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Dell Latitude 3180 (N4200, HD) Laptop Review

Long-lasting. The 11.6-inch Latitude comes with a fast SSD, silently running system, and long battery life. Dell demands quite a high price for the laptop. Approximately 580 Euros (gross, ~$622) is due. The Windows 10 Pro operating system is a major reason for this price level.

Dell's Latitude 11 3180 is an 11.6-inch office laptop primarily made with schools in mind. It is a successor of the Dell Latitude 11 3150 that we tested. The laptops are completely different inside and out. Devices such as Acer's TravelMate B117-M, Medion's Akoya S2218, and HP's Stream 11 belong to its rivals.

Dell Latitude 3180
Processor
Intel Pentium N4200 4 x 1.1 - 2.5 GHz, Apollo Lake
Graphics adapter
Intel HD Graphics 505, Core: 750 MHz, 21.20.16.4627
Memory
4 GB 
Display
11.60 inch 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixel 135 PPI, BOE NT11621, TN LED, glossy: no
Storage
Liteonit CV3-8D128, 128 GB 
, 86 GB free
Soundcard
Realtek ALC256 @ Intel Apollo Lake SoC - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: combo audio, Card Reader: micro-SD, TPM 2.0
Networking
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 (a/b/g/h/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.1
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 23 x 332.9 x 231.8 ( = 0.91 x 13.11 x 9.13 in)
Battery
42 Wh, 3500 mAh Lithium-Ion, 11.4 V
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: SD
Additional features
Speakers: stereo, Keyboard: chiclet, McAfee LiveSafe (trial), MS Office Home and Student 2016 (trial), 12 Months Warranty, fanless
Weight
1.63 kg ( = 57.5 oz / 3.59 pounds), Power Supply: 325 g ( = 11.46 oz / 0.72 pounds)
Price
580 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case and Connectivity

Dell installs the Latitude's components into a casing made of matte, black plastic. The surfaces have been roughened slightly. A rubber frame that should protect the device against bumps surrounds the base unit. The build does not give reason for criticism, but the stability has room for improvement. The base unit warps a bit too strongly in our opinion. Furthermore, the screen displays image distortions when only pressing the lid's back lightly. The laptop does not have a maintenance hatch and the battery cannot be removed.

The Latitude only sports the most necessary interfaces. The two Type-A USB ports support USB 3.1 Gen. 1 standard. A video-out (HDMI) is present. The interface positioning is unfavorable as they are on level with the wrist rest. Thus, the space beside these areas will not remain free of cables.

A Wi-Fi module that carries a chip by Intel (7265) is inside the laptop. In addition to the 802.11 a/b/g/h/n Wi-Fi standards, it also supports the fast ac-standard. The transmission rates that we measured under ideal conditions (no other Wi-Fi devices in the vicinity, short distance between laptop and server PC) were very good.

Size Comparison

332.9 mm / 13.1 inch 231.8 mm / 9.13 inch 23 mm / 0.906 inch 1.6 kg3.59 lbs301 mm / 11.9 inch 212 mm / 8.35 inch 22.9 mm / 0.902 inch 1.4 kg2.98 lbs300 mm / 11.8 inch 201 mm / 7.91 inch 20.8 mm / 0.819 inch 1.2 kg2.71 lbs300 mm / 11.8 inch 205.7 mm / 8.1 inch 18.4 mm / 0.724 inch 1.1 kg2.46 lbs291 mm / 11.5 inch 211 mm / 8.31 inch 23 mm / 0.906 inch 1.4 kg3.09 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Right: combo audio, cable-lock slot
Right: combo audio, cable-lock slot
Left: power-in, memory-card reader (micro-SD), HDMI, 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Type-A)
Left: power-in, memory-card reader (micro-SD), HDMI, 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Type-A)
SD Card Reader
maximum SDCardreader Maximum Transfer Rate
average SDCardreader Average Transfer Rate
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Dell Latitude 3180
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
655 MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Dell Latitude 3180
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
543 MBit/s
iperf Client (transmit) TCP 1 m
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 (seb)
82 MBit/s
iperf Server (receive) TCP 1 m
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 (seb)
238 MBit/s

