Verdict:
It's not as small as some, but Dell's long-lasting laptop is a decent performer. We were happy with the Dell, but there are more powerful and portable laptops in the group.
At 2.3kg, Dell's Latitude D630 is the joint heaviest machine here, along with Apple's MacBook. It's still portable, though, and the extra weight is put to good use. The screen is the largest in the group at 14.1 inches, and while its 1,280x 800 resolution isn't any higher than that of the other laptops' displays, the extra inch makes small
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text that much easier to read.
The screen has a matt finish, so it suffers less from reflections than a glossy display, but colours are rather washed-out. The Latitude also has four USB2.0 ports and S-video and D-sub outputs, but no memory card reader. You control the Windows cursor with either a joystick or the touchpad, but neither is very satisfying to use. The joystick moves the cursor too quickly, while the touchpad is sluggish.
The D630 has a 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and is fairly quick. Its overall score of 149 puts it third in the group, just ahead of Samsung's Q45. Battery life is excellent: the Latitude managed nearly four and a half hours of light use and nearly three hours of DVD playback.
Dell's Latitude D630 is fair value for money and has good battery life, with no major flaws or omissions. But Samsung's Q45 is significantly cheaper and lasts even longer away from a socket.
By Chris Finnamore
SPECIFICATIONS:
Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 (1.8GHz)
2GB RAM
80GB hard disk
