Another important feature would be the choice of video output—HDMI 1.3 (according to Dell). Taking another look at the competition (Lenovo T420, HP 8460p), we see that the other contenders for your money also weigh a similar amount. We weren't really able to measure the effect very well, however, considering test results were not significantly different under the "Ultra Performance" profile and since the Intel Core i3-2310M CPU does not have the Turbo Boost function. The good choice of materials used in constructing the case of the Latitude E6420 are to thank for this. The color of the keys has changed as well as the fact that the rubber circle of the pointstick is no longer completely black. Our Dell Latitude E6420 managed an overall score of 5534 points, tested in the "high performance" profile. Blacks appear not very saturated and the picture has a sort of cold color tone, that is, more of a blue tone. One of the big strengths of the Dell Latitude E6420 is its potential battery life. Depending on your needs and the amount of money you have to spend, you're the boss! The display lid takes a bit of effort to tilt back but barely bobs back and forth after being adjusted. The CPU performance really could have been better. The user meanwhile remains unaware. Here you can count on 165 minutes, a decent battery life. We first tried out Anno 1404— which might be getting on in years but is still very nice—and it ran smoothly with low graphics settings, which isn't the case with the resolution and graphics settings set to high. Just be prepared to pay for all of the best options if you want a real powerhouse. With the change in case design comes a new keyboard layout to get used to. The matte screen surface prevents reflections from overshadowing the picture and combined with the high brightness, it makes for always discernible screen contents, even in direct sunlight. And for attaching an external monitor there's only one way to go, HDMI. display). Under light use, like when running simple office programs, the Dell Latitude remains subtly in the background but still always audible. The average screen brightness is somewhat lower at 277 cd/m², the drop being attributable mostly to the dimmer corners of the screen. According to Dell, the display lid hinges are composed of tough steel, which is however not visible on the surface—as is the case with Lenovo Thinkpads—but is rather covered up a by a layer of magnesium. The rest of the hardware can be accessed by removing a cover along the bottom of the base unit which is fastened with a few more screws. The Lenovo Thinkpad T420 with an HD+ display shines a bit dimmer (max. With the 9-cell battery, it's possible to get a whole day's work done without ever having to charge up the laptop—depending on the applications you're using. The OpenGL computation of the BatteryEater Classic Test simulates heavy use: maximum screen brightness, wifi/bluetooth on and the "high performance" profile activated. Build and DesignThe Dell Latitude E6420 is encased in Dell’s business-rugged, MIL-STD 810G-tested Tri-Metal casing just like the E6420’s little sister, the Latitude E6320. The verdict is, you have to make a compromise between graphics and performance. Besides the 9-cell battery (about half a kilogram) contributing to the long battery life, we also have the system's low energy consumption to thank. This configuration should suffice for typical office work. Users can configure the notebook to have a multitouch display, a fast Intel quad-core processor, discrete-class (higher-end) graphics, up to 4GB of memory, and a 256GB capacity solid state drive. The newly forged path Dell is taking with the design of their business notebooks. As far as the color space goes (spectrum of colors that can be displayed), Dell isn't serving up any delicacy, rather just the usual. We scanned the surfaces, looking for plastic but found it only around the keyboard and the screen bezel. Therefore, despite its high level of brightness, the screen only manages to reach a low contrast ratio of 127:1 (max. In terms of its performance, the 14" office notebook leaves little to be desired. For users who'd like to have more windows open at once, there's also an HD+ screen available with a resolution of 1600x900 pixels (+40 Euro).