Dell Latitude 12 E5270 Notebook Review

Wireless communication is made possible by Intel's Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260. It also supports Bluetooth 4.2. This Wi-Fi module (2x 801.11ac) would theoretically enable a maximum gross transmission rate of 867 Mbit/s. We achieved a reception rate of 561 Mbit/s and a transmission rate of 463 Mbit/s in the test where ideal conditions are simulated with our reference router Linksys EA8500. The Ethernet port on the rear can also be used for connecting to networks. It operates at a maximum of 1000 Mbit/s. Dell's Latitude 12 E5270 did not have any difficulties copying large data volumes from an NAS.

Security should be an important aspect in a business device, and Dell's laptop is very impressive here. Dell offers its customers a wide range of security features. Our review sample features a fingerprint scanner, TPM 1.2 chip, Kensington lock, Smartcard reader and an NFC module (FIPS 140-2 level 3). The fingerprint scanner is a touch sensor that enables fast identification.

Dell also optionally offers some software solutions, such as Computrace and DDP (Dell Data Protection) products.

Dell exclusively offers the Windows Professional 64 versions by Microsoft. The buyer can choose between Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 during the ordering process. We recommend the latest Microsoft Windows 10 Professional operating system. It was also preloaded on the review sample.

Keyboard

Dell does not make compromises with the keyboard and installs the same input device as found in the E5250 in its E5270. The keys have a pleasant size and a long, soft drop. Their surface is relatively sleek, but it still provides enough grip for fast and prolonged typing. The stroke noise is agreeably quiet so that neighboring colleagues will not be distracted. All keys fit firmly and do not clatter. Furthermore, the keyboard is spill-proof. The subtle backlight ensures good legibility in dark work environments.

Although Dell's Latitude 12 E5270 is a pure business laptop, Dell still does not install a TrackPoint. The touchpad is nevertheless a good mouse replacement. It has a gliding surface of 10 x 5.3 centimeters, and multi-touch inputs can be performed smoothly and accurately. The corners are still a problem zone. Two dedicated keys complete the touchpad. Like the keyboard, both keys have a soft drop and are pleasantly quiet when tapped.

Dell furnishes our review sample with a matte, 12.5-inch TN panel. The screen's illumination of 90% is relatively good. Both upper corners are visibly darker than the rest of the screen on a black image. That is not the disturbing factor in practical use. The panel has a native resolution of 1366x768 pixels, which equals in a pixel density of approximately 125 PPI. The panel has an average brightness of just 151.8 cd/m². That is particularly annoying in bright work environments. The IPS screen in Toshiba's Portégé Z30-C-138 is much brighter at 280 cd/m², and Lenovo also equips its ThinkPad X260 with an IPS panel that achieves a much better result. Dell also offers the Latitude 12 E5270 with a Full HD touchscreen, and we would recommend considering this upgrade when ordering. However, that also increases the base price to 1460 Euros (~$1634).

The panel displays strong shifts in colors and grayscale levels, which are reflected in very high DeltaE 2000 rates. This can be improved with the adapted ICC profile that we provide for downloading as usual. A bluish tint is very visible without calibration.

The low color-space coverage of both AdobeRGB (37.2%) and sRGB (58.82%) emphasize that this screen is unsuitable for professional use.

Dell's Latitude 12 E5270 is a 12.5-inch business laptop of the upper mid-range. The installed components are designed for longevity. Our review sample is furnished with Intel's Core i5-6300U, 8 GB of RAM and a 500 GB hard drive. Thus, the laptop is ideal for office and multimedia applications. Dell does not offer a stronger processor. The entry-level device is shipped with Intel's Core i3-6100U and 4 GB of RAM. It is absolutely predestined for work in a productive environment thanks to its extensive security standards. However, a 12.5-inch device priced at 1295 Euros (~$1449) is definitely not a bargain.

Buyers have to decide whether they want an Intel Core i3-6100U or Intel Core i5-6300U beforehand. It is not possible to change them later as both CPUs are soldered.

Our review sample sports Intel's Core i5-6300U processor. It has two physical cores that can process 4 threads simultaneously via Hyper-Threading. The Skylake processor, with a TDP of 15 watts, ensures good battery runtimes. The base clock of Intel's Core i5-6300U is 2.4 GHz, which can be boosted to 3.0 GHz (1 core) and 2.9 GHz (2 cores) in Turbo mode. Our review sample is on par with HP's EliteBook 820 G3 that is also powered by Intel's Core i5-6300U when comparing the Cinebench R15 scores. The former model with Intel's Core i5-4310U based on Haswell is surpassed by approx. 15 to 20%.

An SSD would improve system performance considerably. Although the installed hard drive spins at 7200 RPM, it cannot at all compete with the performance of an SSD. Installing a fast SSD would also utilize the performance of the very swift SD-card reader without speed losses. The PCMark 8 benchmark scores also illustrate a performance increase of 16% over the former Dell Latitude 12 E5250. Lenovo's ThinkPad X260 is on par with our review sample. Only HP's EliteBook 820 G3 has a slight lead in our comparison tests thanks to its fast PCIe SSD.

The temperature development of our review sample is pleasing. All idle rates remain more or less clearly below 30 °C and are not disconcerting. The temperatures increase during load and reach a maximum of 45.7 °C on the underside in the docking station port area. The laptop's upper side heats up to 43.5 °C in the keyboard center to the left edge where the vents for the fan's waste heat are situated.

The processor's maximum temperature is reached using Prime95. HWiNFO64 displays 83 °C at a frequency of 2.8 GHz, which is also maintained stably. The graphics unit's temperature climbs to 79 °C with the Furmark benchmark program. Its frequency fluctuates between 850 MHz and 950 MHz initially, and it settles to 900 MHz in the course of the test. However, we do not achieve the aforesaid rates in the actual stress test where Prime95 and Furmark both run simultaneously for at least an hour. Shortly after starting both programs, the CPU's speed is throttled from 2.9 GHz to 1.5 GHz, which is also evidently below the base clock of 2.4 GHz - the low TDP of just 15 watts is clearly responsible for this limitation. The GPU clocks consistently at 900 MHz. We rerun 3DMark 11 immediately afterward and achieve a score of 1448 points - an outcome that is approximately 5% lower than after a cold start. The stress test is performed identically in both AC and battery modes.

The stereo speakers are situated on the front's left and right. They are installed at an angle, and the sound is reflected from the tabletop toward the user. They are especially suitable for videoconferencing. Trebles and mids are clearly audible into maximum volume, although mids indomitably prevail. Basses are suggested but they are barely perceivable. The volume for a device of this size is absolutely acceptable. The integrated sound system is definitely sufficient for short YouTube videos. The sound characteristics can be customized via predefined audio profiles or the equalizer in the MAXX AUDIO PRO software. However, users who want high-quality sound enjoyment should use headphones or other external devices. Audio output via the stereo jack functioned impeccably.

Power Consumption

Almost all review samples are on par in power consumption. The devices averagely consume around 30 watts in medium load. Only the much higher consumption of Toshiba's Portégé Z30-C-138 steps out of line. Dell's Latitude 12 E5270 can reach a short peak consumption rate of just over 40 watts. The E5270 is content with 6.6 watts in idle mode with enabled communication interfaces. That is a 17% improvement over the predecessor. The rates are within an acceptable range. The power supply with an output of 65 watts is sufficiently sized.