Review Dell Latitude E6420 ATG Notebook

No matter if at the office, on the construction site or in the pickup, a Latitude ATG should be able to deal with difficult work environments. The time has come for the Latitude ATG when Acer's Travelmate suffers from scratched paint and sand trickles out of HP's EliteBook. Acer Aspire 5742Z battery The manufacturing, in compliance with the military standard 810G, and the high weight not only look impressive. The 3.6 kilograms are heavy in the (included) case. However, the latter could be omitted because the steel hinges and powder-coated bottom (magnesium) make the case (almost) unnecessary.

The technical specs are rather unexciting at first glance: Core i5 2520M and Intel HD Graphics 3000 for over EUR 2,000. These innards are already available for EUR 700 in the business sector (e. g. HP HP ProBook 5330m LG719EA). An argument for the high price would sooner be the 256 GB SSD that not only makes the Latitude ATG as quiet as a mouse but also ultra fast. Acer Aspire 5742ZG battery

Has Dell equipped its 14 inch Latitude appropriately for tough use in rough environments? Or is an ATG superfluous because tough guys would prefer the Latitude XFR (full ruggedized) anyway. Will the non-glare screen look good out in the sun? And who needs such a laptop anyhow? We will clarify these and more questions in the following in-depth review.

Acer Aspire 5750 battery We often describe the stability and resistance of a device with praising or carefully chosen words in our notebook reviews. There's hardly a laptop that is rated as absolutely insufficient. This is because the cases manufactured in the few factories have strongly closed in on one another in terms of quality. The rating of approximately 80% (average good) for workmanship is therefore the rule. The ATG not only goes one step further regarding material and stiffness, it represents the upper range among the "standard" notebooks. The manufacturer uses the term "semi-ruggedized" for a normal Latitude case that has been supplied with rubber edges and a stiff aluminum lid. The normal E6420 already got a rating of 96% for its workmanship, so what could have been improved now? Acer Aspire 5750G battery

The rigid base unit of the normal E6420 has been maintained; all ports remain in place. The thick rubber coating at the rear corners is fastened with screws and can be removed easily. The bulky handle is fastened very tightly to the base unit. It doesn't twist even the slightest bit and seems to be fastened absolutely securely.

Acer Aspire 5750G-2312G50 battery The most impressive update, when compared to the standard Latitude, is however the massive lid. It has a thickness of 12 millimeters, is made of ballistic armor (extremely scratch resistant alloy) and is combined with a high quality brushed aluminum - thus, the ATG outdoes every standard notebook by miles. Of course, only in terms of robustness because the weight lays heavily in the included case: 2,920 grams are a steep weight for a 14 incher. Lift it with a straight arm? Alike the tester, most will fail here. But at least the ATG can be used as a dumbbell replacement. Acer Aspire 5750TG battery

Comparable ruggedized laptops from the competition aren't inevitably quite that heavy. For example, Panasonic has always followed the strategy of using very light materials and accepts warping for its Toughbooks (e. g. CF-53). The devices are constructed so that they warp but not break under pressure. Dell doesn't have this kind of crumple zone. In return, the perceived and real robustness are perfectly in line. Acer Aspire 5750Z battery

By the way, Dell has the Latitude XFR Rugged laptop for tough guys in its range (military grade components). See the E6400 XFR (reviewed 2009). It's not a modified, but a stand-alone case. Here, all corners are shock-proof; the device survives drops and the ports are kept free of dust.

Acer Aspire 5750ZG battery ATG users don't necessarily have to be construction managers, architects or civil engineering experts. We can very well imagine the ATG for people who don't always want to treat a laptop quite as cautiously and carefully. A case isn't an absolute must for the ATG. The device will survive all of that without taking internal damage. Nevertheless, we wouldn't let the ATG fall from a table and we wouldn't expose the chassis to humidity or wetness either. It is really just that what Dell sells it as: A standard Latitude for rough but not harsh or even extreme handling. Acer Aspire 5755 battery

The surrounding rubber lip, which protects the screen and keyboard from infiltrating dust particles, as well as the single clasp are identical to the one in the basic Latitude. The same applies to the keyboard and touchpad, but more about that under Input Devices.

