Before the holidays, we've uploaded a quick look video of the Dell Latitude 7300 Laptop, a popular business range laptop.
A noticeable update with this Dell Latitude 7300 (2019 model), is a thinner and lighter design. The 7300 is a smaller version of the 7400 with many shared similarities (you might think that the older 7390/7490 model from 2018 is more recent, looking just from the name - that's not the case). We've also made another video, between the larger Dell Latitude 7400 & 7490.
Traditionally the Dell Latitude 7000 series has consisted of workhorse laptops, that blend well into the business, helping to perform the work with minimal distractions; they're preferred by the I.T departments for larger standard-issue deployments & power users who need that support, reliability & portability with power. Dell Latitude 7390 & 7490 are perhaps best described as very functional. 7300 is in many ways, a logical follow-up. No doubt that Dell's customers will have been hoping for a modern refresh, designs that are thinner, with more modern features (e.g. privacy shutters, etc), without changing what's made it popular (reliability / some repairability / and enterprise support). The question is whether that has worked on the 7300/7400.
Performance is similar to that of its predecessor - very decent. The Whisky late 8th Gen process will be an incremental improvement upon the earlier 8th Gen. Additionally, the performance gap between the 8th Gen Core i5 and i7 U-series processor, may not be as noticeable as it once was a few years ago. Core i7 will have a higher Turbo Boost for faster instantaneous speed, then drop down the clock soon enough. Whereas on a lighter laptop with limited thermal head-room - the Core i5 will be a competent option. Thankfully, the 2x RAM slots & 1x M.2 SSD is relatively straightforward to upgrade (thankfully not soldered in).
Some might find the base config appealing: Core i5, 8-16GB RAM, 256GB SSD minimum. That should help the user to get the work done. Core i7, 32GB, 512GB+ SSD might be an option on the 7400.
There are quite a few display options: it is better to pick a suitable display from day 1 & when the laptop has a metal chassis - get a decent laptop bag, so the laptop doesn't get dropped. Swapping LCDs are harder on the modern thin-bezel laptops (and often costly). Speaking of thin-bezel, whereas the on less repair friendly laptops, such as the Dell XPS 13 (a display replacement means replacing the whole display assembly) - the 7300 by contrast, appears to allow you swap the display still, it's not too simple though (See service manual, page 59).
The hardware components on this laptop seem to be focused around no-fuss to get the work done. There isn't much surplus beyond the typical office needs, which means no dedicated GPU. The speaker is still downwards firing (ThinkPad T490's upwards firing speakers may do better here) - works, though not remarkable in sound quality (perhaps a nudge to use earphones in the office / nonetheless this is an area for improvement). The fingerprint reader has been moved into the power button (tip: perhaps change the power button action, from shut-down to sleep, so you don't accidentally lose work this way).
The keypad is decent as expected from a business laptop. The privacy filter and upgraded wireless options will cover the "good basics". Now a lighter coloring option & the re-worked chassis lift it more visibly into the business environment (it slightly reassembles that of an HP EliteBook). It certainly looks more modern.
What the Dell 7390/7490 Latitude owners might notice is fewer ports: 1x fewer USB 3, no sims tray, no ethernet port. This might signal that this machine is now likely to be used on the move (rather than more frequently at the desks), and that people's mode of work is gradually moving to external docking stations (wifi better spread in the offices).
Owners coming from the pre-7390 machines might find this upgrade worthwhile. Still, remembering the Latitude line's positioning as a workhorse machine, the more recent 7390 / 7490 owners will probably appreciate their current machines more; after all a "dongle life" is not for everyone. Depending on the use case, the fewer ports might also be more excusable on the smaller 7300 model, in comparison to its bigger sibling (7400).
