Dell Latitude 3520 in review: Core i5 office laptop delivers good runtimes

Dell has a series of office notebooks in its lineup with the Latitude-3520 series, which is aimed at private and professional users. The prices start at around 500 Euros (~$530) for this model. You get a package consisting of a Core i5-1135G7 CPU, 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD.

The competition includes devices like the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 G4 , the Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE and the HP ProBook 450 G9 , the Acer Extensa 15 EX215-54 . The inconspicuous, black plastic casing has predominantly matte, rough surfaces that are resistant to fingerprints. The narrow sides of the case provide some variety: They have smooth, glossy surfaces.

The chassis does not show any workmanship flaws. The base unit can be twisted a bit too much – it lacks stiffness. The battery (screwed, not glued) and the other innards are accessible after removing the base unit.

The 3520 has three USB-A ports (2x USB 3. 2 Gen 1, 1x USB 2. 0) and one USB-C port (USB 3.

2 Gen 2) on board. The latter supports Power Delivery and Displayport via USB-C. Together with the HDMI port, the notebook has two video outputs.

The SD memory card reader (reference card: AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) is one of the slower ones. Positive: The webcam (0. 9 MP) offers a mechanical cover.

The WLAN transfer rates determined under optimal conditions (no other WLAN devices in the near vicinity, small distance between notebook and server PC) turn out excellent and correspond to the capabilities of the WiFi chip (Intel AX201; 802. 11 ax). Dell has Latitude variants with an integrated LTE modem available – the present test device is not one of them.

Retrofitting would not be possible since the slot, antennas and SIM card holder are missing. The smooth keys of the chiclet keyboard offer a short stroke and a clear pressure point. The key resistance is okay.

The keyboard’s slight bobbing did not prove to be annoying. The two-stage key illumination is regulated via a function key. Overall, Dell supplies a keyboard suitable for everyday use here.

A multi-touch capable clickpad (approx. 11. 5 x 8 cm/~4.

5 x 3. 2 in) serves as a mouse replacement. Its smooth surface makes it easy for the fingers to glide.

The pad responds to inputs in the corners, has a short stroke and offers a clear pressure point. The matte 15. 6-inch screen (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) does not reveal PWM flickering in any brightness setting.

Brightness and contrast fall short of the respective target (> 300 cd/m² and 1,000:1, respectively) – although sometimes just barely. The screens of some rivals sometimes offer a significantly better contrast. The screen displays the colors quite well in the state of delivery: However, the target (DeltaE < 3) is missed with a deviation of about 4.

5. A calibration only provides minor improvements. The display cannot reproduce the AdobeRGB (41%), sRGB (60%) and DCI-P3 (40%) color spaces.

Thus, the panel is not made for application scenarios that rely on color fidelity. The competitors do not look any better in this respect. The viewing-angle stable IPS panel can be read from any position.

Reading the screen outdoors is quite possible if the sun does not shine too brightly. Dell’s Inspiron 15 3520 is a 15. 6-inch office notebook that is aimed at business and private users.

Tiger Lake processors (Celeron to Core i7) are used within the range – Intel’s penultimate CPU generation. The prices range between 500 and 900 Euros (~$529 and $953) – depending on the configuration. Dell Power Manager provides profiles (see table) to influence the temperature and power development of the notebook.

These affect the CPU performance, the GPU performance remains unaffected. The profiles “Ultra Performance” (benchmarks) and “Optimized” (battery test) were used. The Core i5-1135G7 Quad-core processor (Tiger Lake) works with a base clock of 2.

4 GHz. An increase to 3. 8 GHz (all cores) up to 4.

2 GHz (one core) is possible via Turbo. Hyperthreading is supported. The benchmark results are often below the average of all 1135G7 laptops tested so far.

The multi-thread test of the Cinebench R15 benchmark is initially processed with 3. 3 to 3. 5 GHz, then the clock drops to 3.

1 to 3. 2 GHz. The single-thread test is run with 1.

5 to 4. 2 GHz. The clock rates are lower in battery mode.

