Computer Shopper - UK (2019-12)

ISSUE 382|COMPUTER SHOPPER|DECEMBER 2019 23

IT’SUSUALLYWORTHpaying attention
when Dell launchesalaptop; the premium
XPS range contains someof the best
clamshells and convertiblesever
made.The Latitude 5500 isalot
more businesslike,but its focus on
security could still make it shine.
At 359mm wide and 20mm deep when
closed, this isachunkynotebookby modern
standards. That means there’s roomfora
numberpad nextto the keyboard, but
considering both the dimensions and the 1.8kg
weight, it’sfarfrom ultraportableterritory.

LOCKDOWN PROCEDURES
Even so,it’s been puttogether well enough.
With the exceptionof the plastic underside,
there’s aluminium bodywork throughout,
minimal flexto the screen andafirm hinge.
Best of all are the multiple biometricfeatures,
namely the webcam’sfacial recognition and
the fingerprint sensor integrated with the
power button. Both work quickly and
flawlessly: we didn’t sufferasingle failed
reading from either.
The displayisa1 5.6in IPS panel, running at
1,920x1,080. Our review unit isatouchscreen
model, although annoyingly this isn’t an
option forthe closest UK-sold spec.
However,there are bigger issues. Colour
performance is downright awfulfora
£1,000-plus laptop,with the Latitude 5500
covering only 55%of the sRGB colour
gamut andaveragingahigh delta-Eof 4.03.
That means colours don’t just lack vibrancy,
but accuracy as well.
Meanwhile,peak brightness isaso-so
236cd/m^2 ,and the Full HD resolution is
enoughto keep everything readable,but not
particularly sharp when spreadover near 16in
of space.The Latitude 5500’s only real strong
suit, therefore,isc ontrast, which hitsarather

DELLLatitude5500

★★★★★

£1,209•From http://www.dell.com

WINDOWS 10 PROLAPTOP

high 1:246. Viewing angles are wide as well,

thanks to the IPS panel, although this seems

more likeaconsolation prize.

In fairness, the Latitude series isn’t builtfor

the kindof media-editing work that needs a

high-performance display, but such dull,

inaccuratecolours are stilladisappointment

on alaptop as expensive as this one.

TYPE GRIPE

There’s also somethingeven worse about

the Latitude 5500: its keyboard. There’s

backlighting, which is nice,but the chiclet keys

feel uncomfortably small. There’s enough

space between each keycap–too much,

almost –that the ycould have been expanded

slightly without ruining the spacing, and the

smallnessof certain specific keys, mainly

Backspace and Enter,ise speciallyoffputting.

The touchpad is better.Atfi rst we weren’t

convincedby the matt surface,but after a

while we beganto appreciateits tactility,and

there’s no problem with excess friction.

There’s alsoapointing stick between the

G, Hand Bkeys. The concave shape makes

it feel alittle slowerto get off the mark than,

say, Lenovo’s famous red pointer,but it

works well enough: it’s responsive,without

being toooversensitive.

Another saving grace is performance.

The octa-core Intel Core i7-8665U processor

helped the Latitude 5500 score an excellent

151 in our 4K imagetest, as well as 97 in the

video test, 95 in the multitaskingtest and 105

overall. That setof results puts it slightly

beyond the HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5,Vaio

SX14 (Shopper379) and Dell’s own Latitude

7400 2-in-1, but these are more expensive.

Storage isfast, too: using AS SSD we

recordedasequential writespeed of

1,381MB/s andaparticularly nippysequential

read speedof 2,449MB/s. The only weakness

is graphics: the Intel UHD Graphics 630 won’t

do muchforhardware acceleration in visual

applications, and it’s not idealforgaming

either.Running Dirt Showdown on

Ultra quality and native resolution,

it couldaverage only 16fps.

At least this means there’s no dedicated

GPU sapping battery life. In our videotest,

the Latitude 5500 lastedfor9h3 1m be fore

running dry,which is more than adequate.

EVERYONE’S HERE

As is often the case with chunkier laptops,

the Latitude 5500’s girth has the upsideof

making more roomforports. Here,the haul

includes three USB3 ports, one USBType-C

port with Thunderbolt 3, one HDMI output,

one microSD slot, one smart card reader (yet

another boostto security), one collapsible

Ethernet port,a3.5mm mic and headphone

jack andaKensington lock slot. There also

appearsto be an optional SIM card trayfor

always-on connectivity,although this wasn’t

included on our model.

Having multiple video outputs is always

useful, as is the optionof amore stable wired

Ethernet connection, although you still get

802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 as well.

There’seven an NFCtag to the rightof the

touchpad, rounding out an impressively

comprehensive setof connections.

This, then, isaclearly well-featured and

demonstrably high-performing professional

laptop .Unfortunately,that only compounds

the frustrationof the keyboard and display:

they’re holding back what would otherwise

be avery compelling notebook.

JamesArcher

VERDICT

There’smuchto appreciateaboutthisprofessionallaptop,
butadullscreenandawkwardkeyboardgetintheway

SPECIFICATIONS

Windowsoverall

Multitasking

Batterylife

0% -50 Reference + 50 + 100

Seepage84f orperformancedetails

PROCESSORQuad-core1.9GHzIntelCorei7 -8665U•RAM

32GB•DIMENSI ONS236x359x20mm•WEIGHT1.8kg•

SCREENSIZE15.6in•SCREENRESOLUTION1,920x1,080•

GRAPHICSADAPTORIntelUHDGr aphics620•TOTAL

STORAGE1TBSSD•OPER ATINGSYSTEMWindows 10Pro

• PARTSANDLABOURWARRANTYOneyearonsite•
  DETAILSwww.dell. com•PARTCO DEn030l550015emea

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