5 Things To Know About Dell's Latitude 7400 2-in-1

Dell is aiming to break new ground with its latest Latitude convertible, which features a metal body and a nearly edge-to-edge display design.

The Latest In Latitude

Dell's newest convertible notebook, the Latitude 7400 2-in-1, probably doesn't look like the Latitudes you're used to. Instead of the usual black carbon-fiber body, the new Latitude 7400 2-in-1 is encased by brushed aluminum. That's a sign of things to come: Dell says this metallic design will be offered for other Latitude 7000 models in the spring. The metal finish is just one of the many enhancements in the 14-inch convertible, though—with other major upgrades coming around portability, battery life, performance and security, as well. While the notebook won't be released for another two months, Dell unveiled it on Friday just ahead of the CES 2019 tech show in Las Vegas next week.

What follows are five key things to know about Dell's Latitude 7400 2-in-1.

Size & Body

Dell is touting some major accomplishments on the design of the Latitude 7400 2-in-1. The body features machined aluminum—with a brushed metal finish—for a color that Dell is calling "titan grey." The notebook sports "diamond cut" edges, as well.

The screen on the Latitude 7400 2-in-1 has narrow bezels on all four sides for a nearly "edge to edge" display. That slim-bezel design goes a long way toward helping to reduce the overall size of the notebook, which Dell is touting as the smallest 14-inch 2-in-1 on the market by volume (and as 25 percent smaller than predecessor models). The notebook's thin form factor—measuring just 0.59 of an inch thick—helps in that regard, too. Meanwhile, the Latitude 7400 2-in-1 weighs a very portable 2.99 pounds at the base level (with WiFi-only and a 52 WHr battery).

Battery Life & Charging

Dell's other biggest accolade for the Latitude 7400 2-in-1 is its battery life, which can reach up to 24 hours on a charge (with base-level specs and a 78 WHr battery). That gives the notebook the longest battery life for a 14-inch 2-in-1 right now, according to Dell. Battery options include a 78 WHr, six-cell battery with fast-charge capabilities; a 52 WHr, four-cell battery with fast-charge capabilities; and a a 52 WHr, four-cell battery without fast charging.

For the models configured with fast-charge batteries, Dell says a charge of 30 percent can be achieved in 20 minutes. Or, you can get up to an 80 percent charge in an hour.

Display & Performance

While plenty of elements are configurable in the Latitude 7400 2-in-1, the display is not. The notebook features a 14-inch touch display with FHD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution, 300 nits of brightness and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for durability.

One thing that is configurable is the wireless connectivity—users can choose between WiFi-only and getting both WiFi and LTE capabilities. For LTE, Dell says it's offering speedy mobile broadband with a Cat 16 Gigabit LTE option for the notebook—leveraging the Qualcomm Snapdragon X20 LTE-A modem—for users that want to stay connected at all times. Participating carriers in the U.S. include AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.

The Latitude 7400 2-in-1 also offers fast CPU performance with the inclusion of quad-core processors from Intel's new eighth-generation "Whiskey Lake" U series, according to Dell.

Ports, Security & Special Features

The Latitude 7400 2-in-1 is designed for use with the Dell Premium Active Pen (sold separately), and the digital stylus attaches magnetically to both sides of the notebook to prevent losing it. Dell says it's also made an effort to solve another issue that plagues many notebooks, by making it easier to open the Latitude 7400 2-in-1 with one hand. Meanwhile, the notebook offers a new feature called "ExpressSign-In," which consists of a sensor that detects when users are near and automatically wakes up.

The convertible Latitude is generous when it comes to ports, with two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB-A ports, a uSIM card slot and a uSD 4.0 memory card reader. And, the Latitude 7400 2-in-1 has a lot to offer on security, both hardware- and software-level. The notebook comes with multiple biometric authentication options, with both Windows Hello facial recognition and a fingerprint reader included. For enhanced security, the ExpressSign-In feature locks the computer when users walk away. Additional security options for the Latitude 7400 2-in-1 include contacted and contactless smart card readers, as well as Dell Encryption Enterprise and other security software.

Price & Availability

Dell says that its new Latitude 7400 2-in-1 will feature a starting price of $1,599. The convertible notebook is slated to be available in March. As usual, pricing will vary based on the configuration—with options around not just storage, RAM and processor, but also around security features, battery size and wireless connectivity.