Dell’s Latitude 7380 splits the difference in screen size between their existing Latitude 7000 series flagships, the 7280 and 7480—but in many ways, it’s less of a compromise and more of an intra-generational evolution. Taking a page out of the XPS 13’s book, the 7380 crams a 13.3-inch display into the footprint (and, for the most part, the entire body) of the existing 12.5-inch 7280—thus, in many ways, replacing it. Best of all, there truly are no major negatives to this approach: case stability is still very good overall, and although the display lid can’t quite match the rigidity of the XPS 13’s aluminum frame, the magnesium construction of the Latitude’s is by no means fragile.

Dell’s Latitude 7380 splits the difference in screen size—but in many ways, it’s less of a compromise and more of an intra-generational evolution. It starts with the foundation laid by the consumer-grade XPS 13, yet it provides all of the business sensibilities implied by the Latitude brand.

We also were pleased with the 7380’s excellent system performance and mostly consistent CPU speeds under load; taken alongside the low surface temperatures and largely unobtrusive fan noise, the results are impressive for a machine of this size. Even more impressive were our battery tests, where we managed over ten hours of web surfing on a single charge. To top it all off, the 1080p IPS display is also above average—though it does require professional calibration for any degree of color accuracy.

Our only major gripes are the moderately noticeable electronic noise/coil whine, the inaccuracy of the display out of the box, and the aforementioned high price of $2,178. It's also slightly disappointing that only single-channel memory is supported, though the total capacity of 16 GB is plenty for this class of notebook. Worthwhile competitors from other manufacturers include the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, HP EliteBook 840 G4, and Toshiba Portege X30-D, some of which are less expensive than the Latitude, but all which are accompanied by their own unique sets of pros and cons.

Why choose the Latitude 7380 when Dell already produces such an excellent (and similar) high-end ultraportable notebook in its XPS 13? Mostly due to the business sensibilities which are implied by the Latitude brand. Apart from its trademark subtle, matte black styling, the 7380 provides a superior keyboard, a touchpad with separate physical buttons, an Ethernet port, a longer warranty, and far more flexible maintenance options. It costs quite a bit more than the XPS as well, but it’s a small price to pay if it gets the job done.