The long-running Dell Latitude series is geared towards business users who wish to have the extra security and connectivity features not normally found on ultrathin consumer laptops. For users who work in more environmentally demanding fields like law enforcement or government defense, however, the sturdier Latitude Rugged series should be a more appropriate fit. Dell has refreshed its Latitude Rugged lineup for 2018 with the high-end Latitude Rugged 7424, mid-range 5424, and a lighter, thinner version of the 5424 called the 5420.

A common theme across all three new models is the updated hardware. Dell sought out to "modernize" the series with common consumer features like USB Type-C, 1080p baseline display panels with improved color reproduction, and NVMe SSDs. All models employ brand new designs when compared to the previous generation, but they will fortunately be backwards compatible with existing pogo-pin docks to honor Dell's 10-year life cycle of docking stations. Veteran owners won't have to worry about repurchasing new docks or AC adapters when upgrading to these laptops.

We recommend checking out the detailed specifications list of each system below as they carry an exorbitant number of connectivity features when compared to the XPS or standard Latitude series. Most notable are the optional 1000-nit display backlight, Intel 8th gen CPU, and Radeon RX 540 discrete graphics. Dell says there are no Nvidia options as it wanted to streamline the SKUs and ensure system stability as having too many GPU options would increase the probability of problems in the field.

The Latitude Rugged 5420, 5424, and 7424 will retail for $1399, $1499, and $3499 USD, respectively. The 5424 and 7424 will directly supplant the two-year old 5414 and 7414, respectively.