Performance

Our test device is equipped with a Core i5 2520M which includes the integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 (IGP). The single RAM module from Hynix is a SO-DIMM with a capacity of 4 GB (maximum 8 GB as 2x 4 GB). For this, it is necessary that Windows 7 Professional 64bit is installed on the 256 GB SSD. Acer Aspire 5755G battery

The options at Dell range from a Core i5, as in the test device, up to a Core i7 2640M (2.8 GHz) and from 250 / 320 / 750 GB hard disks up to 128 / 256 GB SSDs. The surcharge for the 256 GB SSD in the test device is EUR 339. The processor graphics can be complemented by an NVIDIA NVS 4200M for an extra charge. In these cases, Nvidia's Optimus technology would take care of automatic switching (+ EUR 80). Acer Aspire 5755Z battery

Processor

The Core i5 2520M has a nominal clock of 2.5 GHz, but can be clocked up to 3.2 GHz and higher via Turbo 2.0 depending on the cooling. We criticized the E6420-test device with Nvidia's NVS 4200M in this regard because the 35 watt GPU reached up to 99°C thermally. This can't happen again since only the processor integrated Intel HD 3000 Graphics is in the ATG. However, the NVS 4200M can also be configured here. Acer Aspire 5755ZG battery

The conclusive processor tests from Cinebench make a very good impression. The scores are all in the upper range of this processor. Cinebench R11.5 finishes with 2.87 points (best score: 2.89 points). The single core test looks especially good: 713 seconds in SuperPi 32m is the shortest and thus best time for an i5 2520M.

Acer Aspire 7251 battery In the energy settings, Dell has the setting "Ultra Performance" that claims to "reduce CPU throttling" and "increase fan speeds". However, the performed benchmark tests didn't record any significantly different results when we compared them to the default setting "High Performance". But a performance difference was seen in the modes "cold" and "silent". The frequency is limited to 1.8 GHz here. Nevertheless, Cinebench R11.5 finishes with almost the same score: 2.84 points. In contrast to that, the single core test Super Pi needs approximately 1/3 longer (2m test 49 rather than 29 seconds). Acer Aspire 7551 battery

System Performance

The standard Latitude E6420 was equipped with a 7200 rpm hard disk and a Core i3 2310M (2.1 GHz). Now a stronger Core i5 calculates in the chassis and an SSD from LiteOn LAT-256M2S) replaces the spinning colleague. That not only reduces the 14 incher's noise but also increases the total performance by approximately 40%. The Core i5 that is now installed naturally also contributes to that. We record the performance with PCMark Vantage (score: 11,900 points) and PCMark 7 (score: 3,814 points). The standard Latitude only achieves 5,534 points (-45%) in the first system benchmark. Acer Aspire 7551-2755 battery

Temperature

The observations we made in system noise can also be seen in the temperatures. Except for the CPU area, the temperatures remain low even during high load. The waste heat is distributed very evenly over the chassis in idling. Regardless of the scenario, the wrist rest stays cool with a maximum of 30 degrees in every situation.

Acer Aspire 7551-3068 battery The ATG with its i5 2520M (2.5 GHz) ran through the stress test without problems. For one thing, we ascertained that the processor benchmarks are above average (see Performance/Processor). For another, the tools record a clock of 2.5 GHz during multi core load. Thus, we don't have to speak of throttling because it doesn't drop below the base clock. A third indicator for constant high performance without throttling is the homogeneous power consumption during the stress test.

Battery Life

Power Consumption

Acer Aspire 7551-3416 battery No one will now be surprised that the power consumption is on a low level when looking at the well-aligned runtime. The maximum idling power consumption of 18.4 watts, which is due to the brightness setting of 763 cd/m2, is striking. The technically similar E6420 consumes 13 watts in this assessment, but the maximum brightness is only 278 cd/m2.

Battery Runtime

Acer Aspire 7551-3634 battery The battery runtime of 6:30 hours in the wifi test is impressive especially since we are only dealing with the standard battery (60 Wh, 6 cells). The screen's brightness was dimmed to 150 cd/m2 during the test, so considerably lower than the maximum 763 cd/m2. We assume that the highest brightness setting would reduce the ATG's runtime by about an hour because the LED backlight is a big power consumer next to the CPU.

