Given that the Consumer Electronics Show, which took place in Las Vegas last week, is the one of the biggest technology shows in the world focused on consumer technology, it can be difficult to stand out. This is especially true if you include a business notebook at a consumer expo.

Nonetheless, Dell’s latest 14” 2-in-1 apparently did just that, earning itself an honouree nod from the CES Innovation Awards.

Quite clearly, the notebook has been designed for the mobile user in mind. Firstly, according to the company, the new Latitude has the distinction of being world’s smallest commercial 14” 2-in-1.

Even more important to road warriors, the company asserted that it will be able to deliver the longest battery life in its class for days of unplugged productivity during travel. More specifically, users can expect 24 hours use from a single charge. Additionally, when travelers do need to recharge, Dell reassured that its ExpressCharge technology will be able to get the battery back up to 80% in just an hour.

Apart from portability and staying power, the next critical component for business users on the go is connectivity. On this front, the 14” notebook boasts Cat16 Gigabit LTE, which the company noted is about three times faster than its previous WWAN technology, for those times when Wi-Fi is unavailable.

As for tech specs, expect to find a 8th Gen Intel Core WHL-U, quad core processor with up to 16 GB LPDDR3 SDRAM. The 14” touch screen offers a 1920x1080 resolution at 300 nits brightness, while storage is configurable up to a 1 TB SSD drive.

The machine further uses Dell’s new Express Sign-in, along with Intel’s context sensing technology, to detect the user’s presence, wake the system in about one second, and scan for facial recognition to log them in with Windows Hello. The same technology is used to automatically lock the device when the authorised user is no longer in proximity.

Top of mind for any business user – and increasingly every kind of user – is security. To this end, the company noted that the machine incorporates Dell’s ControlVault 3 option for hardware multi-factor authentication, along with a SmartCard reader, a feature that apparently customers requested, despite it being phased out by other manufacturers.

Thus, the machine has an integrated, contactless SmartCard reader using the NFC antenna under the clickpad. In keeping with some other announcements and developments from last year, the machine further integrates VMware’s Workspace ONE as well.

With regards to aesthetics, these have been given their fair due. Apparently the 14” Latitude is finished in a new Titan Gray machined aluminium with a hairline brushed design and diamond-cut edges, while the magnesium alloy bottom cover is coated in soft-touch paint that is intended to make it feel great to carry. The newly debuted machine furthermore has the distinction of being the first Latitude to use the company’s recycled ocean plastics packaging.

As to a local release date, pricing and more in-depth technical specifications, we have been reassured that these will be divulged soon.