Tablets running Windows 10, like the new Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable, are mostly aimed at business users who prioritize portability and interact with their PCs mostly via the touch screen. With IT-friendly features and an included keyboard cover for when you want to use it as a conventional laptop, the Latitude 7320 (starts at $1,559; $2,219 as tested) is an excellent option. But the similar Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ for Business is slightly more capable for the price, and remains our Editors’ Choice pick among detachable 2-in-1s.
Ultimate Portability for Business
The arrival of the Latitude 7320 Detachable gives companies deploying Windows tablets a third option in addition to the Surface Pro and the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable. All of these models can be used detached (as standalone tablets) or with a keyboard cover that snaps magnetically into place—bundled with the Dell and Lenovo, an extra-cost option with the Microsoft slate. The main physical difference between these three options and the Apple iPad Pro (other than the operating system) is that the Windows tablets include a kickstand integrated into the back cover, which makes them easier to prop up for viewing on a desk or airplane tray table.
The Microsoft, Lenovo, and Dell tablets also feature Intel’s latest 11th Generation processors, making them as powerful as a conventional business ultraportable laptop. Our Latitude 7320 Detachable test unit is well equipped with a quad-core Core i7-1180G7 with Intel’s vPro management technology, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB NVMe solid-state drive. The base model makes do with a Core i3 CPU, 4GB of memory, and a 128GB SSD; we’d recommend staying away from that anemic configuration.
The Latitude features a 13-inch display with approximate 3:2 aspect ratio. We like to see this screen format on tablets, since it’s squarer than the usual 16:9 laptop ratio and better suited to viewing web pages and full-screen apps. The Dell’s display has 1,920-by-1,280-pixel resolution, matching that of the ThinkPad X12 Detachable, though that device’s screen is slightly smaller at 12.3 inches measured diagonally. The Surface Pro 7+ also has a 12.3-inch display, but with a much higher resolution of 2,736 by 1,824 pixels.
In general, higher-resolution screens matter more on touch-capable tablets than they do on laptops. The increased pixel density not only makes text appear sharper, but also helps if you’re doing precision drawing work using a digital stylus. So it’s disappointing to see that neither the Dell nor Lenovo match the Surface Pro 7+’s superior resolution.
Since most business users will need a keyboard at least some of the time, it’s nice to see that Dell includes one in the box instead of selling it separately. The Latitude 7320 Detachable’s backlit keyboard includes a small touchpad, which tracks well and is surprisingly sturdy given the thinness of the cover. It snaps magnetically to the bottom edge of the tablet and even includes a built-in charging slot for the included digital stylus. I found the pen to be comfortable and reasonably accurate for quick note-taking, and appreciate that it only takes about five minutes to fully recharge its built-in battery.
One unsurprising downside to including all these extras is a higher list price. Latitudes are typically more expensive than both Dell’s consumer systems and their competitors from other vendors, and the 7320 Detachable is no exception. Our test configuration’s $2,219 asking price is significantly higher than the $1,499.99 of the Surface Pro 7+ bundle we tested. For the added cost, you do get a larger screen and a three-year warranty. And pricing varies depending on your relationship with Dell—for instance, bulk orders from regular customers can result in varied and confidential discounts off the list price.
Bigger Screen, Same-Size Tablet
The Latitude 7320 Detachable is only available in gray, but that should suit most business settings. The brushed aluminum tablet itself is light gray, while the keyboard cover’s tough fabric is a much darker shade. Without the cover, the tablet measures 0.33 by 11.4 by 8.2 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.7 pounds. It’s almost exactly the same size as the Microsoft and Lenovo tablets, an impressive feat considering that those slates have smaller screens. To give you an idea of the weight and size differences between a detachable tablet and a convertible 2-in-1 business laptop, the 13.3-inch Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 stablemate measures 0.67 by 12.1 by 8 inches and weighs 3.1 pounds. Of course, in return for that extra weight and thickness, you get a much more capable keyboard. The Latitude 7320 Detachable’s keys are surprisingly sturdy and comfortable, but they can’t overcome the significant flex that’s inherent in a thin keyboard cover.
A convertible laptop also gives you much more connectivity. As is, the Latitude 7320 Detachable has just three connectors: two USB-C ports and a 3.5mm audio jack. Conveniently, both of the USB ports support Thunderbolt 4 speeds, which means that you could easily turn the tablet into a full-fledged office workstation with a Thunderbolt dock when you’re using it with a monitor and peripherals at your desk.
But compared with a conventional laptop, the Dell tablet’s camera complement is far superior. You get not one but two cameras, one world-facing lens mounted on the back plus a webcam facing you. The rear shooter produces rather noisy video quality, common for a webcam, but the front-facing one is a bit sharper and also has IR sensors to let you log in to Windows using face recognition. The Latitude 7320 Detachable also has a proximity sensor that automatically wakes it from sleep when it detects your presence and activates the IR sensors to recognize your face. Finally, the tablet also comes with a nifty rear-mounted fingerprint reader, something that’s missing on the Surface Pro 7+. It’s perfectly positioned at the upper right corner to allow you to swipe your pointer finger while holding the device with one hand. Of course, some IT departments don’t support Windows Hello face recognition or fingerprint logins, so the Latitude 7320 Detachable is also compatible with wireless SmartCards.