Input Devices

The Latitude comes with an unlit chiclet keyboard. The keys are slightly concave and have a lightly roughened surface. They feature a short drop and clear pressure point. The center yields a bit when typing on the keyboard, but that was not distracting in the test. The keyboard makes an overall very decent impression and is even suitable for frequent typing. The multitouch ClickPad has a surface area of approximately 10x5.6 cm, and thus it provides plenty of room for gestures. The pad's sleek surface does not stop the fingers from gliding over it. The pad responds to inputs even in its corners. It has a short drop and clear pressure point.

Input devices
Input devices

Display

Pixel grid
Pixel grid

The matte, 11.6-inch screen in the Latitude has a native resolution of 1366x768 pixels. Its brightness (235.8 cd/m²) and contrast (538:1) are not great, but the rates are sufficient for the laptop's intended purpose. Unfortunately, the screen displays PWM-flickering in brightness levels of 90% and less at a frequency of 200 Hz. This can cause headaches and/or eye problems in sensitive users.

219
cd/m²
227
cd/m²
216
cd/m²
248
cd/m²
253
cd/m²
243
cd/m²
234
cd/m²
237
cd/m²
245
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
BOE NT11621 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 253 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 235.8 cd/m² Minimum: 12 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 253 cd/m²
Contrast: 538:1 (Black: 0.47 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 12.87 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 13.97 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
61% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
39% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
42.13% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
61.4% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
40.78% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.46
Dell Latitude 3180
TN LED, 1366x768, 11.60
Dell Latitude 11 3150
TN, 1366x768, 11.00
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q
TN LED, 1366x768, 11.60
HP Stream 11-r000ng
TN, 1366x768, 11.60
Medion Akoya S2218
IPS, 1920x1080, 11.60
Display
-5%
3%
4%
17%
Display P3 Coverage
40.78
38.93
-5%
42.04
3%
42.52
4%
48.34
19%
sRGB Coverage
61.4
58.5
-5%
62.9
2%
63.5
3%
70.1
14%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
42.13
40.23
-5%
43.46
3%
43.97
4%
50
19%
Response Times
-7%
-1%
2%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
40 ?(22, 18)
38 ?(18, 20)
5%
44 ?(24, 20)
-10%
27 ?(7, 20)
32%
Response Time Black / White *
26 ?(20, 6)
31 ?(14, 17)
-19%
24 ?(8, 16)
8%
33 ?(14, 19)
-27%
PWM Frequency
200 ?(90)
200 ?(90)
0%
Screen
-13%
7%
8%
39%
Brightness middle
253
235
-7%
218
-14%
264
4%
417
65%
Brightness
236
219
-7%
215
-9%
248
5%
394
67%
Brightness Distribution
85
72
-15%
85
0%
84
-1%
88
4%
Black Level *
0.47
0.81
-72%
0.38
19%
0.5
-6%
0.43
9%
Contrast
538
290
-46%
574
7%
528
-2%
970
80%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
12.87
9.67
25%
10.29
20%
9.78
24%
6.7
48%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
21.99
17.68
20%
16.39
25%
15.07
31%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
13.97
11
21%
11.71
16%
11.16
20%
6.25
55%
Gamma
2.46 89%
2.2 100%
2.45 90%
2.44 90%
2.48 89%
CCT
18336 35%
11769 55%
14164 46%
12954 50%
5954 109%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
39
37
-5%
40
3%
41
5%
46
18%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
61
63
3%
63
3%
69
13%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-9% / -11%
1% / 4%
4% / 6%
19% / 28%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 200 Hz ≤ 90 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 200 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 90 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 200 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The screen has a DeltaE 2000 color shift of 12.87 in delivery state. A rate less than 3 would be desirable. Furthermore, the screen exhibits a bluish tint.

CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
26 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 20 ms rise
↘ 6 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 57 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
40 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 22 ms rise
↘ 18 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 55 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Dell furnishes the Latitude with a viewing-angle dependent TN panel. Thus, the screen is not legible from every position. The laptop can only be used outdoors when the sun is not shining too bright.

The Latitude outdoors (in overcast conditions)
The Latitude outdoors (in overcast conditions)

Performance

Dell has a simple, 11.6-inch office laptop that has been primarily made with schools in mind in its portfolio. It has enough computing power for basic office and Internet applications. Our review sample is the top model of the range and is priced at approximately 580 Euros (gross, ~$622). Other configurations exist; the prices start at about 450 Euros (gross, ~$482).

Processor

Intel's Pentium N4200 (Apollo Lake) quad-core processor is inside the Latitude. The CPU's low TDP of 6 watts allows passive cooling, and that is also implemented here. The processor operates at a base speed of 1.1 GHz, which can be boosted up to 2.5 GHz via Turbo. Turbo is utilized in both AC and battery modes. The processor achieved much better results than the direct Braswell predecessors (N3700/N3710) in our CPU tests. Intel has managed to increase the performance per MHz considerably. The new architecture delivers as much as 30% more power.

We check whether the Turbo can be utilized permanently by looping the multithread test of Cinebench R15 for approximately 30 minutes. The Latitude's scores are largely constant, and thus performance loss was not an issue.

0102030405060708090100110120130140150160170180Tooltip
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
1638
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
5440
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
32.61
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
51 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
175 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
19.87 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
97.7 %
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H
Intel Pentium N4200
53 Points +4%
Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA
Intel Pentium N4200
53 Points +4%
Dell Latitude 3180
Intel Pentium N4200
51 Points
Dell Latitude 3189
Intel Pentium N4200
50 Points -2%
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q
Intel Pentium N3710
42 Points -18%
Dell Latitude 11 3150
Intel Pentium N3540
41 Points -20%
HP Stream 11-r000ng
Intel Celeron N3050
28 Points -45%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Dell Latitude 3180
Intel Pentium N4200
175 Points
Dell Latitude 3189
Intel Pentium N4200
174 Points -1%
Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H
Intel Pentium N4200
165 Points -6%
Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA
Intel Pentium N4200
165 Points -6%
Dell Latitude 11 3150
Intel Pentium N3540
152 Points -13%
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q
Intel Pentium N3710
150 Points -14%
HP Stream 11-r000ng
Intel Celeron N3050
57 Points -67%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Dell Latitude 3180
Intel Pentium N4200
5440 Points
Dell Latitude 3189
Intel Pentium N4200
5346 Points -2%
Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H
Intel Pentium N4200
5284 Points -3%
Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA
Intel Pentium N4200
5149 Points -5%
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q
Intel Pentium N3710
4649 Points -15%
Dell Latitude 11 3150
Intel Pentium N3540
4496 Points -17%
Rendering Single 32Bit
Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H
Intel Pentium N4200
1677 Points +2%
Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA
Intel Pentium N4200
1675 Points +2%
Dell Latitude 3180
Intel Pentium N4200
1638 Points
Dell Latitude 3189
Intel Pentium N4200
1633 Points 0%
Dell Latitude 11 3150
Intel Pentium N3540
1339 Points -18%
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q
Intel Pentium N3710
1238 Points -24%
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Single-Core Score
Dell Latitude 3180
Intel Pentium N4200
1400 Points
Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA
Intel Pentium N4200
1395 Points 0%
Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H
Intel Pentium N4200
1362 Points -3%
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q
Intel Pentium N3710
1023 Points -27%
32 Bit Multi-Core Score
Dell Latitude 3180
Intel Pentium N4200
4736 Points
Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA
Intel Pentium N4200
4563 Points -4%
Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H
Intel Pentium N4200
4425 Points -7%
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q
Intel Pentium N3710
3553 Points -25%
Geekbench 4.0
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA
Intel Pentium N4200
1581 Points +3%
Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H
Intel Pentium N4200
1555 Points +1%
Dell Latitude 3180
Intel Pentium N4200
1541 Points
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Dell Latitude 3180
Intel Pentium N4200
4558 Points
Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA
Intel Pentium N4200
4364 Points -4%
Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H
Intel Pentium N4200
4162 Points -9%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Dell Latitude 3180
Intel Pentium N4200
1571 Points
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Dell Latitude 3180
Intel Pentium N4200
4719 Points
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA
Intel Pentium N4200
90.1 Points +3%
Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H
Intel Pentium N4200
89.1 Points +2%
Dell Latitude 3180
Intel Pentium N4200
87.5 Points
Dell Latitude 3189
Intel Pentium N4200
84.6 Points -3%
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q
Intel Pentium N3710
36.78 Points -58%

