Dell Latitude 9440: A Surprising Contender in the Premium Business Laptop Market

One of the best work laptops I've tested is not a Lenovo ThinkPad or MacBook

At this price point, it can be hard to justify, especially when the competition often offers similar specs and features for less money. MSI has produced high-powered, high-priced laptops for many years, often with exuberant designs and spec sheets. The Creator 16 AI Studio, one of the company's latest laptops, is no exception. With a starting price of $3,999, this machine comes with everything a creator needs to get their work done, including a Mini-LED display, the latest Intel processor, discrete graphics, and more RAM and storage than you'll know what to do with. Also: The best Windows laptops you can buy: Expert tested It's a good option for those ready to embrace AI, as it comes with an Intel NPU for locally processing generative AI tasks and powering MSI's own AI engine that seeks to optimize performance based on what you're doing. But given the high asking price and bulky design, this obviously won't be the best laptop for everyone. At least from a design perspective, you'll have to accept that this is quite a robust machine. Not only is the display a large 16 inches, the magnesium-aluminum chassis is even bigger to accommodate all the raw horsepower inside. The Creator 16 AI Studio weighs nearly 4.5 pounds and is three-quarters of an inch thick, so you may need extra room in your backpack if you plan on traveling with it. Also: The best laptop cooling pads of 2024: Expert tested Luckily, MSI designed it not just to look tough but to be tough as well. The Creator 16 AI Studio was MIL-STD-810H tested for military-grade drop protection, so you can bang it around, and it'll be fine. The company also went ham with the port selection; there's a Thunderbolt 4 port, an HDMI 2.1 port, a USB-C port, a USB-A port, a microSD card reader, an Ethernet jack, and even a headphone jack. Open the laptop, and you'll be greeted with a gorgeous display. MSI sent me the version that uses a 16-inch Mini-LED panel with a 4K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, and it's stunning. It's bright and easy to see outdoors, colors are accurately presented, it can be configured for color grading, and it's incredibly responsive thanks to the speedy refresh rate (I'm obsessed with this screen, in case you couldn't tell). Also: The best laptops for graphic designers: Expert tested I also really like the keyboard. The keys offer a lot of travel for comfort during extended typing sessions, and it's not too loud while still giving you a satisfying "click!" with each key press. I also appreciated the even backlight, which didn't bleed through much at all. After using the Creator 16 AI Studio every day, it was challenging to find a workflow that was too much for it to handle. My review unit is equipped with Intel's Core Ultra 9 processor, 64GB of RAM, and Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, and it's an absolute beast. From editing photos in Lightroom to handling raw 4K video footage with ease, this laptop offers plenty of power for creators who need something reliably fast. MSI uses its AI engine to optimize the performance of the Creator 16 AI Studio, depending on the tasks you're running. I've kept the feature turned on throughout my review period but never entirely understood whether it was making a difference. Sure, I could watch CPU and GPU clock speeds go up and down, but it's not like it saved me any battery life (which we'll get to in a bit). Also: One of the best tablets for work travel I've tested is not made by Lenovo or Apple One feature I did utilize was the AI Noise Cancellation Pro, which helped mitigate background noise when listening to music or while on a video call. It worked well in my testing and helped me focus on the audio playing from the laptop. The more conventional AI aspect of the Creator 16 AI Studio is MSI AI Artist, which allows you to generate images locally on your laptop using a few simple prompts. We're all familiar with how this works by now: tell it what kind of image you want in the style you wish, and it'll spit out a few examples. It didn't work any better or worse than other AI image generators I've tried, but it's a nice feature to have if you aren't feeling inspired and need something to get your creative juices flowing. Last but not least, the laptop also comes with Microsoft's Copilot, along with the dedicated Copilot key on the keyboard. It's the quickest way to ask complex questions, generate text, or summarize documents on Windows, and it's especially useful nowadays since it integrates directly with Office apps. MSI is using it to justify using "AI" further in the name of this laptop, and it's totally fine since a lot of laptops are doing the same thing. Also: One of the best Copilot+ laptops I've tested is not made by Microsoft or HP Of course, the laptop is far from perfect. Like many powerful laptops with intimidating sizes, battery life is abysmal. While it ships with a 99.9Wh battery (the largest size legally allowed on airplanes in the United States), I can only get through 4-5 hours of work before it konks out. If you plan on traveling anywhere with it, you'll need to remember to bring the huge 240W power adapter, which only adds more weight to your bag. The speakers are also disappointing. Playing one song on them immediately makes you want to find your headphones. They're simply not good, even for a laptop. One final note: why is there no full-size SD card slot? I know a few creators who use microSD cards, and this laptop will suit them well. But I'm not one of those people, and I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that my workflow depends on traditional SDs and not their microscopic counterparts. Since this is a creator-focused laptop, it'd be nice if MSI included such a slot. The Creator 16 AI Studio is a solid laptop built for those who want a ton of power and to play around with new AI tools. But at just under $4,000, it's hard to justify when considering other laptops like Lenovo's Legion Pro 7i and the XPS 16 from Dell, which have similar specs for a thousand dollars less. Those laptops, while not perfect one-to-one comparisons, have many of the same features as this one, can still power through your creative work, and often last longer on a charge. This laptop is geared for those with a very specific use case: you need an absolute beast to handle your workloads, and money is no object. For those folks, this laptop will serve you well. For everyone else, it might be best to look for more reasonably priced machines or perhaps wait for a more powerful ARM-based Windows laptop.

