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Battery Life
DELL M5Y0X 9-cell (97 Whr) Lithium Ion battery, which protrudes from the back of the notebook. Other available options include a T54F3 6-cell battery and a 4-cell (40 Whr) battery, as well as a 9-cell (97 Whr) Extended slice battery, which attaches to the docking station port on the bottom of the unit.
This isn’t the first time a Latitude notebook has impressed us with its battery life. We first simulated bare minimal use with the Reader’s Test in Battery Eater. Before testing, we fully charged the unit and disabled sleep, hibernation, screen and hard drive timeouts, and all wireless radios. Using this configuration along with the “Power Saver” power profile, the notebook lasted an excellent 11 hours and 7 minutes before shutting down. Do keep in mind, however, that in order to achieve such numbers, you essentially can’t use the computer for anything beyond very basic reading.
To test battery life under heavy system load, we re-enabled Wi-Fi, set brightness to its highest level, and switched the power profile to “High Performance.” Using Battery Eater’s Classic Test, the system lasted under these conditions for 2 hours and 41 minutes before shutting off. It isn’t surprising how much lower this number is than the idle test results thanks to the extreme scaling of the Intel CPU under various load conditions.
Perhaps the two most interesting tests, however, are the more realistic real-world battery test and DVD playback test. In the former, we set the notebook’s power profile to “Balanced” and configured screen brightness to approximately 150 cd/m² (level 11 of 15 on our review unit). We then ran the Notebookcheck web surfing script to simulate typical internet browsing behavior across a series of pages, including basic articles and full-scale Flash videos. In this test, the notebook lasted a respectable 8 hours and 9 minutes before shutting down.
In the DVD playback test, settings are identical to that of the real-world battery test, except a video DVD is being looped continuously. In this test, the notebook lasted for 7 hours and 21 minutes, which ought to be more than long enough to enjoy any feature-length film… multiple times.
Case
The Dell Latitude E5530’s case is practically unchanged from that of the Dell Latitude E5520 before it—in other words, tight, relatively heavyweight, and no-nonsense. While it doesn’t feature the aforementioned mil-spec construction or rubbery interior finish of its big brother, the E6530, it is aesthetically similar, and it still feels quite sturdy. In spite of the comparably second-tier materials, the most important features of the Latitude construction are still present—namely, the impressive solidity, which leaves little doubt that this notebook should stand up under somewhat heavy use.
For starters, the brushed aluminum display lid makes a return, which feels well-made and exhibits very little flex under pressure. Some LCD distortion is detectable under considerable stress, but a good deal of impact on the lid would be required to damage the LCD. Should a broken LCD panel ever result, the bezel is convenient to remove, secured only by a series of plastic tabs surrounding the panel. The lid is also easy to clean and attractive, resisting fingerprints fairly well. As usual, a silver Dell logo inhabits the central point of the lid, representing a sole ostentatious statement amongst an otherwise appropriately subtle exterior.
The practical design philosophy extends to the base unit of the notebook, where, despite a predominantly plastic construction, solidity and stability are the rule. The palm rest feels impressively firm, holding up nicely under significant pressure. The keyboard, while certainly sturdier than most consumer fare, does still experience a bit of flex, mostly on the right-hand side near the number pad, almost certainly thanks to the optical drive bay located directly underneath it. The material wrapping the notebook’s corners is entirely plastic as well (on the E6530, by comparison, it is magnesium alloy), and while it is very similar in appearance to that of the E6530, it’s not 100 percent flawless in terms of fit and finish; there is one particular corner on our review unit that is noticeably separated from the rest of the base unit. In contrast, the hinges are made of steel, though it may not be immediately evident thanks to the decorative plastic sheathing covering them—and the display is well-supported by them, wobbling very little under most circumstances. Finally, the zinc-plated latching mechanism confidently secures the lid to the base and is easy to open.
Earlier we mentioned the simplicity of accessing the LCD panel in the event of an accident. Thankfully, the same user-friendly maintenance approach applies to most every other component of the Dell Latitude E5530 as well. Like its predecessor, the underside of the machine features a single large panel which covers nearly every upgradeable component of the PC. Therein you’ll find unabated access to the hard drive, RAM, optical drive, WLAN adapter, heatsink/CPU, WWAN adapter (if included), and an additional ½ mini PCIe slot for expansion.
