There was a time when business laptops were frustratingly boring. They used to be bulky, had a cramped keyboard, the display was sub-par with large thick black bezels above and below, and their battery life wasn’t great. Dell’s new Latitude 9510 2-in-1 tries to change the face of business laptops, and the experiment seems to have worked. It’s a premium 15-inch 2-in-1 machine that only weighs 1.4 kg, sports a beautiful, bezel-less touch screen display, almost perfect keyboard, Express Sign-in feature, and has a battery life that is longer than any other laptop we have reviewed so far.
But all the goodness comes at a hefty price. The Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 starts at Rs 1,51,664 and goes up to Rs 1,87,841, the model we got for review. It’s not for regular folks like me or you. Instead, the compact convertible is designed for CEOs, senior marketing executives and frequent travellers. Here is my review of the Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1.
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 price in India: Rs 1,87,841
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 review: What’s new?
The new 9510 2-in-1 is a well-built notebook. It resembles the Dell XPS 15 but has some unique design elements as well. The notebook has a high-quality feel to it, thanks to the machine-milled aluminum used. The diamond cut in the corners gives the business notebook an elegant and attractive feel. The Latitude 9510 2-in-1 is a thin, light laptop that’s easier to carry and fit in a backpack or traditional laptop bag. The notebook only weighs in at 1.4 kg.
The diamond cut in the corners gives the business notebook an elegant and attractive feel. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
But at its heart, the Latitude 9510 2-in-1 is a convertible notebook. Dell added a 360-degree rotating hinge that makes the Latitude 9510 2-in-1 a cross between a standard clamshell laptop and a tablet. The 360-degree hinge lets you use the notebook in a movie-watching mode or make it into the tablet. The hinge is quite sturdy and stayed that way through the entire testing period.
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 review: What’s good?
When it comes to ports, this Windows 10-powered system offers adequate ports. On the notebook’s left edge, you will find a full-size HDMI 2.0 port, two USB Type-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports, and a microSD card reader. And on the left-right edge of the notebook, there is an audio jack, a single USB Type-A port, an audio jack, and a slot for a physical lock. Since Latitude 9510 is a business notebook, its internal components can be easily accessed and upgraded. It’s good to see the support for Intel Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.
The 16:9, 15-inch FHD (1,920×1,080p) touchscreen is great for work or consuming movies. It’s sharp, bright and clear with good viewing angles. The screen has tiny bezels, which means you get a larger display in about the same form factor. The screen’s touch responsiveness is also great. Since you will be using the 2-in-1 as a tablet, though we don’t recommend, touch response becomes extremely important.
The 360-degree hinge lets you use the notebook in a movie-watching mode or make it into the tablet. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
My favourite part of the Latitude 9510 2-in-1 is the speakers. There are four of them and yes, they get really loud. They are good for movies or listening to casual music. The notebook also features four microphones. Having four microphones is beneficial because they help in reducing noise cancellation during Zoom calls.
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Performance-wise, the Latitude 9510 2-in-1 is a speedy machine. Our review unit ran on an Intel Core i7-10810U vPro, 16GB of memory, a 512GB SSD, and Intel UHD Graphics. The Latitude 9510 2-in-1 handled my everyday tasks – WhatsApp web, Apple Music, YouTube, Google Drive, and WordPress. On a typical day, I would have at least 20 to 25 Chrome taps open and multiple apps running in the background. The notebook is relatively quiet and cool. The Latitude 9510 2-in-1 does a fine job for everyday tasks like editing documents, light photo or video editing, web browsing and streaming movies. I can’t imagine a business executive would want to play AAA games on this machine.
The Latitude 9510 2-in-1 does a fine job for everyday tasks like editing documents, light photo or video editing, web browsing and streaming movies. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
Dell included a 52 WHr battery in the Latitude 9510 2-in-1. Although Dell claims the laptop’s battery would last 34 hours, my unit lasted 12 hours on a full charge. This was when I left the display at 50 per cent screen brightness and turned the Wi-Fi on. Even 12 hours of battery backup on a single charge is insane. An average notebook barely lasts beyond 7 hours. Frequent travellers should note this. I also found the laptop takes less than 50 minutes to fully charge the battery.
The backlit keyboard is impressive. The keycaps are larger, and it’s a lot easier to type on. The keys have good travel, and they are satisfying. The touchpad is also decent, with a large, roomy glass surface. Its click mechanism is satisfying.
The keys have good travel, and they are satisfying. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
Perhaps the standout feature of the Latitude 9510 2-in-1 is Express Sign-In. The Express Sign-in improved the security of the laptop by Microsoft’s Windows Hello facial recognition with proximity sensors. So basically, the camera looks at your face and then automatically logs in into the machine even if it’s in sleep mode – no touches required. You are not required to touch the keyboard to wake up the system. Express Sign-in knows when you are moving away from the laptop or when you are sitting in front of the system. In my testing, I found the Express Sign-in feature pretty accurate, It usually takes 4 to 5 seconds for the laptop to recognise you and turn on the system.
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Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 review: What’s not good?
If the Dell Latitude 9510 has any weakness, it has to be its 720p HD webcam. It’s fine for video calling, but at this price point, Dell should have packed in a 1080p webcam. A 1080p wide-angle camera is what we expect in a laptop that costs as high as the Latitude 9510 2-in-1.
The notebook has a high-quality feel to it, thanks to the machine-milled aluminum used. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 review: Should you buy one?
The Latitude 9510 2-in-1 is the best business laptop you can buy. It’s light, fast, has a good display and keyboard, long battery and pleasing design. But before you spend Rs 1,87,841 on this machine, you need to know who you are. This is a great choice for business executives and high net individuals who want a thin and light business notebook. It’s expensive – but there are large corporations who don’t mind spending close to 2 lakh on a laptop for their senior executives.
7 min read
The diamond cut in the corners gives the business notebook an elegant and attractive feel. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The 360-degree hinge lets you use the notebook in a movie-watching mode or make it into the tablet. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/
The Latitude 9510 2-in-1 does a fine job for everyday tasks like editing documents, light photo or video editing, web browsing and streaming movies. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The keys have good travel, and they are satisfying. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
A 1080p wide-angle camera is what we expect in a laptop that costs as high as the Latitude 9510 2-in-1. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The notebook has a high-quality feel to it, thanks to the machine-milled aluminum used. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
