Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 vs. Latitude 9510 2-in-1: Newer isn't always better
The Latitude 9520 2-in-1 swaps out the 10th gen Intel CPU on the Latitude 9510 2-in-1 for newer 11th gen options while keeping the chassis identical. Thus, we recommend checking out our existing review on the Latitude 9510 2-in-1 to learn more about our thoughts on the chassis, keyboard, and other physical features of the system. This review will focus on the differences between the two models including what users can expect in terms of performance.
Our test unit is a higher-end configuration with the vPro-enabled Core i7-1185G7 CPU, Iris Xe 96 EUs GPU, 16 GB RAM, and 512 GB NVMe SSD for approximately $2800 USD. Lesser SKUs with the Core i5-1145G7 CPU and half the storage capacity are available for around $2300. Note that all 2-in-1 SKUs come with the same 15-inch FHD panel with proximity sensor and electronic shutter. Alternatively, users can also purchase the Latitude 9520 clamshell if the 2-in-1 form factor is undesirable.
The Latitude 9520 2-in-1 competes with other high-end business convertibles like the MSI Summit E13 Flip, Microsoft Surface Book, HP EliteBook x360 1040 G7, or the Lenovo ThinkPad x13 Yoga.
More Dell reviews:
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
89.2 % | 11/2021 | Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.7 kg | 13.99 mm | 15.00" | 1920x1080 | |
88.6 % | 07/2020 | Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 i7-10810U, UHD Graphics 620 | 1.7 kg | 13.99 mm | 15.00" | 1920x1080 | |
86.1 % | 08/2021 | HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.8 kg | 19 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
85.1 % | 07/2021 | Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD R5 5600U, Vega 7 | 1.9 kg | 21 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
81.2 % | 05/2021 | MSI Summit B15 A11M i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.5 kg | 16.9 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
84.9 % | 04/2021 | Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 R7 4980U, Vega 8 | 1.6 kg | 14.7 mm | 15.00" | 2496x1664 |
Case
Though the chassis is identical to last year's model, the hinges on our Latitude 9520 2-in-1 test unit would feel weaker at angles between 60 and 90 degrees. Ideally, hinge rigidity should be uniform across all angles. We recommend checking the hinges after purchasing for any abnormalities.
Connectivity
The Thunderbolt 3 ports on the Latitude 9510 have been upgraded to Thunderbolt 4 on our Latitude 9520. To most users, however, the upgrade will be of essentially no significance unless if you plan on using external GPUs. All other ports are otherwise identical between the two models.
SD Card Reader
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 (AV Pro V60) | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD (AV Pro V60) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 (AV Pro V60) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD (AV Pro V60) |
Communication
Webcam
Maintenance
Display
Dell uses the same AU Optronics B150HAN IPS panel between both the Latitude 9510 2-in-1 and 9520 2-in-1 for a similar visual experience between them. There are unfortunately no new panel options for the 9520 2-in-1. 4K or OLED options would be great to see on future Latitude 2-in-1 revisions.
