Dell's rugged Chromebook 5190 with USB Type-C is meant for the classroom

Acer, Asus, HP, and Lenovo all announced their education-focused Chromebooks in January alone. As such, it is only fitting for Dell to announce its own Chrome OS-powered wares with the Chromebook 5000 series.

The debut device for the series is the Chromebook 5190, which will be available either as a traditional clamshell or 2-in-1. Dell did not provide specific specifications, though the company said you can opt for a quad-core Intel Celeron processor if the dual-core model isn’t fast enough for you.

The Chromebook 5190 also features up to 13 hours of battery life, stylus support, an optional world-facing camera, and USB Type-C support. The laptop still features traditional USB ports that let students plug in their flash drives and other accessories.

Speaking of students, the Chromebook 5190 was designed for the education market. As such, it can survive drops from four feet in the air, as well as “10,000 micro-drops” from a few inches in the air. These are pretty standard features for education-focused Chromebooks, but it is still good to see Dell keep up with the competition.

That does not mean the Chromebook 5190 will be ultra affordable, however. When it goes on sale in February, the laptop will start at $289. If the cheaper 3000 series is any indication, prices could go up as high as $400 for the Chromebook 5190’s max configuration. We call that an inexpensive laptop around these parts, but that sort of price tag is on the higher end for schools.

Even so, it makes sense for Dell to further push into the educational market. IDC numbers from 2016 point to Chromebooks making up 49 percent of school computers. These numbers make the educational market a lucrative one, though we will see if the Chromebook 5190 delivers the goods.