Any ex-Latitude E6400 owners got an XPS15?

I have a Latitude E6400 and I'm thinking of getting an XPS 15. However, one major concern is moving from a business class notebook to consumer class. When I changed from the Latitude D620 to the XPS M1530 I owned it for less than 2 weeks before selling it and buying my current Latitude E6400 because I found the XPS M1530 cheap and tacky in comparison.

My main gripes with the XPS M1530 were:

1) Keyboard wasn't as tactile as Latitude
2) Speaker grille wasn't flush with the chassis
3) Keyboard had a raised bump in the middle (later corrected by removing it and putting the underlying cables into the channels where they were supposed to have been placed in the factory!)
4) The plastic clips near the screen hinges didn't match the colour/texture of the metal parts around it - looked obviously plastic and therefore cheap. They also wobbled and didn't fit securely.
5) The bottom right corner of the chassis creaked and moved when pressed (fixed by taking it apart and wedging some blue-tac in the join!).

In my experience, shoddiness such as this isn't present in business class notebooks which is why I'm keen to hear from any ex Latitude owners who now have an XPS 15.

Many thanks.

 

Anyone? Must be someone out there...?

 

Anyone at all?

 

Perhaps no one has made this move. Users of business notebooks (at least those who have bought their own) most likely value their qualities and buy another business notebook.

John

 

Hi John, I have just realised you wrote the review which persuaded me to upgrade from my old Latitude D620 to my current E6400. Great review - keep up the good work.

 

hi CowboyCoder,

Sorry I'm late to this thread. While I didn't make the exact same switch over, from E6400 to XPS 15, I did make a similar switch from a HP Compaq NC6400 (personal owned) + D620 (work owned)to the SXPS 1645.

I can't give you the answer you're looking for, since I don't have a current XPS notebook. However, I can tell you that all your previous concerns with the M1530 carry over to the 1645, and by that I'm sure most of them may very well carry over to the new XPS line.

I was used to a very well built machine, one that looked like it could take tumbles off desks and chairs. This Studio XPS feels like it wouldn't survive more than two falls off a desk. The new XPS *looks* like it might be better built, but I wouldn't know. The Studio XPS keyboard still doesn't have the right spring to it, so it feels kind of dead like it has been worn in by a few years of normal to heavy use already. the new XPS line keyboards may be different though. The hinge on my 1645 is well built, but it's only a few months old. We'll see the truth come out a year from now (cycling between open and closed multiple times a day).

For a consumer notebook, however, this thing is built well. It feels infinitesimally better than the Acer my friend bought recently, on par with an Asus, but clearly pales in comparison to an Apple.

That said (and it sounds like I hate my machine!), I really like my notebook. I don't love it, but I really like it. It handles everything I throw at it and then some. The way I manage to get around the physical shortcomings (the only shortcomings this notebook has, IMO) is that I use it as a desktop replacement. I have a USB hub in which I have a mouse, keyboard and a ethernet-to-USB adapter (should the office VPN/wireless network go down). It acts just like a desktop does: LCD panel, internal components, and a slew of cables coming out of it. At work and at home, I barely have to touch the machine: only for ejecting discs, adjusting the WLED panel, and dealing with cables. When I'm on the road, I find that the overall feel to the machine is like a very big netbook: it's built to work, but definitely not built to last.

I just wanted to let you know, that from my experience, I don't find the physical build quality to be an issue. However, that is my own opinion and my own experience. As with all electronics, YMMV.