Dell Latitude E5550 (Broadwell) Notebook Review Update
For the original German review, see here.
Dell’s Latitude E5550 series offers the business user a 15.6-inch notebook in the mid-price range with features like a docking port, TPM, and a fingerprint reader. Just a few weeks ago, we tested a Haswell-equipped version of the Latitude E5550 that achieved a "good" rating (86 percent). We looked again at the E550 in another test, this time with Intel's brand new Broadwell CPU, to see if the system benefits from the new processor.
The HP Probook 650 and the Probook 655, the Lenovo Thinkpad L540, and the Fujitsu Lifebook E554 — all mid-priced business notebooks — are the Latitude's competitors.
Since both the Broadwell and Haswell E5550 use the same design, we will not cover case, connectivity, input devices and speakers here. This information is available in our Haswell model review.
Display
Dell equipped the Latitude with a matte 15.6 inch display with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The display delivers a good brightness of 295 cd/m² that its competitors — like the HP Probook 650 (264.4 cd/m²; Full-HD) and the Fujitsu Lifebook E554 (230.7 cd/m²; Full-HD) — cannot match.
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Brightness Distribution: 77 %
Center on Battery: 312 cd/m²
Contrast: 589:1 (Black: 0.53 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.32 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.87
ΔE Greyscale 5.34 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
62% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
67.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
95.3% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
65.6% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.71
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell IPS 1920x1080 | Dell Latitude E5550 IPS 1920x1080 | Dell Latitude E5540 TN 1920x1080 | Fujitsu LifeBook E554 IPS 1920x1080 | HP ProBook 650-H5G81ET SVA 1920x1080 | HP ProBook 650 G1 H5G74E TN 1366x768 | HP ProBook 655 TN 1366x768 | Lenovo ThinkPad L540 20AV002YGE TN 1920x1080 | Acer TravelMate P645-MG-74508G75tkk IPS 1920x1080 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 3% | -20% | -42% | -24% | -43% | -19% | -0% | ||
| Display P3 Coverage | 65.6 | 67.8 3% | 52.6 -20% | 37.82 -42% | 49.82 -24% | 36.97 -44% | 53.5 -18% | 65.8 0% | |
| sRGB Coverage | 95.3 | 97.5 2% | 76.5 -20% | 56.7 -41% | 72.3 -24% | 55.3 -42% | 76.7 -20% | 94.5 -1% | |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 67.6 | 69.8 3% | 54.6 -19% | 39.1 -42% | 51.3 -24% | 38.21 -43% | 54.8 -19% | 67.9 0% | |
| Screen | 23% | -31% | -18% | -69% | -53% | -45% | -49% | 8% | |
| Brightness middle | 312 | 343 10% | 297 -5% | 253 -19% | 269 -14% | 197 -37% | 209 -33% | 303 -3% | 258 -17% |
| Brightness | 295 | 320 8% | 273 -7% | 231 -22% | 264 -11% | 186 -37% | 200 -32% | 290 -2% | 249 -16% |
| Brightness Distribution | 77 | 88 14% | 87 13% | 78 1% | 78 1% | 82 6% | 81 5% | 85 10% | 93 21% |
| Black Level * | 0.53 | 0.36 32% | 0.59 -11% | 0.31 42% | 0.9 -70% | 0.63 -19% | 0.64 -21% | 0.7 -32% | 0.38 28% |
| Contrast | 589 | 953 62% | 503 -15% | 816 39% | 299 -49% | 313 -47% | 327 -44% | 433 -26% | 679 15% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.32 | 3.15 27% | 8.98 -108% | 8.31 -92% | 12.12 -181% | 10.48 -143% | 9.33 -116% | 11.58 -168% | 3.8 12% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 5.34 | 3.65 32% | 10.26 -92% | 7.88 -48% | 13.75 -157% | 10.68 -100% | 9.36 -75% | 13.65 -156% | 4.13 23% |
| Gamma | 2.71 81% | 2.62 84% | 2.49 88% | 2.26 97% | 2.59 85% | 2.31 95% | 2.27 97% | 2.59 85% | 2.68 82% |
| CCT | 6998 93% | 7101 92% | 12696 51% | 6371 102% | 13228 49% | 12387 52% | 10124 64% | 13248 49% | 6519 100% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 62 | 63.3 2% | 50 -19% | 35.7 -42% | 35.2 -43% | 34.7 -44% | 51.12 -18% | 61 -2% | |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 97.4 | ||||||||
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 13% /
18% | -26% /
-28% | -30% /
-24% | -47% /
-55% | -53% /
-53% | -44% /
-44% | -34% /
-41% | 4% /
6% |
* ... smaller is better
Contrast (589:1) and black value (0.53 cd/m²) are alright, but not outstanding. The Fujitsu Lifebook E554's display (816:1; 0.31 cd/m²) delivers better values, while the HP Probook 650 (299:1; 0.9 cd/m²) falls behind its competition. The Latitude's display cannot achieve either full sRGB or AdobeRGB: it manages about 62 percent of the AdobeRGB color space and 82 percent of sRGB. But since the average DeltaE-2000 difference is 4.32, the E550 screen only marginally (at a DeltaE of less than 3) misses the target range. The screen also does not exhibit a bluish cast.