Acer Aspire 7551-5358 battery The battery runtime test in minimum and high load (not stress test) finishes after 9:57 and 1:17 hours. The brightness was set to the minimum, flight mode was enabled (wireless off) and the processor was idling in the first case. In the second case, not only the processor load nagged at the power reserves, but the high brightness of 763 cd/m2 did as well.

The runtime when playing a DVD with a dimmed 150 cd/m2 achieved 5:41 hours, so a bit less than in the wifi test. The time needed to recharge a fully drained battery is pleasantly short with 1:52 hours (repeated). Acer Aspire 7551G battery

All of that is impressive. The Latitude ATG will essentially have the same runtime as the standard Latitude. Our normal E6420 with a 9 cell battery (97 Wh), WXGA++ screen (1600 x 900) and Core i3 managed 8:50 hours in the wifi test and 12:21 hours when idling.

If you want even more, you can opt for Dell's MultiBay battery (4 cells, 48 Wh), which can be inserted into the shaft instead of the DVD drive (EUR 125). The 6 cell main battery can also be replaced by a 9 cell battery (97 Wh). Acer Aspire 7551G-5407 battery

Verdict

The Dell Latitude E6420 with the tag ATG supplies additional portability (handle) and ruggedness (ballistic armor). That will appeal to everyone who doesn't exactly treat his/her device with kid gloves, or people who use their laptop remote from cushioned business lounges.

The ATG is an alternative particularly for use outdoors in the sun. The screen's brightness sets a new record with a large gap: 763 cd/m2. A loyal companion with high reliability is created in combination with the shock-proof SSD and prolific typist-suitable input devices. Acer Aspire 7551G-5821 battery

If you have reasons for a semi-ruggedized notebook, you luckily don't have to choose from hundreds of models. In addition to Panasonic (Toughbook C1), only Getac (S400) and Wortmann (TERRA Mobile INDUSTRY 1280) offer corresponding devices. However, there are other niche players.

Review Samsung Series 7 XE700T1A-H01DE Tablet/MID

Acer Aspire 7551G-6477 battery Samsung presents its own interpretation of a Windows 7 tablet in the form of the XE700T1A. Officially, it has the rather awkward name Samsung Notebook Series 7 Slate PC 700T1A. In doing so, Samsung consciously calls the XE700T1A a slate PC and not a tablet, as it's advertised as a full PC. In fact there's a second generation Intel Core i5 ULV processor on the inside, which is also commonly found in current Ultrabooks.

Acer Aspire 7551Z battery A second box is supplied with the tablet containing accessories that complete the slate PC. There's a handy docking station and a nifty Bluetooth keyboard. Also included is a digitiser pen, which serves as an alternative input to using your finger. This comprehensive range of items bundled in the box admittedly comes at a really high price of around 1300 Euro.

Acer Aspire 7551ZG battery The XE700T1A shouldn't just function as a mobile computer, but also as a competitor to Android devices. In order to do this, the program Touch Launcher is preinstalled, which allows the user to start small applications via a grid of shortcuts, like a calendar, a to-do list, or an RSS reader, which is based on the start screen on Android tablets.

The concept isn't completely new - around a year ago we reviewed a similar device: the Asus Eee Slate EP121. This, too, is equipped with an Intel Core i5 and runs Windows 7. Admittedly the Eee Slate lacks the docking station connection so that users have to do without the convenience of a docking station. Acer Aspire 7552G battery

So now we want to find out whether Samsung has bitten off more than it can chew or whether the XE700T1A really can unite the best of a Windows 7 notebook and Android tablets.

