Most detachable 2-in-1 hybrids manage to undercut the famously steep price of our high-end Editors' Choice, the Microsoft Surface Pro. The Dell Latitude 5290 2-in-1 (starts at $899, $1,932 as configured) is an expensive exception. So why consider it? Well, for starters, it packs a more powerful CPU, and has more modern connectivity options. Windows Hello users will find not only a face-recognition webcam but a fingerprint reader, plus a SmartCard slot for IT departments that prefer that authentication solution, all missing on Microsoft's slate. The Dell also fares well in our performance and battery benchmarks. If you can get past its price tag, you'll find a lot to like about the Latitude 5290 2-in-1.
An Automatic Kickstand
Naturally, you can make the price of this laptop more palatable by choosing a lesser configuration; the base model has a Core i3 processor, a skimpy 4GB of memory, and a 128GB SSD. Whichever model you pick, the 5290 2-in-1 is a handsome slab with a glossy black bezel around its display, matte black upper back with chrome Dell logo, and brushed aluminum kickstand. It's 0.42 inch thick (compared with 0.33 inch for the Surface Pro ) and measures 8.2 by 11.5 inches.
The tablet weighs 1.89 pounds, perfectly easy to carry in one hand but a fraction heftier than the 1.65-pound Lenovo Miix 720 ($1,249.99 at Lenovo) or the 1.7-pound Surface Pro. Adding the keyboard increases the thickness to 0.63 inch and the weight to 2.65 pounds.
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Placing the Latitude on a flat surface, tapping its bottom edge against a desk or table, has the effect of pressing two small buttons that cause its kickstand to pop out. The kickstand pivots through 150 degrees, tilting the tablet backward for multiple viewing or, with the optional $59.99 Dell Active Pen, writing angles. As with all detachables, the 5290 and its keyboard are much happier on a flat surface than on a lap in Laptop mode with the kickstand teetering on your knees.
Dell Latitude 5290 2-in-1 Review
The petite power button is located on the tablet's top edge; there's a Windows Home button on the right side and a volume rocker on the left. Also on the left side, in addition to an audio jack, are a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port and two USB-C ports with DisplayPort functionality. Either of the latter works with the supplied USB-C power adapter. The Dell site describes the USB-C ports as "with optional Thunderbolt 3," but we couldn't find a mention of Thunderbolt 3 on our Core i5-8350U unit's configuration or customization page—it's offered only on the Core i7-8650U version that starts at $1,789.
The tablet's right edge holds a SmartCard reader and Noble lock slot. The fingerprint reader is on the back, above the kickstand; hidden beneath the kickstand are slots for a microSD card and micro SIM card (mobile broadband is a $134 option). There's also an NFC hot spot on the back to bolster the standard Bluetooth and 802.11ac wireless.
Everything in Its Place
Both the 5-megapixel front-facing (for selfies and video chats) and 8-megapixel rear-facing (for snapshots) cameras capture above-averagely bright and detailed images, in addition to the former's face recognition with Windows Hello. Side-facing speakers pump out reasonably loud and clear audio, predictably free of deep bass but accurate and pleasant for streaming entertainment.
The backlit keyboard (a $129.99 option for a-la-carte shoppers) is neither better nor worse than comparable tablet covers. We suffered occasional key bounce or double letters but enjoyed its shallow but snappy typing feel and cursor arrows in the proper inverted-T instead of row formation. Attaching and detaching the keyboard was a cinch, and the touchpad glided and tapped smoothly, as did the glossy touch screen.
The 12.3-inch HD (1,920-by-1,280) screen is one of the Latitude 5290 2-in-1's best features. It's impressively bright, with rich, vivid colors and wide viewing angles. Contrast is high and details, at least details of 1080p content, look crystal clear. This is a great tablet for both Microsoft Office or Google Docs productivity work and Netflix or YouTube after hours.
Installing the batteries and reassembling the Active Pen is difficult, but rewards you with 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity—half as many as the Surface Pen, but still plenty for artists and designers—and swift, responsive writing and drawing as well as excellent palm rejection. The pen clings magnetically to the side of the tablet when not in use.
IT managers will be pleased with the 2-in-1's MIL-STD certification against shock, vibration, temperature extremes, and other torture tests, as well as its Intel vPro manageability. Dell backs the Latitude with one year of on-site service after remote diagnostics; extra-cost service options range from $26 for one year of ProSupport (hardware and software help with automated proactive issue detection) to $379 for five years of ProSupport Plus (which adds accidental damage repair and hard drive retention after replacement).
A Boon, But No Bargain
Matched against a variety of other tablets, the Latitude tied the only other "Kaby Lake R" contender, the Editors' Choice Lenovo Miix 520 , with identical scores of 3,436 in our PCMark 8 productivity benchmark, well above the 3,000 that we consider excellent for office apps. The two quad-cores also finished in a dead heat in our Cinebench CPU measurement and Handbrake video-editing exercise, comfortably ahead of the dual-core Surface Pro and HP Spectre x2. The Dell and Surface Pro tied for honors in our Adobe Photoshop image-editing workload.
The Microsoft tablet and its Intel Iris Plus graphics carried the day in our 3DMark graphics test, with the Latitude not far behind. None of these 2-in-1's excelled in our Heaven and Valley game simulations—their integrated graphics are suited only for casual and browser-based titles, not hardcore gaming. The Dell was a strong second to the Surface Pro in our battery life test, showing more than 10.5 hours of stamina—3 hours more than the Miix 520.
Standing Up to a Pro
The Latitude 5290 2-in-1 is a first-class detachable for business users, with plenty of security options and configuration choices. The only thing we don't like is its purchase price, which is a secondary consideration for most IT departments. If your company is considering Microsoft's Surface Pro, it should be eyeing this Dell as well.
It's costly, but the Dell Latitude 5290 detachable 2-in-1 hybrid hits all the bases to satisfy business users and IT managers alike.
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