Dell Latitude 7490 (i5-8350U, FHD) Laptop Review

Since today’s unit trades the Thunderbolt port for a traditional USB Type-C/DisplayPort instead, Thunderbolt docks (such as the Dell TB16) won’t work. Instead, users will need to opt for a USB 3.0 or USB Type-C dock, which will still probably suffice for the average user. No accessories were included with our review system apart from a 65 W AC adapter.

All Latitude 7490 machines pack Kaby Lake Refresh (8^th generation) Intel CPUs ranging from dual-core Core i3 options up to quad-core Core i7 SoCs; all of the available chips operate under the constraints of 15 W TDP. While our previous review unit featured a Core i7 and 8 GB of dual-channel memory, today’s machine dials it back to an Intel Core i5-8350U and 8 GB of single-channel memory.

As it often does with the recent Latitude models, LatencyMon reported some issues with DPC latencies—which could translate to issues streaming real-time audio and video. Performance is not diminished while operating unplugged, however; a second run of 3DMark 11 on battery power resulted in a score of 1771, which is close enough to our original score to dispel any concerns.

While the 8^th-generation Intel CPUs all tend to experience an initial short burst of performance before subsiding somewhat, the Intel Core i7 in our previous 7490 review unit still distances itself from the Core i5-8350U in our CPU tests—ahead by some 9% and 15% in the Cinebench R15 multi- and single-core tests, respectively. After the first few runs, average multi-core scores are closer to the 530 mark in our tests—again, below the less-consistent but still quite a bit higher (roughly) 570 we received over the long-term from the Core i7 model.

Compared with the rest of its peers, the 7490 roughly matches the EliteBook 840 G5, but it’s well below both the (larger) ThinkPad T480s and Core i7-equipped X1 Carbon. The Core i7 model fares better here, so if more power is needed, we’d recommend springing for that one. Naturally, however, for most users, today’s specifications will be perfectly sufficient.

The Latitude 7490 never was a loud machine, and it’s even quieter with today’s less power-hungry configuration. By slim margins, it’s in fact the quietest machine in our field, topping out at just 40.2 dB(A) and averaging under load a mere 29.9 dB(A)—barely above the ambient noise measurement of 28.2 dB(A). Like all of its competitors, while idling, the fan rarely even engages; and even when it does, noise levels barely increase to a paltry 29.9 dB(A).

We did not detect any coil whine from our Latitude 7490 review unit.

Temperatures haven’t changed much since the Core i7 model, with load averages on top/bottom 35.2 °C and 37.5 °C, respectively (within a degree C of the previous measurements—though room temperatures were also a degree higher during today’s measurements, so it’s really closer to 1.5 °C or so of a drop). Idle values are actually higher, which might be an idiosyncrasy of firmware or something similar (because no other logical explanation suffices). Here, we recorded values of 28.7 °C and 32.5 °C, well above room temperatures.

Unfortunately, while stressed, most of the heat is concentrated near the rear center and right side of the device (the left side while sitting upright), so lap-based use during any sort of significant load is likely to become uncomfortable in short order.

We recorded a battery runtime of 9 hours and 8 minutes in our standardized web surfing benchmark, which is slightly above competitors like the ThinkPad T480s and X1 Carbon, and well above the HP EliteBook 840 G5’s 7 hours and 27 minutes. The Latitude 7390 (with its slightly smaller screen) easily takes the cake here, however, with a terrific result of 11 hours and 4 minutes.

Once again, we come away from a Dell Latitude 7000 series machine thoroughly impressed. Along with Lenovo’s ThinkPads and HP’s EliteBooks, the Latitudes stand head and shoulders above the rest of the business competition. They’re thoughtfully designed, smartly updated, and carefully revised. While the 7490 remains a mere iterative update to the 7480 in every sense of the term, it truly leaves little to be desired. The case is sturdy, subdued, and attractive, the weight is manageable, the input devices are top-notch, performance is very good, battery life is lengthy, and it’s a quiet companion. The few areas of improvement we’d like to see are display options to match its competitors, improved thermal management, and better speakers.

Once again, we come away from a Dell Latitude 7000 series machine thoroughly impressed. Today’s $1,709 Latitude 7490 absolutely deserves consideration by anyone in the market for a premium business laptop.

Today’s less expensive configuration lacks the Core i7, NVMe storage, touchscreen, and some of the biometric and security features of April’s review unit—but it’s also only $1,709 (as compared to over $2,000 for the previous model). Those who don’t require dual-channel memory or any of the previously listed omissions would find little to complain about in this setup. CPU performance is roughly between 10 and 15 percent below that of the Core i7-equipped unit, and GPU performance around 15 to 22 percent lower (though this is also a factor of dual-channel memory in our i7 configuration). As such, we’d suggest that upgrading to that SKU only makes sense if top-end CPU and GPU performance is of the utmost importance. Alongside the X1 Carbon, T480s, EliteBook 840 G5, and Latitude 7390, the Latitude 7490 absolutely deserves consideration by anyone in the market for a premium business laptop.