Dell recently released the Latitude 5300 2-in-1 and 5400 clamshell Chromebook Enterprise laptops powered by Chrome OS.
Oriented towards enterprise, the new Latitude Chromebooks have several features that distinguish them from an average Chromebook, one of which being ruggedness. With a carbon fibre chassis, the Dell Latitude 5000 series has passed 17 STD-MIL tests. Its FHD 1080p display is protected with Corning’s Gorilla Glass, a premium glass used for high-end mobile devices. Both devices come with touch and non-touch display options.
The Latitude 5000 Chromebook Enterprise series come in 13-inch and 14-inch form factors. They’re powered by an Intel Celeron, Core i3, i5, or i7 processor, up to 32GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, and a 68Wh battery. These high-performance hardware stand in stark contrast to traditional Chromebooks, which only include the bare minimum to work in the cloud.
In terms of connectivity, it’s equipped with two USB-A 3.1 ports, one USB-C 3.1 port, one HDMI port, and an Ethernet port. All models also support LTE connectivity.
Chrome OS is favored among groups that need a lightweight operating system to tackle day-to-day productivity workloads. In addition, devices running Chrome OS tend to be affordable and portable. With Chrome Enterprise Upgrade support, IT admins can easily enforce group policies. These advantages make Chromebooks massively popular in the education sector, and its presence is gaining notice in the enterprise as well, particularly amongst front-line office workers.
The battle between Microsoft Windows and Google Chrome OS are reaching a feverish pitch. Both companies are looking to grab market share in perfecting a cloud-first operating system. To appeal to the education sector, Microsoft released Windows 10 S. Furthermore, Microsoft has been working closely with Qualcomm to bring ARM-enabled Windows devices. The recently-announced Samsung Notebook S is a perfect example. Powered by the Qualcomm 8cx chipset, the device has LTE capability and is quoted to have a 23-hour battery life.
Both products are available for purchase now through the Dell Store and the Google Store. The Latitude 5300 2-in-1 Chromebook Enterprise starts at CAD$1,090. The Latitude 5400 Chromebook Enterprise starts at CAD$930.