This versatile Dell laptop surprised me with 3 standout features

Its display, although large, won't impress serious creators, and it's on the bulky side. The Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7640 (2024) is an upper mid-tier laptop for users looking for a big screen and respectable performance but who want to stay comfortably below that $2,000 price point. Versatility is the name of the game here, with jack-of-all-trades energy that gives the Inspiron 16 a reputation for being well-rounded and up for anything. Also: Three reasons why gamers should be paying close attention to Apple Last year, my colleague Cesar Cadenas went hands-on with the Inspiron 16 Plus 7630 -- the 2023 version of this laptop. This year's version is a subtle follow-up with some upgraded hardware and more AI readiness, but it's comparable in performance. The biggest upgrade is the "Meteor Lake" Intel Core Ultra 7 155H or Ultra 9 185H processors, with clock speeds up to 4.8GHz and 5.1GHz, and an integrated NPU for AI tasks. AI readiness is an overarching theme across all laptops released this year, and the Inspiron 16 Plus 7640 is no exception. Of course, this year's version also features the dedicated Copilot key on its keyboard, as part of Microsoft's push to integrate AI-related tasks into Windows. Aside from the processors, however, not a lot else has changed. Both versions of the Inspiron 16 Plus come in one "ice blue" colorway, Dell's distinct round-edged clamshell design, and the spacious keyboard. This laptop's starting weight is 4.94 lbs, which definitely puts it on the heavier end of the spectrum, albeit acceptable for a 16-incher (although barely - I commuted with this machine for a week and I can say that it would not be my first pick for a portable laptop). This year's Inspiron Plus 16 also has the same dedicated graphics card options as last year's: the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 or 4060, with 6GB and 8GB of memory, respectively. The integrated Intel UHD or Arc GPUs that come with the lower-end configurations are fine for everyday users, but serious creators will want to spring for the boost in performance possible with the Nvidia cards. Speaking of creators, however, this laptop's display might leave you wanting more. Last year's version had a 2.5K resolution (2560 x 1600 pixel) screen with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, which we noted looked stunning with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060. Unfortunately, this year's model, which features the same GPU and resolution, maxes out at 60Hz. The max 300-nit brightness is fine, but a brighter display with an OLED option would have been a nice addition for a mid-range creator-focused laptop. I suppose that's the draw for springing for Dell's XPS 16, from its OLED-equipped line of creator-focused laptops. If you want an OLED, the XPS 16 starts at $2,199 with the same graphics card and processor. This suggests Dell is gearing the Inspiron Plus 16 toward mid-range creators who work with video and photo editing, animation, or graphic design, but don't need the top of the line in hardware. Also: One of the best laptops for work travel I've tested is not a Lenovo or MacBook In that same vein, Dell told me that this laptop, while certainly capable of running games, is not intended to be a gaming-first machine. I ran a few games on Steam with my review unit's GeForce 4060 and 16GB of RAM, and it actually performed better than I thought it would. It is, however, held back by the two things I just mentioned: the display's refresh rate and average brightness. As with previously mentioned use-cases, the Inspiron Plus 16's gaming performance aligns with the profile of someone who isn't an avid or serious gamer, but does like to get into some gaming now and again. The other drawback with this laptop's gaming potential is the rather loud fan that kicks in when the hardware starts to heat up. The degree to which it heats up in the first place also supports the fact that it's not particularly well-optimized for gaming, especially for long periods of time. Another improvement from last year's model is the battery life. During my testing, I got almost 12 hours out of a single charge, which is quite good, given the balance struck with its more modest display but performant hardware. Essentially, this is a laptop that will have no problem running an entire day and then some. Also: I tested Samsung's new Copilot+ PC, and it stands out from the crowd in 3 major ways Adding to the configuration options, the Inspiron 16 Plus 7640 offers 16GB or 32GB of RAM and 512GB to 2TB of storage. It's definitely nice to see a 2TB option, but if you opt for that configuration, it'll bring the starting price up to $1,700, which is only $100 less than Dell's brand-new XPS 13 with the Snapdragon X Elite processor. Such is the paradox with versatile, jack-of-all-trades laptops: they certainly can do it all, but if you opt for the most souped-up version possible, you end up paying slightly more than if you just went for a machine optimized for that use case in the first place. The Inspiron 16 Plus 7640 shines when it's taken for what it is: a versatile laptop that isn't the flashiest piece of gear on the block, but one that is reliable and capable. I'm a particular fan of Dell laptops because of their understated reliability, and this laptop fits that bill well. Dell's Inspiron 16 Plus 7640 is a great option for consumers who want a well-rounded laptop with plenty of storage and a respectable set of hardware that will last, but don't need a specialized machine or require a top-tier display. The laptop's combination of an Intel Core Ultra 7 or Core Ultra 9 processor, the choice of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 or 4060 graphics card, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to 2TB of storage makes for a powerful suite of hardware that is more than well-suited for the needs of the average consumer, as well as those who dabble in creative tasks. Also: How to pick a laptop for college: 4 things to consider and 10 laptops we recommend If you like this laptop, but don't mind opting for last year's Inspiron 16 Plus (2023), it's significantly marked down, starting at only $649, which is less than half of this year's model that I reviewed.