Factory Refurbished Dell Latitude E5440 Core i74600U DualCore 21GHz 8GB 320GB DVDRW 14 LED Laptop W7P Black

Review Dell Latitude E5440-4668 Notebook

Co-worker. Practical, enduring, reliable, and down to earth. Who does not want such a colleague? Our report reveals whether Dell's new 14-inch laptop adorns itself with these qualities.

Touchpad

The touchpad's counterpart, a blue TrackPoint, is found on the keyboard. This second input option has many fans, and Lenovo's ThinkPad L440 as well as Fujitsu's LifeBook E743 also have one. Only the ProBook 640 G1 does not offer this, and limits this feature to the EliteBooks.

All five buttons feature a medium drop, a subdued, almost soft stroke (quiet!), and a rubber surface. In return, the pressure point differs. The feedback from the lower row of touchpad keys is not similar to the upper row of touchpad keys. The arrangement is practical because it prevents accidentally pressing the space bar when using the TrackPoint. The contenders simply use a bigger spacing here.

Display

An important feature of the Latitude is its matte HD+ screen with a resolution of 1600x900 pixels (131 ppi). This resolution provides a clearly arranged screen without exaggerating with too high of a pixel density. Dell also has an HD version available (1366x768 pixels). The matte AUO screen (B140RTN, Dell P/N: M4RTT) is a TN (Twisted Nematic) model that does not promise perfect viewing angles.

The TFT's brightness makes a good impression with over 300 cd/m², and surpasses all tested devices' total average by approximately 50 cd/m². The evenness of the illumination commonly suffers under a high brightness, but 84% is acceptable. Dark and light areas are not so far apart that we noticed differences with our naked eye. We did not ascertain white spots, i.e. clouding, even on a black screen.

As expected from the TN screen, the Latitude does not have stable viewing angles. The screen only displays true images in the ideal angle. We shot a picture in state of delivery, i.e. not calibrated. The image quality is ruined as soon as the user leaves the sweet spot. We only see a picture with inverted colors when looking from above or from below. An angle of over 45 degrees from the sides leads to massive distortions.