The CB15 loop test confirms a permanent use of the CPU Turbo on a medium level. The smoothly running system can handle office and Internet applications as well as modest games. The working memory (8 GB) running in single-channel mode prevents the maximum possible computing power from being unleashed.

Installing a second memory module (= dual-channel mode active) would remedy this and have a positive effect on the graphics performance in particular. The memory’s transfer rates are on a normal level for DDR4-3200 memory. The combination of single-channel mode and (below)average CPU performance gives the 3520 positions at the rear of the PCMark 10 and Crossmark benchmarks within the comparison field.

The standardized latency monitor test (web surfing, 4k video playback, Prime95 high-load) revealed abnormalities that are probably related to the network adapter. The system does not seem to be suitable for real-time video and audio editing. Future software updates could lead to improvements or even degradations.

Dell equips the Latitude with a PCIe-4-SSD (M. 2-2230; M. 2-2280 models also fit) from Kioxia, which offers a storage capacity of 256 GB.

The transfer rates are good, but it is not one of the top SSDs. The notebook does not have room for additional storage media. Intel’s iGPU can work permanently at full power (1300 MHz) – the Witcher 3 test reveals that.

The 3520 is not a gaming notebook. Nevertheless, it can run modest games smoothly at low settings. The below-average benchmark results are due to the working memory running in single-channel mode.

An increase in graphics performance could be achieved by installing a second memory module (= dual-channel mode active). In everyday use (office, Internet) and when idling, the fan often stands still – silence reigns. It can rev up under high load: Sound pressure levels of up to almost 41.

5 dB(A) are possible. The temperature profile “Quiet” generally reduces the noise development – at the expense of the computing performance. The case temperatures remain within a green zone in everyday use (office, Internet).

Under load (stress test, Witcher 3 test), the notebook heats up only slightly on average, but clearly at certain points: A temperature of almost 50 degrees Celsius (~122 degrees Fahrenheit) is reached at one measuring point. The CPU temperatures (about 77 degrees Celsius/~171 degrees Fahrenheit) do not give cause for concern. The stress test (Prime95 and FurMark in continuous operation) is an extreme scenario for testing the system stability under full load.

The CPU (3. 5 GHz) and GPU (1,200 to 1,300 MHz) start the test with high clock rates. While the GPU clock remains largely constant over the entire duration, the CPU clock drops after a few seconds.

The stereo speakers produce a decent sound, but there is hardly any bass. The power consumption is on a normal level for the hardware installed here. The power consumption decreases during the stress test because the CPU clock is reduced.

The power supply (65 watts) is sufficiently sized. The Latitude achieves a runtime of 9:07 h in the practical WLAN test (mapping the load when calling websites via a script) – a good rate. It leaves most of the rivals behind, only the ProBook has a greater endurance.

Dell’s work notebook is a real winner thanks to Core i5-1135G7 CPU, 8 GB RAM (single-channel mode) and PCIe-4-SSD (256 GB). The Tiger-Lake processor, which is no longer brand-new, delivers performance rates just below the average of all 1135G7 notebooks tested so far. One battery charge is sufficient for a WLAN runtime of about 9 hours – a good rate.

Power is replenished via a USB-C power adapter. Alternatively, a proprietary Dell power adapter could be used; a suitable slot is available. The USB-C port (USB 3.

2 Gen 2) would then be available for other tasks. The screen turned out to be the biggest weakness of the Latitude 3520. Brightness, contrast and color space coverage of the matte FHD screen (15.

6 inch, IPS) turn out too low – a laptop of the present price level has to deliver more. This is also true in other areas: A one-year warranty and working memory running in single-channel mode are too little. At least the laptop has a backlit keyboard.

An alternative would be the Lenovo ThinkBook 15 G4 . It offers slightly shorter battery runtimes, but a significant increase in computing power. The 1135G7-equipped Acer Extensa 15 EX215-54 would be a budget alternative that requires a willingness to compromise: A price of about 500 Euros (~$529) would be opposed by shorter battery runtimes and a TN screen with an unstable viewing angle.

Furthermore, there would be no Windows operating system. The Dell Latitude 15 3520 is available in the tested configuration for a price of 774 Euros (~$819) at Cyberport. de .

.