Dell Latitude E6400 XFR review

The Dell latitude E6400 XFR is a laptop like no other. Whereas computer designs often focus on making a machine look professional and sophisticated, the E4600 XFR has something a little more rough, almost animalistic to it. This laptop is designed for field use: it is rugged in looks and build because it’s heavily armoured and capable of keeping you connected in the most extreme of environments. I have to confess at the start of this review that we couldn’t find it in our budget to send both reviewer and laptop to the Arctic or Sahara in order to test this laptop fully but take another look at the Dell Latitude E6400 XFR and you can just tell it’s a survivor.

What we like best

The ballistic armour protection is exclusive to Dell’s Latitude E6400 XFR. It prevents damage by shock and also works to keep this laptop fully functioning in dusty rainy or snowy environments. The XFR is said to work within a range of 63˚C and -29˚C. If you are travelling to areas of such extremes then it’s more than likely you’ll have a terrain vehicle, and this laptop can be installed into such cars with its docking feature. This will surely come in handy from a military or police perspective, as well as for those of you who really need to get out there to work – construction and geology come to mind.

The design of the Dell Latitude E6400 XFR will keep you computing in all circumstances. It has a backlit keyboard so you can work at night, and oversized port covers so you can easily attach accessories whilst wearing gloves. The SSD port is doubly protected by the ballistic armour and an internal cage built to absorb shock and thermal energy.

What we like least

The Dual Core is still a reliable processor but does not represent cutting edge technology anymore, and 128 Gb SSD isn’t exactly a mammoth amount of space, either. For a survival laptop you’ll get about 4 hours of use which could be hazardous unless you carry a spare battery. Plus, you might have to forsake those late night solitaire sessions.