LAT E6420 I5-2520M 4GB 320GB

Pretty great laptop. Had no issue whatsoever with the screen like another reviewer said, worked great since day 1 for half a year now. Also installed linux ubuntu 11.10 on it, works like a charm - the multitouch on the touchpad in ubuntu also runs great (there's a debian package for that). It's strong, powerful, and despite its tank-like build it's not as heavy as you'd expect. A friend has an older model of the series and 5 years later and a cup of coffee on the keyboard and it still works great.

Once again, Dell forsakes quality for .... nothing.

Immediately on receiving the machine, I had problems with:
1. the screen not working properly;
2. fingerprint reader not working and no drivers installed;
3. headphone jack not working in stereo.

After a total of five hours on the line to the incompetent, nonchalant, rude people (who could not understand English) at the call centre, they eventually sent someone round to fix it. The person who arrived had never looked in their database of solutions and appeared not to know much more than me. After three visits and replacement of parts (some twice) Dell eventually agreed to replace the machine, but would not help me move my data across.

Despite Dell's not having a clue about the screen problem, a simple Google search revealed this has been a known issue for more than 5 years! So much for Dell's service database.

As a business-level machine, this Latitude E6420 was not cheap, yet the entire experience was cheap. Dell has chosen to compete using the worst quality parts, cheapest labour and lowest standards of service. Garbage in, garbage out.

The fortunate thing about this experience was that I was testing the machine for a corporate purchase to move all our machines from ThinkPads. We now have a corporate policy that no Dell equipment will be permitted in our office.

I wrote two reviews on Dell's website. Neither was published. Dell is censoring their website to prevent you knowing how bad their products are.

Don't get caught. Avoid Dell's garbage. Buy something else.

Thia is a solid business machine for the money.

Pros:
3 Year Warranty
Built like a tank
I like the rubbery feel of the armrest.
Nice High Resolution screen.
Fast
Long battery life - especially with the 9 cell battery
DELL stands behind their products (might take some time on hold but they have been excellent repsonding to my needs in the past)

Cons:
Touchpad needs to be adjusted in the software for best use - it has many options and I recommend unchecking inertial scrolling.
Slightly heavier - 1/2 pound? - than similar 14 inch laptops - I overlook this due to it's obviously better build quality.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 4 reviews  3.5 out of 5 stars