Like the HP Probook 650 and the Fujitsu Lifebook E554, the Latitude also comes with an IPS panel that allows you to read the display from any angle. Thanks to the matte display surface and the sufficient brightness, the notebook can also be used outdoors.
Performance
The Latitude E5550’s processor delivers sufficient performance for everyday tasks. The notebook comes with standard business features like TPM, a docking port, and a fingerprint reader. Our test model is ready for an LTE modem. The Latitude can be individually configured. At test time, entry level models of the computer were available from 680 Euro (770 USD). Our test model is priced just under 1000 Euro (1100 USD).
Processor
Intel's new Broadwell Core i5-5300U dual core processor CPU with a 2.3 GHz base clock drives the Latitude. Thanks to turbo technology, the clock rate can go up to 2.7 GHz (both cores) or 2.9 GHz (only one core). In both AC and battery operation, the processors ran at maximum speed in the Cinebench benchmarks. The Core i5-5300U supports hyperthreading (each core can run two threads). Intel specifies a TDP of 15 watts for the processor. Haswell ULV CPUs have the same TDP.
The i5-5300U CPU is the successor of the Core i5-4300U. While the Core i5-5300U uses a higher base clock (1.9 GHz vs. 2.3 GHz), the turbo clocks are almost the same (Core i5-4300U: 2.6 GHz/2.9 GHz; Core i5-5300U: 2.7 GHz/2.9 GHz). Improvements in the Broadwell architecture ensure that the Core i5-5300 achieves slightly better results than the Core i5-4300U processor. Our benchmark tests showed a performance gain of about 5 to 10 percent.
| Geekbench 3 | |
| 32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value) | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| HP ProBook 650 G1 H5G74E | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L540 20AV002YGE | |
| 32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value) | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| HP ProBook 650 G1 H5G74E | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L540 20AV002YGE | |
| Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value) | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value) | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| WebXPRT 2013 - Overall (sort by value) | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Browsermark - 2.1 (sort by value) | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
The powerful Core i5 processor and the solid state disk ensure a fast system: Windows boots swiftly, and the PC Mark benchmark results were very good. It surprised us that the Latitude performs better than its Fujitsu Lifebook E554 and HP Probook 650 competitors. Both the Fujitsu and the HP use standard volt CPUs (no ULV), which improves performance. The Latitude’s superior performance was likely due to its SSD , which delivers slightly higher 4k read and write rates than the models used in its competitors.
| PCMark 7 Score | 4638 points | |
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 2800 points | |
| PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 3272 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 3874 points | |
Help | ||
| PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| HP ProBook 650-H5G81ET | |
| HP ProBook 655 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L540 20AV002YGE | |
Storage Devices
The Latitude is equipped with a 2.5 inch solid state disk from Samsung with a capacity of 128 GB (with only about 87 GB available to the user). Its read rates are good, but the write rates are not the best. This disk can easily be replaced with not only a higher capacity model (note: only SSDs with a height of 7 mm will fit), but a faster one (e.g., the Samsung SSD 840 Evo).
