Dell Latitude 5580 (i5-7200U, HD) Laptop Review

[Redaktion]

A longitudinal update. The Latitude series has begun phasing out the proprietary E-port in favor of the more versatile Thunderbolt 3 port. Otherwise, not too much has changed from the outgoing E5570 series.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-Latitude-5580-i5-7200U-HD-Laptop-Review.217472.0.html

[dthrp]

I can't help but think that people who read this review would think very little of this machine, because NBC remarked exclusively on a lower-specced unit they received without revealing all the information to readers, which isn't the first time and won't certainly be the last.

Potential buyers, please be aware that the Latitude 5580 can also be equipped with an optional 92 Whr internal battery, presumably allowing an incredibly long runtime of ~17 hours with a dual-core Kaby Lake, and a still very strong ~10 hours with an i7 HQ.

Furthermore, many technical features aren't even mentioned in this review, but are currently available with this laptop. Windows Hello capable IR camera, GT 940MX dGPU, and IPS touch screen using OTP technology are just a few of those options. Fingerprint reader is also a legitimate one that focuses on security, not the cheap Synaptics scanner, which is designed merely for a convenient sign-in.

And just a warning to many users, like me, who actually do fully utilize the sequential read/write speeds of an NVMe SSD for work all the time, the M.2-2280 slot's PCIe 3.0 interface is still limited to x2 lanes across most Latitudes just like most other business lines.

Check the official manual/specifications PDF for further details:
http://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/latitude-15-5580-laptop_Owner's%20Manual_en-us.pdf

[joschh]

@dthrp: Could you please also give some information about the quality of the FHD display version? Thanks.

It's a pity that the Latitude 5580 got reviewed with the 1366x768 panel because this resolution is way too low for efficient working hours. Hope there will be a review of the 1920x1080 version soon. :/

[dthrp]

@joschh:
I haven't had a chance with the laptop myself, but here're links to five laptop review sites I like read, including NBC. Although, the reviews are relevant to the previous model, e5570.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-Latitude-15-E5570-Notebook-Review.169185.0.html
http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/dell-latitude-e5570
http://www.notebookreview.com/notebookreview/dell-latitude-e5570-review/
http://www.computershopper.com/laptops/reviews/dell-latitude-15-5000-e5570
http://laptopmedia.com/review/dell-latitude-e5570-review-durable-workforce-on-the-go/

and some other generic sites:
http://techaeris.com/2016/05/06/dell-latitude-15-5000-review-a-secure-15-6-business-laptop/
http://www.thelaptopbulletin.com/dell-latitude-15-5000-e5570-detailed-review-1951
http://www.storagereview.com/dell_latitude_15_5000_series_e5570_review

Overall consensus seems to be bad brightness, decent contrasts, and good color coverage. And I agree, the difference between FHD-IPS and HD-TN is heaven and earth.

I trust NBC and I believe they try their best to acquire practical, high-end units, but sometimes, they don't have that luxury. But that's totally alright because they're already thorough enough, so it's not really hard to predict things such as power consumption, battery life and performance on a higher resolution display in this case.

[Benjamin Herzig]

I am testing the Precision 3520 right now, which is the workstation equivalent of the Latitude 5580  ;) German test first in this case.

[joschh]

@dthrp: Thanks for all the effort! I already knew some of the E5570 reviews but it seems like the Latitude 5580 uses a different panels, so I can't rely on these display tests.  :-\

@Benjamin: Sadly the Precision 3520 isn't the one for me. According to other reviews the display quality isn't pretty good.

[icey]

A total of three internal storage bays are available in the form a 2.5-inch SATA III bay, an M.2 2280 slot with NVMe support, and an uncommon M.2 2242 slot.

So what would be the third storage bay, unless it's meant the slot for the WWAN card? In that case it can probably be used for cache only when using 2.5" HDD.

As far as I recall E7440 was one of the very few models that had the option to use the m.2242 slot for a "bootable" SSD. On most other models it was available only as cache drive.

This http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19992358 suggests the same.

One suggestion for reviewers is to check what storage combinations are possible. Dell is specifically infamous about it, that it seems like more than 1 disk is supported but in reality it's not. Either one disk physically blocks the other, or second disk can only be used as cache.


BTW, it's very frustrating to read these Dell reviews on low-end SKUs. I know that editors may not have a choice here and they review whatever piece of hardware is made available to them but I wished it could be models that 'average' home user is likely to buy. I have the feeling that when business models are reviewed it always goes to extremes. Either it's 2500€+ laptop with UHD screen and Xeon processor, or a low-end one with 768p screen and HDD.

I am really waiting for the Dell Precision 3520 review and I hope it won't be the low-end model again.

[reader]

Strange that review says nothing about TDP configuration of CPU.

from reviews of X1 Carbon and direct competitor Thinkpad T570 we know they make use of configurable TDP feature, to raise TDP from 15 to 25 Watts.

Was it too difficult and time-consuming to run Intel XTU utility to check these numbers?

Also would be interesting to confirm that Precision 3520 use TDP-down from 45W to 35W.

[jiigrec]

I am looking forward to buy this laptop, but before that I really want to know if I can put both a 2.5 HDD/SSD and an 2280 M.2 SSD at the same time. Is it possible ? If not, can this laptop boot from the 2242 M.2 slot ?

[P.Vasivev]

When we will see the other SKU of this laptop. I want to know how this laptop will work with FHD IPS panel and i7 (U or HQ).

Best Regards!

[Benjamin Herzig]

We have just tested the Precision 3520, which uses the same chassis as the Latitude 5580: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-Precision-3520-i7-7820HQ-M620M-Workstation-Review.224112.0.html

The Latitude 5580 with FHD and HQ CPU would be nearly the same, main difference is the GPU.

[jeremy]

Is the screen supplier depends on country?
For FHD screen, I learn that is AUO, but on a website I see LG...
And for LG, it seems to be less that the specify 300nits.

[vb]

I just returned 5580 with FHD nontouch display. The worst display I have ever seen!

[jeremy]

Why? The brightness is low?

[joschh]

"The worst display I have ever seen!"

Please be a bit more specific. What was that bad about it?
If it comes with a low quality display, it's probably not the same as in Precision 3520
like Benjamin stated. The 3520 display test results look quite good except of PWM flickering (even it's on high frequency).