Dell Latitude E7440 Review: Enduring Ultrabook with luxurious design

E7440 is a 14-inch model of the Dell Latitude 7000 series, launched with the 12.5-inch E7240. Dell actually still calls the E7440 an Ultrabook, although the chassis is a bit large and heavy compared to the 13-inch versions of this device. Although the weight is 1.63kg heavier than some other options, this is still a portable notebook.

Dell E7440 specifications

Manufacturer and model : Dell Latitude E7440

Processor Intel Core i5-4300U 1.9GHz

RAM DDR3 SDRAM 4GB 1600MHz 

Graphics Intel HD 4400

Storage SSD 256GB LiteOn LMT-256M6M 

Comppact-disc Is not

Screen 14-inch anti-glare LED backlit touch screen (1920 x 1080 pixels)

Connect Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, Bluetooth 4.0, HSPA +

Interface 3 x USB 3.0, HDMI, Micro DisplayPort, headphone / microphone combo, SD card reader

Size 337 x 231.5 x 21mm

Weight 1.63kg

Guarantee 3 years

RAM and processor

E7440 has similar specifications to Toshiba Tecra Z40-A-11U

E7440 has similar specifications to Toshiba Tecra Z40-A-11U. The E7440 is rated in the article based on the Intel Core i5-4300U (optional i7-4600U is also available). The Intel Core i5-4300U processor runs at 1.9GHz, but Turbo Boost means a single core can boost to 2.9GHz when required and a low power mode of 11.5W, of which the processor Running at 800 MHz, is also available. Hyper-Threading also appears as usual, turning two physical cores into four virtual cores to improve multi-tasking performance.

This is supported by DDR3 SDRAM 4GB 1600MHz, which can be upgraded to 8GB. But Dell only offers 8GB of RAM with the high-end Core i7 version of the E7440, as mentioned above.

Graphics

Intel processors also offer HD Graphics 4400 graphics. This is a slight improvement over the Intel HD Graphics 4000 integrated into the previous generation of Ivy Bridge processors. However, the effects are not really noticeable and 3D acceleration is not an important aspect of business-oriented Ultrabooks.

Storage capacity

Dell offers two storage options with the E7440. The model comes with a 256GB LiteOn LMT-256M6M SSD, but the cheapest model uses a 500GB hard drive instead to reduce costs.

Screen

There are two screen options with the Dell Latitude E7440

There are two screen options with the Dell Latitude E7440. The model in the article comes with a 1920 x 1080 touch screen, but there is also a 1366 x 768 non-touch option if you want to save money.

Curiously, the top model with a Core i7 processor incorporates a non-touch screen 1920 x 1080.

The screen in the E7440 model is generally very impressive. Viewing angles are good in all directions (but viewing horizontally is better than vertical). Overall, this is a great screen, detailed with rich colors.

Keyboard and touchpad

The E7440 has an even more refined appearance than the Toshiba Tecra Z40-A-11U, with the entire system in dark gray and a stylish carbon fiber casing. The keyboard is really very pleasant. The keys are full size, responsive, providing a comfortable typing experience.

The keyboard provides a comfortable typing experience

The touchpad has a reasonable size and is equipped with large, comfortable buttons at the bottom. E7440 also provides a trackpoint, usually located between the keys g, hand b. This laptop has its own set of buttons just below the spacebar. Besides, the touch screen acts as a third pointing device option.

Connect

The E7440 has a slightly unusual approach to connectivity compared to most Ultrabooks. The majority of ports can be found on the back and only the SD card reader is on the left. The back is where the power connection, HDMI, two USB 3.0 ports, Micro DisplayPort and LAN, while the right only offers a headphone and microphone combo, next to the third USB 3.0 port and a switch to turn off / Turn on WiFi, handy if you have to fly often.

One thing missing is VGA, though it's only really useful if you have an old projector or monitor that needs to be connected.

The E7440 also includes a full range of wireless options. There is a dual-band Wireless-AC 7260 chipset, including 802.11ac network as well as support for 802.11a / b / g / n. Bluetooth 4.0 is also included. Mobile broadband is built in, with a SIM slot underneath the battery. However, only the Dell 5570 chipset is provided on this model, so there is support for HSPA +, instead of 4G LTE that comes with the high-end Core i7 model.

Efficiency

With identical additional processors and RAM, the E7440 has very similar performance to the Toshiba Tecra Z40-A-11U. The results in the Maxon Cinebench R11.5 (2.79) and OpenGL (15.15) rendering tests of these two devices are almost the same.

Although the rendering score is respectable, the OpenGL results are quite mediocre. More importantly, the results in PC Mark 8: E7440-based testing achieved a result of 2,309 in the Home test and 3,444 in the Work test, which is quite good for an Ultrabook.

However, the battery life of the Dell Latitude E7440 is not as impressive as the Tecra. In Dell's recommended mode, the E7440 lasted only about 181 minutes in the PC Mark 8 Home test, which is less than the Tecra, even though it's respectable for an Ultrabook. Luckily, the battery is removable, so you can take it with you for a spare or replace it as the battery slowly wears off.

The Dell Latitude E7440 battery is removable

Conclude

The Dell Latitude E7440 is an option worth considering. Although there is no smart card or fingerprint reader, the high-resolution screen and large SSD offer a significant advantage over Toshiba's Tecra Z40-A-11U in terms of value.

However, poor battery life makes the Dell E7440 underestimated, even when the battery is removable. So, if battery life is a factor you care about, then Tecra will still be a better solution, even if it has fewer features and is significantly more expensive.

The current price of Dell Latitude E7440 is 6 to 8 million VND (depending on whether you choose Dell Latitude E7440 i7 or Dell E7440 i5).