Once again, there have been small changes: The dark gray, brushed display cover of the predecessor has been replaced with a polished, matte aluminum cover. Small details like the keyboard frame have also been changed; it is now black, similar to the keyboard and the palm rest. The latter is made of rubberized plastic and leaves a high quality impression but is not easy to clean. Fortunately, it does not really attract grease spots or fingerprints.

Dell especially advertises the solid construction of the new Latitude with keywords like Military standards or Tri-metal chassis and the stability of the notebook is actually very good. It cannot be twisted and only the display cover can be slightly pushed in. The critical area above the optical drive however is very stiff; magnesium is used inside the case to improve the construction but has a negative impact on the weight: We measure a total weight of 3.0 kg (~6.6 pounds) with the protruding 9-cell battery.