Dell Latitude E5420 Overview

The Dell Latitude E5420 is a business class notebook from Dell designed for business users that need a durable notebook, but will mainly use the device at the office and around town. The Latitude E5420 does include a tri-metal case, but isn’t as rugged as the Latitude E6420, which may be a better choice for users that need more durability while on the road.

The Latitude E5420 Essential from the business line of Dell notebooks certainly lives up to its name. The 14 inch device is a solid notebook with matte high-quality surfaces, and top-notch input devices. Fingers fly across the touchpad and keys with ease and accuracy. Meanwhile users will easily forget that there is only a Core i3-2310M processor under the hood. Although this doesn't quite deliver the same performance of the newer Sandy Bridge Core i5 CPUs with Turbo-Boost 2.0.

Performance is good: Equipped with an Intel Core i5-2520M running at 2.5GHz, 4GHz of DDR3 RAM, Intel HD integrated graphics, and the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Professional, our test model earned a respectable score of 123 on WorldBench 6. That's in the ballpark for the top-ranked notebooks on our all-purpose laptops chart--and the E5420's gaming scores (compared with other laptops using integrated graphics) were pretty good too--but many of those competitors cost less

The redesigned Dell Latitude E5420 adapter is ideal for professionals looking for a budget-friendly blend of mobility and at-your-desk computing. Ready for whatever your work might dish out, this highly durable laptop is stylishly armored top to bottom with a hard-wearing Tri-MetalTM design, including an anodized brushed aluminum display back, reinforced steel hinges, a magnesium alloy internal frame and zinc alloy latches. The Latitude E5420 is also equipped with a protective LCD seal, 360-degree bumper for added screen protection and a spill-resistant keyboard that can outlast the bumps and spills of everyday work.

Dell Latitude E5420 is designed for professionals who want to work hourly in office and have no time to for charging, its powerful Dell LATITUDE E5420 battery gives up to 10 hours of battery timing. This notebook comprises of 14 inch HD WLED display screen, Intel core processor family, DDR3 Ram, Sata Hard driver, webcam with mic, LAN and wifi connections, Bluetooth, memory card reader, high speed USB ports, optical drive, its is purely light weight notebook round about 2kg can be taken easily with its hand bang.

The E5420 has several other features that should love this corporate IT buyers and their components. It has both a joystick and a touchpad (no need to fight this war Ergonomic a broad base of users), although none of the input devices is the best I've been, the two are certainly adequate. The keyboard has keys that are nicely sculpted fun to use, the backlight turns on when a button is pressed and turns off after a period of inactivity to conserve Dell M5Y0X battery power.

As good as this machine normally is, today’s deal of the day price makes even better. For a limited time you will be able to get this laptop for $320 Off the original price. The cheapest configurations can be had for $569-$599 (from an original price of $889), and come with a Core i3/i5. If you want more power, you can get opt for the Core i7 for $749 (from an original price of $1069).

Dell also speaks of current Intel Sandy Bridge processors from the i3, i5 and i7 range for the E5520 and E5420. vPro CPUs are also are to be put up for option. Interesting: Unlike the E6x20 models, quad core models aren't listed here. You'll have to be content with the basic configuration by way of the incorporated Intel HD Graphics 3000 for graphics performance. The available Nvidia NVS 4200M offered for the E6x20 notebooks, which works together with the HD 3000 via Optimus, apparently won't be offered for the lower-priced models.

The E5420's built-in speakers produce surprisingly robust audio, and although our test unit lacked a webcam you can opt to configure the machine with one. However, while the laptop does have a built-in microphone it offers no option to plug in separate headphone and microphone jacks, you get only a combined audio-mic port.

What really sets the Dell Latitude E5420 apart is its 9.5-hour Dell Latitude E5420 battery life, which is two to three times greater than that of comparable models. If you're going places where power outlets aren't always available, the E5420 would certainly be an appealing option for its longevity alone.

Doing business today means working anytime, anywhere. You need a laptop to keep up with your work style. Latitude E-Family laptops combine world-class design with durability to perform, wherever business takes you.

Silvery hardware audio-control buttons next to the keyboard let you quickly adjust volume or mute the sound entirely. Other welcome amenities include an external on-off hardware button for Wi-Fi (both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz flavors of 802.11n, yay!); Smart Card and SD Card slots; and even a FireWire port, presumably to support legacy storage devices since FireWire has fallen out of favor in the consumer market.

Business notebooks are subjected to a requirement for good security features. While the bigger organisations usually have their own security solutions, smaller establishments are usually happy to have security features and software included with a notebook. Worth mentioning in this respect is the Dell Data Protection Tool, and the backup and restore manager.

The Dell Latitude E5420 may not have the same sleek lines and rugged features as the E6320 or E6420, but an incredibly solid build quality, good traditional keyboard, antiglare screen and low starting prices combine to offer a reliable business notebook that won’t break the bank. The ability to work with other Latitude E Family docks and batteries is a big plus, and hopefully your IT guy will spring for a dock and a set of external speakers for your desk.

Specifications

• Processor: Intel® CoreTM i3, i5 and i7 processors
• Chipset: Mobile Intel® HM65 Express Chipset
• Operating System: Windows 7
• RAM: DDR3 SDRAM (1333 MHz) 2 slots supporting 1G, 2G or 4GB DIMMs.
• Hard Disk: 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive up to 500GB
• Display: 14.0” HD (1366x768) Anti-Glare LED
• Graphics: Intel® HD Graphics 3000
• Optical Drive: DVD-ROM, DVD+/-RW
• Camera: 1.3-Megapixel Webcam.
• Connectivity: 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet, Dell Wireless 375 Bluetooth® 3.0
• Battery: 6-cell (60Wh) Lithium Ion Dell M5Y0X battery
• 90W A/C Adapter (3-pin) Dell Latitude E5420 AC Adapter
• Ports: HDMI, USB 2.0