A tablet that’s all business
> The Dell Latitude 5285 2-in-1 is one dependable and sturdy workhorse that runs on Windows 10 Pro
THE DELL LATITUDE 5285 2-in-1 is Dell’s latest solution for a business class Windows 10-powered tablet – sturdy, dependable, and a performer to boot. The price, however, is on the high side.
At a little less than 1kg (sans the keyboard), the Dell Latitude 5285 2-in-1 is heavier than I expected. Still, its weight conveys a sense of how well it is built rather than being cumbersome.
Our test unit also comes with the detachable backlit keyboard (sold separately for RM678.30) which completes the tablet’s folio look and feel, and turns it into a laptop.
With the keyboard attached, the unit weighs just above 1kg.
One of the highly-touted features of the Dell Latitude 5285 2-in-1 is its auto-deploy kickstand.
I did not organically discover this gimmick in the first week of using the device. I was only reminded of it when I read it in the press release.
The auto-deploy kickstand is essentially a spring-loaded kickstand that pops out automatically when the two buttons at the bottom of the Dell Latitude 5285 2-in-1 are deliberately pressed by pushing down the tablet, edgewise, onto a flat surface. It also works with the keyboard attached.
I have to admit that the auto-deploy kickstand is useful – when I remember it’s there.
The face of the Dell Latitude 5285 2-in-1 is a 12.3in 1920x1080 touchscreen display underneath a piece of Corning
Gorilla Glass 4 with an antireflective and anti-smudge coating. I can attest that the display is somewhat smudge-resistant, which is a plus on a tablet, but it is still reflective, and the 1920-by-1080 resolution, although adequate for most productivity applications, could be of a higher resolution especially for the price you will have to pay for this device. The rest of the Dell Latitude 5285 2-in-1 is made of a magnesium alloy, which makes it feel sturdy and premium, while the kickstand is made of brushed-metal aluminium. The review unit that we received had 256GB of PCIe SSD storage, 8GB of memory, and a 7th Generation Intel Core i5-7300U processor to run Windows 10 Pro. As you might expect, performance is never an issue with this device. And neither is connectivity. On the left side of the tablet are three USB ports: one standard USB port and two USB Type-C port. Since the USB Type-C ports can be used to charge the Dell Latitude 5285 2-in-1, I wished they were on either side of the tablet which would make plugging it in much easier in certain situations. On the other side is a security card reader. This, in addition to the fingerprint reader and the contactless card reader at the back of the tablet as well as the security options built into the tablet, makes this the most secure 2-in-1. The Dell Latitude 5285 2-in-1 never failed me while I was on assignments. The builtin full-sized USB port means I do not have to bring a dongle when I need to plug in a thumb drive. Nevertheless, I feel the battery life is not stellar. Outside of battery-saving mode, the battery lasted me approximately seven hours on a single charge. That is all right for a normal workday, but on long assignments, I will be looking for an outlet to plug in. Thankfully, the power adapter is small and portable. Dell has long mastered the art of making portable keyboards, and the company has put this knowledge to good use here. Despite its size, the keyboard is comfortable to work on for long periods. Nevertheless, I am not a big fan of the track pad. It is not as tactile as the rest of the keyboard, so I use the touchscreen most of the time. Using the Dell Latitude 5285 2-in-1 primarily as a media consumption device is not utilising the tablet to its full capabilities. Even with a standard full HD display and no brand-named audio gimmick to speak of, it could still be used as a competent media device and for presentations. The price of a Dell Latitude 5285 2-in-1 begins at RM5,788. According to Dell, the review unit that we received would have cost RM10,014.30.