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell HD Graphics 5500, 5300U, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR | Dell Latitude E5550 HD Graphics 4400, 4310U, Lite-On LCS-128L9S | Fujitsu LifeBook E554 HD Graphics 4600, 4210M, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR | HP ProBook 650-H5G81ET HD Graphics 4600, 4200M, Liteonit LCS-128M6S | Acer TravelMate P645-MG-74508G75tkk Radeon HD 8750M, 4500U, Toshiba THNSNJ256GMCT | One K73-5N GeForce GTX 980M, 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 500GB | Bullman C-Klasse S i7 15FHD Dirtbook HD Graphics 4600, 4810MQ, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 250GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AS SSD | 15% | 4% | 3% | 5% | 77% | 69% | |
| Seq Read | 462.7 | 474 2% | 468 1% | 494.9 7% | 479.7 4% | 515 11% | 506 9% |
| Seq Write | 133.9 | 315 135% | 135.8 1% | 300.1 124% | 442.3 230% | 495.9 270% | 496.6 271% |
| 4K Read | 25.47 | 24 -6% | 33.14 30% | 19.7 -23% | 13.1 -49% | 42.22 66% | 39.16 54% |
| 4K Write | 82.5 | 44 -47% | 94.9 15% | 46.9 -43% | 41.63 -50% | 118.2 43% | 120 45% |
| 4K-64 Read | 353.3 | 365 3% | 347.4 -2% | 237.5 -33% | 386.7 9% | 336 -5% | 335.2 -5% |
| 4K-64 Write | 123.4 | 277 124% | 107.8 -13% | 195.5 58% | 148.5 20% | 281.5 128% | 231.3 87% |
| Access Time Read * | 0.136 | 0.1 26% | 0.145 -7% | 0.12 12% | 0.179 -32% | 0.046 66% | 0.06 56% |
| Access Time Write * | 0.042 | 0.09 -114% | 0.04 5% | 0.074 -76% | 0.081 -93% | 0.028 33% | 0.029 31% |
* ... smaller is better
Graphics Card
Intel's HD Graphics 5500 GPU is responsible for graphics output. The core supports DirectX 11.2 and clocks at up to 900 MHz. The HD Graphics 5500 is the successor of the HD Graphics 4400, but has a slightly lower clock rate (900 MHz vs. 1100 MHz) in spite of additional execution units and a bigger L1 cache. In 3D Mark benchmark tests it performed slightly better than the HD Graphics 4400. The graphics performance of the Latitude could be better. If the computer is equipped with a second RAM module, the RAM works in dual channel mode, allowing the GPU to be used more efficiently and achieve better results. This modification on our test model gave us increased (by 16 percent) 3D Mark 2011 results. All of the Latitude's single channel and dual channel results are listed in the comparison table.
| 3DMark 06 Standard Score | 6215 points | |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 1028 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 45368 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 4680 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 618 points | |
Help | ||
| 3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value) | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 | |
| Dell Latitude E5540 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| HP ProBook 650-H5G81ET | |
| HP ProBook 650 G1 H5G74E | |
| HP ProBook 655 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L540 20AV002YGE | |
| 3DMark | |
| 1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value) | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| HP ProBook 650-H5G81ET | |
| HP ProBook 650 G1 H5G74E | |
| HP ProBook 655 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L540 20AV002YGE | |
| 1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value) | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| HP ProBook 650-H5G81ET | |
| HP ProBook 650 G1 H5G74E | |
| HP ProBook 655 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L540 20AV002YGE | |
| 1280x720 Sky Diver Score (sort by value) | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| 1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value) | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 | |
| Dell Latitude E5540 | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| HP ProBook 650-H5G81ET | |
| HP ProBook 650 G1 H5G74E | |
| HP ProBook 655 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L540 20AV002YGE | |
| 3DMark 06 - 1280x1024 Standard Score AA:0x AF:0x (sort by value) | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell | |
| Fujitsu LifeBook E554 | |
| HP ProBook 650 G1 H5G74E | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L540 20AV002YGE | |
Gaming Performance
