Dell Latitude E6440 Review: A Not-so Fancy Laptop with Excellent Processor

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By Oluwaseun Bamisile

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My take on Dell Latitude E6440

Summary

The Dell Latitude E6440 may not be a fancy laptop; however, it does boast a great processor. Additionally, the laptop features a sturdy build and a good number of ports. On the downside, the laptop is quite heavy, and its battery performance didn’t really live up to expectations.

Overall
4.1

Pros

  • Solid build quality
  • Comfortable keyboard
  • Excellent processor
  • Decent amount of ports
  • 3 years warranty period

Cons

  • Relatively heavy
  • Poor battery performance
  • Slow SSD

Dell Latitude E6440: At First Glance

The majority of the laptops in the Latitude E6xxx series aren’t the most beautiful, slimmest, or lightest on the market. However, you can count on their performance, stability, and extremely robust build.

Additionally, laptops in the Latitude E6xxx series are among the safest business laptops available.

The Dell Latitude E6440, a business laptop that prioritizes durability and connectivity, is not inferior to the rest of the laptops in this series.

The Dell Latitude E6440 is a laptop designed for individuals or businesses who require high performance and a durable design. This laptop competes with the likes of Fujitsu LifeBook S7220, and the HP EliteBook 6930p, among others.

For those who want exceptional durability and performance, the E6400 offers a variety of hardware configurations, as well as fast Solid State Drives (SSDs).

Having mentioned a little bit about this laptop, let’s take a closer look at its design and other features.

Dell Latitude E6440: Design, Dimension & Weight

In terms of design materials, Dell uses a combination of magnesium, aluminum, and plastic for the Latitude E6440. Its chassis is basic in design, with rounded corners and a rubber palm rest that is incredibly nice to the touch.

The chassis, which is composed of magnesium alloy, is also quite sturdy, and the lid, which appears to be silver plastic, is actually made of anodized aluminum. Even though it is not particularly light, the Latitude E6440 has a solid feel.

The Dell Latitude E6440 has a 14-inch HD display with a screen resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. This display is anti-glare, so you won’t have to worry about reflections when working in bright environments.

The Dell Latitude E6440 comes with a Chiclet keyboard, the keys are quite large and comfy to use. The only thing lacking on the keyboard is a number keypad, which is quite unusual for a 14-inch keyboard.

Above the keyboard, you’ll find dedicated volume control buttons and a WLAN switch button. The arrow keys also feature special functions which can also be used to adjust the brightness of the screen.

The touchpad beneath the keyboard has been moved a little bit to the left. The touchpad isn’t particularly large, being only 88 mm tall, but it has a smooth, easy-to-use surface.

There are also two dedicated mouse buttons for the touchpad, each with a well-defined pressure point.

The Dell Latitude E6440 also features a TrackPoint. In-between the letters “B,” “H,” and “G,” the TrackPoint can be found.

The TrackPoint, like the touchpad, includes dedicated mouse buttons. However, there are three rather than two buttons.

The dedicated TrackPoint mouse buttons are located below the spacebar key and are simple to operate. Additionally, TrackPoint is a handy and simple alternative to the touchpad.

In terms of ports, this laptop comes with a lot of them. A VGA connector, a USB 3.0 port, and an Ethernet port are located on the left side of Dell Latitude E6440.

On the right side, there is an Express Card 34 slot, a 3.5 mm combo port for headphones and microphone, and two USB 3.0 ports. Another USB port, a gigabit LAN port, an HDMI port, and a charging port are located behind the laptop.

When you remove the battery, you will find the E6440 SIM card slot. Also, by the left side, there is an optical drive.

Internal wireless local area network (IWLAN) and wireless wide area network (WWAN) are available for wireless connectivity on the laptop.

The Latitude E6440 comes with a fingerprint scanner for security, although it is an optional feature. The fingerprint scanner can be used to unlock the laptop and prevent intruders from gaining access.

A 720p Webcam with dual-array microphones is located directly above the laptop’s display screen. The 720p webcam isn’t great for capturing photos, but it’s good enough for skyping.

Dell’s Latitude E6440 features Stereo speakers located at the front of the laptop.

The maximum volume of the speakers is quite high. However, you may notice some distortion, but the overall sound is balanced and even bass is audible.

The Dell Latitude E6440 comes with a remarkable 3 years warranty. As a result, if your hardware fails during the warranty period, you can have it repaired or replaced.

In addition, Dell also provides protection against theft and self-inflicted damage, such as drops, liquid damage, and so on for the laptop.

