TL;DR
The Dell Latitude 7210 is a $250 tablet that has almost complete support in Linux. Of note: the front facing and rear cameras both work flawlessly (couldn’t test IR), and the physical smartcard reader also populates and detects card insertion (didn’t have a working smartcard to test with). Also has an extra PCIe slot.
NB: Fingerprint sensor and wireless card reader (NFC) do NOT work.
Background
I’ve been exploring options for an affordable tablet to use for light computing. I specifically searched for x86 tablet options entirely to use Linux. I knew the Linux user experience on tablets was subpar, but I was willing to live with that in exchange for greater ownership of the device that mobile operating systems do not offer.
I started searching for used Surface tablets, but found the hardware support tablet with hit or miss on newer models. Additionally, the prices were still high, even on older models. I also found Linux OEMs make tablets, but are very expensive for low-performance parts. Then I discovered that various PC makers still produce tablets for their business lines. These tablets are often much cheaper for similar performance and, more importantly, are user serviceable. After some searching and bidding on eBay auctions, I ended up purchasing a lot of two (2) Dell Latitude 7210 including keyboard for $150 each (one for me and my partner).
Tablet Specs
| CPU | i7-10610u |
| RAM | 16GB |
| SSD | 256GB NVME at PCIe 3.0x4 |
| Display | 1920x1280 12.3" touchscreen with stylus support |
| WLAN | Intel AX201 |
Other details:
- Two (2) Thunderbolt 3 ports
- One (1) USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Micro SD card slot (comes with cover when not in use)
- SIM tray slot
- Volume rocker and power button
Linux setup
Dell provides a truly nice recovery utility for reinstalling Windows (complete with drivers), so I used that just for the certainty that I can do things like update BIOS and the firmware of other components. It also gave me a baseline to confirm all systems are working. Once that was done, I moved on to Linux.
I installed Arch linux via archinstall on a live ISO. I wanted disk encryption and secure boot enabled, so I went with a LUKS-encrypted BTRFS filesystem, unified kernel image, and systemd-boot. I used the default GNOME user profile, created a sudoer user, and only installed a couple packages like vim and git. Installation worked flawlessly, and I got to the GNOME desktop no problem. After some additional steps to setup secure boot key signing and TPM2 unlock of the disk (I know this is less secure, but I like the convenience), I began testing hardware.
What worked
Out of the box, GNOME worked great as a tablet UI. Multi-touch gestures worked, including workspace switching, and I was able to launch and navigate firefox entirely via touch. Auto-rotation worked without fail. Screen brightness also worked, and I could control volume via the rocker keys on the side of the tablet. I could also suspend the tablet via the power button. Power profiles were also supported.
Both the front facing webcam and the rear webcam worked out of the box. This is unusual for x86 tablets, whose webcams are missing drivers, but I’m please to say I can take video calls on this tablet without issue. Internal microphones also worked.
Wifi and bluetooth worked out the box. I did not notice any poor performance for either radio.
The magnetic keyboard also worked, including backlight (with adjustable levels), touchpad, and posture detection (keyboard disabled itself when folded behind the tablet). GNOME also disabled auto-rotation when it detected a physical keyboard.
The Dell PN579x Active Stylus also worked, and I was able to take notes in xournal++ with good palm-rejection. Two of the three buttons on the stylus worked, but the third one did not seem to send any events to the tablet. I was able to pair the stylus via bluetooth, but only one button was remappable. On windows, I could rebind 3 buttons to different functions. Still, even remapping one button was nice, and the other functioned as the eraser toggle.
The smartcard reader didn’t work out of the box, but following the smartcard page on the Arch Wiki enabled it. Unfortunately, the only smartcard I was willing to test with was my laundry card. pscs_scan found the reader and showed card insertion and removal events, but I can’t confirm anything else works.
What didn’t work
While this tablet usually has facial recognition, my model seems to not have the IR sensor included. I opened the tablet and found my webcam module appears different from other modules on eBay, and the display assembly is missing a cutout I found in on the product page. Replacing both components would cost more than $100, which is more than I want to spend just for face unlock. This will go untested.
As stated above, not all buttons on the stylus worked. That said, I am fine with the partial functionality since this pen also magnetically attaches to the side of the tablet. I am unsure if other styluses work with this tablet in Linux.
Even though the physical smartcard reader appeared to be functional, the wireless reader (I believe NFC) did not work at all. Further investigation showed the upstream driver for this model of smartcard reader only supports the physical reader.
My tablet also had a fingerprint sensor. It worked in Windows, but I haven’t found a compatible driver for it in Linux. The device ID for this sensor is 06cb:00bc and is made by Synaptics. Dell provided a Windows driver for this sensor, but my attempts so far to reverse-engineer it for Linux have failed. I definitely want fingerprint authentication working on a tablet, so I’m going to keep working on it, but no promises.