System Performance

The system runs smoothly, and we did not encounter any problems. The computing performance of the SoC installed here is sufficient for the demands of office and Internet applications. The PCMark benchmark scores are very good to good. The much higher performance of both the CPU and GPU become evident here. It is not possible to increase the total performance as Dell has exhausted all options.

PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
2314 points
Help
PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2
Dell Latitude 3180
HD Graphics 505, Pentium N4200, Liteonit CV3-8D128
2314 Points
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q
HD Graphics 405 (Braswell), N3710, Liteonit CV3-8D256
1999 Points -14%
HP Stream 11-r000ng
HD Graphics (Braswell), N3050, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1487 Points -36%
Medion Akoya S2218
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735F, 64 GB eMMC Flash
1027 Points -56%

Storage Device

A solid state drive by LiteOn in the M.2 2280 format is installed for storing data. The SSD has a capacity of 128 GB. Almost 86 GB can be used in delivery state. The Windows installation and recovery partition reserve the rest. The SSD's transfer rates are good.

Liteonit CV3-8D128
Sequential Read: 482.6 MB/s
Sequential Write: 213.2 MB/s
512K Read: 276.5 MB/s
512K Write: 162.6 MB/s
4K Read: 18.17 MB/s
4K Write: 44.77 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 132.7 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 118.1 MB/s
Dell Latitude 3180
Liteonit CV3-8D128
Dell Latitude 11 3150
Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q
Liteonit CV3-8D256
HP Stream 11-r000ng
32 GB eMMC Flash
Medion Akoya S2218
64 GB eMMC Flash
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
-25%
25%
-58%
-67%
Read Seq
482.6
251.5
-48%
506
5%
154.2
-68%
140.2
-71%
Write Seq
213.2
124.4
-42%
393.4
85%
76.6
-64%
52.7
-75%
Read 512
276.5
229.2
-17%
329.1
19%
165.8
-40%
98.4
-64%
Write 512
162.6
124.8
-23%
282.5
74%
59.9
-63%
58.7
-64%
Read 4k
18.17
13.5
-26%
23.35
29%
18.25
0%
15.25
-16%
Write 4k
44.77
39.21
-12%
45.56
2%
13.16
-71%
9.817
-78%
Read 4k QD32
132.7
117.4
-12%
123.5
-7%
46.51
-65%
37.24
-72%
Write 4k QD32
118.1
98.6
-17%
111.2
-6%
13.21
-89%
8.734
-93%

Graphics Card

Intel's HD Graphics 505 graphics unit is responsible for video output. The GPU supports DirectX12 and clocks at up to 750 MHz. Like the CPU, the GPU also does a better job than its predecessor (HD Graphics 405) in our tests. Again, this is owed to the new architecture. The HD Graphics 505 GPU comes from the Skylake architecture (formerly Broadwell).

A look at our comparison chart shows that the Latitude achieves much better scores than the Aspire ES1-332 and Aspire ES1-533, which are also furnished with the HD Graphics 505 GPU, in the 3DMark 11 benchmark. This strongly suggests that the working memory in Dell's laptop operates in dual-channel mode. However, we cannot confirm this as the diverse tools that we used (CPU-Z, HWInfo) did not provide information about this.

