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MagyarDell Latitude 3180 (N4200, HD) Laptop Review
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.
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.
Connectivity
| SD Card Reader | |
| maximum SDCardreader Maximum Transfer Rate | |
| average SDCardreader Average Transfer Rate |
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Dell Latitude 3180 | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Dell Latitude 3180 | |
| iperf Client (transmit) TCP 1 m | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q (seb) | |
| iperf Server (receive) TCP 1 m | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q (seb) | |
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.
Display
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.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 253 cd/m²
Contrast: 538:1 (Black: 0.47 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 12.87 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1
ΔE Greyscale 13.97 | 0.57-6493 Ø6.6
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 ? | 38 ? 5% | 44 ? -10% | 27 ? 32% | |
| Response Time Black / White * | 26 ? | 31 ? -19% | 24 ? 8% | 33 ? -27% | |
| PWM Frequency | 200 ? | 200 ? 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)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 200 Hz | ≤ 90 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 200 Hz (Likely 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: 54 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 19019 (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.
Display 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. » 56 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.9 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 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 54 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (34.6 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.
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.
| Cinebench R10 | |
| Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit | |
| Dell Latitude 3180 | |
| Dell Latitude 3189 | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q | |
| Dell Latitude 11 3150 | |
| Rendering Single 32Bit | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA | |
| Dell Latitude 3180 | |
| Dell Latitude 3189 | |
| Dell Latitude 11 3150 | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q | |
| Geekbench 3 | |
| 32 Bit Single-Core Score | |
| Dell Latitude 3180 | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q | |
| 32 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
| Dell Latitude 3180 | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q | |
| Geekbench 4.0 | |
| 64 Bit Single-Core Score | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H | |
| Dell Latitude 3180 | |
| 64 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
| Dell Latitude 3180 | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H | |
| Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4 | |
| 64 Bit Single-Core Score | |
| Dell Latitude 3180 | |
| 64 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
| Dell Latitude 3180 | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H | |
| Dell Latitude 3180 | |
| Dell Latitude 3189 | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q | |
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 | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q | |
| HP Stream 11-r000ng | |
| Medion Akoya S2218 | |
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.
| 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 | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-533-P7WA | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-332-P91H | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q | |
| HP Stream 11-r000ng | |
| Dell Latitude 11 3150 | |
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 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.
(±) 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).
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.
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
» 43% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 49% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 20%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 29% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 63% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, 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
» 4% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 94% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 20%, 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 26%, 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.
| Off / Standby |   0.16 / 0.26 Watt |
| Idle |  2.1 / 4.1 / 5.5 Watt |
| Load |
14.6 / 15.7 Watt |
    
| |
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 | |
| Dell Latitude 3180 | |
| Dell Latitude 11 3150 | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q | |
| HP Stream 11-r000ng | |
| Medion Akoya S2218 | |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
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
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04/19/2017 v6(old)
Sascha Mölck
Pricecompare
