Dell reaffirms it's still a PC vendor with new fast-charging Latitude portfolio
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While Dell Technologies might be making advancements in its cloud and data centre as a service play, the tech giant on Tuesday reaffirmed that PCs are still high priority, launching the 10th generation range of Latitude laptops.
Announcing the new range at Dell Technologies World in Las Vegas, the company touted the laptops as delivering what a "modern workforce" desires, with Dell VP and GM or Commercial Mobility Products Rahul Tikoo saying such desires include instant log in, speedy access to applications and data, multiple days of battery life, the ability to charge fast, and being able to connect from anywhere.
"We've been talking about workforce transformation and that's not some esoteric future, that's today. More and more workers are working outside the areas of 9-5, there are a lot more remote workers, people working on the go ... and this changing workforce really cares about greater mobility, being able to work from anywhere at any time," Tikoo said during a press briefing.
"We're addressing that with the Latitude portfolio."
Latitude 7200 2-in-1
He also touted the "faster, smarter user experiences" that Millennials -- Gen-Y -- and now even Gen-Z workers are used to.
"We've seen with the workforce is that it's made up of a lot more younger workers ... and these digital-native workers really grew up with awesome technology, they had access to smartphones and tablets and awesome consumer products and they're really in this world of instant gratification," Tikoo continued.
"They want to be able to log on instantly, they want to be able to get access to their applications and data instantly, multiple days of battery life, being able to charge fast, and being able to connect from anywhere."
In addition to the Dell Latitude 7400 2-in-1 announced at CES earlier this year, Dell on Tuesday lifted the lid off the Latitude 7000 series, Latitude 5000 series, and Latitude 3000 series.
The laptops boast a "smaller footprint", with the smaller size also coupled by a lighter weight. They've also been manufactured to look "more premium", which according to Tikoo means addressing colour, materials, and finishes.
Where user experience is concerned, the Latitude 7400 2-in-1, for example, allows a user to walk up to the laptop and have it sense the user's presence, then turn on, authenticate the user, and log them in instantly.
ExpressSign-in, Dell Technologies explained, utilises a PC proximity sensor, enabled by Intel Context Sensing Technology paired with Microsoft Hello biometrics to automatically log the user in when they sit down in front of the laptop. It will also include "walk away lock".
ExpressCharge will also see the Latitude gain 80% of its battery with an hour of charge, while ExpressCharge Boost charges up to 35% in 20 minutes.
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Many of the new Latitudes can also be equipped with fingerprint readers built into the power button and Windows Hello-capable IR cameras, which Dell said will provide a "more trusted, biometric authentication". A few of them can also ship equipped with Dell SafeScreen, which is a new camera privacy shutter and FIPS 201 contacted Smart Card Reader or contactless Smart Card Reader with SafeID to protect user credentials.
The laptops also support Dell's recently announced SafeBIOS utility.
Latitude 7000 series
Available in both 13- and 14-inch models, and a 7200 2-in-1 12-inch device, encased in machined aluminium or carbon fibre materials. They boast SafeScreen tech to narrow the screen's field of view.
All laptops can be equipped with up to 32GB of memory and up to 20 hours of run time on select configurations, the product spec sheets say. The Latitude 7000 also offers narrow border 4x4, CAT16, cellular antenna with dynamic antenna tuning, which Dell said will deliver gigabit LTE speed on the go.
Latitude 7400 (Carbon Fibre)
Latitude 5000 series
Available in 13-, 14-, and 15-inch models, also encased in new carbon fibre reinforced chassis, the 5000 series boast up to 20 hours of run time; narrow-border HD, full HD, or touchscreen display configurations; and are powered by 8th Gen Intel Core processors.
Latitude 5300 (Black)
In addition, Dell also introduced the new Latitude 5300 2-in-1, with a starting weight of 1.42kgs. The 2-in-1 can be configured with up to 32GB of memory and up to 1TB of storage.
Latitude 3000 Series
Meanwhile, the new Latitude 3000 Series, marketed as the "standard for entry-level business notebooks with enterprise-class capabilities for essential productivity" are available in 13-, 14-, and 15-inch models.
Latitude 3301 (Black)
The latest Latitude portfolio is available from May 1, with the Latitude 7x00 laptops starting at $1,299; Latitude 7200 2-in-1 starting at $999; Latitude 5x00 laptops starting at $819; Latitude 5x01 laptops starting at $1,179; Latitude 5300 2-in-1 starting at $949; and the Latitude 3x00 laptops starting at $599.
Vostro
The company also lifted the lid off its latest additions to its Vostro family, the Vostro 13 5000 and Vostro 15 7000.
The 13 5000, Dell said, is its thinnest and lightest Vostro to-date, with the 13" notebook just 14.9mm thin, weighing 1.18kg. The FHD display is surrounded by a 3-sided narrow border, boasting also a 2.7mm HD webcam.
Meanwhile, the 15" Vostro 15 7000 includes up to Core i7 Intel Coffee Lake-H 6-core processors, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics, a 97 WHr battery, and an optional triple drive expandability storage option. Dell is marketing the 15 700 towards content creators or businesses that run intensive applications and require a lot of storage and performance.
An optional addition is the single-sign on fingerprint reader.
Vostro 15 700
Both the Vostro 13 5000 and 15 7000 will be available on dell.com on May 16, with the smaller device setting buyers back $849, and the 15" starting at $1,149.
Docking
Also announced on Tuesday was Dell's latest commercial docking stations, claimed by the company as the world's most fastest charging docking station. The docking station will also be modular, with upgradeable power and connectivity.
The new docks are available with three connectivity options: Thunderbolt 3, dual USB-C, or single USB-C. They also boast ExpressCharge and ExpressCharge Boost capabilities.
Dell's next-gen docks are available now, with the Dell Dock (WD19) available for $229.99 for 130W and $279.99 for 180W; the Performance Dock (WD19DC) for $329.99; and the Thunderbolt Dock (WD19TB) for $329.99.
WD19 docks
Disclaimer: Asha Barbaschow travelled to Dell Technologies World as a guest of Dell Technologies