The Latitude's CPU-GPU combination can run several games smoothly with low resolution and low quality settings. On average, the notebook achieves slightly higher frame rates than comparable computers of the Haswell ULV (Core i5-4300U/4310U; HD Graphics 4400) hardware generation. The Latitude cannot keep up with competitors like the Lifebook E554 and the Probook 650. both of which benefit from their more powerful processors and RAM that works in dual channel mode. The addition of a second RAM module in the Latitude levels the playing field, giving the RAM the ability to work in dual channel mode and increasing frame rates by 20 percent on average. The Lifebook and the Probook will still perform slightly better, however, in very CPU-intensive games.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deus Ex Human Revolution (2011) | 44.6 | 25.7 | 11.3 | |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012) | 43.7 | 31.3 | 17.4 | 8.8 |
| Hitman: Absolution (2012) | 18 | 12.9 | 6.2 | |
| Dead Space 3 (2013) | 55.1 | 24.9 | 20.7 | 10.7 |
| Tomb Raider (2013) | 43 | 21.9 | 14.1 | 7.1 |
| StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (2013) | 116.6 | 38.9 | 20.2 | 7.1 |
| BioShock Infinite (2013) | 30.8 | 17.5 | 14.4 | 4.4 |
| GRID 2 (2013) | 47.2 | 27.4 | 20.5 | 12.5 |
| Splinter Cell: Blacklist (2013) | 23.2 | 13.5 | 8.5 | |
| Saints Row IV (2013) | 17.6 | 13.6 | 6.9 | |
| The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (2013) | 16.6 | 13.9 | 10.8 | 6.2 |
| Total War: Rome II (2013) | 35.9 | 26.7 | 20.8 | 6 |
| Batman: Arkham Origins (2013) | 30 | 17 | 11 | |
| Assassin´s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013) | 20.1 | 14.1 | 5.1 | |
| X-Plane 10.25 (2013) | 29.7 | 12.8 | 4.9 | |
| Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014) | 26.1 | 23.8 | 11.2 | |
| Watch Dogs (2014) | 14.8 | 10.4 | 6.9 | |
| GRID: Autosport (2014) | 65.7 | 25.2 | 14.4 | 12.5 |
| Risen 3: Titan Lords (2014) | 25.5 | 14.8 | 6 | |
| Assassin's Creed Unity (2014) | 8.2 | 5.9 | 3.1 |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell HD Graphics 5500, 5300U, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR | Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell HD Graphics 5500, 5300U, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR | Fujitsu LifeBook E554 HD Graphics 4600, 4210M, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR | HP ProBook 650-H5G81ET HD Graphics 4600, 4200M, Liteonit LCS-128M6S | HP ProBook 650 G1 H5G74E HD Graphics 4600, 4000M, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630 | Dell Latitude 14 E5450 HD Graphics 4400, 4310U, Lite-On LCS-128L9S | Acer TravelMate P246-M-598B HD Graphics 4400, 4210U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX | HP ProBook 655 Radeon HD 8450G, A6-5350M, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomb Raider | 21% | 21% | 42% | -2% | -8% | -19% | -13% | |
| 1024x768 Low Preset | 43 | 53.5 24% | 57.6 34% | 64.8 51% | 46.2 7% | 42.2 -2% | 37.1 -14% | 37.2 -13% |
| 1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x | 21.9 | 26.9 23% | 26.8 22% | 32.1 47% | 21.9 0% | 20.6 -6% | 18.2 -17% | 19 -13% |
| 1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x | 14.1 | 16.5 17% | 15.2 8% | 18.2 29% | 12.2 -13% | 12 -15% | 10.6 -25% | 12.1 -14% |
Emissions
System Noise
Usually, the Latitude is silent while idle since the fans don't run most of the time. The Fujitsu Lifebook E554 and the HP Probook 650 are no different; and all of the fans in our comparison group did not speed up before load is applied. The Latitude was the loudest in our stress test. On the positive side: the fan does not generate any annoying whistling, buzzing or whirring noises.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 29.6 / 29.6 / 29.6 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 38.1 / 46.4 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance) | ||
Temperature
The Latitude completed the stress test (Prime95 and Furmark running simultaneously for at least an hour) in the same way in both AC and battery power mode. The processor and graphics cores ran at maximum speed (CPU: 2.7 GHz; GPU: 900 MHz). The notebook did not grow particularly warm. We measured a temperature of over 40 °C (104 °F) in two spots during the stress test.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 42.3 °C / 108 F, compared to the average of 34.3 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 48 °C / 118 F, compared to the average of 36.8 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29 °C / 84 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 27 °C / 80.6 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.6 °C / 81.7 F (+0.6 °C / 1.1 F).