Additional testing
The Thunderbolt 3 ports worked just fine with a thunderbolt 3 monitor I already had (Dell U2724DE). Mouse, keyboard, and webcam plugged into the monitor were detected by the tablet. I also had an LG Ergo DualUp (2560x2880) daisy chained to the Dell monitor via Displayport MST. The tablet instantly detected both screens and was able to drive the Dell at 1440p at 120hz and the LG at 2560x2880 at 60hz, along with the internal display. Power delivery also worked. All of this was over a Thunderbolt 3 (40gbps) 2m cable extended via some random USB-C extension cable I had for years.
The USB-A port also worked (which I knew since I used it to install both Windows and Linux).
The microSD card slot also worked with my random Micro Center card. I didn’t bother testing performance, but I did successfully read and write to it.
Extra PCIe slot
My tablet had a SIM tray slot, but it didn’t have a WWAN card populated. The tablet’s motherboard had an empty 3042 m.2 slot. Instead of getting an LTE module, I bought a 2242 B-Key SSD. Since this is a business tablet, Dell provides a very detailed service manual for swapping out this tablet’s sub-assemblies and made it easy to disassemble the deivce. Installing the SSD was a breeze once I became comfortable prying the display away from the tablet’s back cover.
One thing to note: this slot is almost flush with the motherboard. That means dual-sided m.2 cards, like this NVME SSD, won’t quite fit. However, I was able to screw down this SSD with only slight bending. Once installed, Linux was instantly able to detect the new disk! Using the GNOME Disks benchmarking tool and lspci, I confirmed:
- The slot is limited to PCIe 3.0 x1 speed.
- This SSD had read speeds up to 775MB/s
- This SSD had write speeds up to 260MB/s
This extra slot isn’t ideal for storage, but this slot’s large area and PCIe interface means there are lots of options for anyone who might need an extra module in their tablet. That said, I did not confirm whether this slot had USB or SATA lanes connected, only PCIe which was my main interest.
Personally, I am probably going to get a b-to-m key 2230 adapter to use other SSDs that I know are flat on one side, but I am also exploring SDR options just for fun (I know inside a tablet is not ideal for clean signal). AI accelerators could also be an option, but I don’t know what would be practical in a tablet like this (maybe computer vision?)
Review
Overall, I really like this tablet! The out-of-the-box experience for Linux users was excellent and didn’t even require any additional drivers for most use cases. Battery life was sufficient for light use, but I did find it lacking and far from all-day battery life. upower reports I have 89% battery health, so I don’t think a new cell will help. Performance was also sufficient, but I’m not doing anything substantial with it. For reference, Hello Kitty Island Adventure ran below 30fps on Windows (my partner’s game of choice). This is not a gaming machine.
As a lightweight office tool/media consumption device, this tablet is awesome. I ran a TTRPG session as GM using this tablet for notes and reference without issue. Most of the time, I can’t even hear the tablet’s fan, so this works even in quiet offices. Speaker quality was acceptable (not amazing, but not ear-grating), and volume was enough for use in the kitchen with stove fans going.
Keyboard is good enough. Keys are very legible in all lighting conditions, backlight works just fine, and key travel is like any other laptop. I did find the key layout lacking (navigation keys are awkward, I’m regularly activating airplane mode accidentally), and the keyboard itself had noticeable flex. The touchpad was tiny and almost useless, but good enough in a pinch. I like using the tablet without the keyboard cover, but having it available is a huge quality of life improvement versus USB or bluetooth keyboards.
Stylus works good enough. I’m not an artist, so I mostly use this for note taking. I love that the stylus attaches magnetically to the tablet, but I dislike how it covers the USB-A slot when attached. That means I can’t just live a wireless mouse dongle in the tablet all the time.
The biggest issue I had was the thickness of the tablet. My tablet’s SKU came with the smartcard reader. Dell accommodated the extra port by making the entire tablet thicker. This extra thickness was only 3mm, but it was very noticeable in the hand. After mulling it over, I decided to remove the smartcard reader and get a smaller back cover.
Shell swap
During this time, tariffs in the US meant buying used parts internationally became more expensive. Additionally, replacement back covers on eBay were either the same thicker size, lacked the fingerprint sensor cutout, or was way too expensive. Again, this was a budget purchase, so I wanted to go as cheap as possible. Luckily, I discovered Parts People, a US-based parts supplier for Dell laptop repairs. This site had a back cover in stock for only $25!
Once the part arrived, I began moving all components to the new shell. The new shell had a fingerprint sensor daughterboard and WLAN antenna preinstalled, but everything else had to be transplanted. Using only the service manual on my phone, I was able to get everything moved over without issue. Almost everything was screwed into the chassis, with only ribbon cables and the speakers taped down. I recommend a magnetic parts organizer for anyone else trying this, but otherwise this process was a breeze and only required a screwdriver and a pry tool.
Thinner size - repairability win!
At only 9.3mm in height, the new thinner size is a big improvement. It still is thicker than new ARM tablets, but it’s now very usable in one hand. I thought at first the display’s bezels were quite large, but in the hand I find them convenient for holding the tablet. They still could be smaller, but I’d rather have some bezel than none.
