PROS
Small and light
Solid construction
Good battery life
Two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports
Edge-to-edge 13.3-inch screen
Mobile broadband option
CONS
Expensive(especially the touchscreen model)
Only one USB 3.0 slot
Awkwardly located webcam
Dell’s Latitude 13 7000 Series has undergone a complete refresh(as have the 3000 and 5000 Series), bringing some design cues from the popular consumer-focused XPS series to the business range, according to Dell. This has resulted in slimmer and sleeker Latitude devices.
It’s certainly a good-looking 13.3-inch ultrabook. Slate-grey on the top and black on the bottom, its minimalist appearance should sit well in the office. It’s also thin and light, with a footprint of 304.8 by 210.5mm - barely greater than a sheet of A4 paper - and 14.32mm thick at the back edge. There’s a slight taper, so the front thickness is about 10mm. You’ll barely notice the laptop’s 1.12kg weight in a travel bag.
The chassis materials include carbon fibre - brought across from the XPS line. This is also used to form the lid in our review model, and it’s exceptionally tough. We had to work pretty hard to flex it at all - it’s probably one of the most solid constructions we’ve come across outside the rugged category.
Check the specifications carefully, though, because carbon fibre isn’t standard across all models. The two less expensive of the four preconfigured options available from Dell’s UK website use aluminium for the lid, and you can’t upgrade this. All other things being equal, we’d go for the carbon fibre option every time.
The black base has a soft-touch coating that helps with grip when toting the laptop between meetings. Long rubber feet run almost all the way along the base and help to anchor it to a table.
Conclusion
If money is not a concern and you’re looking for a capable small-format business laptop, Dell’s Latitude 13 7370 could fit the bill nicely. Good battery life, a non-reflective screen that’s relatively large for the overall size and weight of the chassis, optional mobile broadband, and even a touchscreen option if you can afford it, are all attractive features.
It’s a pity the webcam is awkwardly positioned, and that there’s only one USB 3.0 port, but with two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports and Micro-HDMI there are plenty of alternative ways of hooking into peripherals.