It’s almost time for CES 2021, and one of the first PC vendors out of the gate with product announcements is Dell, which is unveiling new business PCs today. To start, the firm introduced new Latitude PCs across its entire range. The Latitude 9000 series was brand-new last year, so the Latitude 9420 and 9520 are second-generation products.
One of the things that’s new for the 9000 series is an automatic camera shutter. Privacy guards have been becoming popular over the last few years, but this one is different because it will automatically open or close based on when an app is requesting it. The feature is called SafeShutter. The premium business laptops also get support for Wi-Fi 6E and 5G, something that was exclusive to the 15-inch model last year. On the 9420 2-in-1, there’s also a new QHD option.
The Latitude 7000 series is getting new stuff as well, such as a new Latitude 7320 Detachable tablet. On the clamshell side of things, there’s a new 7320, 7420, and for the first time, a 15.6-inch 7520. The new Latitude 7520 offers up to a UHD display, a rarity on Latitudes. Indeed, even the premium 9000 series doesn’t offer that. However, while the 9000 series is offering 16:10 displays this year, the 7000 series is till 16:9 except for the Latitude 7320 Detachable.
Next up is the Latitude 5000 series, which is the mainstream lineup. One of the big features here, along with the Precision 3560 mobile workstation that’s being announced today, is that they’re the first PCs to use bioplastic from tree waste in them. Using sustainable materials is a trend that we’ve been seeing over the past year or so, and Dell says that by 2030, it aims to have half of all of its products made from recycled or renewable materials.
Of course, the new Latitude and Precision laptops use Intel’s new 11th-generation ‘Tiger Lake’ processors, offering more powerful Iris Xe graphics, faster memory, Thunderbolt 4, and more. The Precision 3560 also has an option for Quadro T500 graphics with 2GB GDDR6, if that’s what you’re into. Also, many of these new laptops offer a Full HD webcam, something that’s still somewhat rare in PCs for some reason.
The new Latitude 9420 and 9520 are coming this spring, starting at $1,949 for the 9420 and undetermined pricing for the 9520. The Latitude 7520 and 5420 will be available on January 12, starting at $1,649 and $1,049, respectively. The Precision 3560 is also coming on January 12, starting at $1,189.
Dell is also introducing a couple of new OptiPlex desktops, specifically the OptiPlex 7090 Ultra and the 3090 Ultra. The idea behind OptiPlex is to have a more modular PC, as you can see from the image above, and these are mostly a spec bump, including Intel’s Tiger Lake processors. Like the rest of the lineup, they’re getting vPro options, something that was only announced this week. The OptiPlex 7090 Ultra and 3090 Ultra will arrive on January 28, starting at $769 and $659, respectively.
Finally, there are a handful of new monitors. Dell has a new UltraSharp 40 Curved WUHD Monitor that’s arriving on January 28 for $2,099.99. But if you think that’s expensive, keep in mind that it’s big, it’s curved, and it’s high-resolution. The company also has 24-, 27-, and 34-inch Video Conferencing Monitors, which will arrive on February 16 for $519.99, $719.99, and $1,149.99, respectively.
