Dell’s engineers have built a dream machine for business users on the go.
It’s certainly an attractively crafted machine. It measures 21mm thick and weighs 1.63kg.The design is smart and understated, and there isn’t a sharp edge to be found; every corner of the E7440’s chassis is carefully rounded off. The aluminium lid is honed to a brushed, matte finish, and the rest of the chassis is supported and strengthened by a metal skeleton and reinforced steel hinges, lending the Latitude E7440 a pleasingly sturdy-feeling exterior.
For the most part, the ergonomics are sound. The backlit keyboard’s chunky, well-spaced keys are concave and grip your fingers, giving way to each keystroke with a satisfying, tactile click. There’s a wide shift key and dedicated page up and page down keys, and the responsive trackpoint is married to a pair of large, dedicated buttons beneath the space bar. The touchpad has an ever-so-slightly textured matte finish and discrete left and right buttons that feel substantial and responsive.
The E7440’s Full HD screen is seriously impressive. With accurate colour, a high contrast ratio and excellent image quality, it boasts saturated colours and pin-sharp images.
Inside, the Latitude boasts an attractive array of components. The base model is well equipped for its price of £839 inc VAT, with a 1.9GHz Core i5-4300U CPU, 4GB of DDR3L RAM and a 500GB SATA HDD. Performance is swift, while battery life is also good too.
The E7440 is one of the few ultrabooks that doesn’t compromise on connectivity. Two USB 3 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet socket, HDMI and mini-DisplayPort are positioned along the rear edge, and there’s another USB 3 port, a Kensington lock slot and a 3.5mm headset jack on the right flank, plus both SD and smart card slots on the left. Wireless connectivity is equally generous: there’s dual-band 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4 and integrated mobile data.
Unlike most Ultrabooks, the E7440 is easily upgradeable. After clipping out the removable battery, it only requires the removal of two screws to prise open the access panel. Once you’re inside, internal upgrade opportunities abound.
The Dell Latitude E7440 has all the hallmarks of a top-flight business machine. Competitive battery life and performance are bolstered by fine connectivity and upgradeability, and Dell has packed the lot into a sturdy yet lightweight chassis. There’s stiff competition in the sector – not least from Lenovo’s innovative, multitalented hybrid, the ThinkPad Yoga – but as a pure business laptop, the E7440 is a resounding success.
