Dell Latitude refresh banks on connectivity, battery life

Credit: Dell

Dell announced a refresh of its Latitude business notebook lineup on Tuesday, emphasizing smaller bezels and greater WAN connectivity in addition to the behind-the-scenes management capabilities it’s providing to businesses.

Rahul Tikoo, vice president and general manager of commercial mobility products at Dell, said that business requirements now include instant access to applications, multiple days’ battery life, and the ability to charge quickly and connect from anywhere. Those characteristics have been brought into the Latitude lineup, which include the 7000 premium series, the midrange 5000 series, and the slim 3000 series. 

Dell announced the Latitude 7400 at CES, the business counterpart to the Dell Inspiron 7000 2-in-1 series announced as well. While the 7400 lacked the nifty in-hinge pen of the Inspiron, both the Inspiron and Latitude were designed with thermal management n mind. When the device senses it’s being held in your hand, it manages heat more aggressively so as to maintain a comfortable temperature.

At Dell Technologies World, Dell announced a refresh of the 7000, 5000, and 3000 series, including the Dell Latitude 7200 tablet. They’re all predicated on Intel’s 8th-gen Core technologies, which include Wi-Fi 6. Some of the new Latitudes include a new 4x4 array antenna, as opposed to the 2x2 antenna used previously.

Battery life can reach up to 26 hours, Dell said, and the new refreshed lineup includes two quick-charging technologies: ExpressCharge, which can charge the laptop to 80 percent in an hour, and ExpressCharge Boost, which can supply up to a 35 percent charge in 20 minutes.

Dell considers the new Latitudes to be part of what it calls the Unified Workspace: remote management and provisioning of the new PCs. For example, each of the new Latitudes can be shipped directly from the factory with personalized access and applications. Separately, an improved SafeBIOS capability provides a standalone download to check the integrity of the BIOS, and integrates with other management tools, including VMware Workspace ONE, Secureworks and CrowdStrike.

Here’s a representative sample of each of the product families:

Dell 7000

Dell is launching a refreshed version of the Dell 7300 and 7400. They go on sale May 1 for a starting price of $1,299. We’ve chosen the Dell 7300 as a representative model, and listed some of the basic specifications below.

Dell

Dell Latitude 7300 basic specs

• Display: 13.3-inch, (1366x768 or 1920x1080); antiglare,  SafeScreen privacy option in June
• Processor: Undisclosed 8th-gen Core, up to vPro Core i7
• Graphics: Intel UHD 620
• Memory: DDR4-2666 (2 DIMM slots) up to 32GB
• Storage: Up to 128GB PCIe NVMe (M.2 2230); up to 512GB SATA SSD (M.2 2280); up to 1TB NVMe SSD; up to 512GB PCIe NVMe Opal SED SSD
• Ports: One Thunderbolt 3 (Power, DisplayPort) 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1, one HDMI 1.4 (optional); uSIM, Smartcard reader, fingerprint reader
• Camera: None or HD RGB/IR cam
• Battery: 42Whr-60Whr, ExpressCharge-capable
• Wireless: 802.11ac 2x2, Bluetooth 4.1 (4x4 only with Carbon Fiber color and Core i7); Wi-Fi 6 support May 2019
• Operating system: Windows 10 Home 64-bit/Windows 10 Home 64-bit Ubuntu 18.04/NeoKylin 64-bit (May 2019) 
• Dimensions (inches): 12.1 x 8.2 x 0.64 (16.3mm)
• Weight: 2.74 pounds
• Color: Fiber, Titan Gray

Dell

Dell Latitude 5000 basic specs

Dell offers the Latitude 5000 series in either 13-, 14-, or 15-inch configurations. New for the 2019 refresh is a carbon-fiber-reinforced chassis and battery life up to 20 hours. Dell is designing in new 8th-gen Core processors as well as optional discrete graphics in come cases.

Dell’s also launching the Dell Latitude 5300 2-in-1, which the company is touting as the smallest mainstream business-class 13-inch 2-in-1. The 5300 weighs 3.15 pounds, and its HD touchscreen display is coated in Corning Gorilla Glass. Dell’s 5x00 series of laptops will also be available on May 1. Prices begin at $819, with the 5300 shipping for a price of $599.

Dell 5300 basic specs:

• Display: 13.3-inch, (1920x1080) Gorilla Glass, anti-glare, 255 nits, touch
• Processor: Undisclosed 8th-gen Core, up to vPro Core i7 (quad-core)
• Graphics: Intel UHD 620
• Memory: DDR4-2666 (2 DIMM slots) up to 32GB
• Storage: Up to 1TB (SSD M.2,); up to 512GB (SED M.2)
• Ports: One USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 (Thunderbolt optional); two USB 3.1. Gen 1 (one with PowerShare),one HDMI 1.4, optional uSIM, smartcard reader, fingerprint reader
• Camera: Optional RGB/IR cam
• Battery: 42Whr-60Whr, ExpressCharge capable
• Wireless: 802.11ac 2x2 , Bluetooth 4.1-5.0(4x4 only with Carbon Fiber color and Core i7); Wi-Fi 6 support May 2019
• Operating system: Windows 10 Home 64-bit/Windows 10 Home 64-bit Ubuntu 18.04/NeoKylin 64-bit (May 2019) 
• Dimensions (inches): 12.1 x 8,16 x 0.70 (19.5mm) 
• Weight: 3.15 pounds

Dell Latitude 3000

Dell’s entry range of business notebooks is also available in 13-, 14-, and 15-inch configurations. Dell has added a new 13-inch model, which the company is calling the world’s “smallest and lightest 13-inch essential business notebook”. Unfortunately, the 3301’s specs were not supplied by Dell. Dell’s 3000-series laptops cost $599 on up, and will begin shipping on May 1.

Dell also announced three new docks for its notebook lineup: the Dell Dock, available in both 130W ($229.99) and 180W ($279.99) configurations; the WD19DC Performance Dock, for $329.99; and the WD19TB, available for $329.99. All are currently available on Dell.com.

Dell

The Dell Dock includes two full-size DisplayPort 1.4 connectors, one HDMI connector, two USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 ports, and three USB-A Gen 1 ports. Additional ports include Gigabit ethernet, a Kensington lock, and a mic/speaker combo.