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In this article, I give you my Dell Latitude 7490 review with specs included. This is the Dell Latitude 7490, a business-line laptop, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a business to buy one of these. It’s kind of the Latitude with attitude. It looks fairly modern and nice.

The bezels on it aren’t huge. It’s fairly thin at seventeen point nine millimeters and fairly light at 3.1 pounds, over 1.3 kilograms or so. But it’s got that old-fashioned laptop feel in a good way. It has a nice deep travel for the keyboard relative to today’s standards.

It’s got a very good trackpad with actual dedicated buttons and an eraser stick pointer ala Lenovo ThinkPad style because I’d like to steal Lenovo’s business. And it’s got room for legacy ports. Like, oh my god, there’s Ethernet here, and there’s an LTE 4G SIM card slot.

So this laptop basically competes with the Lenovo ThinkPad T-series a little bit with the carbon, but it’s not going for that razor thin kind of look. As a result, the good thing is you get all sorts of ports here. You have Gigabit Ethernet, you have HDMI, three USB Type-A ports, 3.1 USB C optional a Thunderbolt 3; it’s about $35 more if you want to go with Thunderbolt three.

A MicroSD card saw it LTE you don’t see that very often. When you do it it is generally in business laptops. And the thing is not really a chunky-monkey besides. It’s certainly built like a tank; now you know the XPS consumer line is also very sturdy, honestly. I mean, rigid materials here. It’s got a magnesium alloy casing; there’s an optional carbon fiber lid.

That one is hinged to a 1080p display option that has touch. I don’t know why they combine those, but they do. So you’re gonna have to get one to get the other with that one. It’s past about 15 mil STD 8ng tests for durability. Shock shock vibration, heat up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit more heat than you and I can probably ever tolerate.

Humidity, dust you get the idea there. So it’s certainly appealing to businesses who want to send their force out into the field and not worry about the laptops. That’s the point behind it. A fingerprint scanner is optional on this. A smart card reader, again for business users, is optional as well. What’s really charming about this isn’t the fact that the two display options are 720p.

And that’s right: 66 by 768 in full HD, 1920 by 1080. But the fact that they are matte displays. So no glare, which is lovely. Three of the four display options are non-touch. They are all matte. So then the lower resolution is non-touch. For the 1080p one, you have your choice between touch or non-touch, and it will be matte.

But what is good about it, and you can see the display metrics on screen, is that it has good contrast and an actual color gamut. 78% of Adobe RGB for a business-oriented laptop in this price range is nothing to sneeze at. Speaking of the price, it starts at around one thousand forty-nine US dollars.

The entry-level Latitude 7490 configuration includes an Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SATA M.2 SSD. While this setup may be sufficient for basic tasks, most users will likely want a more capable configuration. One thing to note is that Dell still offers a 7th-generation Core i5 model under the Latitude 7490 name, which can be confusing since the rest of the lineup features Intel’s newer 8th-generation quad-core 15W processors.

A more balanced configuration with a Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a Full HD display typically costs around $1,450, although pricing can vary depending on promotions or business purchasing discounts.

Configuration Options

Dell offers several processor choices, including both vPro and non-vPro versions of the Core i5 and Core i7. The vPro models run slightly faster and include additional business-management features.

Memory options include:

• 4GB
• 8GB
• 16GB

Unlike many ultrabooks, the Latitude 7490 includes two RAM slots, allowing upgrades up to 32GB. Storage is handled through an M.2 SSD, with many models shipping with SATA drives, though faster PCIe NVMe SSDs are available either from Dell or as a later upgrade.

Design and Build

The Latitude 7490 maintains Dell’s professional business aesthetic. It features a magnesium-alloy chassis finished in a soft-touch black coating that feels durable and comfortable to hold. Unlike some previous models, this version skips the carbon-fiber lid.

The display bezels are reasonably slim, though not nearly as thin as those found on the Dell XPS lineup. However, Dell continues its tradition of maximizing screen size while keeping the overall footprint compact.

Although it has a 14-inch display, the laptop occupies a footprint closer to many 13.3-inch systems, making it highly portable for business travelers.

Performance

As an 8th-generation ultrabook, the Latitude 7490 benefits significantly from Intel’s move to quad-core processors. Combined with Intel UHD 620 integrated graphics, performance is excellent for productivity-focused workloads.

Benchmark results indicate that Dell has tuned the system well. The processor maintains stable clock speeds under load rather than constantly fluctuating due to thermal or power constraints. As a result, performance is competitive with other premium ultrabooks.

This machine is best suited for:

• Microsoft Office applications
• Web browsing
• Video streaming
• Business productivity
• Software development and coding
• Light photo editing

It is not designed for gaming, professional 3D rendering, or workstation-level workloads.

Battery Life

The Latitude 7490 ships with a 65W charger, similar to the one included with Dell’s XPS series. While a lower-wattage adapter could technically power the system, the 65W unit enables faster charging, which is especially useful for business users.

Most configurations include a 60Wh battery, while the base Core i3 model uses a smaller 42Wh battery.

Battery performance is impressive. During mixed-use testing that included:

• Productivity work
• Photoshop
• Web development tasks
• Video streaming

the system consistently delivered between 7 and 8 hours of runtime. With more aggressive power-saving settings, reaching 8.5 hours or more is certainly possible.

Internal Design and Upgradeability

Removing the bottom cover is straightforward thanks to captive Phillips-head screws that remain attached to the panel.

Inside, users will find:

• A large 60Wh battery
• Accessible M.2 SSD slot
• Dual memory slots
• Socketed Intel Wi-Fi card
• Cooling fan and heatsink
• Optional LTE modem slot

Our review unit included a single 8GB memory module, leaving the second slot free for an easy upgrade to 16GB. Users requiring more memory can install two 16GB modules for a maximum capacity of 32GB.

Audio

The stereo speakers are surprisingly impressive for a business laptop. In fact, they outperform many consumer-focused multimedia notebooks. Sound quality is full, clear, and louder than expected, making them suitable for conference calls, media playback, and everyday use.

Keyboard and Trackpad

One of the Latitude 7490’s biggest strengths is its input experience.

The keyboard offers:

• Spacious key layout
• Comfortable typing feel
• Excellent travel
• Traditional business-laptop ergonomics

The Microsoft Precision trackpad is equally impressive, delivering accurate tracking and responsive gestures. Dell also includes a TrackPoint-style pointing stick for users who prefer that method of navigation.

Display Quality

The Full HD matte display is another highlight. While it doesn’t offer ultra-high resolutions such as 4K, the 1080p panel provides:

• Good color reproduction
• Strong contrast
• Matte anti-glare finish
• Comfortable viewing experience

For a business-oriented laptop, the display quality is better than many users might expect.

Final Verdict

The Dell Latitude 7490 may not have the flashy design of the XPS series, but it excels where business users care most. It combines a compact footprint, strong performance, excellent upgradeability, solid battery life, a comfortable keyboard, plentiful ports, and a surprisingly good display.

For professionals who prioritize practicality over flashy aesthetics, the Latitude 7490 remains a well-rounded and highly capable business laptop.