Case

The front presents itself with a large piece of glass that's punctuated by the home button in the middle at the bottom. At the middle of the top there's the front camera. Likewise on the front there are the usual Windows 7 and Core i5 stickers, which prove to be consumer friendly in that they're on an easily removable transparent film. Also on this film is the Samsung service sticker with the serial number. If you remove the three stickers out of aesthetical reasons, you should keep the service sticker for your guarantee. Acer Aspire 7552G-5107 battery

The edges of the slate PC are in two tiers. Bordering the glass slab the edges are made of a highly-glossy plastic and towards the bottom they're made of a grey, matte plastic. The rear is made of a brushed piece of metal in which several groups of ventilation slots are milled. Towards the bottom you'll find the Intel- and Windows 7 logo inscribed into the material, as well as the necessary conformity declarations. The silvery Samsung logo is embedded concentrically. In the top left, surrounded by a thin silver ring, there's the rear camera. Unfortunately fingerprints are very noticeable, depending on the angle at which you look at it. Acer Aspire 7552G-5488 battery

Due to the end-to-end glass slab on the front and the metal plate on the rear the XE700T1A is very rigid. Even under great pressure it can't be bent, instead giving off creaking noises when trying to twist it. The tablet is very well manufactured and fulfils the high expectations of this price range. All gaps are tidy, and together with the good stability and the attractive materials, the slate PC seems very valuable. Acer Aspire 7552G-6061 battery

The docking station is markedly small and handy and can easily be transported. This is mostly thanks to the tablet's foldable stand, whereby the docking station transforms into a right-angled 17mm high box. The stand is made from brushed metal, whilst the rest of the upper side is plastic that's coated in the same visual look. The sides are made of a metal band that goes all around, whilst at the front the Samsung logo is embedded. At the back, recesses are milled in for the five connections. The underside is made from a layer of nonslip rubber, in which, again, the Samsung logo is engraved. Acer Aspire 7560 battery

The keyboard is flat and weighs just under 300 g. The upper side is made from plastic, yet through its coating it looks like the brushed rear of the tablet. The keys are made of a matte black plastic. The underside is a slick black metal on which fingerprints and greasy smudges come into their own. Via an easily removable plastic cover which jacks the keyboard up somewhat, you'll find the slot for both of the necessary AAA batteries. The keyboard can slightly be bent, yet there are no sinister creaking noises. Acer Aspire 7560G battery

Performance

Computing is handled by a current, second generation Intel Core i5 processor in Samsung's slate PC. The Core i5 2467M is a ULV-processor, which is built similarly to its i5 series big brothers, but it only runs at a clock speed of 1.6 GHz. In return, with a 17 Watt TPD, the 2467M only needs half the cooling capacity of a standard voltage Core i5. This processor also has the Turbo Boost feature and can thus (at least theoretically) overclock both cores up to 2 GHz, when a high level of performance is required. This processor is currently particularly popular on Ultrabooks, which are also very thin and are thus limited in their cooling capacities. Acer Aspire 7741 battery

On the same die as the processor is the graphics solution from Intel, the HD Graphics 3000. This runs at a base speed of 350 MHz and can also be overclocked via Turbo Boost up to 1 GHz. This graphics card is sufficient for office tasks and playing Full HD videos, yet it's greatly overwhelmed by games or demanding 3D applications.

As for RAM there's 4 GB of fast DDR3 memory with a speed of 1333 MHz which is soldered onto the mainboard. The SSD also greatly contributes to the performance of the tablet, yet with a capacity of 64 GB it might not suffice for some users. Acer Aspire 7741-333G25Mn battery

Processor

A 3D scene is rendered in Cinebench; by reference to the duration of the rendering the processor is then judged. Here the Intel Core i5 2467M performs relatively poorly: at 1.63 points in Cinebench R11.5 it lines up far behind its twins found in Ultrabooks, where the same processor reaches 1.9 points. A reason for this is presumably the worse heat dissipation on the slate PC and as a result a lower effectiveness of Turbo-Boost. Acer Aspire 7741-5137 battery

System Performance

Application performance in different scenarios is measured with PCMark. Here too the XE700T1A is somewhat below that of similarly equipped Ultrabooks. The Toshiba Satellite Z830-10J scored 2951 points in PCMark 7, which is only a few points ahead of the slate PC with 2885 points. However, the Asus Zenbook UX21E-KX004V finds itself much further ahead, with 3476 points, despite having the same processor and graphics card. Acer Aspire 7741-7870 battery Due to the SSD, the device can hold its own in PCMark against much stronger systems with Core i7 2630QM and Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M, like, for example, the Asus G74SX-3DE. Of course the Samsung Series 7 doesn't get close to the computing power of a DTR.

