The chassis design of the E6320 is similar to that of the other 2011 E-Series notebooks such as the E6420 and E6520. In other words, this notebook is definitely dense and immense at first glance and shows a build quality that not many other competing notebooks can match. Dell has outfitted the notebook with a variety of metal alloys from its trademarked Tri-Metal magnesium outer casing with anodized aluminum on the outer lid to a powder-coated magnesium bottom base. The corners in particular have been reinforced with even more magnesium alloy and the taut hinges themselves are made from steel to prevent wear overtime. The casing has even been tested against specific U.S. military standards for dust, vibration and temperature resistance. Compared to other business-class notebooks such as the HP Probook 5330m, we can safely say that this Dell has the slight but notable edge.

The above average build quality does come with some caveats, the major ones being weight and size. For a 13.3-inch notebook, the E6320 is quite hefty at 4.75 pounds (2.15kg) with its 6-cell battery attached and is a bit thicker than we would like at 1.0 to 1.2 inches (25.4mm to 30.1mm). The 13.3-inch Vaio VPC-SB1Z9EB (1.741kg) and ThinkPad Edge 13 (1.775kg), for example, are evidently lighter.

Additionally, the user must use both hands when opening the monitor lid since the base portion of the notebook will inevitably lift as well. This does, however, demonstrate the quality of the stiff hinges as the base portion itself is certainly no featherweight.

With the keyboard and monitor exposed, the feel of the surface surrounding the touchpad stands in stark contrast to the exterior. While the outer casing has a hardened metal impression, the palm rest areas are actually somewhat soft and smooth to the touch. With a moderate amount of force, very slight depressions can be made on either side of the wrist-rests, but definitely nothing major or worrisome. In fact, the notebook base holds up perfectly against any twisting and the monitor lid is almost equally as impressive.

The E6320 may not be the most visually appealing notebook in its category, but the exterior build quality is certainly noteworthy to say the least.

Communication

For wireless connectivity, the Latitude notebook comes standard with the Dell Wireless 1501 802.11b/g/n Half Mini Card, but users can also upgrade to Bluetooth 3.0, Intel Centrino Advanced-N with WiMAX or Gobi 3000 HSPA-EVDO Mini Cards with support for the top four mobile phone carriers in the U.S. Our review unit comes equipped with the standard WLAN and Bluetooth modules only, but users who need to stay connected while on the move can opt for the WWAN functionalities as well.

Of particular note is the SmartCard slot, which should prove useful for certain business users and professional users. The ExpressCard/34 slot, however, will likely be largely ignored by both mainstream and business users, especially due to the expandability options offered by the modular bay and E-Docking station.

Still, we would have liked a built-in USB 3.0 port on the E6320 or even an always-on USB 2.0 port for charging devices while the notebook is switched off. In addition, although we accept the fact that the card reader will only natively accept SD cards, we do not agree with the placement of the reader on the hard-to-reach front edge of the notebook. Most users will have to lift the front of the notebook itself in order to more easily access the card reader, which is an unnecessary chore that could have been avoided if the card reader had been located on the left or right instead.

Accessories

Speaking of the modular bay and E-Dock connectors, these areas are where the E6320 really shines in terms of connectivity. By default, the notebook is included with a Samsung DVD burner, but the optical drive is user-removable and even hot swappable with additional options such as a USB 3.0 module, an extended secondary battery or even a second hard drive. While the optical drive may not be to everyone’s liking (sadly, no Blu-Ray option is yet available), the fact that it can be swapped out at will for more desirable options is certainly welcoming.

Optional docking accessories abound for the E-Series because of the docking interface underneath the notebook. For the E6320, Dell offers users the E-Port, E-Port Plus and E-Legacy Extender docking stations. Depending on the station, the docks allow for additional USB 2.0 ports, PS/2 ports, VGA-out, 2x DVI-out, 2x DisplayPort and even Parallel and Serial ports.

Additional options, such as the E-View and E-Flat extensions, are special stands that attach through the E-Dock port for easy leveraging of the laptop. Essentially, the notebook becomes a desktop replacement assuming the user has access to the right combination of peripherals.

Warranty

Dell usually offers a wide range of warranty options for its notebooks and the tradition continues here. The E6320 is available with a basic 3-year hardware warranty and mail-in service. The 6-cell battery in particular could be purchased with its own 3-year warranty as well. Users have the option to upgrade to onsite services with remote diagnosis if needed for up to 5 years.

An advanced service plan, which includes Dell’s ProSupport, is another 3- to 5-year optional warranty option. With this extended warranty, users can expect same-day on-site service around the clock, useful for IT environments in particular.

As mentioned earlier, don’t expect outdoor usability to be the best. Text and web pages can be difficult to read on a sunny day, so we definitely suggest tuning the brightness to its maximum even if under shade to prevent eye strains during long outdoor sessions. The matte finishing does help in preventing glare, so the insufficient brightness is the main obstacle. But, as an indoor business notebook, the screen is more than adequate for use in conference rooms and coffee shops.

The built-in HD webcam is capable of both pictures and recordings of up to 720p (1280x800) with better than expected quality. The camera is fast and smooth, even when at its maximum resolution, but we still suggest being in well-lit rooms for the best results.

Viewing angle stability is notebook-typical and nothing out of the ordinary for a TN panel. Colors are most sensitive from angles below the normal but are good from side to side or from above. Still, we wouldn”t suggest viewing at an angle greater than 45 degrees from either side. As long as the sole user is viewing the monitor head-on, the limitations of the TN panel shouldn”t be an issue.

