Dell's unveils new Latitude laptops with world's first automatic webcam shutter

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The new Latitude 9240 and 9520 laptops can close their webcam shutters automatically

Dell Latitude 9420
(Image credit: Dell)

Although the all-digital CES 2021 kicks off next week, Dell is showing off its new premium business laptops a bit early. Dell is introducing the the Latitude 9420 and 9520, featuring Intel's new 11th Gen vPro chips and an automated webcam shutter that physically blocks your webcam from prying eyes. 

The new feature is being called SafeShutter, and Dell is touting it as the "industry's first automatic webcam shutter that knows when to automatically open or close by syncing with your video conferencing applications." Dell will also include mute keys to disable the webcam or microphone manually. 

Included in both models with be Intel's new 11th Gen vPro chips, which have the company's powerful new integrated Iris Xe graphics. 

The 14-inch 2-in-1 Latitude 9420 model can be configured with a 2560x1600 panel, or a cheaper 1080p one. RAM can be configured as high as 32GB, and storage can reach up to 1TB with a super fast PCIe NCMe SSD. There will also be options for 5G and LTE support, thanks to Qualcomm's Snapdragon X20 or X55 modems. 

The larger 15.6-inch Latitude 9520 will be similarly spec'd to the 9420.

Both laptops will not be cheap, however. The Latitude 9420 will start at $1,949, while the 9520, which does not have pricing at the moment, is expected to be in the same ballpark. Both are set to launch this spring. 

Imad Khan
Imad Khan

Imad is currently Senior Google and Internet Culture reporter for CNET, but until recently was News Editor at Tom's Guide. Hailing from Texas, Imad started his journalism career in 2013 and has amassed bylines with the New York Times, the Washington Post, ESPN, Wired and Men's Health Magazine, among others. Outside of work, you can find him sitting blankly in front of a Word document trying desperately to write the first pages of a new book.