The new Dell Latitude 7285 2-in-1 business laptop unveiled at CES 2017 promises the ultimate "no wires" experience, wirelessly charging through its keyboard.
Wireless charging is gradually gaining ground as a must-have feature, yet its presence in devices is sporadic at best. Some high-end smartphones offer the feature, while others can support it via special cases that are often clunky. Other devices such as laptops, meanwhile, have yet to join the wireless charging trend - except for the Dell's latest 2-in-1.
World's First Wireless Charging 2-in-1
Dell touts its new Latitude 7285 as the world's first 2-in-1 to support wireless charging for more portability than ever.
"Dell will deliver a true wireless experience by incorporating WiTricity magnetic resonance wireless charging technology in the 12-inch Latitude 7285 2-in-1 available later this year," says the company. "When combined with a charging mat and WiGig wireless dock, users can take the Latitude 2-in-1 with them without disengaging any wires or a physical dock."
Upon returning home and setting the Dell Latitude 7285 on the charging mat, the laptop will start charging at once and will automatically reconnect to the WiGig dock, showing content on the external display.
How It Works
The trick of the Latitude 7285's wireless charging capability lies in the keyboard. The 2-in-1 is a hybrid device with all of its essential components housed within the tablet display. To turn into a business-suitable clamshell laptop, the tablet can be attached to one of the three available keyboards, one of which plays nice with Dell's new wireless charging mat.
When placing the Latitude 7285 on the wireless charging pad with the keyboard attached, the power goes straight to the machine, bypassing the keyboard. Consequently, it's pretty much wireless charging with a trick, but it's still wireless charging and that's a first for a 2-in-1 business laptop hybrid.
"We believe the Latitude 7285 is the world's most versatile 2-in-1 because it can be used as a traditional notebook or as a tablet in either detached or 360 degree convertible mode giving owners incredibly flexible options for how they prefer to work," Dell further touts.
The Downside
This intriguing solution doesn't come without a drawback or two, however. First of all, the keyboard doesn't come with an extra battery, which means that you can't juice it up to have some extra power on the go. It just serves as a wireless charging base, enabling the mat to send power straight to the device.
Dell will also be offering another keyboard accessory that does have its own battery, but it remains unclear why it chose to offer this option separately rather than just fit the wireless charging base with a battery of its own.
Dell Latitude 7285 Pricing And Availability
Dell has yet to offer any pricing details for its innovative Latitude 7285 2-in-1, or announce a specific release date. However, the company says that it will offer more details about the device and its wireless charging capability at the DELL EMC World 2017 event in May.
The 2-in-1 business laptop hybrid could go on sale shortly after that, but we don't expect it to be too affordable. The Latitude 5285 2-in-1, for instance, will go on sale starting in February at an $899 price point, and it doesn't support any form of wireless charging. Consequently, the more advanced Latitude 7285 will surely be more expensive than the 5285 model.
