The model we are reviewing today is the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7440, which is the latest addition to Dell’s Inspiron lineup. The model under review is powered by an Intel Core 7 155H processor and also integrates Intel Arc graphics.
The laptop also features WVA (Wide Viewing Angle) screen technology. It’s similar to an IPS panel, but with a better contrast. The laptop supports LPDDR5x-6400 MT/s memory and PCIe 4.0 SSD protocol. Overall, the Inspiron 14 Plus 7440 offers a compelling blend of performance, screen quality, and battery life, making it a noteworthy addition to Dell’s Inspiron lineup.
Specifications
| Screen | 14.0-inch, 16:10, 2.8K (2880 x 1800), Anti-Glare, Non-Touch, 300nits, WVA, ComfortView Plus |
| Processor | Intel Core Ultra 7 processor 155H (24MB cache, 16 cores, 22 threads, up to 4.8 GHz) |
| Wireless Connection | Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211, 2×2, 802.11ax wireless card, Bluetooth |
| Graphics card | Intel Arc Graphics |
| Memory | 32GB, (Dual-Channel 2x16GB), LPDDR5x, 6400MT/s, soldered on motherboard |
| Storage | 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD |
| Ports | 1x HDMI 1.4 1x Intel Thunderbolt 4.0 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1x Universal audio jack 1x Power jack |
| Battery | 4 Cell, 64 Wh, 90W AC Adapter |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Weight | 3.5lbs (1.6kg) |
Design
The new Inspiron 14 Plus 7440 maintains Dell’s classic design with a sleek and minimalist body. The model is only available in ice blue. The display case features a matte finish and is made of aluminum. The iconic Dell logo on the lid will be familiar to Dell fans, while the rounded corners add a subtle touch of modernity.
Ventilation holes are set up on the sides and bottom of the laptop to promote efficient heat dissipation. The dimensions of this notebook are 314 x 226.56 x 18.99 mm, and it weighs 1.60 kg. These sizes may seem compact for a business laptop, but they are in line with the typical size and weight range of the Dell Inspiron lineup.
The laptop is made of a variety of eco-friendly materials, including 25% post-consumer recycled plastic and recycled steel, and features an etched logo design designed to reduce manufacturing waste. These thoughtful material choices and design considerations contribute to a more environmentally friendly product.
Display
When you open the laptop, you’re greeted by a 14-inch WVA (Wide Viewing Angle) screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio. This is an anti-glare (non-touch) display that supports a 2880×1800 resolution, a 90Hz refresh rate, and 300 nits brightness. The screen also covers 100% sRGB color gamut and is certified with Rheinland Hardware Level Blue Light Protection, which reduces blue light radiation from the display.
The display supports 1 billion colors, and its anti-glare treatment effectively reduces eye fatigue caused by bright light. The screen-to-body ratio of the display is not unknown. However, it can be seen that the side bezels are quite thin, while the top bezels are slightly thicker due to the integrated webcam. The laptop also comes with a Full HD webcam and dual microphones. There is a physical slider on the webcam that covers it when not in use, ensuring user privacy.
We also tested with Spyder X and found that the display covered 98% sRGB, 75% Adobe RGB, and 74% DCI-P3 color gamuts. The peak brightness is 298.8 nits, which is 1.2 nits lower than the official claim. The measured Delta E average was 1.03, with a maximum value of 4.58 and a minimum value of 0.31. Based on these results, we can say that the Inspiron Plus 7440’s display is perfect for office use.
It is worth noting that another variant of this laptop is available in the same display size but supports a 2.2K resolution. If you are on a lower budget and can compromise on screen resolution, you can opt for this variant.
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Keyboard and TouchPad
The Inspiron 14 Plus 7440 has an ice blue backlit keyboard. Typing on this keyboard is a pleasure, and the keys are responsive for a comfortable typing experience. However, the position of the up and down arrow keys may feel a bit awkward for some users. It may take some time to get used to this layout.
Beneath the keyboard is a large touchpad covered with a layer of Mylar, which is known for its durability and strength. Additionally, sliding your fingers across the touchpad surface provides a satisfyingly smooth experience.
Ports
The Inspiron 14 Plus 7440 offers a full range of ports without the need for an additional USB dock. This makes it stand out in this regard. On the right side, there is a 3.5mm headphone audio jack, a MicroSD card slot, and a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port. As mentioned earlier, this side also has ventilation holes for efficient heat dissipation.
On the left side, there is a charging port, an HDMI 1.4 port, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, and a Thunderbolt 4 port, which enhances its compatibility and functionality. Normally, manufacturers compromise on this part to make the laptop thinner, but Dell has done a great job with this.
Battery and Charging
The Inspiron 14 Plus 7440 comes with a 64Wh 4-cell rechargeable Li-ion battery. Dell also included a 90W AC adapter that claims to charge the battery to 80% in just 60 minutes. This means that if the battery is low during work hours, users can charge more than half of it during their lunch break. With a full charge, expect the laptop to probably not need to be recharged for the entire day.
We conducted battery testing using PCMark 10 Modern Office Mode to evaluate battery performance. Before testing, adjust the performance mode to “Best Energy Efficiency” and set the thermal management in the MyDell app to silent mode. Notably, power consumption is minimized when no programs are running due to the addition of two E-Cores in the Meteor Lake CPU architecture. After completing the test, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus consumed 95% of its battery capacity in benchmarks, achieving a battery life of 14.5 hours.
