Dell Latitude XT3 Review: This Convertible PC Is All Business - perrywhearommens

At a Glance

Good's Rating

Pros

• Awesome battery life
• Big screen for a convertible PC

Our Verdict

Dell's Latitude XT3 International Relations and Security Network't for the average consumer–information technology's pricey, heavy, and a poor choice for games. Just with other than solid performance, a large touchscreen, and great battery sprightliness, information technology gets the job done.

The very sturdy Dell Latitude XT3 is an enterprisingness-class laptop computer that comes with a whirl: You can quickly turn up it into a tablet PC by rotating its screen on its single amidship hinge. Such so-called convertible PCs much land in largish organizations, including those in the wellness care, education, and law enforcement W. C. Fields. This kind of machine needs to do symptomless both as a laptop and as a tablet, hold up well in hectic environments, and deliver good battery life. For the most part, Dell's third-generation Latitude XT fits the bill nicely.

The considerable simply attractive midlevel manikin I tested sells for an equally considerable $3003 (As of April 12, 2012). The moment I picked finished the XT3, I knew that it was made to take few knocks. The vitrine is constructed of thick, stiff plastic with magnesium-alloy reinforced corners. I found almost no twist in the Microcomputer example or the display panel. Dell claims that it made the XT3 spill-resistant; I didn't test that, only the stringy rubber gaskets that line the keyboard, the screen bezel, and the perimeter of the computer's top panel are reassuring.

My main rap connected the XT3: It weighs too much. With the internal ball club-cell internal bombardment pack, this convertible laptop computer weighs 5.2 pounds–not something you'll deficiency to hold in the malefactor of your gir for long-lasting. Its accessories bump the summate travel exercising weight to 6.7 pounds, making this portable a tough sell to road warriors. On the top, the batteries just South Korean won't quit. The internal pack lasted for 8 hours, 23 minutes in lab tests, 3 hours longer than the fair all-purpose laptop. When we popped along the optional 9-cell slice ($199), it pumped electric battery life upwardly to a marathon 19 hours, 46 minutes. However, that extra pack raises the come weight to 8.1 pounds. I'd hate to undergo to hoist the XT3 heavenward into overhead baggage compartments on a regular cornerston, but I could easy shuttle it around the office 'tween cubicles and meeting rooms.

The XT3 is very bland to utilise, with few snags. The 13.3-inch multitouch capacitive screen is a pleasure to view and tap on. Even though information technology's small than many all-purport laptop screens, IT offers a unobjectionable 1366-by-768-pixel resolution, and I could interpret text on that even in bright light. The keyboard comes with the usual Chiclet-style keys, but they're very crisp and comfy to type on. As for pointing devices, you get both an eraserhead Spanish pointer nested in the middle of the keyboard and a touchpad. I have two nitpicks: It's excessively easy to hit the Page Up and Page Down keys accidentally, and the hypersensitive eraserhead pointer sends the cursor dashing turned in complete directions. I stick with the touchpad, which works pulverized.

In tablet mode, the screen responds nimbly to finger touches. Brushing to scroll documents, pinching and unpinching documents to shrink and expand them…it all whole kit and caboodle quickly and effortlessly. The stylus works very well, just non perfectly. I had no ail tapping menu items with it, but I started wishing for a small-scale more screen stickiness during my inking screen–the stylus glides a tad too easily. If you involve to navigate the screen while wearing gloves, Dell offers a resistant touch screen option.

One leading light issue: When I rotate and set out the cover down on the keyboard, whether I'm closing the laptop computer or folding information technology into a tablet, the instrument panel doesn't well operate into place. I often have to shirk with the panel to get IT to latch, and I don't hear that reassuring click.

You wage a big premium for the XT3's staying power and its duple laptop-pill nature. Happening our WorldBench 7 test suite, this PC posted a score of 108, eligible with its largely midrange Si (an Intel Core i5-2520M dual-core processor, 4GB of DDR3 retention, and a 128GB good-state drive). You can buy as much desirability happening some ultraportables costing low $1000. Our test results corroborate that the XT3 is geared more for work than play: Although the XT3 cranked done image editing and TV and audio encoding, gamers need not apply. This PC uses Intel's HD Graphics 3000 chipset, handling games well just at low detail and resolutions. You can upgrade to a CORE i7 dual-nub processor and 8GB of memory for other $295.

The audio from the internal stereo speakers sounds exceptionally clean and vibrant. Bass is weak–exemplary for small speakers–but they Don't intelligent cheap. The webcam, enclosed in the screen's top panel between the array microphones, records remarkably salt telecasting at its maximum 1280-by-720-pixel resolution, and you get lashing of controls to aline the recording levels, including gamma. The align mics clearly recorded my voice even when I stood 6 feet away. The XT3 makes an fantabulous place for conducting VoIP calls, such as over Skype.

Typical of enterprise PCs, the XT3 comes loaded with slots and ports, offering extra security options (such as SmartCard access code and an optional fingerprint reader) and ensuring all-encompassing compatibility with different land site installations. The XT3 comes with deuce-ac dedicated USB ports plus a jazz band USB/eSATA port. My independent beef: The USB ports max out at 2.0. For video, you bring fort VGA and HDMI ports, but no DisplayPort. Other slots and ports include those for a 34mm ExpressCard, SD Card operating theatre MultiMediaCard, FireWire, and a headset (but no separate mic).

If you're looking a capable transformable business PC, the Dingle Latitude XT3 is a strong choice, especially if you don't have to lug it complete over creation. This ruggedly reinforced mock up offers a pleasant drug user experience, one of the biggest screens you'll find happening a translatable, and extraordinary battery life.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/469895/dell_latitude_xt3_review_this_convertible_pc_is_all_business.html

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