Mass storage

Our configured unit came with a 7200RPM 320GB HDD with 16MB cache from Seagate, which is the most basic storage solution for the E6320. The model can be configured with up to a 500GB HDD or a 256GB SSD, with the latter option adding about $500 to the overall cost. The SSD configuration may be the next best thing since sliced bread for some users, but there are also encrypted Advanced Format 512e/4K HDD options as well for the more price-conscious buyers with sensitive data.

The equipped Seagate drive showed an average transfer rate of 72.1MB/s on HDTune, which is good for a 7200RPM notebook drive. This is faster than the 7200RPM Western Digital (63.8MB/s) in the Vaio VPC-SB1Z9EB, but slower than the 7200RPM Hitachi (82.4MB/s) in the HP ProBook 5330m. It does, however, outperform the 5400RPM drive in the 2011 MacBook pro.

Of the theoretical 320GB, 13.15GB is reserved for system recovery while 284.68GB is available for the entire default C drive.

Temperature

Temperature levels are very warm, even after standing idle for more than 2 hours. On average, the bottom base is about 2 to 3 degrees C warmer than the keyboard and palm rest areas, assuming an idled state. The top left of the notebook closest to the vent is noticeably warmer than the opposite edge of the notebook.

When stressed with FurMark and Prime95 under the “High Performance” power option, the overall temperature change is not that large. The keyboard portion of the notebook remains relatively cool compared to the bottom side, although an even larger temperature gradient can be felt from one bottom corner of the notebook to the other. Granted, the ambient temperature during testing was a bit low at 18 degrees C, but the bottom of the notebook was not uncomfortably too hot for use.

Hours of stress testing under FurMark and Prime95 produced no throttling issues. CPU and GPU activity were monitored with HWiNFO. As expected, CPU Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz stayed active only for a short duration, but clock frequency eventually settled between 2.7GHz to 2.8GHz. Similarly, the GPU settled at around 700MHz to 850MHz speeds, and never dipped below 650MHz. When FurMark was stopped, both CPU cores were able to boost up to around 3.2GHz each. This is hinting that the extra voltage now available from the idle GPU is being usurped by the CPU. The 3DMark 06 CPU score immediately following the stress test remained largely the same at 3839 points.

The Latitude E-Series is interesting in that it offers not only a number of different size battery modules, but also a mix and match system for users to simultaneously use a main battery along with an E-modular battery. The main battery supply on the backside is available in 3-cell (30Wh) and 6-cell (60Wh) lithium-ion modules while the E-modular bay on the right side can accept a separate 3-cell module. In addition, a 9-cell (97Wh) lithium ion “Slice” polymer module can be attached to the E-dock connection on the bottom side for even longer runtimes.

Users should also keep in mind that the 3-cell E-modular battery is smaller and lighter than the main 6-cell battery (0.224kg vs. 0.340kg) and that the E6320 can run normally solely from the E-modular battery. Thus, by attaching only the E-modular battery, users can effectively reduce the weight of the overall notebook by a small but noticeable margin.

So, how long can the E6320 last? Our review model came with a 6-cell primary battery and a 3-cell secondary battery. For the primary battery, the Reader’s Test in BatteryEater was able to clock 324 minutes with the notebook at minimum brightness, WLAN disabled and set on “Power Saver” mode with Sleep disabled. The minimum battery life with the BatteryEater Classic Test had the notebook last for only 63 minutes with settings at maximum brightness, WLAN active and on the “High Performance” mode with Sleep disabled. If at 66 percent brightness in the “Balanced” profile, we clocked 237 minutes from web surfing and the occasional Hulu video. Of course, this value is highly variable depending on the user, but for a notebook with a 2.7GHz full-voltage Core i7, these runtime results are far from bad.

Unfortunately, BatteryEater was unable to properly recognize and record from the E-modular battery. But, we were able to clock in at around 3.5 hours at more or less the same conditions as the Reader’s Test under “Power Saver” mode. Using both the primary and secondary will thus increase battery life accordingly. The notebook will first drain from the secondary before drawing any power from the primary if both are attached.

The Latitude E6320 is a versatile business notebook at heart and delivers on its promises, at least in terms of its target demographic. That means if you’re looking for an extra lightweight notebook with minimalist designs, proper gaming abilities and an extra bright display, then you best look elsewhere.

But, for the everyday business user, the E6320 excels in the most important areas. For one, its durable and thick build quality means it can take much more bumps and bruises while on the move than say other more lightweight and thinner alternatives, even if those alternatives use similar metal alloys. The Dell absolutely screams “longevity” and “robustness”, which is quite impressive for a small 13.3-inch, full voltage Sandy Bridge notebook. 

Secondly, the connectivity options possible by the E6320 E-dock and E-modular bay make this notebook a jack of all trades for expandability. The fact that the user can extend battery life, snap in an optical drive or add additional ports on the fly can certainly prove to be priceless. A fully decked E6320 with WWAN connectivity, GPS, vPro, Bluetooth and a handful of attachable accessories has a good chance of filling in the role of a primary and reliable work laptop.

However, users should be aware of the average screen, relatively small touchpad and somewhat pricey accessories, especially if multiple modules are needed. While the notebook itself starts at a relatively high $1019 for the base model as of this writing, you can be sure that the E6320 is both a solid performer and an adaptable marathon runner.