Dell Latitude 7440 laptop review: Beating the Latitude 9440 in some key areas

The Dell Latitude 7440 clamshell succeeds last year’s Latitude 7430 by introducing a brand new 16:10 chassis design alongside the usual internal updates to 13th gen Intel Raptor Lake-U CPUs. The Latitude 7000 series is home to Dell’s upper midrange business models in contrast to the flagship Latitude 9000 series and more budget-oriented Latitude 3000 and 5000 series. Our unit in review is a middle configuration with the Core i5-1345U vPro CPU, 16 GB LPDDR5 RAM, and QHD+ 2560 x 1600 matte touchscreen for approximately $1900 USD.

Other options include the Core i5-1335U or Core i7-1365U with double the RAM or a lower resolution 1200p display. Competitors in this space include other 14-inch business-centric subnotebooks like the HP ProBook 440 G9 , Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G4 , MSI Prestige 14 , or the Asus ExpertBook B3 Flip . A 13-inch version of the model exists called the Latitude 7340 while the 14-inch 2-in-1 version is called the Latitude 7440 2-in-1.

More Dell reviews: Two chassis options exist: the bright gray aluminum skeleton or the darker magnesium skeleton. The former is more rigid at the cost of a heavier weight (+200 g), but both are otherwise very nearly the same when it comes to dimensions. Our specific review unit is the magnesium version which is definitely not as rigid as other subnotebooks like the HP Spectre x360 14 or the ThinkPad Titanium .

Attempting to twist the base or lid, for example, would result in audibly more creaking. Furthermore, we can notice a fault in the design of the Latitude 7440. The two front corners of the bottom panel each have screws to hold them in place, but the center of the edge does not.

Thus, the front edge of the bottom panel has a tendency to pop out and leave a noticeable gap between the materials. A simple screw here would have easily solved this problem. The new model is squarer than its predecessor due to the move to 16:10 from the previous 16:9.

It’s also a hair thicker than before by about half a millimeter. Many consumer-based Ultrabooks like the XPS 13, LG Gram 14 , or Galaxy Book3 Pro 14 are noticeably thinner but with fewer integrated features. Port positioning has changed from the Latitude 7420 potentially for the worse.

The two USB-C ports, for example, are now both along the left edge instead of having one port on each side. This means that the Latitude 7440 can only be charged from its left side which may not be optimal for some office spaces. Competing models like the ProBook 440 G9 or ThinkPad E14 G4 each come with integrated RJ-45 ports unlike on our Dell, but they have fewer USB-C ports.

An Intel AX211 comes standard for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5. 3 connectivity. Transfer rates would be reliable and stable when paired to our Asus AXE11000 6GHz network.

The Intel 5000 DW5931 is an optional upgrade for 5G WWAN connectivity. Whereas last year’s Latitude 7430 was limited to 1 MP and 2 MP camera options, the Latitude 7440 includes a 2 MP camera as standard with a new option to upgrade to 5 MP. Images are noticeably sharper but slightly overexposed.

Many HP Elite laptops offer 5 MP webcams as well. A privacy shutter comes standard while IR is optional. The bottom panel requires only a Phillips screwdriver to remove.

Users have direct access to the removable M. 2 WAN and M. 2 SSD modules while the RAM modules are soldered.

There are no extras in the box other than the AC adapter and paperwork. A three-year manufacturer warranty with onsite service comes standard. The keyboard has not changed and so the typing experience remains identical to the Latitude 7430 or 7420 .

Key feedback is firm and uniform especially when pressing on the Space and Enter keys. Clatter, however, is slightly louder and sharper than a typical Ultrabook like the XPS 13 . The clickpad is wider than the one on the older Latitude 7420 (13.

4 x 7. 3 cm) with smooth gliding properties no matter the cursor speed. Feedback when clicking is firmer and with deeper travel than the clickpads on most other laptops including the XPS 13 series or Asus Zenbook series .

It’s certainly easier to use than the horrid clickpad on the Latitude 9440 . The AU Optronics B140QAX panel on the Latitude 7440 is the first to appear in our database. It features all the best attributes of the Chi Mei CHF07 140HCG 1080p panel on the older Latitude 7420 like the high contrast ratio and full sRGB coverage but at a higher 1600p native resolution.

Black-white and gray-gray response times are still relatively slow which shouldn’t negatively impact most office-type workloads. Dell offers lower-end dimmer 1200p panel options that are half as bright as our 1600p configuration. Annoyingly, Dell does not advertise the color coverage of these panels and so we suspect these cheaper options to have inferior colors that are well below the sRGB standard.

The display does not come pre-calibrated. Average grayscale and color deltaE values would sit at 5. 6 and 3.

3, respectively, which we can knock down to just 2. 2 and 1. 02 after a calibration with our X-Rite colorimeter.

Users can apply our calibrated ICM profile above to get more out of the full sRGB display. Outdoor visibility is decent under shade and better than on the ThinkPad E14 G4 or ProBook 440 G9 which come with noticeably dimmer displays. If outdoor visibility is important, however, then we recommend taking a look at the HP EliteBook 865 and its ultra-bright 1000-nit display options instead.

We set our unit to Ultra Performance mode via Dell Optimizer prior to running the benchmarks below. The software has a very convenient feature that syncs the Dell power profiles with the regular Windows power profiles and so you only need to change the settings once instead of twice. Most other laptops do not carry this feature.

It’s recommended that owners become familiar with Optimizer as it is the hub for toggling Dell-specific features like Presence Detection, charging behavior, and more. CPU performance is excellent and even 5 to 10 percent faster than the non-vPro Core i5-1335U in the Samsung Galaxy Book3 15 . Jumping from the Core i5-1145G7 in the two-year old Latitude 7420 would boost multi-thread performance by over 2x.

