E4200 vs V130

Hi, thought i would start a separate thread rather than clogging up the V130 dedicated thread.

I am after a new portable laptop, must be cool/quiet running and thin and light. Will only be running MS Office/Internet, maybe photoshop very occasionally. Will also be used at work for meetings, so HDMI is nice, but not essential.

I have done a lot of research into the following two laptops and come up with the following configurations-

Latitude E4200 (Dell Outlet Refurbished)
Windows 7 Professional (32 BIT/64 BIT) COA
Processor: Intel Core2 Duo SU9600 (1.6Ghz/3MB)
12.1 WXGA WLED (1280x800)
64GB SSD 2.5 HD
2 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz (1 DIMMs)
Backup Media not included.
Additional 3yr Waranty.
[only 2xUSB and VGA but does have back-lit keyboard and only 1.0-1.2Kg]
£800 Inc Vat

Dell V130
Windows 7 Professional
Intel Core i3-380um
13.3" WLED (1366x768)
128GB SSD
2 GB Ram
Additional 3yr warranty (Inc separate 3 yr Battery warranty)
[3xUSB, VGA, eSATA and HDMI and 1.6Kg]
£900 Inc VAT

Now the only reason i have not gone for a V130 already is the rubbish battery life (duration and overall life) and the fact that although they have great build, they seem to be unreliable. The warranty should help with this.
The E4200 has slightly iffy build and is slower, but parts can be replaced easily and apparently are more reliable.

Or is there an new version coming soon (of either?)

 

The V130 does not have bad build quality, owning a Latitude 13. The only REAL downfall is as you mentioned is the poor battery life and in-acessible battery whereas the E4200 you can readily swap out the battery. The E4200 is a bit overpriced for what it has, typically you can find it in America for ~500 after coupons.

If you want, consider an x220 from Lenovo. Ultra portable, light, excellent battery options (9 cell + slice = 23 hours battery life with normal Sandy Bridge i5). The x220i starts at 700 USD, might be more in Europe. And the x220 offers an IPS display, a real rare gem these days.

AFAIK both E4200 and V130 are EoL models. E4200 technically has been replaced E6220 (though very pricey and not worth it IMO) and Dell has yet to announce a V130 replacement.

 

Right bear with me here. I have found-

Dell Outlet - V13 (i5-470UM, 4GB, 128GB SSD, 1yr Warranty) - £560
Dell New - V130 (i3-380UM, 2GB, 128GB SSD, 3yr Warranty) - £900
Dell Outlet - E4200 (SU9600, 2GB, 64GB SSD, 3yr Warranty) - £800
Retailer (open box)- E4200 (SU9600, 2GB, 128GB SSD, 1 Month Warranty) - £580

Lenovo - X220 (i3-2310M, 2GB, 320GB 7200rpm, 3yr warranty) - £780

 

Right Dell typically offers the best value, but honestly hard drives and RAM are easy CRU's to upgrade later on, and does that x220 have the IPS screen? It blows away the TN panels found in the E4200/V130.

For the x220, it has BGA soldered processors, so I recommend an i5 if you can find one, Turbo Boost for ~50 more dollars is worth it. But most of all I recommend the IPS display over any other upgrade on the x220.

 

yes that was including the IPS display, but add another £70 for W7Pro.
Its £930 with IPS, i5 etc.

 

the X220 is your best bet. head and shoulders above the two dells you mentioned.

that is a really ridiculous price for the V130, here in malaysia its only 500 pounds with the 3 year warranty and 4gb of ram, albeit without an SSD, but for the 400 pounds difference you can get a 256gb ssd lol. (i fly frequently between asia and london, thats why i know the prices)

 

Ya V130 pricing makes no sense. With ULV i5/i7, price can reach nearly 1000. Even Dell Outlet pricing makes no sense.

Unless you get an E4200 for dirt cheap, look for the x220.

 

Ok cheers

 

If you're not so fussy on the panel, can pickup a 13" Toshiba R830 for 730 pounds. It weights 1.48kgs, is thinner than the X220 at 1" and comes with an optical drive. Though note this model has no expresscard slot in case you were thinking of adding an eGPU.

Toshiba Satellite R830-143 Intel Core i5-2410M Processor, 2.3 GHz, 6GB, 640GB, 13.3", W7HP, Bluetooth: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

 

I dont like the keyboard of the R630/R700/R830 series, it also runs loud.

Being sensible, the V13 is avaliable from the Dell Outlet site for £410 Inc VAT which i think i will go for as its a lot cheaper, and i think better value in the short term.
Thats with the i5-470UM, 2GB and 320GB 7200rpm (upgrade to the SSD later).

Cheers,