As we continue our romp through the most recent batch of Dell chipset refreshes, our next candidate is arguably the closest thing to a business-grade Microsoft Surface Pro that currently exists. Upon first glance, the two devices are nearly identical in a lot of ways, right down to the fundamental kickstand design and keyboard type cover. The 3:2 aspect ratio is also a common trait, as is the slotted edge-based vent design. However, under the hood, a lot of things are different.

On the other hand, last year’s Latitude 5285 is practically the same device as the 5290 2-in-1; the latter simply introduces an 8th-generation Intel SoC and some (very) minor revisions elsewhere. In our previous review nearly a year ago, we praised the Dell’s solid performance, bright display, quiet operation, and ease of maintenance. Meanwhile, we also lamented its proclivity for extremely hot operation, a lack of Thunderbolt connectivity, relatively heavy weight, disappointing warranty, and high price. At first glance, at least a few of these items haven’t changed since the last review—but our focus today will be on what has improved, and whether or not those improvements can justify the cost of the Latitude in comparison with other business competitors and even the Surface Pro itself.

Today’s review unit features a quad-core Intel Core i5-8350U, 8 GB LPDDR3 RAM, a 256 GB Toshiba NVMe SSD, and a 1920x1280 3:2 aspect ratio touch display. It also includes the keyboard type cover and the Dell Active Pen, all for around $1,932 as of this writing direct from Dell. Does the Latitude 5290 2-in-1 do enough to keep up with its peers?