3DMark 11 Performance
899 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Dell Latitude 3180
Intel HD Graphics 505, Intel Pentium N4200
825 Points
Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA
Intel HD Graphics 505, Intel Pentium N4200
624 Points -24%
Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H
Intel HD Graphics 505, Intel Pentium N4200
583 Points -29%
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q
Intel HD Graphics 405 (Braswell), Intel Pentium N3710
473 Points -43%
HP Stream 11-r000ng
Intel HD Graphics (Braswell), Intel Celeron N3050
375 Points -55%
Dell Latitude 11 3150
Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Intel Pentium N3540
227 Points -72%

Gaming Performance

The Latitude can render some games smoothly. This includes games that have very moderate hardware requirements. However, the user has to be satisfied with low resolutions and low quality settings. The Windows Store offers considerably more playable games under Casual Games.

low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 32.3 18.6 16.2
Deus Ex Mankind Divided (2016) 5.1
Resident Evil 7 (2017) 14.4
For Honor (2017) 12.1
Ghost Recon Wildlands (2017) 5.9

Emissions and Energy Management

System Noise

The SoC in the Latitude is cooled passively, and thus there is no fan that could produce noise. The laptop does not emit any other side noises, either.

Temperature

The Latitude in the stress test
The Latitude in the stress test

The Latitude performed our stress test (Prime95 and Furmark run for at least one hour) the same way in both AC and battery modes. The CPU began the stress test at 1.8 to 2 GHz and the GPU with 450 MHz. The speeds dropped gradually in the course of the stress test. The clock rates were 1.5 to 1.6 GHz (processor) and 250 MHz (graphics unit).

The passive cooling causes the laptop to heat up a bit more. 40 °C was surpassed slightly on several measuring points in the stress test.

Max. Load
 38.2 °C
101 F
40.6 °C
105 F
29.2 °C
85 F
 
 37.5 °C
100 F
37.7 °C
100 F
27.5 °C
82 F
 
 27.1 °C
81 F
25.5 °C
78 F
25.8 °C
78 F
 
Maximum: 40.6 °C = 105 F
Average: 32.1 °C = 90 F
31 °C
88 F
47.4 °C
117 F
48.4 °C
119 F
27.4 °C
81 F
45.4 °C
114 F
41.3 °C
106 F
25.2 °C
77 F
27.5 °C
82 F
27.1 °C
81 F
Maximum: 48.4 °C = 119 F
Average: 35.6 °C = 96 F
Power Supply (max.)  33.7 °C = 93 F | Room Temperature 20.2 °C = 68 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 32.1 °C / 90 F, compared to the average of 30.7 °C / 87 F for the devices in the class Subnotebook.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40.6 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 35.9 °C / 97 F, ranging from 21.4 to 59 °C for the class Subnotebook.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 48.4 °C / 119 F, compared to the average of 39.4 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.2 °C / 74 F, compared to the device average of 30.7 °C / 87 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 27.1 °C / 80.8 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.3 °C / 82.9 F (+1.2 °C / 2.1 F).
Temperature development upper side (load)
Temperature development upper side (load)
Temperature development underside (load)
Temperature development underside (load)
Temperature development upper side (idle)
Temperature development upper side (idle)
Temperature development underside (idle)
Temperature development underside (idle)

Speakers

The stereo speakers in the Latitude are situated on the device's underside. They produce a very decent sound that tends to sound a bit tinny. The maximum volume could be higher. Using headphones or external speakers is recommended for a better sound experience.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2038.936.738.92537.733.737.73136.331.136.34038.731.138.75039.429.939.46339.832.139.88039.929.839.91004229.44212542.225.242.216044.525.244.520047.624.947.625049.223.249.231554.322.554.340055.421.255.450056.420.756.463063.719.663.780067.719.267.7100065.318.465.3125062.917.962.9160060.617.660.6200062.816.962.825006216.962315062.817.162.8400066.616.966.6500068.316.768.3630061.516.861.5800058.816.658.81000058.316.658.31250055.316.455.31600055.616.455.6SPL75.830.275.8N371.437median 58.8median 17.9median 58.8Delta5.92.35.935.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseDell Latitude 3180Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Dell Latitude 3180 audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (68 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 12.2% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (5.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.5% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (17.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 44% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 48% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 30% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 62% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency diagram in comparison (checkboxes above can be turned on/off!)