Moving on to the weight and dimensions, the laptop is 338 x 232.6 x 28.6 mm in size and weighs 2120 g. Despite the fact that it is not the smallest or lightest laptop in its class, it is quite adequate to travel with.

In comparison, the laptop is slightly heavier than the Dell Inspiron 15. Dell Inspiron 15 has a dimension of 363.9 x 249 x 18 mm and weighs 2050 grams.

Finally, while the Latitude E6440 may not be a fancy laptop, it does have a solid build quality in my opinion. As a result, I’ll rate it an eight out of ten in terms of design.

Dell Latitude E6440: Laptop Processor (CPU) Performance

An Intel Haswell Processor is used in the Dell Latitude E6440 laptop. The Dell Latitude E6440 comes with a 2-core Intel Core i7-4600M processor.

With a cache of 4 MB, this CPU has a base frequency of 2.90 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.60 GHz. As previously said, this is an Intel fourth-generation Haswell processor, so I expected it to be fast.

As a result, this processor had no trouble multitasking. This laptop functioned admirably without lagging while streaming a video on YouTube with roughly 20 tabs opened on Google Chrome.

That isn’t all, the processor also performed well in a Cinebench R10 benchmark test. According to the test, the Dell Latitude E6440’s Intel Core i7-4600M processor scored 6183 Points.

Comparatively, the Dell Latitude E6440 performed way better than the HP Probook 650 G1. On the same benchmark test, the HP Probook 650 G1’s Core i3-4000M processor scored 4664 points.

Finally, the processor in the Dell Latitude E6440 is capable of handling practically any task and is also effective at multitasking. As a result, I’m rating the laptop a nine because of its outstanding processor performance.

Dell Latitude E6440: Memory (RAM) Performance

The Dell Latitude E6440 comes with two 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM slots. These RAM slots can take a maximum memory capacity of 8 GB each – a maximum of 16 GB altogether.

Users will be able to enjoy a quick boot time and multitasking with ease thanks to the maximum RAM capacity of 16 GB. Despite the fact that the laptop I reviewed only had 8 GB RAM in one slot, it was still capable of multitasking.

As a result, I was able to switch between more than 25 Chrome browser tabs without experiencing any lag. Not only that, but I also conducted a PCMark 7 benchmark test to see how well the memory performed, and it did not disappoint.

According to the benchmark test, the Dell Latitude E6440 scored 4149 points. This score was enough to outperform the Lenovo B5400 and the HP Probook 650 G1.

In the same benchmark test, the Lenovo B5400 scored 2885 points. On the other hand, the HP Probook 650 scored 2569 points.

In conclusion, the Dell Latitude E6440’s memory is great at multitasking and also it was able to outperform most of its competitors. Therefore, in this memory review, I rating Dell Latitude E6440 a nine out of ten.

Dell Latitude E6440: Storage Option & Performance

The Dell Latitude E6440 features 256 GB SSD storage. This laptop also comes with an SD card reader for an extra storage option.

The model I reviewed came with the maximum storage capacity of 256 GB SSD. 256 GB of storage should be enough for most users, but if you require more storage, you can easily add an SD card for extra storage.

To determine the speed of the SSD, I performed a CrystalDiskMark benchmark test. According to the test, the SSD has a sequential read speed of 557.1 MB/s and a sequential write speed of 438.5 MB/s.

Comparatively, the Dell Inspiron 15 has a faster speed than the Dell Latitude E6440. The Dell Inspiron has a sequential read speed of 1114.77 MB/s and a sequential write speed of 840.99 MB/s.

In conclusion, the Latitude E6440 offers quite a decent amount of storage, but its transfer speed falls below competing laptops. Therefore, in this storage review, I will rate the laptop a seven.

Dell Latitude E6440: Graphic Card Performance

You can either get the Dell Latitude E6440 with an Intel HD Graphics 4600 or AMD Radeon HD 8690M Graphics for the graphics card option. Unfortunately, the Intel HD Graphics 4600 doesn’t feature a dedicated VRAM, but the AMD Radeon HD 8690M Graphics features 1 GB GDDR5 dedicated VRAM.

A GPU with a dedicated VRAM performs better than one without one. The reason a GPU with dedicated VRAM performs better at graphics processing like gaming is that it does not share the system memory with the computer’s processor.

The Intel HD Graphics 4600 has a base GPU frequency of 400 MHz and a boost GPU frequency of 825 MHz. On the other hand, the AMD Radeon HD 8690M has a base GPU frequency of 775 MHz and a boost GPU frequency of 1300 MHz.

