Dell Latitude 5490 review: All business, all the time

Dell Latitude 5490

In that location's something near a good business laptop that yous tin recognize right away. Possibly information technology's that matte black plastic, or the fact that information technology's got that niggling actress fleck of thickness that seems to telegraph to an IT department, "It's OK, I won't toll every bit much as you think."

Or maybe it'southward the exposed VGA port, the saving grace of many a road warrior who merely needs to walk through a slideshow and doesn't want to take to deal with some newfangled connection that probably won't piece of work the first time anyway.

That'south the Dell 5X90 series. Or, specifically in my case, the Dell Latitude 5490. It'south a working human'southward laptop, with options galore.

Work, work, work

Dell 5490

Starts at $799

Lesser Line: This is a Worker Bee's laptop that more often than not looks like a Worker Bee's laptop ... but not then much that it'd get yous kicked out of the hotel bar in shame.

Pros:

Big, but non likewise big.
Skillful central travel.
Old-school "pointing" stick eraser nub mouse in keyboard.
Powerful, with options out the wazoo.

Cons:

Information technology'southward non the sexiest design.
Fingerprint reader isn't fast.
Resolution tops out at 1080p.

What you'll dearest about the Dell Latitude 5490

Ya know, sometimes you just want a laptop that is gonna get stuff done. That's the Dell Latitude serial in a nutshell. And that's the 5490 in detail.

Dell dropped us the high-end of the batch. Information technology comes in at close to $1,800, so y'all're going to demand to make friends with your finance folks before requisitioning this guy. But it's loaded with options.

Category	Specs
Form factor	Clamshell laptop.
Display	14-inch FHD touch (1080x1920).
Processor	Intel Core i7-8650U.
Graphics	Intel UHD 620.
RAM	8GB DDR4.
Storage	256GB SSD.
Battery	Four-jail cell 68Whr (barrel plug)
Ports	Three USB 3.1, one USB-C DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, SD menu, and Smart Menu reader.
Size	0.8 inches (front edge) 10 13.i inches x 9.0 inches (20.3 mm ten 333.iv mm x 228.9 mm).
Weight	iii.52 pounds (1.60 kilograms).

The Cadre i3-powered base model (with 4GB of RAM and a 500GB SATA bulldoze) comes in at just $800. Remember, our top-shelf model cost more than twice that. And so there'south a lot of room in the configurations department.

But at the high end, it's the options that were damned heady. It'd been a long time since I'd used an in-keyboard eraser-style pointing device thingy (with the left- and right-mouse buttons to get with them), and that's a characteristic I'd long missed. (Information technology particularly goes well with a touchscreen in Windows ten.) If I was only given a unmarried option from which to cull, this would be it.

The rest of the keyboard is a decidedly Dell experience, and that's a good thing. At that place's hust enough travel and simply enough wiggle to permit you pound on the affair without worrying that it'due south going to fall autonomously on you.

This is also the sort of laptop you lot'll plow to if you need some serious security. Windows How-do-you-do is on board, of class, but there'south also the choice for a fingerprint reader, NFC-based Smart Card reader, and a Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201 Smart Card Reader tucked into the side. Windows Howdy is the most casual ane, of course, and I found it to be faster than the fingerprint reader. But, again, nosotros're talking security, non convenience.

And it's a small affair, merely I'one thousand excavation the prominent ability push button. In that location's no mistaking where it is or what it does.

The smattering of available ports is nicely placed too. You'll find USB-A ports on both sides, too equally the back. There'south a unmarried USB-C port on the left. There are plenty of options for whatever it is you need to practice, including docking.

What you'll loathe well-nigh the Dell Latitude 5490

You know going into this that information technology's a business concern laptop; the old-schoolhouse VGA port is the giveaway there. That means this besides isn't the smallest or lightest thing around.

The speakers, while acceptable in volume and overall muddiness, lack any sort of existent bass. That'due south adequately disappointing when y'all consider the size of the chassis. Simply that's not the sort of feature that gets priority when yous expect it to spend a fair amount of time in an airport lounge, right?

Honestly there's non much to "loathe" about this laptop. The bloatware? Fine — but observe me a Windows machine that doesn't take to deal with that. If I had to selection nits, I'd say I'k not a fan of the power connector existence on the rear of the machine. Only then over again I'm not a fan of butt connectors anyway.

I could gripe about the plastic-feeling body, particularly given that the unit I'k using here costs as much as it does. But, again, that's a small gripe.

Dell Latitude 5490

The bottom line on Dell'southward Latitude 5490

This is a serious business concern-type laptop. Information technology's also non the most economical device out there in terms of toll.

But if you're looking to configure a motorcar that'll get you through one of those 70-hour workweeks — I'm told those are however a thing for some folks — it'll fit you quite nicely.

Encounter at Dell

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