Dell Latitude D420 Released (pics, specs)

Dell today released the Latitude D420 ultraportable notebook as a thinner and lighter update to the older Latitude D410.  The Latitude D420 is a 12.1" notebook weighing as little as 3.0 lbs and delivering up to a claimed battery life of 7+ hours when using an Intel Core Solo low voltage processor.

Dell Latitude D420 (view large image)

Following are some basic specs for the D420:

• Processor: Core Solo Ultra Low Voltage processors (available immediately), Core Duo available late summer
• Weight: Starting at 3.0 lbs with 4-cell battery, 3.17lbs with 6-cell battery and 3.56lbs with a 9-cell extended life battery
• Wireless: 802.11 a/b/g and is 802.11n ready, Verizon or Cingular integrated WWAN in the U.S. and Vodafone WWAN in France, Germany and the U.K.
• Screen: 12.1" widescreen
• Ports: 3 USB 2.0, IEEE 1394, SD card slot, Smart Card reader, Wi-Fi Catcher, Biometric fingerprint reader (optional), PCMCIA, headphone jack, microphone jack
• Keyboard: Full size keyboard with touchpad and pointing stick
• Optical Drive: No integrated optical drive, optional MediaBase

The Latitude D420 is essentially a mash up of the ultra thin and light Latitude X1 and the heavier and more beefy Latitude D410.  The D420 adopts the same aesthetics and looks as the D410, but has slimmed down and lost weight so it has a similar form factor to the X1 in terms of weight and dimensions.  Both the D410 and X1 will be replaced by the new D420.

Dell Latitude front profile view (view large image)

The D420 can be as light as 3.0lbs when configured with the smallest battery, a 4-cell.  Battery life will obviously be less with such a battery.  The thickness and weight of the D420 is kept down due to the fact there is no built-in optical drive.  A MediaBay the D420 slots into or an external D-bay drive can be connected to the laptop and provide for an optical drive such as a DVD burner.

Latitude D420 wi-fi catcher button, this can be used to detect wireless (view large image)

The casing and looks of the D420 will be the same as that of the larger 14.1" D620.  A charcoal grey case, with dark accents and sturdy magnesium alloy build.  The keyboard is full size and there is an integrated pointing stick.  Travel warriors will rejoice at the sturdy build and usable keyboard of this small laptop.

Pricing and Availability:

The Dell D420 will be available starting at $1,397 at Dell.com

Related Links:

• Dell Latitude D410 Review
• Dell Latitude X1 Review
• Dell Latitude D620 Review