If you’re in the market for a mid-range to high-end laptop, the Dell Latitude 7400 might be a worthy option to consider. Let’s talk about that…
Dell’s 7400 model boasts features that are affordable, yet advanced enough to cater for any business, freelancer, or graphic designer. It is designed for those longer shifts and those occasions when you need a reliable laptop to perform at high-speeds for several hours. Let’s dive into the features:
✓ 14 Inch Display
✓ Ultra lightweight (1.36 kg) design
✓ Comes with an array of ports, including Thunderbolt 3, 1 x DisplayPort,
2 x USB 3.1, 1 x HDMI, 1 external SIM card tray, 1 x Fingerprint Reader & 1 x power adaptor port
✓ 256GB SSD (Solid-State-Drive)
✓ 8 GB of RAM
✓ Comes with a Core i5 I5-8365U processor (Better than some i7 processor models)
These features are based off the standard version without upgrades to any of the hardware – This model is priced at just over £1,100 on Dell’s own website.
Any business that might need to provide their staff with laptops suitable for home working should give the Latitude 7400 a second look. With a small upgrade, you can make use of the ExpressConnect tool, this feature makes it possible to automatically connect to the fastest WIFI network available, whether it is upon startup, or after turning on WIFI (For example if you had been running on 4G prior to that).
Users can also benefit from a unique fingerprint sensor – A feature deemed much safer, as well as being a time-saver, so there’ll be no need to store your complex passwords to uphold your security, simply scan your fingerprint and you’re good to go!
Battery Life (9.5/10)
Perhaps the most impressive element of the Latitude 7400 is its surprisingly long battery life, lasting just over 15 hours. This is perfect for a full days use, not just during the working day, but after your shift too. The Dell Latitude 7400 really is a standout choice if you need your laptop to run for extended amounts of time, at a high workload. (These power figures are based off leaving the device alone to run the power down).
Even if you are constantly using the laptop, don’t be surprised if you have charge left over after a full working day of activity. Results from quite a few power tests show that the Latitude 7400 beats rivals such as the ThinkPad T490 from Lenovo, the HP Elitebook series, and the Toshiba Tecra X40-E, who all scored below 15 hours of battery life for the same tests.
Port Availability (7.5/10)
In terms of the physical attributes of this laptop, there are a wide range of ports stemming from both sides of the base. The list we provided above mentions the likes of HDMI, USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt ports. Perhaps the biggest hindrance on the subject of ports is the omission of ethernet ports on the Latitude 7400.
We all know that maximising WIFI speeds involves hooking up your laptop directly to your router or RJ-45 wall port, and the fact that this laptop doesn’t have one is a bit of a let down, however, they do offer a range of versatile adaptors such as the B2B dock. These aren’t the cheapest but will offer a level of flexibility in hooking up multiple devices such as routers, cameras, phone cords and SIM cards when you need to do so.
Design, Keyboard and Display (8.5/10)
As for the rest of the exterior design, the metal casing is slim, and features a straightforward colour scheme, nothing too surprising there. The keyboard is relatively well spaced out, with each key showing off great levels of responsiveness. The mouse buttons have a divider cut into the middle and you will find that it is easy to glide your fingers along the interface in order to type at a high rate.
Some criticism might be given to the size of a few keys, mainly the enter key and the arrow keys, just because they are scaled down noticeably more than a lot of Dell’s other models.
The laptop’s display features a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, offering impressive levels of contrast (1806:1). The brightness is a little below par, and sometimes makes for hard-viewing, especially if you work in sunlit environments where you cannot block out natural light reflections. Overall though, the screen quality does justice for the price you pay.
Graphics and Performance (8/10)
Overall performance is certainly above average, the Latitude 7400 is powered by an Intel UHD Graphics 620 core, offering working speeds as high as 1150 MHz. Streaming is not a problem, nor is running up to 5-6 low-end programs at once. Perhaps you have Chrome, Microsoft Teams, Excel, Photoshop and File Explorer running at once. You’ll find no problem hitting the top speeds, even with multiple processes happening at one time.
Due to this model having an i5 processor, it makes the use of high-end video editing software and gaming a tough ask from the processor. Obviously you can upgrade the specs to increase your RAM up to 32 GB, as well as upgrading to a higher-end i7 processor, but for this setup in particular, gaming isn’t really a realistic activity you can carry out without sacrificing a good frame rate.
Sound (7.5/10)
The sound quality is pretty good, and you can achieve over 78 dB – A little higher than your average model of business style laptop. The level of bass is lacking though – We would highly recommend you opt for external speakers or a pair of headphones, should you need a better quality of sound for either your work, or just whatever you plan to be using the laptop for in your spare time, such as streaming movies or playing music.
The Latitude 7400’s internal fan is quiet and great at keeping the laptop’s internal structure cool. You’ll find it hard to notice your laptop is running sometimes, simply because the fan noise is a lot more toned down in comparison to other business style laptops.
Overall the Latitude 7400 is a great choice for any business, whether it is to implement home working, or simply as a toned down setup for your sales staff, customer service agents, or perhaps the more creative worker, like a graphic designer or Photoshop expert.
Equally it is great for personal use too, handling multiple processes at once for long periods of time, due to the impressive battery performance.
We score this laptop 8.2 out of 10 overall – Should you buy it? We think it’s definitely worth adding to your to-do list!
