At first glance, the new Dell Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme convertible looks just like any other rugged-ized laptop from the computer and server company.
But play a bit with its 11.6-inch screen and you’ll find that it flips on its frame 180 degrees and folds over the keyboard to turn the laptop into a tablet.
The Latitude 12 is part of Dell’s Rugged Extreme line of laptop, designed to survive harsh environments and provide users with a secure mobile computing device “from the boardroom to the battlefield,” as Dell puts it. Also announced today was the larger Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme.
Both machines are built with impact-resistant ultra-polymers and sturdy magnesium alloy. Dell says the laptops are independently tested to military standards such as drops of up to six feet as well as ingress protection, plus emissions and hazardous material certifications.
Both models are equipped with long battery life that lasts up to eight and a half hours and up to 14 hours, respectively. They also feature efficient fourth-generation Intel Core processors, with solid state storage and discrete graphics options for the Latitude 14. Both models also offer a suite of wireless capabilities, including available mobile broadband and dedicated GPS.
Features for the Latitude Rugged Extreme include the following:
- Direct-View outdoor-readable display for productivity in harsh sunlight that reduces glare and reflectivity with less reliance on backlighting (resulting in longer battery life)
- Resistive multi-touch on the Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme for recognizing intuitive gestures while wearing thick gloves
- The industry’s first rugged “flip-hinge” convertible display with the Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme
- Docking commonality across the Dell Rugged Extreme portfolio, regardless of form factor for cost savings over time
- Sealed, customizable “RGB” backlit keyboard enables work in all lighting environments and features an “instant stealth” mode to go incognito
- Up to 16GB of memory and up to 512GB solid state storage
- Full HD webcam with a privacy shutter
- Eight megapixel bottom camera with flash on the Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme
- USB 3.0 and native serial on all Rugged Extreme products with dual serial/RJ-45 on the Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme
The Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme convertible notebook starts $3,649 and will be available on May 6th. The Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme has a starting price of $3,499 and will be available in mid-May.