Product Notes: Dell Latitude E6320

March 29, 2011

In February 2011, Dell announced the Latitude E6320 13.3-inch widescreen notebook, which is based on Intel's Sandy Bridge notebook platform. The E6320 supplants the Latitude E4310 and is a significant update. It is accompanied to market by the updated Latitude E6420 14.0-inch and Latitude E6520 15.6-inch widescreen notebooks.

Design and Changes

The most prominent internal change for the Latitude E6320 is the move to Intel's Sandy Bridge notebook platform, which includes Intel's notably improved HD 3000 integrated graphics.

The Latitude E6320 is slightly larger and heavier than the Latitude E4310 it replaces. As with the rest of the revised E-series, the E6320 has a substantially modified appearance, including a new keyboard and a more rounded look. Despite this, the E6320 uses the same power supplies and docking solutions that the E4310 used.

The only display available for the Latitude E6320 is a 16:9 13.3-inch 1366 x 768 "HD" display, yielding 118 pixels per inch. All models in this generation of the Latitude E-series transition from DisplayPort to HDMI video output while continuing to include VGA. The new digital video output marks a notable change from the last two E-series generations - in the case of the E6320 the physical connector is actually mini-HDMI.

The Latitude E6320 is EPEAT Gold-compliant and Energy Star 5.0-certified.

Ordering Notes

Several notes when ordering a Latitude E6320 through Dell's Premier Page for the University:

1. Dell's E6320 configurator allows the selection of various models of Intel's current Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 processors. Information Systems & Computing (ISC) believes that a Core i5 is appropriate for most users.
2. Having 4.0 GB RAM is essential for the optimal functionality of a modern lightweight notebook.
3. An integrated web camera is optional. ISC suggests adding the web camera unless there is a specific local policy or security reason to exclude one.
4. Though 128 GB and 256 GB solid state drives are available, ISC does not believe that they are currently an appropriate choice for many lightweight notebook users because the cost trade-offs are too great.
5. As with any lightweight notebook, ISC suggests that LSPs consider purchasing both a mid-capacity (6 cell) and a low-capacity (3 cell) battery along with an extra AC power adapter. Note that Dell is continuing to offer an extra cost 6 cell battery with a three year warranty instead of the normal one year warranty for batteries. Providers also may wish to consider Dell's range of port replicators.
6. Connectivity options include various 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi cards, Gobi multi-vendor WWAN connectivity (though this is not yet orderable), and Bluetooth 3.0. ISC believes that Bluetooth is a relevant protocol for most notebook users and that WWAN connectivity is useful for many "road warriors".

See ISC's Notebook Purchasing Guide for more configuration guidelines. As of March 2011, configuring a Latitude E6320 to the lightweight notebook specification can be done for approximately $1,450 to $1,550. The University's Computer Connection will have at least one E6320 configuration available to order as soon as possible.

Analysis

ISC sees the Latitude E6320 as being a competitive choice among 13.3-inch lightweight notebooks available in early 2011. The transition to Sandy Bridge architecture and the new case design make the E6320 among the most significantly updated of the current generation of enterprise class notebooks.

Latitude E6320 graphic courtesy of Dell

--John Mulhern III, Lead for Client Technologies, ISC Technology Support Services (March 29, 2011)