Review Dell Latitude 6430u Ultrabook

Because of the thin build and rounder form factor, the 6430u at first glance was definitely not what we were expecting from the normally thicker and boxier build of a typical Latitude model. Edges and corners appear smoother and more uniform while the glossy brushed metal texture of the outer lid has been replaced with a flat, slightly rubberized all matte surface. The magnesium alloy construction and dark gray and dull silver colors, however, are still unmistakably Dell. The unit is matte everywhere save for the Dell and Latitude logos, making it perfect in a business setting where extra-glossy surfaces can potentially be distracting or undesired. Fingerprints do build up easily, but they are painless to wipe clean despite the rubberized surfaces of the underside, lid, and palm rests.

Construction quality is equally as good with almost nonexistent surface depressions on the underside and palm rests. Only a very slight depression can be seen down the center of the outer lid and on the center of the keyboard, both of which are normally weak spots on notebooks. Slight side-to-side twisting of the base and display can be observed as well, but not enough to warrant any longevity concerns. The dual hinges offer no surprises and are strong enough to keep the display stable. As dense and stiff the overall chassis may be, the case is predictably not as tough as a full-fledged Latitude since the model uses expectedly thinner materials in order to meet the Ultrabook size criteria. Even so, we have little to complain about the case quality as nothing particularly stands out as being below subpar or even average.

The overall weight, however, is worth mentioning as the 6430u is noticeably heavier (~1.8 kg), denser, and sometimes thicker (20.9 mm) than other Ultrabooks. For example, Dell's own 13.3-inch XPS 13 weighs just 1.38 kg and the even larger 15.6-inch Samsung Series 9 900X4B weighs ~1.7 kg. Some business Ultrabooks are also lighter than the Dell, including the Fujitsu Lifebook UH572 and Lenovo X1 Carbon. For this reason, competing Ultrabooks may be easier to pick up and play and for constant transporting. On the bright side, the heavier 6430u does imply tougher quality and better resistance to the unavoidable light bumps and bruises. We find this to be a fair tradeoff for users who want a sturdy chassis without the natural fragility that is typically associated with notebooks in this category.

Outdoor usability is good if the display is set to maximum brightness. The screen will unfortunately dip slightly in luminosity if running on batteries, but the matte surface allows for acceptable viewing without the need for a much brighter backlight as compared to glossy displays.

The user may have a tough time reading through lines of text for an extended period if on anything lower than the maximum brightness setting. Avoiding direct sunlight and working under shade would be ideal outdoor conditions for this reason.

Viewing angle stability is typical of a TN panel. A direct view is best as viewing from the sides can lead to reduced relative brightness while viewing at vertical angles can lead to inverted colors and degradation at the most extreme. Sharing the display with one or two other viewers is still possible and is best when set on a higher brightness setting.

The tested 6430u model houses a mid-range 1.8 GHz Core i5-3427U rated at a base and idling clock rate of 1800 MHz and 800 MHz, respectively. Users can move one step down to a 1.8 GHz i3-3217U or one step up to a 2.0 GHz i7-3667U, but all three 22 nm ULV CPU choices are quite similar in that they share a common 17 Watt TDP with equal L1 and L2 cache sizes. As usual, opting for an i3 class mobile CPU will mean sacrificing any Turbo Boost gains. For more information on the Core i5-3427U, see here.

For RAM, our review model is equipped with 2x 4 GB PC3-12800 SODIMM modules from Kingston. The RAM slots are easily accessible after removing the battery and two Philips screws. Doing so will also expose the system fan, heatsink, SIM slot, half mini WLAN card, and two mini PCI-e slots, one of which is occupied by the Samsung 830 mSATA SSD. Dell has made it fairly easy for end-users to access these vital components of the motherboard, something that we can’t say the same for most other Ultrabook manufacturers.

DPC Latency Checker shows no recurring high latency peaks even with wireless radios active. Note that the developers of the program have stated that the program is not yet fully compatible with Windows 8, so the results should be taken with a grain of salt.

