Dell has been on a roll lately, with the revamped XPS line earning our favor, and the brand is looking to build on that success in 2016. We saw three new business-minded Latitude systems at CES earlier this year, and all three are now available directly from Dell.
The smallest of the three is the Latitude 11 5000. The slim 2-in-1 starts at just $750. For the price you get a Core M 6Y30, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB hard drive, all packed in behind a 10.8-inch 1080p touch display. Despite its small stature, the Latitude 11 doesn’t skimp on ports, offering up USB Type-C, USB Type-A, and Micro HDMI, with pogo pins for a detachable keyboard.
Right in the middle of the pack, the Latitude 12 7000 strikes a balance between size and performance. The 12.5-inch display is still 1080p, and the processor, RAM and hard drive are the same, but the design and connectivity differ a bit. The Latitude 12 just has a pair of USB Type-C ports on its left flank, and a MicroSD slot for expandable memory. The keyboard is included, and forms a folio around the front of the detachable tablet when closed. The 2-in-1 starts at $1,050, and is compatible with the Dell USB Type-A adapter and combination dock.
At the top end, the Latitude 13 7000 is the ultrabook for the discerning business customer. It picks up the InfinityEdge display from the XPS for impressively thin bezels, but makes a few other changes to slim down further. That means swapping the full Core processor for a Core M for a thinner chassis and fanless design. It’s available today, and for the $1,300 starting price, customers can expect a system with a Core m3-6Y30, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. Regardless of price, the Latitude 13 7000 comes out of the box with Windows 7 Professional installed.
We actually spent time with the Latitude 13 7000 when we were in Vegas for CES, and found its design lightweight and satisfying. The InfinityEdge display is a sleek addition, although like the XPS, it forces the webcam into an “up-the-nose” position at the bottom of the screen.
We’ll be reviewing at least one of these devices soon enough, and despite their price premium, they all look like solid machines on paper. The 2-in-1 and Ultrabook markets are steadily growing, and Dell is going to be a competitor there, as much as it is in the consumer laptop space.