Power Consumption

The Latitude only consumes a small amount of energy over the entire load range. We measured a maximum idle power consumption of 5.5 watts. The consumption climbed to 15.7 watts during the stress test. This rate would be higher if both the CPU and GPU clocked at full speed. The power supply's nominal output of 65 watts is clearly too high.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.16 / 0.26 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 2.1 / 4.1 / 5.5 Watt
Load midlight 14.6 / 15.7 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Runtime

We simulate the load needed for opening websites in our practical Wi-Fi test. The "Balanced" profile is enabled, the energy-saving features are disabled, and the screen's brightness is set to approximately 150 cd/m². The Latitude achieved a runtime of 10:21 hours.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 40)
10h 21min
Battery Runtime - WiFi Websurfing
Dell Latitude 3180
Pentium N4200, HD Graphics 505, 42 Wh
621 min
Dell Latitude 11 3150
N3540, HD Graphics (Bay Trail), 40 Wh
591 min -5%
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q
N3710, HD Graphics 405 (Braswell), 49 Wh
584 min -6%
HP Stream 11-r000ng
N3050, HD Graphics (Braswell), 37 Wh
515 min -17%
Medion Akoya S2218
Z3735F, HD Graphics (Bay Trail), 43 Wh
500 min -19%

Pros

+ matte screen
+ silent system noise
+ M.2 2280 SSD
+ very good battery life

Cons

- dark, low-contrast, viewing-angle dependent screen
- no USB Type-C
- price

Verdict

Dell Latitude 11 3180, courtesy of Dell Germany
Dell Latitude 11 3180, courtesy of Dell Germany

Dell delivers an 11.6-inch laptop that has primarily been made with schools in mind with its Latitude 11 3180. Thus, a robust plastic casing is used. The installed Apollo Lake processor has enough computing power for office and Internet applications. The laptop runs quietly and does not heat up excessively.

Dell provides a compact and enduring typewriter and browsing machine for educational institutes with its Latitude 11 3180.

An SSD ensures a fast-running system. It would be possible to replace the SSD. However, the casing would have to be opened for this. Furthermore, not all versions of the laptop come with an SSD. The cheaper models are furnished with non-removable eMMC storage devices, and replacing them is not possible. The battery life is outstanding. The decent keyboard that is suitable for frequent typing complements this.

The screen is disappointing. Dell installs a dark, low-contrast, viewing-angle dependent model that counteracts Dell's specified purpose. A sentence on Dell's website states that the PC can be placed flat on a table making it easier to share content thanks to a 180-degree hinge. This would only be possible had Dell installed an IPS panel. However, the laptop has a viewing-angle dependent TN screen. Beyond that, the screen in a laptop that is exclusively intended for use during school lessons should not display PWM-flickering.

Our review sample was priced at 489 Euros net (582 Euros gross, ~$524 / ~$624) in Dell's shop at test time - a lot of money for a simple office device. Thus, the laptop is not really an option for private customers.

Dell Latitude 3180 - 04/19/2017 v6(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
77 /  98 → 79%
Keyboard
76%
Pointing Device
88%
Connectivity
38 / 80 → 48%
Weight
67 / 35-78 → 75%
Battery
93%
Display
76%
Games Performance
52 / 68 → 76%
Application Performance
61 / 87 → 70%
Temperature
92 / 91 → 100%
Noise
100%
Audio
50 / 91 → 55%
Camera
44 / 85 → 52%
Average
70%
80%
Subnotebook - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Dell Latitude 3180 (N4200, HD) Laptop Review
Sascha Mölck, 2017-04-22 (Update: 2018-05-15)