|
Brightness Distribution: 84 %
Center on Battery: 403.6 cd/m²
Contrast: 1835:1 (Black: 0.22 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.34 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 0.99
ΔE Greyscale 5.2 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
70.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
98.7% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
69.9% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.09
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 AU Optronics B150HAN, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.00 | Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 AU Optronics B150HAN, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.00 | HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA InfoVision X156NVF8 R1, I, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD N156HCA-EAB, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 15.60 | MSI Summit B15 A11M Chi Mei N156HCE-EN1, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 SHP14B4, IPS, 2496x1664, 15.00 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | 1% | -6% | -35% | -7% | -4% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 69.9 | 71.2 2% | 43.8 -37% | 65.7 -6% | 65.2 -7% | |
sRGB Coverage | 98.7 | 99.3 1% | 95 -4% | 65.7 -33% | 90.6 -8% | 97.7 -1% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 70.4 | 71.3 1% | 65 -8% | 45.3 -36% | 66 -6% | 67.3 -4% |
Response Times | -27% | -19% | -6% | -11% | -32% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 39.2 ? | 52.8 ? -35% | 47 ? -20% | 40 -2% | 40.4 ? -3% | 58.4 ? -49% |
Response Time Black / White * | 27.2 ? | 32 ? -18% | 32 ? -18% | 30 -10% | 32.4 ? -19% | 31.2 ? -15% |
PWM Frequency | 312 ? | 25510 ? | 21550 ? | |||
Screen | -27% | 7% | -49% | -71% | 6% | |
Brightness middle | 403.6 | 426.7 6% | 802 99% | 298 -26% | 341.3 -15% | 405 0% |
Brightness | 368 | 394 7% | 702 91% | 276 -25% | 310 -16% | 379 3% |
Brightness Distribution | 84 | 87 4% | 77 -8% | 86 2% | 81 -4% | 79 -6% |
Black Level * | 0.22 | 0.3 -36% | 0.245 -11% | 0.26 -18% | 0.45 -105% | 0.26 -18% |
Contrast | 1835 | 1422 -23% | 3273 78% | 1146 -38% | 758 -59% | 1558 -15% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.34 | 4.28 -28% | 6.22 -86% | 3.7 -11% | 6.17 -85% | 2.6 22% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.29 | 10.43 -66% | 9.92 -58% | 15 -138% | 11.75 -87% | 6.6 -5% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.99 | 1.46 -47% | 3.5 -254% | 3.3 -233% | 0.9 9% | |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 5.2 | 8.1 -56% | 7.69 -48% | 1.7 67% | 7.1 -37% | 1.9 63% |
Gamma | 2.09 105% | 2.26 97% | 2.75 80% | 2.21 100% | 2.2 100% | 2.11 104% |
CCT | 7629 85% | 7993 81% | 6135 106% | 6588 99% | 6842 95% | 6825 95% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 65.2 | 65 | 58.7 | 62 | ||
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 99.2 | 95 | 90.1 | 97.7 | ||
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -18% /
-21% | -6% /
1% | -30% /
-40% | -30% /
-49% | -10% /
-2% |
* ... smaller is better
The display is decently calibrated out of the box with average grayscale and color deltaE values of only 5.2 and 3.34, respectively. A proper end-user calibration can reduce these values to well under <2 each as shown by our CalMAN screenshots below.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
27.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 14 ms rise | |
↘ 13.2 ms fall | ||
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 65 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
39.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 19.2 ms rise | |
↘ 20 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 54 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM not detected | |||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17900 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. |
Performance
Testing Conditions
Our system was set to Windows 'Best Performance' mode and with Dell Power Manager set to Ultra Performance prior to running any benchmarks below for the highest possible scores. Users should also become familiar with the pre-installed Dell Optimizer software which includes additional settings for audio, network, and the proximity sensor for hands-free login.
Processor
Multi-thread CPU performance is a mixed bag since the Core i7-1185G7 has two fewer cores than on last year's Core i7-10810U for a downgrade of approximately 25 to 35 percent. The delta is wider than expected since the i7-1185G7 in our Latitude 9520 2-in-1 is performing at least 15 to 20 percent slower than most other laptops using the exact same CPU. The Core i7-1185G7 CPU in the MSI Stealth 15M, for example, can offer up to 50 percent faster multi-thread performance than our Dell.
Single-thread performance is thankfully where it should be relative to the average Core i7-1185G7. Users can expect around 30 percent faster performance than the Core i7-10810U in this regard.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
Performance Rating | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7 | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7 (5621 - 7453, n=20) | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7 (23248 - 32614, n=20) | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7 (1530 - 2209, n=20) | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7 (44677 - 52815, n=20) | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M |
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7 (3870 - 5027, n=20) | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7 (14584 - 19594, n=20) | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7 (33002 - 76826, n=20) | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7 (258 - 412, n=22) | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7 (2821 - 4094, n=20) | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7 (22349 - 43701, n=20) | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD |
System Performance
PCMark 10 scores are generally higher than what we recorded on the Latitude 9510 2-in-1 especially in Digital Content Creation where graphics matter most. The older model has a higher Productivity score likely due to its superior multi-thread performance.
