Dell Latitude Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop DELL Latitude 3390 Intel Review

So you're looking at the Dell Latitude 3390 2-in-1. It's a 13.3-inch convertible laptop from a few years back, and honestly, it's a bit of a mixed bag. It's got a fantastic 4K touchscreen and a compact, portable design, but the rest of the specs tell a story of a machine that's firmly in the budget tier now. For $409, it's a very specific kind of deal.

This thing is not for gamers or power users. The benchmark scores spell it out: gaming performance is in the bottom 6th percentile. It's got integrated Intel UHD Graphics and a lower-tier Intel CPU from its generation. Where it shines is as a portable media consumption device or a basic web machine. That 4K screen in a small, flip-around chassis is its main attraction.

Think of it as a premium screen strapped to a very basic laptop body. If your needs are light—streaming video, browsing the web, taking notes with the stylus—and you absolutely want a sharp, high-resolution display in a tiny package, this has a case. But if you need to do anything more demanding, you'll hit its limits fast.

Let's talk numbers. The CPU performance lands in the 23rd percentile, which means it's slower than about three-quarters of comparable laptops. That translates to okay performance for basic tasks, but you'll notice slowdowns if you have too many browser tabs open or try to run lighter creative apps. The 8GB of RAM, which is in the 10th percentile, is the real bottleneck here. Modern web browsing can easily use that up, leading to slowdowns and swapping.

The GPU is in the 43rd percentile, which is actually not terrible for integrated graphics, but remember, we're starting from a very low base. It can handle the 4K display for desktop use and stream 4K video just fine. But that's it. Don't expect to edit photos or videos with any speed, and gaming is basically off the table except for the very lightest titles at low settings. The performance story is clear: this is a machine for light, single-tasking use.

The value proposition here is entirely about the screen. You're paying $409 for a premium 4K touch display wrapped in an aging, entry-level laptop chassis. Compared to new budget laptops at this price, you'll get a better screen but worse performance and less RAM. It's a trade-off.

You can't really compare its price to the listed competitors like a new MacBook Pro or a gaming laptop—those are in a completely different league. The real comparison is against other used or refurbished business convertibles, or new budget Chromebooks and Windows laptops. Here, the Latitude's high-res screen is its only standout feature.

Compared to a new budget laptop like a $400 Acer or Lenovo IdeaPad, you'll likely get a worse 1080p screen, but a newer, faster CPU, more RAM (often 12GB or 16GB), and a warranty. The Dell wins on display quality but loses on everything else. Compared to a similarly priced used Apple MacBook Air (from the Intel era), you'd get a better trackpad, macOS, and often better build quality, but no touchscreen or 2-in-1 flexibility.

Then there are the 2-in-1 specific competitors. A used Microsoft Surface Pro might be in the same ballpark. You'd get a detachable tablet form factor, possibly a better pen experience, and similar portability, but likely with the same or worse performance constraints. The Dell's advantage is that it's a traditional clamshell laptop that happens to fold back, which some people prefer over a tablet-with-keyboard setup.

This is a niche recommendation. If your top priority is screen sharpness for watching movies or reading, you work almost exclusively in one or two light apps at a time, and you really want the 2-in-1 form factor, this Dell Latitude 3390 could work for you at $409. Treat it like a very smart, portable TV with a keyboard.

For almost everyone else, I'd say look elsewhere. The 8GB of RAM is a deal-breaker for general use in 2024. If you need to do real work, browse with many tabs, or want the system to feel snappy for more than a year, spend a bit more on a modern laptop with 16GB of RAM, even if it means settling for a 1080p screen. The performance and longevity upgrade will be worth far more than the extra pixels.