Dell Latitude 9450 2-in-1 review – a premium business laptop with a compact design

• The Dell Latitude 9450 is the company’s latest 2-in-1 business laptop in its Latitude lineup.
• The laptop comes with a sleek design and powerful hardware.
• Here’s our review of the Dell Latitude 9450 that will help you decide whether you should buy the laptop.

Dell has recently launched the Latitude 9450, the company’s premium 2-in-1 offering in India, aimed at professionals and business users. The company’s latest, aimed at C-suite executives is the successor of the Latitude 9440 2-in-1 launched last year.

The Latitude 9450 2-in-1 is a minimalistic laptop with a sleek design, giving it a premium look. While it may look like a regular laptop, it is packed with the latest hardware, including the new Meteor Lake chipset from Intel.

I’ve been using the Latitude 9450 2-in-1 laptop with the Intel Core Ultra 7 165U processor for a few days now, and here is my detailed review of the latest business laptop from Dell.

Dell Latitude 9450 price and availability

The Dell Latitude 9450 starts at ₹2,60,150 for the base variant and goes up to ₹3,06,800 for the top-end variant. You can further customise it and add features such as 5G connectivity by paying more.

The laptop is available from the Dell Online Store and the company’s authorised retailers across the country.

In the box

• Dell Latitude 9450 2-in-1 laptop
• Power adapter
• USB Type-C cable
• Documentation

Accessories

• Stylus
• Premier Rechargeable Wireless Mouse
• 7-in-1 Multiport Adapter
• Dell Pro Wireless ANC Headset WL5024

Dell Latitude 9450 specifications

Dell Latitude 9450 pros and cons

Pros

• Premium design
• Privacy features

Cons

• Price
  

Dell Latitude 9450 design

Starting with the design, the Dell Latitude 9450 2-in-1 laptop features a minimalistic design, featuring a metal clam-shell design. It is made using CNC-milled aluminium and diamond-cut edges, giving it a solid build.

If you have seen the Latitude 9440 2-in-1, you will realise that the Latitude 9450 2-in-1 comes with minimal changes over its predecessor.

The laptop features a minimalistic Graphite coloured aluminium lid with a matte finish that prevents fingerprint smudges. It comes with the Dell logo at the back, with the rest of the back being empty. It offers an elegant yet utilitarian look, which is probably what the laptop’s target audience is looking for.

The Latitude 9450 2-in-1 features a compact design but weighs 1.5 kg. The laptop comes with a 2-in-1 form factor, meaning it can also be used as a tablet. It features a sturdy hinge that allows you to comfortably convert it from a laptop to a tablet and vice versa, without worrying too much.

The company says that this is the most compact business laptop in the market and it’s true. The weight is slightly on the higher side but that has been done to make it durable and sturdy. The metal edges and soft-touch matte finish give it a premium look and it feels good when you hold it.

One of my gripes about a lot of laptops is that they are difficult to open with on hand. Opening the Dell Latitude 9450 may be an issue sometimes as you may not find anything on the lid to hold onto. Unlike Apple’s MacBook which can be opened easily with a single hand, I often had to use both hands to open the laptop.

Once you open the laptop, you appreciate the design even more. The keyboard offers a smooth and velvety feel. The palm rest is also very soft and feels very comfortable to use. The edges however are a little sharp and you might feel it if you rest your hand on it for too long.

The keyboard is backlit and feels good to type on. As someone who has to type a lot, I had no issues while typing on the laptop. The laptop’s keyboard now features a key for Microsoft Co-Pilot, which replaces the Ctrl key.

The laptop comes with a large trackpad, which the company has dubbed Haptic Collaboration Touchpad. It is smooth and feels good to use. While using work-related apps like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, the trackpad lights up with shortcuts for functions that you may need regularly.

One of the accessories that the company offers for the laptop is the Premier Rechargeable MS7421W Wireless Mouse, which comes with three connectivity options. The mouse is compact in size but due to its high arch, I found it to be uncomfortable while using it for extended durations.

In terms of ports, Dell has kept the ports to a minimum. It offers three Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports with PowerDelivery and DisplayPort compatability. Apart from this, all you get is a headphone jack.

Here’s where the Dell Multiport adapter comes in. It features a built-in retractable USB Type-C cable. It comes with a total of seven connectivity options –

• DisplayPort
• 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 USB Type A
• USB-C 3.2 Gen 2
• HDMI
• VGA
• DisplayPort
• RJ-45

It is a handy tool that offers a lot of connectivity options but will set you back by an additional ₹9,999.

Dell has offered a large vent at the bottom to manage the heat. It also comes with Latitude 9450 branding at the bottom.

Display

Coming to the display, the Dell Latitude 9450 is equipped with a 14-inch Quad HD+ IPS display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels and a 60Hz refresh rate. The display comes with a 16:10 aspect ratio and features thin bezels.

The display offers a 500 nits brightness, which is quite good for a laptop and allows you to use it even when under the sun.

As it is a 2-in-1 laptop, it comes with a touch screen that is very responsive. It features an anti-smudge coating so you don’t have to worry about fingerprint smudges. While you can easily navigate the touchscreen with your fingers, Dell also offers a stylus to help you make the best out of the touchscreen.

While an OLED panel would have offered improved contrast and better blacks, the IPS panel on the Latitude 9450 performs well. The biggest issue with the display is that the refresh rate is limited to 60Hz.

Performance

The Dell Latitude 9450 is available in various configurations. I tested the variant with the Intel Core Ultra 7 165U chipset. The chipset offers which offers two performance cores and eight efficiency cores. The Intel Core Ultra is a new Meteor Lake chipset from the company and comes with Intel Arc graphics.

The laptop is equipped with up to 16GB LPPDR5X RAM and 1TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe.

The new chipset from Intel is equipped with a dedicated neural processor unit that is aimed at performing AI tasks with ease. The laptop can handle machine learning and AI workloads without breaking a sweat.

As the device is packed with powerful hardware, I had no issues with performance. The laptop easily handles everything that you throw at it without any issues and multi-tasking is a breeze. You can easily multitask on the device with several applications running.

The device comes with several privacy-oriented features, including a built-in privacy shutter for the camera. Other privacy features offered as part of the Presence Detection feature in the Dell Optimizer include Onlooker Detection, which prevents others from looking at your display, which is extremely useful for those who might have to access confidential information while on the go.

In addition to this, it also comes with a feature that automatically locks and unlocks your device when you come near it or step away.

For calls, the laptop comes with stereo speakers and sports dual-array microphones. Keeping privacy and proper audio quality in mind, the company has also offered the Dell Pro Wireless WL5024 ANC Headset with the laptop.

The WL5024 is a lightweight Bluetooth headphone that comes with a retractable microphone. It offers noise cancellation support and is comfortable to use even for extended periods.

The laptop is equipped with a 3-cell 60 Wh battery which offers around seven hours of usage on a single charge, which is good for a compact device like the Latitude 9450.

Verdict

The Dell Latitude 9450 2-in-1 is a feature-packed laptop that is aimed at executives looking for a powerful laptop with a compact form factor. The laptop offers a premium design, powerful hardware, and a comfortable experience and comes with various accessories aimed at making your life easier. If you are someone who is looking for a premium laptop for multi-tasking and does not mind paying a premium, the Latitude 9450 is an excellent choice for you.

Disclaimer: The content on this website is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a purchasing guide or recommendation. We advise readers to do additional research, including hands-on usage of the device at a retail outlet, before making a decision.

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