Dell Latitude D630 review

Michelle Thatcher CNET

Published: 29 May 2007

Anyone accustomed to shiny finishes and flashing lights may find it hard to get excited about a comparatively mundane business notebook. But the more time we spent with the Dell Latitude D630, the more excited we got. Within its slim and sturdy case (Dell calls it 'Road Ready'), the Latitude D630 houses Intel's latest Santa Rosa platform. Those new components (and the optional nine-cell battery) helped our Latitude D630 review unit post impressive performance scores as well as the longest battery life we've seen in a thin-and-light system. The notebook also incorporates a thorough set of features for business- — including corporate-level security measures and optional WWAN — for a lower price than competitors such as the Lenovo ThinkPad T61. It's enough to tempt even longtime ThinkPad users to make the switch. Businesses can't go wrong choosing the Dell Latitude D630.

We like the subdued design of the Dell Latitude D630; its grey exterior and black interior will fit into even the most buttoned-up corporate environments. More important, the notebook's magnesium alloy case brings an extra sturdiness that you don't see on consumer systems, and its display hinges are reinforced for the long haul. With its standard battery, the Latitude D630 weighs 2.3kg, but our review unit included an extended battery that brought its weight up to 2.6kg. That's near the outer limit for a thin-and-light system, though just 181g heavier than the Lenovo ThinkPad T61. With its AC adapter, the Dell hits the road at 3kg, which is manageable for travel but not something we'd want to carry with us every day.

The Latitude D630's 14.1in. wide-screen display is remarkably bright (223 cd/m2 in our Labs measurement). Its 1,440 by 900 native resolution is as sharp as some desktop replacements', which unfortunately can make text and icons appear small. The screen's matte finish makes it a winner for typical office productivity work, though, and its wide aspect ratio lets you comfortably work with two or even three windows open side-by-side. Missing above the display are a webcam and microphone, both of which can be found on competitors' systems, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad R61. It's not a great loss unless you find yourself frequently engaging in web conferences.

In a world where manufacturers regularly adjust key width and placement to fit the width of their notebooks, we appreciate the Dell Latitude D630's standard keyboard, which is quite comfortable for pounding out emails and Word documents. If you don't like the flat-headed pointing stick (not unlike that found on a ThinkPad) with two dedicated mouse buttons below the space bar, you can use the wide, rectangular touchpad, which has its own activation buttons on the wrist rest. If you opt for biometric security (as we did on our system), Dell squeezes a fingerprint reader between the touch pad's buttons; we appreciate the added security but wish the buttons were a bit larger. Above the keyboard sit all the media controls you'll need on a business notebook: volume up, volume down and mute. For a business system, the Latitude D630 has some pretty nice speakers; although the sound became muddled at high volumes, sound in the lower three-quarters of the volume range was full and balanced.

The Dell Latitude D630 includes most of the ports and connections we'd expect on a thin-and-light, plus a few extras. It lacks S-Video-out and a multiformat flash card reader (neither of which is essential for business users), but the Latitude D630 does add one more USB port than average, plus a serial port for use with older, specialised peripherals. In addition, the Latitude D630 piles on corporate-level security measures, including not only a fingerprint reader but also a smart card slot and an internal Trusted Platform Module. Another noteworthy feature is the Latitude D630's Wi-Fi On/Off switch, which incorporates a Wi-Fi finder. Sliding the switch past the On position lets you test for nearby Wi-Fi networks, whether you're booted up or powered down —you don't even have to turn your system on to find a network.

The £1,148 (ex. VAT) Dell Latitude D630 we tested was built on Intel's hot-off-the-presses Santa Rosa platform. It also runs Windows XP, the better to help enterprise users who haven't yet made the switch to Vista (Windows Vista Business is available at no extra cost). We certainly have no complaints about its performance. On our application benchmarks, the Latitude D630 showed modest gains over a Lenovo 3000 V100 running Windows Vista Business on Intel's previous-generation Centrino platform, and the Latitude D630 vied for dominance with a similarly configured (though Vista-based) Lenovo ThinkPad T61. Most notably for business users, the Latitude D630 bested its competitors on our Office productivity module, which measures the computer's ability to multitask with Microsoft Office applications.

Our Dell Latitude D630 included a nine-cell battery that extends about 2.5cm in front of the system (a bit awkward, considering batteries usually extend off the back); a six-cell battery is also available, for £81 (ex. VAT) less. The extended battery served the Latitude well in our taxing DVD battery-drain test, where it held out for 4 hours 45 minutes, the longest life we've seen (to date) for a thin-and-light. The Latitude ATG D620, which also included the extended battery but was built on Intel's previous-generation platform, fell off 50 minutes before the D630, while none of the competitors' notebooks we tested — which had smaller, six-cell batteries — last much more than two and a half hours. If you can stand the extra weight and depth, the D630's extended battery is well worth it, especially if your work involves a lot of time on 'planes and other locations away from a power outlet.

Dell's baseline warranty lasts for three years — once the standard among corporate systems, but now somewhat rare. Its inclusion of next-business-day, onsite service is further beyond the business norm. Of course, toll-free, 24-7 technical support is also part of the term. In addition, you can attempt to troubleshoot your own issues using various features on Dell's support web site, which provides FAQs, troubleshooting tips, real-time chats with a support representative and a user forum.

 

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