Dell adds a 4K display to the Precision M3800

Dell Precision M3800
Dell Precision M3800

One of the best mobile workstations just got better. Dell has updated its Precision M3800 enterprise laptop to include a 4K monitor, an additional terabyte of data, Thunderbolt 2.0 docking and the option of installing Ubuntu.

The 15.6-inch mobile workstation weighs 4.15 pounds, which is Olive Oyl-thin for an enterprise laptop. Like the previous model, the Precision M3800 comes fully-loaded with NVIDIA Quadro K1100M graphics and an Intel Haswell Core i7 processor.

In addition to Windows 7 Pro, and Windows 8.1 Pro, customers can install Ubuntu, which some businesses prefer due to its built-in personal firewall and open-source infrastructure, which makes changing code easier and customizable.

Other new features

Although it looks exactly like the previous iteration of the Precision M3800, the new model comes with the option of a 4K 3840x2160 resolution Corning Gorilla Glass NBT panel or a 1920X1080 resolution touch-screen panel.

As mentioned earlier, the new model includes a Thunderbolt 2.0 port, but it has also replaced the USB 2.0 Ethernet dongle with a USB 3.0 dongle.

Dell has added an additional 1TB of mSATA SSD storage to the M3800, which last year was able to house 1TB of data. The new 2TB model holds twice as much data as a MacBook Pro.

In addition, the M3800 houses an HDMI port,a 3-in-1 Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC), and a backlit keyboard. It is immediately unclear how long the battery will run for, but one would assume it is an improvement on the previous model's two hours and 58 minutes.

The new model will start at $1699, £1299, AU$2138.

The previous version

TechRadar Pro ranked the Dell Precision M3800 one of the best five mobile workstations in the world. We praised it for its superb CPU and graphics performance, its thin and light design and it gorgeous quad HD display.

Dell Precision M3800

The previous model

Given that these specs have stayed the same (and improved in the case of the 4K display), it is likely that the new model will live up to the high standard set by its predecessor.