Going with the thinner back cover did mean I lost smartcard access, and the new case lacks a SIM Card slot. I did try to find a new cover that still SIM access, but couldn’t find a reputable source domestically. Since I don’t need WWAN, I decided this was a small loss.
However, the smaller cover did reveal an unexpected issue: the screws that secured the display to the back cover were too long. The new cover didn’t come with replacement screws. Fortunately, the service manual provides a complete screw list, so I had what I needed delivered within a day.
Regardless of what you may think of spending time and money on trading functionality for form factor, this exercise definitely proves that this is a very serviceable device. While the main computer components are soldered to the motherboard (CPU, RAM, I/O), almost everything else is a replaceable part. Upgrading WLAN and SSD is trivial, and the WWAN slot is basically a free expansion port. Battery replacement will also be possible when it becomes necessary, and any accidents I may have can be fixed in my kitchen with a screwdriver and a spare part.
At this point, only fingerprint sensing is left on my wish list. I found a project on Github called synatudor that successfully reverse-engineered another synaptics fingerprint sensor from a Windows driver. It targeted a difference device ID, so it didn’t quite work with my tablet. That said, I’m hoping to use this work as a starting point for reverse engineering the correct driver and get it working on my tablet. So far, I was able to extract DLLs, but ran into an issue finding the correct byte offsets. If anyone has experience with relinking DLLs for Linux, please reach out!
Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable - a more expensive success
Before I got the 7210, I actually purchased a 7320 Detachable on eBay for $400 (no keyboard). This tablet had comparable specs to the 7210, so I’ll only list the differences:
- i7-1180g7, noticeably faster than the 7210’s 10610u
- 13in display, bezels are much thinner despite the 7320’s overall smaller size in all dimensions
- Two (2) thunderbolt 4 ports, one on other side of the tablet (7210 has both on left)
- WAN slot 2242 with PCIE 3.0 x2 width, double the speed at the cost of size
- Missing micro-sd card, no other storage expansion
- Missing USB-A port, no other expansion ports
I did install Linux on the 7320, and while everything worked, I did notice differences:
- Cameras did not function at all
- Fingerprint sensor did work using default libfprint
- Smartcard reader worked with physical cards and with wireless.
Overall, the 7320 is nice upgrade over the 7210, especially the screen. The bezels are just the right size and still provide enough purchase for holding. Typing on the screen was also possible using all ten fingers (I was able to touch-type short commands in terminal). It also maintains a thinner profile by having the case bump out over smartcard reader. I found this made an awkward shape and was uncomfortable to hold, but other may find it a nice compromise. The newer CPU also came with a much improved SoC, so light gaming was more possible. However, that still isn’t my goal, so I didn’t test this beyond confirming Minecraft Java ran without issue.
Ultimately, I decided to return this model primarily because of the cost, and secondarily because of the lack of webcam drivers. At $400, this tablet is double the price of the 7210. Keyboard covers also jumped in price to $150 used, making this device a $575 TCO (including stylus). For comparison, I paid $200 total for the 7210, including keyboard, stylus, and replacement back cover. Additionally, while I want fingerprint sensing on the 7210, not having it does not remove functionality, it just requires I type in a password. Missing webcam drivers is a significant loss of functionality on the 7320 (even the FFC would have been sufficient for video calls).
Summary
Overall, the Latitude 7210 scratches my itch for a nice Linux-compatible tablet. The serviceable construction was a lovely bonus. While Dell makes newer models that are significant improvements over the 7210, the low cost on the used market and especially the driver support for the cameras makes the 7210 a very good value. I found only a couple of devices that Linux didn’t support, and they may not be relevant to you. Unless your budget allows for purchasing other devices (and you can tolerate other devices missing drivers), I strongly recommend anyone wanting a Linux tablet consider the Dell Latitude 7210. Its low price on the used market gives it a value that’s hard to beat in the Linux world.
Update 2025-11-05: IR Webcam working with Howdy
I found on ebay the IR Webcam module available for about $20. I was curious and also interested in another form of biometrics, so I purchased it. My hope was it would work better than the unsupported fingerprint sensor.
Installation was a breeze: I only had to remove six screws for the screen, pry an EMI shield away from the motherboard, and unscrew the webcam module and unplug it. Installing the new one with the IR sensor was no trouble, just snap it into place and that’s it. The hardest part was realizing the bezel had foam covering the slot for the IR sensor. It was easy to cut away with embroidery thread scissors, but I spent way too long trying to get the IR emitter working (I thought it wasn’t).
Once installed, everything worked fine. v4l2-ctl and mpv both were able to get monochrome image data from the sensor. I do have linux-enable-ir-emitter installed from the AUR, but the camera worked just fine with the systemd service disabled. Howdy-git worked just fine with the sensor, and I was able to unlock GNOME just by looking at the camera.