PCMark 10 / Score | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (4746 - 5561, n=20) | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 |
PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (8279 - 10664, n=20) | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 |
PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (5799 - 8770, n=20) | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M |
PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (4424 - 5684, n=20) | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 |
PCMark 10 Score | 5008 points | |
Help |
AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7 (36515 - 68450, n=20) | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD |
AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7 (38394 - 64291, n=20) | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD |
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7 (37684 - 66873, n=20) | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
Average Intel Core i7-1185G7 (78.3 - 117, n=22) | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
LatencyMon shows minor DPC latency issues related to ACPI.sys when opening multiple browser tabs of our homepage. Nonetheless, it is still an improvement compared to what we observed on last year's model.
4K video playback at 60 FPS remains perfect with no dropped frames and a more efficient GPU utilization than with the UHD Graphics 620.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD | |
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
MSI Summit B15 A11M | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 | |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Our test unit uses the same PCIe3 x4 Toshiba KBG40ZNS512G NVMe M.2 2230 SSD as found on the Latitude 9510 2-in-1. Dell is currently offering no PCIe4 options even though the Intel chipset should theoretically be able to support such SSDs. The lack of a heat spreader, however, will mean that any PCIe4 SSDs would likely throttle after a short period, anyway.
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
3DMark scores show the Iris Xe 96 EUs in our Latitude 9520 2-in-1 performing well relative to other Iris Xe laptops in our database. The devil is in the details, however, as real-world gaming performance is poor due to the unusually wide fluctuating frame rates. For example, frame rates would constantly jump between 40 FPS and 90 FPS when simply idling on Witcher 3 at its lowest settings whereas the Iris Xe-powered MSI Summit B15 would run much more stably without any of the sharp FPS drops. Thus, while our Latitude 9520 2-in-1 Iris Xe is indubitably faster than the UHD Graphics 620 on last year's Latitude 9510 2-in-1, it could have definitely been more stable in terms of performance over time.
3DMark 11 Performance | 5311 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 16903 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 4674 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 1822 points | |
Help |
Witcher 3 FPS Chart
low | med. | high | ultra | |
GTA V (2015) | 81 | 70.5 | 27.2 | 10.6 |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 86.8 | 59.4 | 33.5 | 14.3 |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 103 | 61.7 | 39.8 | 39.8 |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 35 | 20 | 14.6 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 36 | 34.4 | 27.5 | |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 82.8 | 32.7 | 26.3 | 23.2 |
Emissions
System Noise
The internal fan is silent at 24.1 dN(A) when idling or web browsing on the Balanced or Optimized mode or lower. It may occasionally jump to 25.8 dB(A), but this will be unnoticeable in most environments. Users can reach the maximum fan noise of just under 40 dB(A) when running higher loads like games.
Fan noise will pulse more frequently if set to High Performance mode when browsing or video streaming. Thus, be sure to set the power profile appropriately if fan noise is a concern.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 24.1 / 24.1 / 25.8 dB(A) |
Load |
| 34.2 / 39.6 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 24 dB(A) |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1185G7, Toshiba KBG40ZNS512G NVMe | Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 UHD Graphics 620, i7-10810U, Toshiba KBG40ZNS512G NVMe | HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR | Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD Vega 7, R5 5600U, SK Hynix HFS512 GDE9X081N | MSI Summit B15 A11M Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Kingston OM8PCP31024F | Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 Vega 8, R7 4980U, SK Hynix BC511 HFM512GDJTNI | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | -7% | 0% | 6% | -1% | -2% | |
off / environment * | 24 | 27.2 -13% | 26 -8% | 24.22 -1% | 25.2 -5% | 24.2 -1% |
Idle Minimum * | 24.1 | 27.2 -13% | 26 -8% | 24.22 -0% | 26.4 -10% | 24.2 -0% |
Idle Average * | 24.1 | 27.2 -13% | 26 -8% | 24.22 -0% | 26.4 -10% | 24.2 -0% |
Idle Maximum * | 25.8 | 27.2 -5% | 26.2 -2% | 24.22 6% | 26.4 -2% | 24.2 6% |
Load Average * | 34.2 | 33.4 2% | 29.5 14% | 25.84 24% | 26.8 22% | 39.9 -17% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 39.6 | 28 29% | 39.9 -1% | |||
Load Maximum * | 39.6 | 39.5 -0% | 34 14% | 36.02 9% | 52.6 -33% | 39.9 -1% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
Surface temperatures are similar to the Latitude 9510 2-in-1 when running low to medium loads. If running higher loads likes games, however, the bottom hot spot of the Latitude 9520 2-in-1 may be a few degrees warmer than on the older model.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 47.2 °C / 117 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 22.5 °C / 73 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 28.6 °C / 83.5 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-0.9 °C / -1.6 F).
