Dell reveals Latitude 10 essentials with pumped up battery

Dell introduced a new addition to its Windows 8 tablet line at CES with the announcement of the Latitude 10 essentials configuration.

On the surface not much has changed between the standard Latitude 10 and the new essentials model. It still features the same 10.1-inch 1,366x768 display with Gorilla Glass and Intel Clover Trail Atom processor with 2GB of RAM.

One of the key differences comes from the battery, which is no longer swappable on the essentials configuration. Essentials tablets will also lack a rear camera flash and Wacom active stylus support, though a standard passive stylus will still work.

It is also missing the Latitude 10's ports for mini-USB, mini-HDMI, and micro SIM cards, though a full-sized USB port and SD card slot are still included.

The price is right

The Latitude 10 essentials configuration is billed for business and education purposes, which is a bit odd considering some of the changes compared to the standard model. A mini-HDMI port, for example, can be quite useful as a student or at work for giving presentations.

Dell is also offering an optional productivity dock for the Latitude 10, which makes up for some of the lost connectivity with four USB 2.0 ports, HDMI out, audio out, and an ethernet port.

What sweetens the deal is the price, with Dell offering the Latitude 10 essentials configuration starting at $499 for a 32GB model and $579 for 64GB of storage. It may only be a small discount for the 64GB tablet, but the introduction of a less expensive 32GB model brings the Latitude 10 much closer to a student's budget.

Those who want to jump on the Latitude 10 essentials can order the 64GB model starting today, while the 32GB configuration will start shipping "in the coming months," which could mean just in time for graduation.