A week with the 7410.
Specs/SKU
* 14.0-in, 1920 by 1080p (60hz)
* Intel core i5–10310U (4 Core, 6M cache, base 1.7GHz, up to 4.4GHz, vPro Capable)
* 16GB RAM (Non-ECC, Integrated)
* 256 GB M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD
#0000 Build
My first thought seeing the 7410 was, “wow, that’s a small laptop.” I was very concerned about the size because I have huge hands.
Typing felt a little cramped at first, but I got used to it after a day of use. Even though it houses a 14-in screen, the 7410 feels smaller due to its thin side bezels. The keyboard deck has a soft rubbery finish that’s very comfortable to touch. My model has a carbon fibre finish to the top panel, and it is a fingerprint magnet. There’s a little flex when pushing against the keyboard deck and screen. Nothing too alarming but worth noting.
Overall, the 7410 feels and looks premium. It is also VERY prone to scratches and dings. Its small footprint is a welcome change after a long stretch of chunky laptops; I get to experiment with different handbags, totes, and sleeves. And that’s nice.
#0001 Keyboard and Trackpad
Having seen some praise for the keyboard/trackpad, I would say this has been the most disappointing part of the 7410. It’s not a dealbreaker, but I have some peeves with it.
First is the keyboard. The chiclet-style keys look and feel OK to type on. But feedback is a little mushy, and there’s an annoying squeak when my typing speed picks up (Yet to ascertain if it afflicts all models or just my device). My loud music cuts out the noise though :)
Next is the trackpad that I would toss in the “hey! it works!” basket; The surface feels a little cheap with mushy feedback. The right-click area has been very hit-or-miss, so I prefer using an external mouse. I’m pretty sure testing the MacBook’s force touch trackpad has ruined my experience for life. Nothing gets as good as that.
#0010 Battery
My 7410 died in 3 hours on the first cycle while setting it up for the first time. Thankfully, that number isn’t indicative of the laptop’s prowess.
Most 2020 reviews put the average battery life at over 8 hours. I haven’t recorded screentime that high (the longest I’ve recorded is 7.5 hours). I’m yet to find out if that is due to my use case or Windows 11.
Safe to say battery life is a little above meh; I consistently get between 4 and 6 hours doing mundane tasks. Not terrible. But not impressive. You can watch an entire season (or 24 episodes, or 7.5 hours) of an anime off a full charge, which is good.
#0011 Connectivity
I don’t have much to say here. The 7410 has WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, so network connectivity is pretty good. I have had issues with random WiFi disconnects, but that’s just one of the quirks of using Windows.
It also comes with a bevy of ports (for a laptop this small); On the left, there’re two USB-C ports (both are Thunderbolt 3, which is nice if you have an external setup. It also charges via either port.), one HDMI, an SD card slot. On the right side, it has two USB-A ports, a SIM tray, and a headphone jack.
#0100 Performance
Performance is where the 7410 really comes into its own. It handles everyday tasks like an absolute champ. It pretty much runs anything outside of the most demanding programs and games.
Hades and Grime run at 50–60fps (1080p, highest settings) in most areas except crowded fights. League of Legends and Valorant run at respectable framerates too. The 7410 isn’t a gaming machine by any means; It has no discrete GPU options, but it’s nice knowing some titles are playable.
#0101 Security
This section is a bit odd. Usually, security isn’t a functionality per se, but the Latitude 7410 has some security-focused features. I won’t run down the entire list. I’ll focus on Windows Hello.
The 7410 comes with an IR and Fingerprint sensor for sign-in. While it’s not as accurate as iOS’ FaceID feature, it was rare for the IR sensor not to recognise my face (even with glasses on and in completely dark rooms). And even when it didn’t, I just swapped to the fingerprint sensor. I cannot overstate how convenient this is for signing in. Every laptop should have this! My one gripe is that it doesn’t seem to extend to the rest of the OS for actions like auto-filling passwords and logging into websites.
#0110 Windows 11
Being my first foray into Windows 11, I decided to let on a few thoughts on the new OS. Most of my reaction to it has been positive; The UI has a lot of rounded edges and material-like menus, giving Windows a familiar BlackBerry 10 feel. I like what 11 has done with multitasking and window management. Most things feel intuitive.
Side rant: I have no idea why some interfaces and programs continue to exist; Obsolete wizards, Control panel, Snipping tool etc. Why can’t we marry one application to one functionality? Also, why do we still have so many UI inconsistencies? I get in the flow of Windows 11, only to dig deeper and find traces of Windows versions past.
#0111 Conclusion
Dell’s Latitude 7410 is a compact machine. It has a build comparable to that of a MacBook. It’s not exactly the belle of the ball, it looks like a premium notebook. Performance and battery life are pretty good. I would recommend it to any beginner developer, designer, or working-class adult.
Extraneous notes (in a bid to be more correct):
- I included my specifications because the 7410 has many configuration options, including a 2-in-1 (mine is a clamshell), one equipped with a 4K panel, a “Privacy screen” option that limits the viewing angles on the screen, and other CPU options.
- I didn’t include battery life for gaming because you wouldn’t want to game off the battery anyway. But the 7410 did die after an hour of Valorant.
- My “use case” is usually pretty severe; I have a lot of apps open, downloads running simultaneously, virtual machine instances, and sometimes I’m playing a game at the same time. Safe to say, I don’t use my device normally. All this to say the 7410’s battery should last a complete workday (09:00–17:00) and change for most people.
- I forgot to add the speakers…Anyhow, they’re really good. Sounds are distinct and stereo seperation works well. It gets to high enough volumes with very little distortion. I’ve been using my speaker less because of how good the quality is.
- I wouldn’t advise against buying the 7410 at retail price. If you’re in the market for one (and you’re local — that is — within Nigeria), reach out to me on Twitter.
- If you liked the article or thought it was OK, clap like the old days, like the primary school days.
- If you hated it, DM me saying why. I love debates.
- Fin