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell 5300U/HD 5500/SSD | Dell Latitude E5550 4310U/HD 4400/SSD | Dell Latitude E5540 4300U/HD 4400/HDD | Fujitsu LifeBook E554 4210M/HD 4600/SSD | HP ProBook 650-H5G81ET 4200M/HD 4600/SSD | HP ProBook 650 G1 H5G74E 4000M/HD 4600/HDD | HP ProBook 655 A6-5350M/Radeon HD 8450G/HDD | Lenovo ThinkPad L540 20AV002YGE 4200M/HD 4600/HDD | Acer TravelMate P645-MG-74508G75tkk 4500U/Radeon HD 8750M/SSD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | 17% | 10% | 15% | 3% | 13% | 5% | 6% | -3% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * | 42.3 | 36.8 13% | 34.2 19% | 30.1 29% | 36.2 14% | 32.7 23% | 33.8 20% | 40.8 4% | 50.1 -18% |
| Maximum Bottom * | 48 | 42.6 11% | 38.5 20% | 37.6 22% | 47.8 -0% | 46.1 4% | 43.6 9% | 39 19% | 52.7 -10% |
| Idle Upper Side * | 33.5 | 26.4 21% | 30.7 8% | 29.2 13% | 32.3 4% | 27.7 17% | 31.2 7% | 31.6 6% | 32.2 4% |
| Idle Bottom * | 33.1 | 25.9 22% | 35.6 -8% | 34.7 -5% | 35 -6% | 30.5 8% | 39.2 -18% | 34.5 -4% | 28.9 13% |
* ... smaller is better
Energy Management
Power Consumption
While idle, the Broadwell Latitude needs less energy than its Haswell sister model. Under full load, however, the power consumption is slightly higher. This is not surprising since the Broadwell Latitude is, overall, more powerful. Its Fujitsu Lifebook E554 and HP Probook 650 competitors, both with conventional mobile processors, need significantly more energy under full load.
| Off / Standby | 0 / 0.2 Watt |
| Idle | 4.7 / 8 / 10.3 Watt |
| Load |
40.3 / 43.5 Watt |
   
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Voltcraft VC 940 | |
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell HD Graphics 5500, 5300U, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR | Dell Latitude E5550 HD Graphics 4400, 4310U, Lite-On LCS-128L9S | Dell Latitude E5540 HD Graphics 4400, 4300U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive | Fujitsu LifeBook E554 HD Graphics 4600, 4210M, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR | HP ProBook 650-H5G81ET HD Graphics 4600, 4200M, Liteonit LCS-128M6S | HP ProBook 650 G1 H5G74E HD Graphics 4600, 4000M, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630 | HP ProBook 655 Radeon HD 8450G, A6-5350M, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630 | Lenovo ThinkPad L540 20AV002YGE HD Graphics 4600, 4200M, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630 | Acer TravelMate P645-MG-74508G75tkk Radeon HD 8750M, 4500U, Toshiba THNSNJ256GMCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -30% | -26% | 6% | -57% | 4% | -40% | -41% | -15% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 4.7 | 8.2 -74% | 7.4 -57% | 3.5 26% | 9.2 -96% | 4.6 2% | 9.4 -100% | 9.5 -102% | 5.9 -26% |
| Idle Average * | 8 | 12.8 -60% | 12.8 -60% | 7.1 11% | 14.6 -83% | 8.2 -3% | 11.3 -41% | 13.1 -64% | 9.2 -15% |
| Idle Maximum * | 10.3 | 15.1 -47% | 13.1 -27% | 8 22% | 15.5 -50% | 9.4 9% | 14.5 -41% | 13.4 -30% | 10.4 -1% |
| Load Average * | 40.3 | 32.9 18% | 39 3% | 40.1 -0% | 47 -17% | 37.1 8% | 41.2 -2% | 38.6 4% | 41.1 -2% |
| Load Maximum * | 43.5 | 37 15% | 39.8 9% | 57 -31% | 60.6 -39% | 41.5 5% | 50.8 -17% | 49.5 -14% | 56.6 -30% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
The battery, while the Latitude is idle, lasts 12:01 h. The Fujitsu Lifebook E554 (16:28 h) performs significantly better. We tested the idle scenario (minimum display brightness, active energy saving profile, and disabled radio modules) using the Battery Eater Reader test. Under load (running the Battery Eater Classic test at maximum display brightness, maximum performance profile and enabled radio modules), the Latitude shuts down after 1:06 h. Again, the Lifebook (1:37 h) lasts longer.
