Dell is bringing the world's first wireless charging laptop to the table, but it's not exactly aimed at the budget conscious.
First unveiled at CES 2017, the 12.3-inch 2-in-1 Latitude 7285 turned heads at the event with its "no wires" experience, cutting cords out of the picture when it comes to juicing it up. Now the computer maker just announced pricing and availability details, and it's not looking pretty.
Dell Latitude 7285 Wireless Charging Laptop Is Pricey
The good news is the Latitude 7285 is already available on Dell's website. The bad news is the price starts at $1,199.99, and that doesn't come with the wireless charging components.
That's somewhat odd considering that wireless charging is arguably the machine's main selling feature, but at any rate, users will have to throw in $199.99 more for the Wireless Charging Mat and another $379.99 for the Wireless Charging Keyboard to make it work.
When the two accessories are bought together, the total is discounted to $549.99 instead of $579.98 if bought separately. To put to and two together, the $1,199.99 Latitude 7285 base model and the "necessary" add-ons boil down to a whopping $1,750.
For the record, the $1,199.99 version houses an Intel Core i5-7Y54 paired with 8 GB of RAM and a 128 GB SSD under the hood. To no one's surprise, it's no gaming powerhouse, relying on integrated HD graphics.
The Latitude 7285's Wireless Charging Is Clever But Impractical
The Latitude 7285 is a 2-in-1 for a good reason: All the core components are crammed into the tablet behind the display. That allows Dell to have more space to do some magic in the attachable keyboard, and it did just that.
The aforementioned Wireless Charging Keyboard is capable of communicating with the Wireless Charging Mat, "sending" power straight to the tablet. Dell says that's all thanks to the Latitude 7285's WiTricity magnetic resonance wireless charging technology.
Put simply, users only have to equip the 2-in-1 with the Wireless Charging Keyboard and place the device on the Wireless Charging Mat to start charging.
"Integrating WiTricity's magnetic resonance wireless charging technology, the device is built to transform any workspace into a clutter-free environment. When combined with a charging mat and WiGig wireless dock (sold separately), users can quickly remove the 2-in-1 from the mat without the need to unplug any cables, and easily return it to the mat to automatically recharge and connect to additional wireless peripherals such as a display, wireless keyboard, and mouse," Dell said.
While it's clever and innovative to say the least, the high price point just makes it more or less impractical.
Long story short, if you want to be one of the first users to get ahold of the world's first wireless charging laptop, you're going to need at least $1,750.