Battery Life

Energy consumption

The energy consumption is correspondingly low through using a ULV processor and integrated graphics. The SSD is also much more energy efficient than conventional hard disks. At 7 – 10 Watt when idle the tablet is nothing to sneeze at. The similar Eee Slate from Asus needs between 7.6 and 12 Watt when idle and up to 30 Watt under load, whilst the XE700T1A remains much more economical with a maximum of 20 Watt. In standby Samsung's slate PC is a step ahead at 0.2 Watt compared to the Eee Slate with a high energy consumption of 0.8 Watt. Acer Aspire 7741G battery

Windows Tablets that are based on the Atom platform, like the Dell Latitude ST, are even more economical, thus the Dell Tablet needs a maximum of 12 Watt. In return it doesn't have anything close to the performance level of Samsung's Sandy Bridge slate PC.

Battery Life

Samsung promises a maximum battery life of 6 hours and 6 minutes. Surprisingly we were able to greatly surpass this value in our measurements. With WLAN off, display brightness at its lowest level and when idle, we reached almost seven and a half hours. Acer Aspire 7741G-333G25Bn battery

Our WLAN test is more practical, whereby the internet is surfed via WLAN. The display brightness is set to medium (150 cd/m²). Here the tablet reaches a good five and a half hours and greatly sets itself apart from the competing Asus Eee Slate with just three hours of surfing available.

The shortest battery life was obtained via BatteryEater Classic, which renders 3D scenes at the brightest display setting. Here the slate PC held on for almost two hours. This is a good score, especially when you compare it with the Asus Eee Slate's score here of one and a half hours. Acer Aspire 7741G-333G32Mn battery Of course the entire performance of the tablet isn't available when away from the mains. In Cinebench R11.5 the XE700T1A only reaches 1.51 points instead of 1.63.

Verdict

With the slate PC, Samsung is on uncommon ground and offers an interesting concept. For this the manufacturer demands a massive wad of cash. In return the user is promised the best from the world of notebooks and tablets. And as a matter of fact, the XE700T1A is convincing.

The case has a premium feel to it and is manufactured precisely. The materials are expertly chosen and the tablet feels very valuable. The attachable docking station is particularly impressive, which also shines with its good workmanship. The Bluetooth keyboard excellently fits in with the look of the rest of the equipment. On the whole the design is functional and sophisticated, even rather stylish. Acer Aspire 7741G-334G50Mn battery

The range of connections is sufficient and the docking station does well to expand here. With WLAN b/g/n and 3G you can be connected to the internet almost everywhere. A current USB 3.0 port would have enhanced the tablet even more.

Particular attention was paid to the software in this review. The preinstalled software is well adapted to the tablet and fits well within Windows 7. Unfortunately these can only be circumstantially added to, above all because there's a limited range of programs for Windows tablets. This means that the tablet can't compete with the Android Market, which has an app for every need. Acer Aspire 7741G-3647 battery

The input devices are convincing in large part: the touchscreen responds to finger-input very well. There are only glitches with the stylus in the lower corners. There, the cursor strays far from the tip of the stylus.

Despite being highly reflective, the display is remarkable. Its high brightness makes display content discernible even in bright surrounding light conditions, and the very good viewing angles allow the user to look at the screen from all angles. Acer Aspire 7741G-374G64Mn battery

The performance is very good for a tablet, yet rather low for a notebook. For Windows 7 the performance on offer is adequate. The slate PC is suited to office applications and surfing the internet. Compared to Windows tablets based on the Atom platform, the XE700T1A shines.

Heat isn't always sped away from the device well enough, which leaves the top of the tablet very warm in parts. Fan noise is reasonable and discreetly stays in the background. The battery life is also good for a tablet at over five hours when surfing the internet. Acer Aspire 7741G-434G50Mn battery

Overall, Samsung has created a consistently performing device, whereby there are barely any important points of criticism. Even if the Samsung tablet can't keep up with Android devices in terms of usability, nor can it keep up with the performance of a notebook, there's a good symbiosis of tablet and notebook. The device is certainly an interesting option for professional users that depend on a Windows environment.

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