DELL LATITUDE E7440
Intel does not have a weight limit on its Ultrabooks, just a limit on thickness, and Dell seems to be toeing the line here. It is a mere 2mm away from the maximum thickness of 23mm for screens 14-inches or larger, and weighs 1.68kg, monstrous by Ultrabook standards.
The matte aluminum top lid repels fingerprints, except for the mirror-like finish on the Dell logo. To lessen the impact of its chunky dimensions, the Latitude E7440 has a black hinge, black bottom and duo-tone silver/black sides that somehow tricks the eye into thinking the Dell has a slimmer profile.
There is also a power indicator, a read/write indicator and a charging indicator on the hinge, visible when looking top-down, making the Latitude E7440 the only Ultrabook in this comparison to have visible indicators when the lid is closed.
The Dell Latitude E7440 is also the only machine with most of its ports located at the back. The only ports on the sides are the SD card slot on the left, and a USB 3.0 port next to an audio input/output jack on the right. There is also a dedicated Wi-Fi on/off switch on the right side. Everything else is on the rear - an Ethernet port, two USB 3.0 port, a Mini DisplayPort, a full-sized HDMI port and the charging port. This can make it extremely inconvenient for presentations, as you have to reach around just to connect to an external display.
The classic non-chiclet style keyboard also sets it apart from the competition. Due to the thickness of the notebook, Dell has been able to incorporate a keyboard with more travel and substantial tactile feedback. Despite this, it remains very quiet, which makes it excellent for taking minutes during business meetings, or just keeping a low profile while you hammer away at your report in the library.
The review model we were sent is armed with an Intel Core i5 processor and a multi-touch HD (1,366 x 768 pixels) display, making it inferior specs-wise to the rest of the notebooks in our shootout. Despite this, it’s still quite expensive at $3,023 for this configuration.