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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 12, 2024·
The Dell Latitude 14 7490 is more budget-friendly and offers good battery life, making it suitable for general use and business professionals who prioritize portability and long work hours without charging. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5 17" provides superior performance with a high-end processor and dedicated graphics card, suitable for demanding tasks such as 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming; however, it's larger, heavier, and has a shorter battery life, which may limit its portability. Choose the Dell for cost savings and mobility or the Lenovo for performance-intensive applications at the expense of portability and higher cost. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Dell Latitude 14 7490
- Very good portability
- Good battery life
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 5 17"
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good overall display quality
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
5.9
7.4
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Latitude 14 7490 is poor.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" excels in gaming and 3D due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card and a high 144Hz refresh rate screen, which provide smoother visuals and better performance in demanding games and applications compared to the Dell Latitude 14 7490, which is equipped with an Intel UHD Graphics 620 card and a standard 60Hz screen, both less suited for these tasks.
Engineering and Design
6.5
7.6
3.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good for engineering and design, while the Dell Latitude 14 7490 is only fair.
The Dell Latitude 14 7490, with its less powerful integrated graphics and a less recent processor, is adequate for engineering and design tasks but may fall short in more intensive applications compared to the higher-performing Lenovo Legion 5 17", which is equipped with a more capable dedicated graphics card and a newer CPU, providing better overall performance for demanding engineering software and design work. Additionally, the Legion offers a larger and higher-quality screen which is beneficial for design tasks, though this comes at the cost of reduced portability due to its greater size and weight.
Screen Quality
6.7
7.3
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
305.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has a better screen than the Dell Latitude 14 7490 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, the Dell Latitude 14 7490's screen offers enough clarity and brightness for everyday tasks, while the Lenovo Legion 5's larger screen size and resolution provide a more immersive experience. When it comes to engineering and design, both laptops have screens that display colors well, but the Latitude's color accuracy might edge out for precision work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the Legion 5 stands out due to its higher refresh rate, which makes for smoother visuals, although both lack the optimal screen qualities for the most demanding games.
Battery
9.5 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Dell Latitude 14 7490 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has 4.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Very Good
Poor
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.1 lbs
WEIGHT
6.5 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Dell Latitude 14 7490 has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$300
$1,200
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Dell Latitude 14 7490 has a price of $300 and the Lenovo Legion 5 17" costs $1,200.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.2
7.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
305.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" and Dell Latitude 14 7490 are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Content Creation
7.3
7.2
3.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Latitude 14 7490 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" are both good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.1
7.0
3.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Latitude 14 7490 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Build Quality
7.4
7.4
The Dell Latitude 14 7490 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Dell Latitude 14 7490 and the Lenovo Legion 5 17" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Latitude 14 7490 | Lenovo Legion 5 17" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$300 | $1,200 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2018 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 13'' x 8.7'' x 0.8'' | 15.7'' x 11.4'' x 1'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.11 lbs | 6.57 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13" | 15.7" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.7" | 11.41" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-8650U | Intel i7-11800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 60 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 305 nits | 305 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.2/10 | 5.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 4 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | 4 | |
Shopping
Dell Latitude 14 7490
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Dig into reviews and images
LaptopMag
Henry T. Casey | April 2018
"The Dell Latitude 7490's got the speed you need (and then some), a keyboard that's comfortable enough for writing all day long and a battery that supports a full 8-hour workday. If only the display were brighter and it managed heat better. If you need every minute of battery life you can get, the extended-battery version of the Lenovo ThinkPad T480 lasts 8 hours longer than the Latitude 7490, but its display is much less colorful."
Lenovo Legion 5 17"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Bade | February 2022
"The Lenovo Legion 5 17 is a current-gen 17-inch gaming laptop and equipped with the latest AMD CPU and a powerful GPU, that manages to reach its full potential. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600H is a very good choice for this laptop and able to maintain its performance level for long periods of time. Our test model only falls behind consistently in a direct comparison with its competitors that are often equipped with eight cores and 16 threads. Despite this, the Legion 5 17 leaves an excellent impression and is almost able to keep up with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 mobile GPU in synthetic benchmarks."
Get a great deal on the Dell Latitude 14 7490 or the Lenovo Legion 5 17"
About Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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