Dell Latitude E4300: Solid but Unexciting

In today's widescreen world, the E4300's traditional 4:3 screen ratio is less than ideal for watching movies, which is okay considering that this system is more of a workhorse computer. Even so, juggling multiple windows when you're multitasking would work slightly better with a 16:9 widescreen. Thankfully, the LED-backlit 13.3-inch screen has very even lighting from dim to bright settings, and in our tests the default color settings were nearly perfect. Blacks weren't quite as deep as those of some of the better laptop screens we've seen, but overall the E4300's video was quite good: Balanced, accurate colors made watching movies fun, while document and Web text looked quite sharp.

As for raw computing power, the E4300's got guts. Our review unit came with an Intel Core Duo P9400 processor running at 2.4GHz, backed by 3GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory and Windows Vista Home Basic (you can opt for other OSs; prices for the system start at $1299, as of February 3, 2010). The E4300 posted a solid WorldBench 6 score of 98, easily landing in the front half among the all-purpose laptops we've recently reviewed. On the other hand, don't count on the Intel 4500MHD graphics chipset to take you far on most games--it just isn't robust enough. Travelers will appreciate the battery's longevity: In our tests, the E4300 managed to last for 5 hours, 27 minutes with its upgraded six-cell lithium ion battery. Keep in mind that the larger battery sticks out from the back of the chassis, adding extra bulk; fortunately, the arrangement isn't as awkward as that on some other laptops with beefed-up batteries.

Dell offers straightforward documentation that covers basic features and setup along with some fairly detailed troubleshooting sections, but it provides no information about the bundled software. The good but slim software collection includes PowerDVD DX for movie watching, the excellent Roxio Creator for disc burning and backup, and a handful of Dell ControlPoint utilities for setting up security, power management, and data connections.

Dell has been in the laptop game for a long time, and the company's experience shows with the E4300. This model strikes a good balance between portability, expandability, computing power, and battery life. If you're in the market for a well-built laptop that will work nicely on your desk or on a road trip, the Dell Latitude E4300 might be perfect for you.