Dell has multiple announcements coming at next week’s CES show, but they decided to drop this one early. The new Latitude 7400 2-in-1 is not as sexy as some of the announcements coming next week, but for Dell’s commercial market partners and customers, it will be the most important.
The Latitude 7400 2-in-1
Today, Dell is getting a jump on next week’s cavalcade of announcements that will come out of the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. They are pre-announcing one item from their own bag of tricks that will be displayed at next week’s event. Dell is unveiling the Latitude 7400 2-in-1, which they are asserting rethinks what the 2-in-1 experience is all about, and which has multiple new features and capabilities.
“This has been a great year for the Dell Client Solutions Group,” said Jay Parker, President of the Dell Client Product Group. “We outperformed the industry in desktops, in notebooks and in total commercial, and have led in displays for 22 straight quarters. We believe that the edge continues to be critical to our industry, and to customer environments, and that the PC is the preferred device for both productivity and entertainment. We have continued to focus on innovation across the portfolio, pushing ourselves, our teams and our supply chain to create even better experiences, and CES marks a time for us to be able to do that.”
The Latitude 7400 2-in-1, a 14-inch convertible PC, is the highlight of the announcements from the perspective of the commercial market, providing what the company believes is the desired blend of business efficiency and consumer-centric style.
“People demand more from today’s technology,” Parker said. “They want portability and connectivity without sacrificing performance, plus a machine that’s beautiful and responsive. Organizations both big and small know technology has to be powerful and secure. But it has to be more than simply productive. It’s an extension of who you are.”
Parker said that the Latitude 7400 re-engineered the convertible concept with this in mind.
“It completely rethinks the 2-in-1 experience,” he stated. “We have made great advances in the convergence of speed, security, mobility and productivity. It is also the most beautiful Latitude we have ever built, and I think it’s the most beautiful commercial system in the PC this year.”
The look is a new ‘Titan Gray’ machined aluminum with a hairline brushed design, diamond-cut edges, and a magnesium alloy bottom cover that is coated in soft-touch paint. It’s also the first Latitude to use Dell’s recycled ocean plastics packaging, which uses processed plastics collected from beaches, waterways and coastal areas to keep them out of the oceans. It checks in at (just) under 3 lbs – 2.99 lbs without any extras.
The device has a four-sided, narrow border display that amplifies the screen size, made possible by a new drop hinge with one-finger opening.
“Every design decision was weighed against putting a 14-inch screen inside a 13-inch device, without sacrificing battery, ports or features,” Parker stated. “It is the first device with a four-sided narrow border.”
The Latitude 7400 2-in-1 is designed for both long life and fast recharging.
“We have the longest battery life for a machine in this class, of 24 hours or more on a single full charge,” Parker said. That’s using the 78Whr battery option. “Dell ExpressCharge will then get you back up to 80 per cent in an hour.”
When it detects motion, it scans for facial recognition –– no more passwords or wake up cycle – when done you walk away and it locks after a few moments
The device uses Dell’s new ExpressSign, which uses a proximity sensor enabled by Intel Context Sensing Technology.
“Express Sign is our latest innovation to improve productivity,” Parker noted. “When you log on and it detects motion, it scans for facial recognition – no more passwords or wake-up cycle. Similarly, when you are done, and walk away, it detects that and it will lock after a few moments.” That both maintains security and prevents battery drainage.
“We have also upped the ante on security features,” Parker added. These include the exclusive Dell ControlVault 3 option for hardware multi-factor authentication, an option for a SmartCard reader that uses an NFC antenna under the clickpad, and integration of VMware Workspace ONE into the Dell Client Command Suite.
“This lets you manage all endpoints from one console,” Parker said.
The Dell Latitude 7400 2-in-1 will be available in early March, starting at $USD 1,599
