Dell Launches Latitude 7400 2-in-1 Convertible With Proximity-Based ExpressSign-In

by Brandon Hill — Friday, January 04, 2019, 11:05 AM EDT

Dell is expected to have a big presence at this year's CES being held in Las Vegas next week, but the company is pre-announcing one product before the big show. We present the Latitude 7400 2-in-1, which is the company's latest business notebook built around a 14-inch display.

The display has narrow bezels all around along with a Full HD (1920x1080) resolution. The display is covered in Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and features anti-reflective and anti-smudge coatings.

But what's most interesting is what's actually incorporated into the top bezel of the Latitude 7400 2-in-1, and that is a proximity sensor. Dell calls it ExpressSign-in, and it wakes the system within one second when it detects your presence in front of the machine. Then, using the Windows Hello-compatible camera, you are automatically logged into your machine in rapid fashion.

"In fact, it is the world’s first PC to use a proximity sensor enabled by Intel Context Sensing Technology," Dell explains. "When you step away for a break, Latitude will recognize you’ve left and lock itself to preserve battery life and maintain security."

In addition to the fancy ExpressSign-in hardware, you'll find other thoroughly modern digs like quad-core Intel Whiskey Lake-U processors, up to 16GB of RAM, and support for up to 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD initially; a 2TB option will be available in the Summer. And given that this is a business-centric notebook, there are plenty of docking options available including a couple of models with Thunderbolt 3 capabilities.

When it comes to connectivity, you'll find no less than three different 802.11ac/Bluetooth combo options available (one from Qualcomm, two from Intel) along with an optional Snapdragon X20 LTE-A cellular modem that is compatible with Verizon, AT&T and Sprint wireless networks.

As for runtimes, the 2.99-pound Latitude 7400 2-in-1 is available with three different battery options. There's a standard 52 WHr lithium-polymer battery along with 52 WHr and 78 WHr batteries with ExpressCharge capabilities. With the 78 WHr battery, Dell says that the Latitude 7400 lasts 24 hours with Mobile Mark '14 and can go from no charge to an 80 percent charge in just an hour.

Update, 1/4/19 - 4:04PM ET: We also happened to be on hand in New York at Dell's pre-CES preview event, and got a little hands-on time with the new Latitude 7400 2-in-1 as well. Here's a few more glamor shots to pore over...