On October 23, 2018, Dell introduced successors for both its semi-rugged and fully rugged 14-inch laptops. The new machines are the Latitude 5420 and 5424 Rugged on the semi-rugged side and the Latitude 7424 Rugged Extreme on the fully rugged end.
Dell Latitude Rugged 5420
It is a slenderized version of the Latitude 5424 Rugged that weighs less about 4.9 pounds (2.22kg) featuring IP-52 protection, MIL-STD-810G testing, can withstand drops from a height of 3 feet, and supports dust, anti-vibration, shock and moisture resistance, and can work at high altitudes and extreme temperatures. The new semi-rugged looks much like the previous one, but it has been changed and improved in numerous ways.
The Latitude 5420 Rugged has a 14-inch display. Standard resolution is full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel. Full HD was only available as an option on the predecessor 14 Rugged (it came with 1366 x 768 pixels). It has two smaller standard batteries, a more weight-saving design that is now hot-swappable, and the combined battery capacity is a bit larger than the old extended battery. Dell says the new design can reach 14 hours of battery life with dual batteries.
Dell Latitude 5424 Rugged
The Latitude 5424 Rugged is an entirely new design, the new machine is the same size as the old. It weighs almost a pound less, thanks to the smaller standard battery and more weight-saving design. Dell went from a fairly large standard battery and an optional extended battery to a new design that can accommodate two smaller batteries.
The specs suggest that all primary storage solid state disk options are of the PCIe NVMe variety with a 14-inch display. Full HD was only available as an option on the predecessor 14 Rugged. As the competition in this class, the Latitude 5424 Rugged offers excellent connectivity and expandability.
Dell Latitude Rugged 7424 Extreme
The Dell Latitude Rugged 7424 Extreme is a direct replacement of the Dell Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme, which had served as Dell’s primary fully rugged laptop offering since its introduction in the fall of 2014. The Latitude 7424 Rugged Extreme is an entirely new design.
As for the processor it has got a powerful Intel 6th generation Core processor; a 6th gen “Skylake” chip remains available for those who want Windows 7. A 7th generation Core i3 represents the low end. And very powerful 8th generation i5 and i7 quad-core processors provide significantly more performance than the older model’s Skylake chips.
The Latitude 7424 Rugged Extreme has a 14-inch display. Standard resolution is full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel. Full HD was only available as an option on the predecessor 14 Rugged Extreme (it came with 1366 x 768 pixels).
The Latitude 7424 Rugged Extreme starts at $3,499 (approximately RMB 24,274), while the 5424 Rugged starts at $1,499 (approximately RMB 10,399) and the 5,420 Rugged starts at $1,399 (approximately RMB 9,705).