The Dell model does not offer Core-P or AMD Ryzen Zen options which have boosted multi-thread performance even more. Performance would drop by about 17 percent over time when running CineBench R15 xT in a loop due to the limited Turbo Boost potential of the system. We recorded a much steeper drop of 40 percent during the middle of the test, but this quickly recovered as shown by our graph below.

Upgrading to the pricier Core i7-1365U is expected to boost performance performance by just 5 to 10 percent over our Core i5 configuration based on our experience with the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11 . PCMark results are consistently higher than on the older Latitude 7420 while still being slightly behind laptops with faster Core i7-P CPUs like the Galaxy Book3 Pro 14 . LatencyMon reveals minor DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs of our homepage.

4K video playback at 60 FPS is otherwise perfect with no dropped frames recorded. Our test unit ships with the midrange Samsung PM9B1 MZ9L4512HBLU PCIe4 x4 NVMe SSD offering maximum read and write rates of 3500 MB/s and 2500 MB/s, respectively. The drive is able to sustain these rates for extended periods of stress as shown by our DiskSpd loop results below.

A thermal pad and head spreader come standard atop the SSD to aid in heat dissipation. There is no secondary SSD slot for expansion. Our Iris Xe 80 EUs performs 15 to 20 percent faster than the average laptop in our database equipped with the same integrated GPU.

The advantage can be attributed to the newer and faster 13th gen Core i5-1345U whereas the vast majority of Iris Xe laptops in our database are running on 11th gen and 12th gen processors. Upgrading to the Core i7-1355U or i7-1365U configurations with Iris Xe 96 EUs is expected to boost GPU performance by another 10 to 20 percent. System performance when on Balanced mode is not significantly slower than on Performance mode as shown by the 3DMark 11 results below.

CPU performance would fall by just a few percentage points. Fan noise is quieter than expected even when set to Performance mode. The system tends to hover between the 24 to 26 dB(A) range when browsing the web or streaming video which is essentially inaudible in most office or classroom settings.

Extreme stress such as Prime95 would induce a fan noise of 38 dB(A) similar to the ThinkPad E14 G4 but much quieter than the Galaxy Book3 Pro 14 or older Latitude 7420 . The left half of the laptop is warmer than the right due to the positioning of the CPU. Hot spots on the top and bottom can reach up to 40 C which is still much cooler than on the Galaxy Book3 Pro 14 where surfaces can reach over 50 C.

The Dell would never feel uncomfortably warm on the skin during use. CPU clock rates, temperature, and board power draw when initiating Prime95 stress would spike to 3. 7 GHz, 99 C, and 45 W, respectively, lasting for about 10 seconds.

The CPU would then fall to as low as 1. 7 GHz before eventually stabilizing at 2. 6 GHz, 78 C, and 25 W as shown by the screenshot below.

The steep drop in clock rates before eventually recovering mirrors our CineBench R15 Loop test results from above. Core temperature when running Witcher 3 to represent demanding loads would stabilize at a relatively cool 67 C compared to 85 C on the more powerful MSI Summit E14 Flip Evo . The generally lower core temperature allows for cooler skin temperatures.

Running on battery power impacts performance. A 3DMark 11 test on batteries would return Physics and Graphics scores of 10072 and 5353 points, respectively, compared to 14788 and 5485 points when on mains. The speakers have doubled from two to four and they are now louder than on the previous generation model and most other laptops where maximum volume tends to hover in the low to mid 80 dB(A) range.

Audio quality appears balanced as well as shown by the broad pink noise curve. Idling on desktop at the lowest brightness setting would draw about 4. 5 W compared to 6.

5 W if the brightness is set to maximum. Power demand is slightly lower than competitors like the HP ProBook 440 G9 or AMD-powered Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G4 which would explain the long battery life in the next section. Running higher loads like games would draw between 46 W and 53 W which is a few watts more than on the aforementioned HP and Lenovo systems.

We’re able to measure a temporary maximum draw of 63 W from the small (~6. 6 x 5. 5 x 2.

2 cm) 60 W USB-C AC adapter when the CPU is at 100 percent utilization. The Latitude 7440 ships with the same AC adapter as found on the XPS 13 9320 series . Battery capacity has dropped from 63 Wh on the older Latitude 7420 to 57 Wh on our latest model.

WLAN runtime is about an hour shorter as a result, but it should still be more than enough for most users at just over 13 hours. Charging from empty to full takes about 2 hours with the included AC adapter. Almost any USB-C charger can be used to recharge the system.

Whereas the Latitude 9440 took risks in its design, the Latitude 7440 plays it safe with tried-and-true physical features and options that core business users can appreciate. Users who aren’t fans of the “zero lattice” keyboard, spongy clickpad, or USB-C-only design of the Latitude 9440 will find the no-frills Latitude 7440 much easier to use as any reliable laptop should be. It even features a 5 MP webcam whereas the more expensive Latitude 9440 is limited to just 2 MP.

Other notable highlights of the model include the quiet fan noise, good battery life, and loud speakers for a subnotebook design. Something that could be improved upon for future redesigns would be chassis rigidity. The heavier aluminum option may fare better, but the lighter magnesium option twists and creaks more readily than we would like when compared to alternatives like the HP Dragonfly Pro or Lenovo ThinkPad Titanium .

Dell is now shipping the Latitude 7440 clamshell starting at $1700 USD for the Core i5 1200p configuration up to over $2000 for the Core i7 1600p configuration. .