Connectivity
The standard array of ports once again makes a return on the Dell Latitude E5530, though the Firewire port is conspicuously absent. Most users likely will not miss it, however, thanks to the upgrade of two existing ports to USB 3.0 from 2.0. One of the USB 3.0 ports also shares eSATA functionality, and the remaining two USB 2.0 ports are still present, as well.
Port positioning is identical to that of the previous DELL Latitude E55XX models. One solitary USB 2.0 port lines the back-right of the notebook alongside the Gigabit Ethernet port, and the DC jack sits next to an abandoned modem port on the back-left side. Apart from those few rear-mounted ports and the front-located wireless toggle switch, the rest of the ports are thankfully accessible from the sides. The logical trade-off of such an arrangement, of course, is that the ports are also somewhat closely-spaced, meaning that the insertion of a relatively large USB adapter could block the connection of another adjacent device. However, this is relatively unlikely thanks to the rear USB port (which is mostly isolated from everything else), which could easily be used to connect any large flash drives or other obstructive devices.
Communication
Our DELL Latitude E5530 review unit came equipped with a dual-band Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 network adapter, which supports Wi-Fi (up to 300Mbps; 2x2 antenna configuration) and Intel Wireless Display (WiDi). For Bluetooth, it’s necessary to choose a preconfigured option featuring a Dell Wireless 380 Bluetooth 4.0 LE adapter (the notebook’s Bluetooth module is not customer-upgradeable later). It’s also possible to configure a system which includes a Gobi 3G PCIe Mini Card (Dell Wireless DW5630) to work with the network of your choice: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon. However, this card won’t score you LTE connectivity; for that, you’ll need to purchase a card separately, as it isn’t currently offered on a configured-to-order system.
Keyboard
The DELL Latitude E series of notebooks has always featured better-than-average keyboards, but we happen to consider the one on our review model amongst the best keyboards on any notebook. It’s invariably accurate with a solid stroke that requires very little force to invoke, but which responds with a satisfying sense of travel and decisive feedback. This provides for near-effortless typing. The keyboard is also relatively quiet, and the backlighting on our review unit (which is adjustable in four steps) is mostly evenly-distributed. A number pad rests to the right of the keyboard, nearby four full-sized arrow keys, which are equally easy to operate.
It’s worth mentioning that the praise we’ve lavished upon the Latitude’s keyboard doesn’t necessarily apply to all variants of the model. Specifically, there are notable differences between the standard Latitude keyboards and their backlit counterparts. The standard keyboards don’t feel quite as satisfying to the touch, featuring a harder-surfaced, clattery key operation in place of the quieter premium feel of the rubbery backlit model. Fortunately, swapping a standard keyboard out for a backlit model is quite simple thanks to the Latitude’s maintenance-friendly design.
Touchpad
The sufficiently large Alps Electric touchpad is equally commendable, sporting a smooth finish that makes gliding the finger across a pleasure—no sticking, and just enough friction. The accompanying buttons provide a quiet yet accurate click that is easily provoked, with a rubbery finish that fits in well with the rest of the peripherals. Multi-touch functionality works as expected and is easily configurable using the excellent control panel interface. Finally, if you’re a fan of the pointing stick, you’ll find it included with the backlit keyboard only, complete with three additional mouse buttons as usual.
Display
The DELL Latitude E5530’s 15.6-inch screen can be configured as either a standard HD (1366x768) display or a Full HD (1920x1080) Wide View display. Both displays are WLED-backlit and feature a matte finish, which is always a welcomed choice in our book. While the higher-res 1080p display is likely of considerably higher quality as well, our review unit included a standard 1366x768 pixel HD panel, and we found it to be more than sufficient for everyday business use. Subjectively speaking, the colors appeared fairly represented and text was sharp (though, of course, on a display of this size and resolution, individual pixels are fairly easy to detect as well). (DELL 312-1242 Battery)
The panel in our test unit turned in an average brightness of 210 nits, which absolutely suffices for indoor use. Most users will likely prefer a brightness level at or above 11/15 to provide for comfortable viewing in such an environment. Brightness distribution is mostly even at 91% (variations this low won’t be noticeable in everyday use). The DELL Latitude E5530’s LCD contrast ratio is just 150:1, which isn’t uncommonly low for a business notebook, but it certainly won’t turn any heads. This is thanks to a correspondingly high black value of 1.47 cd/m².