General system performance ranks similarly to other SSD-powered Ultrabooks according to PCMark 7. The final score of 5065 points is nearly identical to the Asus Taichi 21 and Latitude E6330, the latter of which sports a matching SSD. More notably, the 6430u outscores the much more expensive and recently reviewed HP EliteBook Folio 9470m (4168 points) in the same benchmark, which uses the same CPU but with an Intel SSD 520 Series SSD instead. Subjectively, the notebook feels almost instantaneous, something that is essential for maximizing user experience with Microsoft’s heavily touch-based OS.

PCMark Vantage continues to be incompatible with Windows 8. The OS Experience Index scores are provided below as a substitute.

The 6430u ships with a 128 GB (upgradeable to 256 GB) mSATA SSD by default – no internal 2.5 cm HDD or SSD options exist or are compatible. The 128 GB Samsung 830 mSATA SATA III SSD in our model is slightly slower than the same higher capacity Samsung 830 SSDs in both the Samsung Series 9 900X4B and Dell XPS 14 in 4K read/write speeds according to CrystalDiskMark. However, it is still comparable to other non-RAID SATA III SSDs in boosting everyday performance and is leagues beyond what a standard HDD can provide. In particular, the 830 series as a whole offers generally faster 4K QD32 read speeds than some competing SSDs (271.3/101.4 MB/s read/write vs 133.4/222.5 MB/s on the Toshiba Portege Z930).

The available second mini PCIe slot had us wondering if the notebook was able to support dual mSATA drives or even RAID configuration. After installing our Renice X5 SSD, however, Windows 8 was unable to recognize or initiate the second drive. Thus, users who wish to upgrade internal storage in the future will have to remove the primary pre-configured SSD first.

Out of the theoretical 128 GB of storage, 6.68 GB is reserved for recovery and 103 GB is immediately available in the C: drive. For more information and benchmarks, see our growing comparison list of SSDs and HDDs here.

System Noise

At a recorded 32 dB(A) when the notebook is idle, the single system fan on the 6430u is essentially silent even even during video playback sessions, making it ideal for office-type work in quieter environments. Under greater workloads such as gaming or heavy multi-tasking, fan speed will jump considerably to 6000 RPM or greater without hesitation at a very audible level of 38.2 dB(A). Sustained maximum load (such as during our stress test below) provoked even louder sound levels of about 45 dB(A), though most users will likely never encounter such high fan speeds during normal or even gaming use. This trend of having a silent setting during low workloads and a much louder setting for everything else is apparent on a number of other Dell notebooks including the XPS 13 and Latitude E6330.

The stereo speakers are located next to the hinges as opposed to the front edges of the notebook as with some larger Latitudes. Despite the new positioning, sound quality is good overall and very balanced even on louder volumes. There is a clear lack of bass, which is to be expected from a notebook of this size and category. The speakers are sufficient for the occasional music and are loud enough for typical classrooms and conference rooms, but external speaker solutions are best for longer sessions or extended movie playback. 

Trimming down a boxy Latitude into a thin Ultrabook while keeping the best attributes of the series is especially difficult given the structural rigidity and expandability options that the Latitude E series tend to offer. The 6430u preserves most of the solid basics by reiterating the magnesium alloy chassis - albeit in a thinner, slightly more flexible form - and allowing users easy access to the motherboard and removable battery. Both these reasons alone make this Dell potentially more appealing than competing Ultrabooks as most models in this category can be so highly integrated in construction with unibody designs that their innards are nearly inaccessible to the end-user.

The strong build and ease of accessibility do come at the predictable cost of size and weight. Though certainly not heavy, the majority of current Ultrabooks are both thinner and lighter than the 6430u with brighter displays and, in the case of some Zenbooks and Series 9 models, provide much higher resolutions and better quality IPS/PLS panels as well. Such features, however, are likely to be more important to the multimedia user than the travelling business user who may have a strong reliance on WWAN connectivity and removable batteries.

Opting for the 6430u instead of a full-size Latitude E model will also mean sacrificing distinct features like the E-port and E-modular bay. Thus, many Dell accessories such as docking stations, connector expansions, optical drives, and secondary HDDs and batteries will not be compatible with the notebook, at least without the aid of an external enclosure. In addition, former Latitude owners may take a bit more time to become fully accustomed to the comparatively softer and quieter Chiclet keyboard. Home and office users who are willing to let go of the proprietary expansion slots will see one of the more robust and easily serviceable Ultrabooks in the market with the Latitude 6430u.