In circumstances where a lot of graphics performance isn’t required, the integrated Intel HD Graphics 4600 can be used. However, as I hinted earlier, the dedicated AMD Radeon HD 8690M provides significantly greater graphics performance.

Therefore, if you are a gamer or you use graphics-intensive applications, then it is best you go for the AMD Radeon HD 8690M graphics card. Luckily, the laptop I reviewed came with an AMD Radeon HD 8690M graphics card.

To determine the graphics card performance, I conducted a gaming test. In the gaming test, the AMD Radeon HD 8690M graphics card was able to provide a smooth rate while playing Diablo III and Tomb raider.

While playing Diablo III, the laptop achieved a frame rate of 70fps in a low graphical setting and 50fps in a medium graphical setting. The laptop achieved a frame rate of 59fps in a low graphical setting, and 33.6fps in a medium graphical setting while playing Tomb raider.

However, you will need a better graphics card if you want to play games such as Crysis 3. While playing Crysis 3, the laptop only managed to achieve 28.5fps in low graphical settings and 15.4fps in medium graphical settings.

To further determine the graphics card performance of this laptop, I conducted a 3DMark Fire Strike benchmark test. According to the test results, the laptop’s AMD Radeon HD 8690M graphics card scored 1151 points.

In comparison, the Dell Latitude E6440 performed better than the Apple MacBook Pro Retina 13 inch. On the same benchmark test, the Apple MacBook Pro Retina’s Iris Graphics 5100 graphics card scored 863 points.

Therefore, in this graphics performance review, the Dell Latitude E6440 achieves a nine. This rating is based on the AMD Radeon HD 8690M Graphics card performance.

Dell Latitude E6440: Battery Life & Performance

Just like its graphics card, the Dell Latitude E6440 offers multiple battery options. You can either get the laptop with a 6-cell 65 WHr lithium-ion or 9-cell, 97 WHr lithium-ion battery.

The laptop I reviewed came with a 6-cell 65 WHr lithium-ion battery. According to Dell, this battery is capable of lasting 4 hours.  

I performed a battery test to verify Dell’s claim about its battery. In the test, I adjusted the laptop’s screen brightness to medium and browsed the internet over the WIFI connection.

The Dell Latitude E6440 laptop lasted 3 hours 23 minutes according to the battery test. As a result, the laptop performed poorly when compared to the Lenovo Thinkpad L440.

The Lenovo Thinkpad L440’s 6-cell 56 Wh battery lasted a surprising 5 hours 45 minutes. Therefore, I will be rating the Dell Latitude E6440’s battery performance a seven.

Frequently Asked Question

1. Is the Dell Latitude E6440 a good computer?

Yes. With an Intel Core i7-4600M CPU, the Latitude E6440 is well-suited to office work. It also features a dedicated graphics card, making it appealing to gamers.

2. Does the Dell Latitude E6440 feature a Webcam?

Yes, it does. A 720p Webcam is situated above the display screen on the Latitude E6440.

3. What does Latitude mean in Dell laptops?

Dell’s Latitude is a range of business-oriented laptops intended for corporate companies, healthcare, government, and education markets. The Latitude competes with Lenovo’s ThinkPad line, HP’s EliteBook series, and Toshiba’s Tecra. However, Dell Latitude laptops are also suitable for individuals.

4. Is there a warranty on Dell laptops?

Yes. The majority of Dell PCs have a one-year guarantee from the date of purchase. If you have a hardware breakdown during the warranty period, you can get the equipment fixed or replaced.

5. How much is the Dell Latitude E6440?

When I published this article in July 2021, the Dell Latitude E6440 had a starting price of $263.74.

Conclusion

The Latitude E6440 has a lot to offer, including a large number of ports, a solid metal chassis, and good connectivity. This laptop also features a dedicated graphics card, which appeals to gamers and graphic designers.

However, the Dell Latitude E6440 has a few drawbacks, including low battery life and low storage transfer speed. For a business laptop, the battery life is inadequate, and the transfer storage speed isn’t fast enough to compete with most of its competitors.

Overall, Dell did an excellent job with the Latitude E6440, and it will undoubtedly be used in a variety of businesses and by a lot of individuals in the future. Therefore, if you’re looking for a laptop with a lot of ports and a powerful processor, the Dell Latitude E6440 is the one for you!

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About the Author

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Oluwaseun Bamisile

Oluwaseun is the Lead Content Editor at Itechguides.com. He holds a National Diploma in Computer Science (currently studying part-time for his Higher National Diploma). An internet geek with a love for automobiles, he writes product reviews, tech articles, and how-to guides on the site.

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