The Dell notebook finished our realistic WLAN test after 6:21 h. The Lifebook (at 6:22 h) is on par, but the HP Probook 650 (4:18 h) is not. The test simulates web browsing with a script that refreshes websites every 40 seconds with the following additional system demands: active energy-saving mode; display brightness adjusted to around 150 cd/m²; a loop of the short movie Big Buck Bunny (H.264 coding, 1920 x 1080 pixels) to determine the battery runtime during video playback; wireless modules deactivated; display brightness adjusted to around 150 cd/m². The Latitude lasted 6:27 h; the Lifebook survived for only 5:43 h.
Overall, the Latitude delivers good battery runtimes and performs only slightly better than its Haswell sister model despite its better performance in other areas and the same battery capacity.
| Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell HD Graphics 5500, 5300U, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR | Dell Latitude E5550 HD Graphics 4400, 4310U, Lite-On LCS-128L9S | Dell Latitude E5540 HD Graphics 4400, 4300U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive | Fujitsu LifeBook E554 HD Graphics 4600, 4210M, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR | HP ProBook 650-H5G81ET HD Graphics 4600, 4200M, Liteonit LCS-128M6S | HP ProBook 650 G1 H5G74E HD Graphics 4600, 4000M, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630 | HP ProBook 655 Radeon HD 8450G, A6-5350M, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630 | Lenovo ThinkPad L540 20AV002YGE HD Graphics 4600, 4200M, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630 | Acer TravelMate P645-MG-74508G75tkk Radeon HD 8750M, 4500U, Toshiba THNSNJ256GMCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -4% | 15% | 18% | -32% | -0% | -6% | -9% | 29% | |
| Reader / Idle | 721 | 523 -27% | 654 -9% | 988 37% | 461 -36% | 559 -22% | 391 -46% | 615 -15% | |
| H.264 | 387 | 382 -1% | 343 -11% | ||||||
| WiFi | 381 | 365 -4% | 423 11% | 382 0% | 258 -32% | 316 -17% | 288 -24% | 298 -22% | 406 7% |
| Load | 66 | 78 18% | 94 42% | 97 47% | 100 52% | 84 27% | 93 41% | 128 94% |
Verdict
The Dell Latitude E5550 is a 15.6-inch notebook that delivers performance sufficient for everyday business tasks. It works quietly most of the time and provides good battery runtimes. Thanks to a solid state disk, the notebook boots swiftly and works quickly. In addition, it has good input devices and a bright IPS display. The display contrast should be better. A big maintenance hatch allows easy access to the hardware. Furthermore, the device comes with the usual business features like docking port, TPM, and fingerprint reader. Our test model is LTE/3G-ready, too: an LTE compatible modem can be ordered from Dell for just under 60 Euro/70 USD.
All in all, Dell has produced a balanced device without any serious weaknesses. Overall, the Broadwell processor is a good start. Compared to the Haswell CPU, it performs slightly better without a negative impact on battery life. Those who need even better performance should select one of the Latitude's competitors, like the Fujitsu Lifebook E554 or the HP Probook 650, both of which come with conventional, but more powerful, mobile processors.
Note: Although the Broadwell Latitude is slightly more powerful and achieves slightly better battery runtimes than the recently reviewed Haswell Latitude, the latter achieved a higher rating of 86 percent. Why? First of all, the Broadwell Latitude lacks the LTE modem present in the Haswell Latitude. In addition, it is louder under full load and gets overall warmer than the Haswell model.
