Pros & Cons
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- Sweet HD+ (1,600 by 900) resolution screen.
- Compatible with WiGig wireless dock.
- Good keyboard.
- Good multimedia creation scores.
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- Relatively short battery life for a business ultrabook.
- A bit pricey for what it offers.
Dell Latitude 6430u (HD+) Specs
| Graphics Processor | Intel HD Graphics 4000 |
| Native Display Resolution | 1600 x 900 |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Professional |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-3687U |
| Processor Speed | 2.1 |
| RAM (as Tested) | 8 |
| Screen Size | 14 |
| Tested Battery Life (Hours:Minutes) | 5:10 |
| Weight | 3.91 |
| Wireless Networking | 802.11a/g |
The Dell Latitude 6430u (HD+) takes the Dell Latitude 6430u—an Editors' Choice as a business ultrabook—and adds a higher-resolution screen and an upgraded processor. It also ditches Windows 8 in favor of the more business-friendly Windows 7. There's much to like about this configuration: the appealing HD+ resolution screen, Win 7, and better media creation numbers. However, its overall system performance score was somewhat down, and battery life took a considerable hit. Still, the 6430u (HD+) is easy to recommend for a professional looking for a light, stylish, and capable ultrabook with a relatively hi-res screen and some multimedia chops.
This model, clad in a simple but handsome black frame with silver trim, measures 0.8 by 13.3 by 9.1 inches (HWD) and weighs 3.9 pounds. The 6430u (HD+) combines a third-generation 2.1GHz Intel Core i7-3687 processor, Intel HD Graphics 4000, and 8GB of DDR3 SDRAM. It has a 128GB solid-state-drive (SSD). That's probably enough for office-related programs and documents, but should you plan to use the laptop for more disk space-intensive tasks such as video editing, you may want to upgrade to a 256GB SSD ($135 standard; $157.50, opal encrypted) at the time of purchase.
View All Our test system came with the new Dell Wireless Dock D5000. As this dock is also sold separately, will be compatible with all 6430u configurations as well as selected future laptops, and features the promising WiGig short-range wireless technology, we decided to review it as a separate device, and it is not included in the system price. (It costs $187 when bought with the 6430u, and is sold separately for $266.67.)
Our test unit came with Windows 7 Professional, which is preferable for most business users instead of the Windows 8 on the previously reviewed 6430u. The Latitude 6430u has a 14-inch 1,600-by900 resolution screen; while the previously reviewed configuration's resolution is 1,366 by 768. The display did well with both still and video images, providing crisp detail and good color. Its sound system puts out good volume and sound quality for an ultrabook.
Another plus is the backlit, chiclet-style keyboard, which provides a smooth typing experience, It's coupled with a responsive touchpad plus a pointing stick.
The 6430u (HD+) comes equipped with 802.11n Wi-Fi. Ports include 2 USB 3.0 ports plus a combined eSATA / USB 3.0 port, HDMI, VGA, and Ethernet. This is pretty typical of a business ultrabook; if you need more, the 6430u is the first laptop that's compatible with Dell's WiGiG wireless dock. (The optional WiGig adds 3 USB 3.0 ports; DisplayPort; HDMI; and Ethernet ports to the mix.)
Performance
The Latitude 6430u (HD+)'s combination of a 2.1GHz Intel Core i7-3687 and 8GB RAM yielded generally good performance on our benchmark tests. On PCMark7, a test that measures a systems overall productivity, it scored 4,498 points, down from the previously reviewed 6430u's 5,006 and well off the Editors' Choice Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon'sSee it at Amazon UK 5,149. It slightly lagged the HP Elitebook Folio 9470m (4,699) but thumped the ASUS S46CA-XH51's score of 2,628.