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 Intel Core i7-1185G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 Intel Core i7-10810U, Intel UHD Graphics 620 | HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD AMD Ryzen 5 5600U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 | MSI Summit B15 A11M Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 AMD Ryzen 7 4980U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heat | -9% | -3% | -8% | -8% | 4% | |
Maximum Upper Side * | 40 | 42.8 -7% | 37.9 5% | 42.8 -7% | 42.8 -7% | 41.8 -5% |
Maximum Bottom * | 47.2 | 41.8 11% | 39 17% | 46 3% | 52.2 -11% | 44.8 5% |
Idle Upper Side * | 23.4 | 29.2 -25% | 31 -32% | 26.9 -15% | 26 -11% | 23 2% |
Idle Bottom * | 27.4 | 31 -13% | 27.8 -1% | 31.1 -14% | 28.2 -3% | 23.6 14% |
* ... smaller is better
Stress Test
The unsteady performance when running Witcher 3 as mentioned above can be attributed to the unsteady clock rates when the CPU and GPU are under simultaneous load. GPU clock rates would flip between 500 MHz and 1200 MHz when running the game whereas most other Iris Xe laptops would remain stable at fixed clock rates for steadier performance. The MSI Summit B15, for example, would have a steady GPU clock rate of 1300 MHz when under the same gaming conditions as our Dell. This undesirable GPU behavior makes the Latitude 9520 2-in-1 a comparatively poorer choice for graphics intensive tasks.
If stressing only the CPU via Prime95, clock rates would boost to 3.2 GHz for just the first few seconds at a core temperature of 98 C. Thereafter, clock rates would fall to to the low 2 GHz range in order to maintain a cooler core temperature of around 75 C. Multi-thread long-term PL1 and short-term PL2 power limits sit at 22 W and 45 W, respectively, when the system is on High Performance mode.
Running on battery power will not limit performance as 3DMark 11 scores are nearly identical between mains and batteries.
CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | |
System Idle | -- | -- | 30 |
Prime95 Stress | 2.2 | -- | 75 |
Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 0.6 - 1.7 | 100 - 800 | 58 - 73 |
Witcher 3 Stress | 0.5 - 1.3 | 500 - 1200 | 57 - 66 |
Speakers
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (78.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(+) | good bass - only 4.4% away from median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (9.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 0% of all tested devices in this class were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 97% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Energy Management
Power Consumption
Running 3DMark 06 would consume just 44 W on our Latitude 9520 2-in-1 compared to 46 W on the Latitude 9510 2-in-1 despite the massive increase in graphics performance on the newer model. Thus, owners are getting an average 3x increase in GPU performance under the same power envelope. The year-over-year performance-per-watt increase cannot be understated.
Unfortunately, the unsteady GPU performance mentioned above is reflected by the unsteady power consumption rates as shown by our graphs below. When running Witcher 3 to represent gaming loads, consumption would range between 21 W to 40 W whereas it would remain steady at just 34 W on the HP EliteBook 850 G8 equipped with the similar Core i7-1165G7 CPU.
We're able to record a maximum draw of 88.7 W from the small (~13 x 6.6 x 2.3 cm) 90 W AC adapter. The system is unable to maintain this rate for longer than just a few seconds due to thermal limitations.