On the other hand, 81 percent of the sRGB standard is covered, which is not bad for a TN panel. In this category, the E5530 bests most of its closest competitors. This sort of color reproduction is adequate for all but the most discerning of users (such as those concerned about color accuracy for purposes of graphic design or photography). The so-called “premium panels”—if they remain the same as those in their predecessors—should cover all of the sRGB spectrum, making that a better choice for those concerned about color accuracy.
Outdoor use is possible, but direct sunlight gives the panel a run for its money, mostly drowning out the picture—even at maximum brightness—and making it difficult to use in spite of its matte finish. Operation in the shade, meanwhile, is perfectly comfortable. Brightness and panel finish (matte vs. glossy) are certainly the most important factors in outdoor notebook usability, though a strong contrast ratio also certainly helps. In this case, the E5530’s 150:1 contrast ratio doesn’t benefit it much.
While the screen can be opened until it’s nearly parallel with the base of the notebook, this doesn’t help much when the viewing angles are narrow. Deviating from the center vertically either up or down will quickly result in distorted and inverted color. Fortunately, horizontal viewing angles are much better. It’s possible to read the screen far from the side, though color and brightness distortions noticeably take hold after around the 45 degree mark.
Speakers
Predictably, the DELL Latitude E5530’s audio system is, as expected, an afterthought in in comparison to the rest of the feature set. The sound is relatively flat with hardly any low frequency response. Meanwhile, the maximum volume is actually reasonable (especially when situated on a hard surface, which benefits the down-firing speakers), and the sound is at least quite clear with very little distortion, so there’s no reason why an occasional movie viewing wouldn’t be possible. The two small speakers are located on the bottom-front of the notebook; it’s essentially the same audio system that nearly every Latitude has seen for the past few years.
Business notebooks aren’t made for entertainment, and as such, they normally exert little focus on such features.
Verdict
Our review of the Latitude E5520 praised its excellent keyboard and touchpad, sufficiently bright matte display, and solid, “high-end” design. Our only complaints were minor, the most significant of which involved the lack of USB 3.0 and the high level of noise under load. Has the Latitude E5530 carried the torch forward and resolved those outstanding issues?
All things considered, the dell Latitude E5530 is a no-nonsense business notebook that excels in most every area that counts. It offers a wide range of connectivity options including two USB 3.0 ports and compatibility with the bevy of existing Dell business docking stations and accessories. It features a phenomenal backlit keyboard and comfortable touchpad to compliment a better-than-average matte LCD panel. And its performance—even with the middle-of-the-pack Core i5-3360M option—is truly impressive, conquering even the highest-end dual-core Sandy Bridge processors. In fact, the integrated graphics are so improved with Intel HD Graphics 4000 that it’s entirely possible to play many midrange games on medium to low settings with fluid frame rates.
But there are certainly a few drawbacks, however minor. Firstly, the build quality and construction materials are certainly inferior to that of the more expensive Latitude E6XXX models; rubbery finishes and magnesium alloy have been exchanged for hard plastics and… well, more hard plastics. Fortunately, the display lid is still aluminum-backed and the machine nonetheless feels sturdy in spite of this. Also, it’s still very loud, and in fact, even more so than its predecessor. But as a result, it’s also cooler under load—and if it becomes truly bothersome, it’s always possible to adjust the operation of the fan using Dell’s custom power profiles.
The business notebook market is a very competitive space occupied by other strong contenders such as Lenovo’s ThinkPad T530 and Samsung’s Series 6 machines—and, of course, even Dell’s own high-end DELL Latitude E6530. But when cost is a prime consideration, and the power of Ivy Bridge is desired, the Latitude E5530 provides an option meeting all of the essential criteria and an alternative worthy of strong consideration.
More info: laptop-batteries.com.au , laptop-battery.org.uk , battery-store.eu
