Why You Can Trust CNET Dell Latitude is an all-business Surface-like hybrid
It's a Surface-like tablet-plus-keyboard combo: Just push the edge of the Latitude 5285 against a desk, and its kickstand pops out.
- Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
Joining Dell's professional line, but potentially of interest to consumers as well, is the Latitude 5285 hybrid. This style of hybrid starts off as a standalone tablet, but adds a clip-on keyboard for typing and touchpadding. If that sounds familiar, it's because the Microsoft Surface Pro line has a similar design.
Like the Surface, the Latitude 5285 has a wide kickstand in the back that can be adjusted by hand to a wide range of angles. But, unlike the Surface, this tablet has two small buttons protruding slightly from its bottom edge. Press that edge down against a table or desk gently, and the buttons cause the kickstand to pop out. Is that a game-changing new feature? No, but having tried it in person, I found it is a nice little time-saving touch.
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In the Latitude 5285, you get a full-HD 12.5-inch Gorilla Glass display, regular USB and USB-C ports, and because it's a professional system, optional LTE support and security features like a fingerprint sensor and smart card reader. It's got 7th-gen Intel Core processors and supports something called vPro, which is a family of Intel features important for security-minded IT departments.
The Latitude 5285 weighs about 2 pounds and will be available starting at $899 (£725 or AU$1,239) in the US at the end of February.
