Potege vs Latitude

Hi all, I'm thinking of buying a Toshiba Portege R835 to replace my Dell Latitude E6400. Has anyone here previously owned a Portege R700 (current model) and how does it compare with the E6410 in terms of build quality, screen and keyboard?

Fit & finish are top of my wish list. I can not tolerate squeaky panels, flimsy plastics or finger print magnets.

Am also looking at HP Probook 4330, Vaio S13 and V130 (although I've almost ruled that out now, as it has a stupid CULV processor).

Thoughts please?

 

I haven't had a chance to play with a Portege yet, but have you considered the E6410? If you liked your E6400, it's pretty much the same machine in terms of appearance/materials, just with updated internals.

 

No, because I want my next laptop to be Sandy Bridge, 13.3" and to look a little more stylish. Not keen on the new Latitudes nor Lenovo. I like the new ProBook styling but the Tosh caught my eye recently but I don't want to buy it if it's inferior to the E6400, no point taking a backwards step.

 

The R835 looks like a nice system if you can live with the low-res display.

I suggest also looking at the new Vaio SB (I haven't seen the S13 with Sandy Bridge) or, if you want higher resolution, wait a few weeks for the SA.

As an E6400 owner also we may share a sense of style (I find the E6420 unappealing) and the Vaios look quite nice. You'll probably pay a little more for a Vaio with similar specs to the R835, but you may like the extras such as the backlit keyboard.

 

Thanks for the reply. I must say, I do like the look of the new HP ProBook 4330s - quality, style and affordability. My Latitude is 1400x900 res, the 13.3" notebooks are 1366 x768 - we have them at work and I don't find the resolution any worse to be honest - but I may have reservations about the slightly smaller diagonal and the aspect ratio.

 

Today I received a refurbished R700 to add to my collection. The first thing I noticed is the much lighter weight compared to the E6400 / E6410 (my R700 weighed in at 1.44kg including the optical drive). It seems to be well put together although it is not as solid as the E series. For example, pressure on the back of the display can cause image distortions (but I read somewhere that deflections won't be so much as to cause the display to crack).

The keyboard isn't as nice as the E series - the thinness of the computer doesn't provide much space for generous key movement - and there's no backlighting. The touchpad, on the other hand, is generously sized (almost 100mm / 4" diagonal).

The other noticeable feature of the R700 is that the fan can get noisy when the CPU is under load. It's not quite as noisy as the R500 but is intrusive compared to the E series fans.

The display is bright and looks OK (but I used Windows 7's calibrate function to adjust the gamma).

The Toshiba is well worth a look if you are willing to compromise on the display real estate. The Lenovo T420s may also be worth a look.

John

 

Thanks John, some good comparative feedback there I know this may be the wrong forum buy has anyone had a play with the new HP Probook 4330?

 

Back then, I'll choose Latitude. I love E6400/E6410.

But the new Lat E6420 is so ugly and looks pretty much a consumer laptop for teenagers.

If I were you, I would take a look at:
- HP Elitebook
- Lenovo T420S
- Toshiba Portege that you mentioned is also good

Let me know which laptop you decided to go and post pic and review!
Thanks.

 

I'm not a fan of any of the Lenovo line. I don't like garish designs like some consumer notebooks but I do like a bit of style. Lenovos remind me of the old Dell CP series from the late 90s. Built like a tank they may be, but give me curves and brushed aluminium over crackle plastic any day.

Reading some reviews of the Portege, I've been put off slightly by reports of poor keyboards (also non backlit) and some flex in the screen.

I love the style of the new HP ProBooks and EliteBooks. The ProBook probably offers better value for money as build quality is on a par with the Latitude (Precision competes with the EliteBook, Vostro competes with the HP range that just has numbers and no name).

I don't really want to spend £1000 next time as I only tend to keep them for 2 years and you never get back much more than £300. £750 is my budget this time round so I'm really keen on the ProBook 4330s or 4430s - they tick all the boxes for me.

 

Another possible contender for your money could be the Dell E6320. However, you will probably need to wait until it reaches Dell Outlet before it drops into your price range.

John