The Latitude and the ThinkPad are the two most respected business laptop lines outside HP's EliteBook range. Both have been built for corporate IT departments for decades, both are engineered to be repaired rather than replaced, and both have devoted followings.
We currently stock one of each, at almost exactly the same price — a Dell Latitude 3390 2-in-1 at RWF 395,000 and a Lenovo ThinkPad X380 Yoga at RWF 399,000. Both are 13.3-inch convertibles with 8th-generation Core i5 processors, 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSDs.
Four thousand francs apart, near-identical specifications. This is as clean a head-to-head as the Rwandan market offers.
The Two Machines
Dell Latitude 3390 2-in-1 — RWF 395,000
Dell's business convertible: Core i5 8th Gen, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 13.3-inch touchscreen with a 360-degree hinge.
Available on PrimeTech
Dell Latitude 3390 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop | Intel Core i5 8th Gen | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
Lenovo ThinkPad X380 Yoga — RWF 399,000
Lenovo's business convertible: Core i5 8th Gen, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 13.3-inch Full HD touchscreen with a 360-degree hinge and stylus support.
Available on PrimeTech
Lenovo ThinkPad X380 Yoga Touchscreen Laptop i5
Head to Head
| Dell Latitude 3390 2-in-1 | ThinkPad X380 Yoga | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | RWF 395,000 | RWF 399,000 |
| Processor | Core i5, 8th Gen | Core i5, 8th Gen |
| RAM | 8GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 256GB SSD | 256GB SSD |
| Display | 13.3" touchscreen | 13.3" Full HD touchscreen |
| Hinge | 360° convertible | 360° convertible |
| Stylus | Supported | Supported |
| Keyboard | Very good | Best in class |
| Trackpad | Best in class | Very good |
| Pointing stick | No | Yes (TrackPoint) |
| Chassis | Business plastic/composite | Magnesium roll cage |
| Line positioning | Latitude 3000 — entry business | ThinkPad X — premium compact |
| Stock | 1 unit | 2 units |
Where the ThinkPad Wins
The keyboard. This is not a marginal preference — the ThinkPad keyboard is widely considered the best in the laptop industry, with deeper key travel and a more satisfying action than almost anything else on the market. If you write for hours every day, this alone can decide the purchase.
The chassis. ThinkPads are built around an internal magnesium roll cage. The X380 Yoga feels more solid than its price suggests, and ThinkPads have a well-earned reputation for surviving years of hard travel.
Line positioning. The X380 Yoga comes from ThinkPad's premium compact line. The Latitude 3390 comes from Dell's entry-level business line — the 3000 series, below the 5000 and 7000 tiers. Judged by where each sits in its maker's range, the ThinkPad is the more premium machine at nearly the same price.
Confirmed Full HD display. The X380 Yoga's panel is Full HD. Latitude 3000 series machines shipped in multiple display configurations, and the lower-resolution panels are noticeably worse. Always confirm the resolution on any Latitude before buying.
The TrackPoint. The red pointing stick between G, H and B. Divisive — most people ignore it, but those who learn it find it faster than a trackpad because your hands never leave the keyboard.
Where the Latitude Wins
The trackpad. Dell makes the best trackpads in the business segment — larger, smoother and better calibrated than Lenovo's. If you work without a mouse, this is a genuine daily advantage, and it partly offsets the keyboard gap in the other direction.
Price, marginally. RWF 4,000 cheaper. Not a deciding factor, but not nothing.
Familiarity. More Rwandan buyers have used a Dell than a ThinkPad, and Dell's service-tag lookup makes it easy to confirm exactly what configuration a specific machine shipped with.
The Deciding Factor: Living With It in Rwanda
Here is the consideration that outranks keyboards and trackpads, and that specification tables never capture.
Both brands are hard to get parts for in Rwanda. Dell and Lenovo business machines arrive here in far smaller numbers than HP, because the corporate fleets supplying this market are overwhelmingly HP. That has consequences:
- A failed keyboard, screen or battery can mean weeks of waiting for a part
- Fewer local technicians have worked on these models
- Dell chargers authenticate with the machine, and genuine replacements are genuinely difficult to find here
- Replacement units are scarce — we typically hold one or two of each at a time
This does not make either a bad purchase. Both are excellent machines and we sell them because they are worth selling. But you should buy either knowing that a hardware fault outside warranty will be slower and more expensive to resolve than it would be on an HP.
If that risk concerns you, the honest alternative is the HP EliteBook 830 G6 x360 at RWF 465,000 — the same convertible form factor, two generations newer, in the brand with by far the best parts supply in Rwanda.
Available on PrimeTech
HP EliteBook 830 G6 x360 Convertible Laptop | Intel Core i5 | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
Our Verdict
Buy the ThinkPad X380 Yoga if:
- You type a great deal — essays, reports, code, documentation
- You want the more premium machine of the two, which at RWF 4,000 difference you effectively get for free
- You take handwritten notes and want confirmed Full HD with stylus support
- You have used a ThinkPad before and want another one
Buy the Dell Latitude 3390 if:
- The trackpad matters more to you than the keyboard
- You already own Dell equipment or chargers
- The ThinkPad is out of stock and you want a convertible now
Buy neither, and take the HP EliteBook 830 G6 x360, if:
- Long-term repairability and parts availability matter more to you than brand preference
- You want a newer processor generation and can stretch to RWF 465,000
Between these two specifically, our recommendation is the ThinkPad X380 Yoga. For RWF 4,000 more you get a higher-tier machine, the best keyboard in the industry, a confirmed Full HD panel, and a more robust chassis. The Latitude's better trackpad is real but does not outweigh the rest.
Check These Before Buying Either
On the Latitude: confirm the display resolution (3000 series shipped with several panels), confirm the storage is an SSD and not a mechanical drive, and confirm the original genuine charger is included.
On the ThinkPad: confirm the exact model — X380 Yoga, not an older X-series — check both internal and external battery health where applicable, and test the TrackPoint's three buttons, particularly the middle scroll button.
On both: rotate the hinge through its full 360 degrees, test touch into all four corners of the screen, and confirm auto-rotation works in tablet mode.
We run all of these checks before listing. How our certification works.
Related Reading
- Best Lenovo ThinkPads in Rwanda (2026)
- Best Dell Laptops in Rwanda (2026)
- HP vs Dell: Which Brand Should You Buy in Rwanda?
- HP EliteBook vs Lenovo ThinkPad in Rwanda
Buy in Rwanda
Both machines are in stock now at PrimeTech Rwanda, fully tested with battery health disclosed and warranty included. Stock on both is limited to one or two units. Message us to confirm availability before you travel.
