Dell Latitude 12 5000 Series Review

Conclusion

While the Latitude 12 5000 series retains a discreet aesthetic, it does check certain boxes for a business laptop. It is available with a Smart Card reader, fingerprint scanner, FIPS certified TPM, optional encrypted drives (OPAL and FIPS), crypto accelerator, Intel V-Pro, and has a solid build quality. Add in a docking port, and a 1 Gbps Ethernet port, and this is a positive laptop for around the office.

On the road, the Latitude E5250 has a good keyboard compared to others, and the trackpad is also a highlight. Battery life is at the top of our charts and should only improve with the new Broadwell based versions that are shipping as of this month due to the decreased audio DSP power draw and SoC efficiency of Gen8 graphics.

The display is, I think, a good compromise, at least as far as pixel density. It does not have the ultra high DPI of something like the Yoga 3 Pro, but the 1920x1080 resolution makes it usable at 100% scaling. Although many consumer applications have now been adapted for high DPI displays, you can bet that many business applications will not be so fortunate, so I think it is important not to get too extreme on the resolution. The 176 PPI strikes a nice balance and the IPS display has great viewing angles and contrast. Accuracy leaves something to be desired, and it would be nice if the display could at least cover the sRGB gamut even if it is not going to be used by imaging professionals.

I had no issues with performance during my time with the device, especially in CPU bound tasks. That coupled with the battery life, and smaller size, makes this a good laptop for on the go. It is a bit heavy, at 3.44 lbs (1.56 kg) with the 3-cell battery, and a bit more with the 51 Wh 4-cell version that was reviewed. With the optional integrated 4G/LTE modem, this would be a good device for on the road (other than the weight). With prices from $830 to over $1500, there is quite a wide range of options to let you fit the device into almost any budget, although from a purely technical perspective, a dual channel memory configuration should be the first upgrade on the list. It would be interesting to see what part of our benchmark suite adjusts based on dual channel performance.

The 5000 series is Dell’s midrange lineup, and it has been fairly impressive. Solid, ergonomic, good display, and great battery life. Dell has crafted a business laptop that should keep any office worker productive, and mobile.