DELL Refurbished Latitude 3180/3190 11.6'' Inch 128GB SSD 4GB RAM -Black (Grade A)

Refurbished Latitude 3180/3190 "11.6'' Inch 128GB SSD 4GB RAM -Black

Long-lasting. The 11.6-inch Latitude comes with a fast SSD, silently running system, and long battery life. 

Case and Connectivity

Dell installs the Latitude's components into a casing made of matte, black plastic. The surfaces have been roughened slightly. A rubber frame that should protect the device against bumps surrounds the base unit. The build does not give reason for criticism, but the stability has room for improvement. The base unit warps a bit too strongly in our opinion. Furthermore, the screen displays image distortions when only pressing the lid's back lightly. The laptop does not have a maintenance hatch and the battery cannot be removed.

The Latitude only sports the most necessary interfaces. The two Type-A USB ports support USB 3.1 Gen. 1 standard. A video-out (HDMI) is present. The interface positioning is unfavorable as they are on level with the wrist rest. Thus, the space beside these areas will not remain free of cables.

A Wi-Fi module that carries a chip by Intel (7265) is inside the laptop. In addition to the 802.11 a/b/g/h/n Wi-Fi standards, it also supports the fast ac-standard. The transmission rates that we measured under ideal conditions (no other Wi-Fi devices in the vicinity, short distance between laptop and server PC) were very good.

Input Devices

The Latitude comes with an unlit chiclet keyboard. The keys are slightly concave and have a lightly roughened surface. They feature a short drop and clear pressure point. The center yields a bit when typing on the keyboard, but that was not distracting in the test. The keyboard makes an overall very decent impression and is even suitable for frequent typing. The multitouch ClickPad has a surface area of approximately 10x5.6 cm, and thus it provides plenty of room for gestures. The pad's sleek surface does not stop the fingers from gliding over it. The pad responds to inputs even in its corners. It has a short drop and clear pressure point.

Durability and drop test

You wouldn't want to hand a fifth-grader a laptop that can't survive a few bumps and bruises. Dell says the 3180/3190 has passed 15 different MIL-STD tests, including those for shocks, extreme temperatures and drops from 30 inches.  The 3180's keyboard is sealed and spill-resistant, while the screen is made from scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The 3180's keyboard has snappy keys with solid feedback, good placement and none of the flex we find on many low-cost laptops. After using the computer for about 6 hours, I typed 75 words per minute on 10fastfingers.com, with a 2 percent error rate, which is very similar to my typical 77 wpm and 1 percent error rate. However, this is an 11-inch laptop, so adults with large hands or long fingernails may have to be more deliberate; my typing definitely improved after I cut my nails.

Heat

The 3180 stayed pleasantly cool throughout our tests. After we streamed video for 15 minutes, the touchpad measured 78 degrees Fahrenheit, while the keyboard and underside hit just 88 and 94 degrees, respectively. All of those temperatures are below our 95-degree comfort threshold.