Apple is yet to deliver its first smartphone with wireless charging, but Dell is already bringing the feature to notebooks. Its new Latitude 7285 is the world’s first 2-in-1 laptop that can be topped up without a cable.
Its sleek design makes the Latitude 7285 an ideal MacBook Pro competitor, but unlike any of Apple’s machines, its display pops off to become a tablet. Buy the right keyboard and you also get wireless charging, negating the need to plug it into anything.
It works just like smartphone wireless charging. In addition to the charging keyboard, you need a special mat that passes power onto the machine’s 34 Wh battery. It’s not yet clear how long a full charge takes, but it’s unlikely to be quick.
Also, bear in mind that like the Surface Pro, the Latitude 7285 comes as a tablet — without a physical keyboard. The “productivity keyboard,” which doesn’t offer wireless charging, costs $250. The charging keyboard with mat is priced at $550.
If you opt for the latter, it takes the starting price of the Latitude 7285 to $1,750. That’s still slightly cheaper than a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, and you get comparable specifications, including an Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM.
Photo: Dell
Other features include a 720p webcam, an infrared sensor with Windows Hello support, and support for the optional Dell Active Pen (also sold separately).
The MacBook Pro does offer more storage, with the Latitude 7285 delivering just 128GB as standard. Dell’s machine also has a smaller 12.3-inch display (2880×1920), though you will get traditional USB ports alongside USB-C.
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
3 responses to “Dell delivers world’s first laptop with wireless charging”
Doesn’t the charging base still have to be plugged in?
Shhh, we’ll pretend that doesn’t exist! Never mind it looks like the wireless charger combination is larger than a wired one, an seems like it’d be a PITA on your lap! If you’re lucky, if someone trips over the cord, it won’t send the laptop flying, like someone rips a tablecloth off of a table covered with dishes without disrupting them. Yeah, Murphy’s Law says that’s incredibly optimistic…
No, it draws electricity from the air, take that again Apple! LOL!
Wireless charging, who cares.