Build quality is vital when a system will be subjected to even the most considerate of classrooms, and the Latitude impressed. There was no movement in the wrist-rest no matter how hard we pressed, and the underside exhibited similar strength. The screen is attached with two sturdy hinges and it's a thick panel, but the plastic rear is a little too flexible, and the screen wobbled when we pressed its centre.
The Latitude is built from plastic and the edges of the base and screen are lined with tough rubber designed to absorb knocks. The keyboard and touchpad are sealed from the rest of the internals so no components will be damaged by spills, and the screen is made from hard-wearing Corning Gorilla Glass.
The tough exterior is matched with sensible touches elsewhere. The screen tilts all the way back to the desk thanks to a 180° hinge, and the right-hand edge has a quartet of handy status lights for power, network usage and more.