Dell managed to squeeze what is basically a full size keyboard into the widescreen frame. It’s not the best laptop keyboard I’ve ever used (that honor definitely goes to Lenovo), but it’s definitely above average and completely serviceable. Surprisingly useful bonus feature: The keyboard activates a backlight in low-light conditions! There is both a trackpad and a touchstick. I don’t really use trackpads but I’m sure my wife will appreciate it and the touchstick — while not a Lenovo — gets the job done.
Performance: The E4300 has the “new” SP-series dual core intel processor designed specifically for mobile devices. This amazing processor gives you high speeds (up to 2.5ghz) while downclocking to lower speeds when not being heavily utilized. The end result is you get strong performance with a real-world 20%-30% increase in battery life. This thing zips around Windows Vista. The video controller is onboard, so graphic performance is modest, but more than sufficient for photoshop and watching DVDs (I’ve never understood playing games on laptops anyway). Mine came with a decent 7200rpm hard drive, but I plan on upgrading to an SSD when prices drop (which should offer a 10%-20% performance boost — extending the useful life of this hardware).
Battery Life: The aforementioned SP series processor works its magic here. Using the six cell battery, I routinely get 5-6 hours of typical usage. At 2.4ghz speed in a 3.3lb package — that’s really impressive.
Build Quality & Reliability: The Latitude E4300 is Dell’s laptop line targeted at business folks and professionals. Accordingly it gets a stronger chassis and less plastic than it’s consumer counter-parts (e.g. the Dell XPS M1330). Everything about the laptop seems solid. Nothing squeaks, flexes, or seems out of whack. Windows never freezes or bluescreens.
Refurbished: I’ve never purchased a refurbished computer before, but after my ideal configuration came out to almost $2k new, I became curious. I did some research both on and offline — there were a few horror stories but most (about 85%) of the Dell refurbished experiences were good! Importantly, Dell offers a 21-day return period so that took away my anxiety. I’m happy to report another satisfied customer. Aside from some tiny scratches on the outer screen cover (not noticeable unless closely inspecting) — it was truly like new. It’s impossible to determine why the previous owner returned it — everything works fine! Another benefit is refurbished laptops are shipped the next day, so you don’t have to wait for them to be “built.”
Dell: I don’t usually buy Dell (preferring IBM/Lenovo and HP) as I’ve generally associated them with cheaper/inferior products. But a number of IT folks whom I trust have recently told me that they believe Dell’s laptop line is really improving. In fact, a number of IT services companies have recently switched to Dell laptops for their field techs. I decided to take a chance and the experience was flawless. I haven’t had to call support yet, but I’m told that its serviceable.
Warranty: I thought it was worth pointing out that when buying refurbished, $99’s gets you three years of next business day onsite repair. That’s quite a deal and a nice offer to stand behind. I definitely took the plunge on that one for peace of mind.
Value & The Competition: If you want the same combination of flashy performance in a tiny (sub 3.5lb) package there are really only three options: Lenovo, Sony, and Apple. Weirdly, HP has nothing in the ballpark. Sony was off the table for me because — while they make some beautiful VAIOs — they just aren’t hardy. Someone should track down all the VAIO owners with cracked or separated frames or screens and put together some sort of lawsuit. That left Lenovo and Apple. I have too many useful PC programs for an Apple and they’re too expensive anyway. The comparable Lenovo options are ridiculously expensive as well, and usually lack DVD drives. I briefly considered the Dell XPS m1330, until realizing its power hungry processor gives it a mere 2-3hrs on a 6-cell. After much research the choice was clear!
Conclusion: Overall — this is a great laptop suitable for a wide audience. It does everything well and has none of those bonehead annoyances that can ruin an otherwise good experience. At under $1k (refurbished) its really a steal. Highly recommended.
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