Off / Standby | 0.41 / 0.52 Watt |
Idle | 2.6 / 5 / 7.1 Watt |
Load |
44 / 88.7 Watt |
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Toshiba KBG40ZNS512G NVMe, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.00 | Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 i7-10810U, UHD Graphics 620, Toshiba KBG40ZNS512G NVMe, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.00 | HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR, I, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD R5 5600U, Vega 7, SK Hynix HFS512 GDE9X081N, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 15.60 | MSI Summit B15 A11M i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Kingston OM8PCP31024F, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 R7 4980U, Vega 8, SK Hynix BC511 HFM512GDJTNI, IPS, 2496x1664, 15.00 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | 8% | -27% | -14% | -15% | -14% | |
Idle Minimum * | 2.6 | 2.1 19% | 5.8 -123% | 4.57 -76% | 4.2 -62% | 3.6 -38% |
Idle Average * | 5 | 4.6 8% | 8.4 -68% | 8.2 -64% | 7.7 -54% | 6.5 -30% |
Idle Maximum * | 7.1 | 5.3 25% | 9.9 -39% | 9.3 -31% | 8.4 -18% | 8.9 -25% |
Load Average * | 44 | 45.8 -4% | 33 25% | 31.9 27% | 37.8 14% | 46.5 -6% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 39.5 | 34.3 13% | 34.5 13% | 36.6 7% | 43.4 -10% | |
Load Maximum * | 88.7 | 96.3 -9% | 60 32% | 47.4 47% | 67.5 24% | 64.9 27% |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption Witcher 3 / Stresstest
Battery Life
Runtimes are a few hours shorter than what we recorded on last year's model despite the identical 88 Wh batteries between them. Even so, 14+ hours of real-world WLAN use is still nothing to scoff at and well above average for the size category.
Dell offers SKUs with smaller 46 Wh batteries for users who don't mind sacrificing battery life for a lighter unit.
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 88 Wh | Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 i7-10810U, UHD Graphics 620, 88 Wh | HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 56 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad L15 G2 AMD R5 5600U, Vega 7, 45 Wh | MSI Summit B15 A11M i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 52 Wh | Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15 AMD TFF_00028 R7 4980U, Vega 8, 47.4 Wh | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | 27% | -42% | -47% | -55% | -29% | |
WiFi v1.3 | 885 | 1124 27% | 509 -42% | 469 -47% | 397 -55% | 624 -29% |
Reader / Idle | 3537 | 1105 | ||||
Load | 241 | 140 | 58 | 147 | ||
H.264 | 394 | 890 |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
The Latitude 9520 2-in-1 offers significant performance advantages over the Latitude 9510 2-in-1 on paper. The older UHD Graphics 620 has been made obsolete now that Iris Xe is becoming more common. In practice, however, there are caveats that potential buyers shouldn't ignore.
Firstly, the Iris Xe GPU in the new Latitude runs at cycling clock rates resulting in cycling frame rates when gaming or unsteady performance when running GPU-intensive tasks. Frame rates would cycle by such extremes that some applications where steady frame rates are vital would become almost unplayable. We recommend looking at other Tiger Lake-U laptops like the MSI Summit E13 Flip or HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 if steadier and more reliable GPU performance is desirable.
The main selling point of the Latitude 9520 2-in-1 over the 9510 2-in-1 is its significantly faster integrated graphics performance. However, the unusually unsteady graphics performance on the newer model can be a turn off for many interested buyers.
Secondly, multi-thread CPU performance from our Core i7-1185G7 CPU is slower when compared to the older Core i7-10810U on the Latitude 9510 2-in-1. Though this disadvantage isn't unique to Dell PCs, the i7-1185G7 in the Latitude 9520 2-in-1 is running slower than on many other laptops with the same processor. Thus, the multi-thread performance deficit is amplified on the Dell.
Reasons for choosing the Latitude 9520 2-in-1 over the 9510 2-in-1 are smaller than we would like especially since the newer model offers nothing new in terms of display quality, webcam quality, or battery life. Hopefully the uneven GPU performance can be addressed with a future update.
Price and Availability
Most major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Newegg have the Latitude 9520 2-in-1 in stock in various configurations. Users can also purchase directly from Dell starting at $2800 USD for the Core i5 version.
Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1
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11/22/2021 v7
Allen Ngo