RAM and SSD
The model we reviewed comes with 32GB of RAM. The memory is dual-channel LPDDR5x memory (two 16GB memory sticks) operating at 6400 MT/s. The memory is soldered to the motherboard, so it is impossible to upgrade. Therefore, users must carefully consider the memory requirements when making a purchase. Dell is also offering a 16GB version for users who don’t need as much memory.
We benchmarked the memory’s performance using AIDA64. After completing the tests, we found the following results: 74,874 MB/s read, 73,614 MB/s write, 81,672 MB/s copy, and a latency rate of 132.7 ns. The memory score indicates that the Inspiron 14 Plus 7440’s memory performance is commendable.
The laptop comes with a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD. Dell has added a heatsink to the SSD. To upgrade or downgrade a storage device, you must replace your current SSD.
To evaluate the speed of SSDs, we used CrystalDiskMark. This benchmark showed impressive performance, with sequential read speeds of 5,282.78 MB/s and sequential write speeds of 4,862.82 MB/s, 4K random read speeds of 69.45 MB/s, and 4K random write speeds of 83.49 MB/s. These results highlight the exceptional performance of the SSD.
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CPU Benchmark
The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7440 offers two CPU options. One is the Core Ultra 5 125H, and the other is the Core Ultra 7-155H. The model we reviewed comes with a Core Ultra 7 155H processor. The processor is based on the Meteor Lake architecture and consists of 16 cores. The 16 cores include 6 P-cores (base frequency 1.4GHz, maximum frequency 4.8GHz), 8 E-cores (base frequency 900MHz, maximum frequency 3.8GHz), and 2 low-power E-cores (base frequency 700MHz, maximum frequency 2.5GHz). Low-power E-Cores operate at relatively low frequencies but offer a high energy efficiency ratio.
The CPU has 22 threads and 24MB of L3 Cache. The Core Ultra 7 155H has a TDP of 45W. The CPU integrates Intel Arc GPUs. The integrated GPU has a maximum dynamic frequency of 2.25 GHz and has 8 Xe cores. In addition, it supports ray tracing.
We also ran CPU benchmarks, changing the performance mode to “Best Performance” and setting the thermal management in MyDell to “Extreme Speed”. Here are the benchmark results for the CPU:
CPU-Z: 682 on single-core and 7,398 on multi-core
Cinebench R15: 252cb on single-core and 2,149cb on multi-core
Cinebench R20: 633pts on single-core and 5,012pts on multi-core
Cinebench R23: 1,689pts on single-core and 13,445pts on multi-core
Cinebench 2024: 102pts on single-core and 759pts on multi-core
Additionally, we compared it with the competitor Ryzen 7 7840HS, which boasts a 60W TDP. The results revealed that the Inspiron 14 Plus 7440 performed comparably to its competitor in the single-core race.
| AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS (ThinkBook 14 +) | Intel Core Ultra 7-155H (Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7440) |
|
| CPU-Z Single-Core | 633 | 682 |
| CPU-Z Multi-Core | 6,773 | 7,398 |
| Cinebench R15 Single-Core | 272cb | 252cb |
| Cinebench R15 Multi-Core | 2,602cb | 2,149cb |
| Cinebench R20 Single-Core | 662cb | 633cb |
| Cinebench R20 Multi-Core | 6,394cb | 5,012cb |
| Cinebench R23 Single-Core | 1,701pts | 1,689pts |
| Cinebench R23 Multi-Core | 16,311pts | 13,445pts |
In the GPU benchmarks, we found that the Intel Arc integrated GPU outperformed both the discrete GTX 1050Ti and the integrated Radeon 780M GPU.
3DMark TimeSpy: 3,942 total score, including the 3,635 GPU score
| Intel Arc GPU | GTX 1050Ti | Radeon 680M | |
| 3DMark: Time Spy | 3,635 | 2,541 | 2,267 |
Stress Testing and Heat Dissipation:
At last, it’s time to examine the heat dissipation capabilities of a laptop. As mentioned earlier, the laptop has ventilation holes on the bottom and right side to facilitate air circulation. Its cooling system consists of only a cooling fan and a copper tube. However, its effectiveness will be tested in a stress test.
We conducted stress tests using the AIDA64 Stress FPU mode. After 10 minutes of test run, the CPU power consumption was 45W and the temperature was 108°C. The P-core frequency is 3.05GHz, the E-core frequency is 2.42GHz, and the LP E-core frequency is 1.52GHz. However, it is worth noting that during the stress test, the turbo frequencies of all cores were not accurately displayed due to software identification errors.
Summary:
The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7440 offers a compelling blend of performance, design, and features, making it a noteworthy addition to Dell’s Inspiron lineup. With its sleek and minimalist design and ice blue color scheme, this laptop is made from eco-friendly materials that reflect Dell’s commitment to sustainability. The 14-inch WVA display provides vibrant colors and sharp details, while the ice blue keyboard and large touchpad provide a comfortable typing experience.
The laptop comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU and an integrated Intel Arc GPU. It delivers exceptional performance whether for production tasks or casual gaming. The 32GB LPDDR5x memory and 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD ensure smooth multitasking and fast storage access.
The top-of-the-line 14 Inspiron 14 Plus 7440 is priced at $1,600, making it a premium option for users looking for high performance and versatility. However, for those on a budget, Dell also offers variants with lower memory, storage capacities, and a Core Ultra 5 125H CPU, starting at $1,150.