Inspiron vs Latitude

I guess it depends on what you want: I have the i6000 and love it! However, I have not had any latitudes so cannot offer a valid comparison...

:smileyhappy:

There's no general answer - at one point many of the models were almost identical. They no longer are.

Most of the Latitudes are more solidly and conservatively built, and most come with better warranties that most Inspirons. The parts don't change as much or as often, as well, as you have noted.

The Latitudes are a bit more durable than the inspirons. The main difference is that lattitudes were intended for business users. So many lattitudes allow you to easily swap out the dvd tray and insert a battery or another peripheral. They also feature legacy ports such as parallel and serial (I believe only the inspiron 9300 has this). Also they have better warranties and use more standard parts, so it is possible to get nice options like docking stations, more varieties of processors, more options with ram. Also some of the nicer lattitudes have 4 mouse buttons instead of 2 (for comfortability).

The inspirons are meant for home use. The one I just got in an inspiron 6000. In this model, I cannot take out the dvd drive without using a screw driver, and there's not much I can swap with it anyways. I can only put in one battery at a time, but since battery life is good, it's not much of a issue. The inspirons have multimedia controls for playing cd's while in windows.

The biggest reason to get an inspiron over a latitude would be price, as home and education users often can get nice discounts. If price isn't a big issue, I would get a lattitude if I were you. Also realize that support options are much better for businesses than home users, so this may sway you towards a lattitude. But for me, I got an inspiron at a killer price, so there was no question to which to choose.

Hope it helps.

---

@chris654321 wrote:

I'm planning on getting a laptop but wanted to find out what are the main differences between the Inspiron & Latitude are.  I know the latitude is for large business where the models don't change as often.  Hows the durability of the Inspiron? Sony, Ibm and others use either aluminon or titanium for there covers so wasn't sure if plastic was very durable which I think the Inspiron uses but not sure about the Latitude.

 

Thanks,

Chris

---

Also the lattitudes have traditional displays (4:3 ratio) while some inspirons have gone widescreen. I personally don't have a preference for standard or widescreen.

The lattitudes have more traditional/professional colors like grey and black, while some inspirons are shiny silver. Again, no big deal here.

Also inspirons come loaded with bloatware. The lattitudes come only with the basics, drivers, burning software, and dvd player. But it's pretty easy to format an inspirons drive and reinstall windows and drivers, just an annoyance to spend a day doing this.

my girlfriend has dropped her lattitude D600 three times and carries it around in a backpack with no padding all the time.  the thing is shockingly still running well (although I did have to reseat the memory, mpci card, and some case plastics after the last drop ;p).  try that with an inspiron, honestly.

all things said, they are made better.  that said, it's not an issue if you buy the inspirons with a 3 year warranty or with complete care.