Other wireless connections include Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.1, and an optional cellular modem that works with AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint SIM cards. The mobile broadband is limited to 4G LTE speeds; it doesn’t support 5G.
Audio quality from the Latitude 7320 Detachable’s speakers is remarkably robust for a tablet. Sound emanates from two tiny slits on the left and right edges. I found that people on the other end of a videoconference could easily be heard throughout a large living room with the volume set to maximum. There’s even a bit of bass response when you’re watching movies, although the highs sounded tinny.
Rethinking Tablet Exhaust Fans
At just half the thickness of the Latitude 7320 2-in-1 convertible, the Latitude 7320 Detachable has a lot less room inside to cool its computing components. It’s a challenge that all tablets face, and it’s a key reason why you won’t see top-of-the-line graphics and CPU muscle in them. Dell says it has put a lot of effort into maximizing cooling in this tablet, however, with liquid-crystal polymer fan blades to increase efficiency and dual opposite exhaust fans. Still, the Core i7 in our review unit performs hardly better than the Core i5 processors that power the ThinkPad X12 Detachable and Surface Pro 7+.
The differences between the three detachables were often miniscule in our performance tests. Before we look at the benchmark results, you can check out the basic specs of the competitors in the table below. I rounded out the test group with two additional alternatives, the convertible version of the Latitude 7320 and the revolutionary Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold foldable-screen tablet.
See How We Test LaptopsSee How We Test Laptops
Our PCMark 10 benchmark simulates various productivity and content creation workflows to measure system performance for typical office tasks. Any score above 4,000 points represents excellent productivity. The Latitude 7320 Detachable finished within a few hundred points of its competitors, excepting the slower ThinkPad X1 Fold. The contenders were even closer together in PCMark 8’s storage subtest, which isn’t very demanding for today’s swift SSDs.
Next is Maxon’s CPU-crunching Cinebench R15 test, which is fully threaded to make use of all available processor cores and threads. Cinebench stresses the CPU rather than the GPU to render a complex image. The result is a proprietary score indicating a PC’s suitability for processor-intensive workloads.
Here, the ThinkPad X12 Detachable and Surface Pro 7+ actually managed to perform slightly better than the Latitude 7320 Detachable, despite their Core i5 CPUs. The real-world difference isn’t noticeable, however.
We saw similar results in our Handbrake video-editing trial, another tough, threaded workout that’s highly CPU-dependent and scales well with cores and threads. In it, we put a stopwatch on test systems as they transcode a standard 12-minute clip of 4K video (the open-source Blender demo movie Tears of SteelTears of Steel) to a 1080p MP4 file. It’s a timed test, and lower results are better.
We also run a custom Adobe Photoshop image-editing benchmark. Using an early 2018 release of the Creative Cloud version of Photoshop, we apply a series of 10 complex filters and effects to a standard JPEG test image, timing each operation and adding up the totals. As with Handbrake, lower times are better here. The Photoshop test stresses the CPU, storage subsystem, and RAM, but it can also take advantage of most GPUs to speed up the process of applying filters, so systems with powerful graphics chips or cards may see a boost. Again, with the exception of the ThinkPad X1 Fold, all the systems finished within a few seconds of each other.
A Long-Lasting Tablet
Although you can play basic browser-based games like Candy Crush on the Latitude 7320 Detachable, neither it nor any other Windows tablet is a likely candidate for more intense 3D games. The Dell’s performance in our 3DMark and Superposition gaming simulations was roughly on par with the Surface Pro 7+, which uses the same Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics.
As with cooling hardware, a tablet’s thin enclosure also limits the size of its battery. In the Latitude 7320 Detachable’s case, it’s a 40-watt-hour battery that nevertheless managed to last for more than 12 hours in our unplugged video playback test. It’s an impressive result, even if it’s a few hours short of the Surface Pro’s time.
Premium Features, Premium Price
Overall, the Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable has a few advantages over the Surface Pro 7+ and its other main competitor, the ThinkPad X12 Detachable. A larger screen, a fingerprint reader, and an included keyboard with built-in stylus holder add to the Latitude’s appeal, even if they do carry a premium in price.
But when it comes to computing performance and battery life, the Surface Pro 7+ doesn’t suffer from any significant disadvantages. On the contrary, its Core i5 outruns the Latitude’s Core i7 in some tests, and it lasts longer away from a power outlet, too. As a result, the Microsoft tablet is the better choice for most workers in the market for an ultralight, pen-friendly Windows machine, and it retains our Editors’ Choice award as the best Windows detachable for business.
