Dell's Latitude 7455 (starts at $1,519; $2,003 as tested) is the company's first business laptop featuring an Arm rather than an x86 processor. Its Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU offers performance on par with AMD and Intel silicon and includes a built-in neural processing unit (NPU) for Microsoft's Copilot+ AI features. With a top-notch 14-inch display, high-quality keyboard and touchpad, ample connectivity, and surprisingly effective speakers, this Latitude is an excellent enterprise laptop—provided your company's apps are Arm-compatible.
Design: Business Outside, Arm Inside
The 7455 maintains the familiar look of Dell's premium Latitude 7000 series business notebooks, distinguished from the Intel versions only by a Snapdragon X Elite sticker on the palm rest. The Titan Gray aluminum exterior is understated but impeccably well-made, with a nearly unbendable chassis and a sturdy lid. Dell prioritizes sustainability, incorporating recycled materials in the chassis and battery and shipping the Latitude in 100% recycled or renewable packaging that is also recyclable.
Measuring 0.67 by 12.4 by 8.8 inches and weighing 3.17 pounds, this Latitude is average in size and narrowly misses our three-pound cutoff for an ultraportable. Both the HP EliteBook Ultra G1q and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 are more streamlined.
Inside, the Latitude 7455 presents a choice of two Snapdragon CPUs: a 10-core X Plus X1P-64-100, and our unit's 12-core X Elite X1E-80-100. Both models include a Hexagon neural processing unit (NPU) for localized AI processing, enabling Copilot+ features and special webcam effects, along with Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics.
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The port selection includes two USB4 ports, a microSD card reader, a USB 3.2 Type-A port, and an audio jack. The latter two are particularly welcome on a business machine. The power adapter plugs into either USB4 port. A Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 networking card provides Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Optional 5G cellular connectivity is also available.
Using the Dell Latitude 7455: It Feels Like an x86 PC
In my usage, it is hard to tell that the Latitude 7455 isn't an AMD- or Intel-based PC. It effortlessly handles multiple office applications, numerous browser tabs, and streaming music. The 32GB of RAM in our test model enhances its multitasking capabilities. The laptop's single cooling fan remains off or operates at a quiet, low speed most of the time, and it never gets hotter than lukewarm.
Arm app compatibility will be a crucial factor for business buyers, as not all apps are compatible with this platform. While a growing number of modern apps offer Arm-native versions, others might run through emulation, and some may not run at all. The only usability issue I encountered was that the Latitude 7455 transferred data at pokey USB 2.0 speeds from my USB-C external storage drives, despite the latter being plugged into USB4 ports.
The Snapdragon chip's standout feature compared with most x86 laptops is its built-in NPU, which provides sufficient neural processing power for Copilot+. As noted in our other Snapdragon reviews, Microsoft's much-hyped Copilot+ feature set is marginal for most users, at least in its early stages. (The most prominent current features are Windows Studio webcam effects.)
AI aside, this Latitude has qualities that make it an ideal productivity partner. The backlit keyboard, though shallow, provides satisfying tactile feedback. Keystrokes are well-cushioned, ensuring long-term typing comfort; I nearly matched my personal best typing speed in the MonkeyType online test. The mismatched arrow-key sizes may lead to typos, but the rest of the layout is normal. The power button at the top right doubles as a fingerprint reader. Below, the large touchpad has a smooth, stutter-free surface and a precise physical clicking action.
The infrared face-recognition webcam above the screen presents another biometric option. Although the webcam has 1080p resolution, I find its picture quality average at best, particularly in low light. At least it has a sliding privacy shutter.
Thanks to its 2,560-by-1,600-pixel resolution, the 14-inch screen produces a crisp picture and ample working space. The anti-glare surface reduces reflections from ambient light. High brightness and ample color bring anything to life; "Foundation" on AppleTV+ looks especially impressive.
The Latitude's speakers are its most underrated asset. Flanking the keyboard, they produce exceptionally full sound and excellent bass for their size. They easily get loud enough to entertain several people around a table.
Testing the Dell Latitude 7455: Snapdragon Sizzles
The Dell Latitude 7455 we were sent is the maximum configuration, featuring a Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 processor (12 cores, 3.4GHz all-core or 4.0GHz two-core boost), 32GB of RAM, Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics, and a 1TB NVMe solid-state drive. The RAM, not user-upgradable, runs at a blazing 8,448MHz.
Pricing is similar to the x86 competition; a comparable Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 came out to $1,555, albeit with only a 1,920-by-1,200-pixel screen, while the HP EliteBook Ultra 14-Inch G1q was $1,399 with only 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. As with all business models, pricing will vary depending on the channel.
The sole Snapdragon laptop in our benchmark comparison lineup is the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16, which features the same CPU as our Dell. We also included the HP EliteBook 1040 G11, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 3, and the Panasonic Let’s Note FV4, which feature traditional x86 chips.
Productivity and Content Creation Tests
Our first group of tests represents workloads such as content creation, office productivity, and raw CPU speeds. Our go-to overall productivity benchmark, UL's PCMark 10, is not yet Snapdragon-compatible, so we focus on core-crushing media tasks. (We can, however, run the PCMark 10 Storage test.) First, we use the open-source video transcoder HandBrake 1.8 to convert a 12-minute video clip from 4K to 1080p resolution.
Maxon's Cinebench 2024 and Geekbench 6.3 by Primate Labs are two more CPU-intensive, Arm-compatible benchmarks. The first test tasks CPUs with rendering a complex scene using the Cinema 4D engine, while the second simulates popular apps ranging from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine learning.
The Latitude 7455 trailed the Samsung and finished second with the HP in most tests while significantly outperforming the Lenovo and Panasonic, both of which use previous-generation Intel hardware. Samsung’s superior performance with the same processor suggests it may keep the Snapdragon CPU running slightly cooler due to its larger chassis.
Graphics Tests
We test the graphics inside all laptops and desktops with three cross-platform gaming simulations from UL's 3DMark, Steel Nomad and its Light variant, Wild Life and its Extreme variant, and the ray-tracing test Solar Bay.
The Steel Nomad tests use the DirectX 12, Vulkan, or Metal graphics APIs, depending on the processor in play. Both are non-ray-traced benchmarks. Steel Nomad is built for high-end gaming systems and runs at 4K resolution, while the Light version runs at 1440p with less detail. Wild Life and Wild Life Extreme are less demanding than Steel Nomad, though the two run at 1440p and 4K resolution, respectively. This test aims to compare midrange Windows and macOS systems, tablets, and smartphones.
The Latitude outperformed the HP in Wild Life, but the HP turned the tables on it in Steel Nomad. Although 3D performance isn't crucial in a business laptop, casual gaming is possible on Snapdragon X Elite laptops.
Battery and Display Tests
We test each laptop and tablet's battery life by playing a locally stored 720p video file (the open-source Blender movie Tears of Steel) with display brightness at 50% and audio volume at 100%. We make sure the battery is fully charged before the test, with Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting turned off.
To gauge display performance, we also use a Datacolor SpyderX Elite monitor calibration sensor and its Windows software to measure a laptop screen's color saturation—what percentage of the sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3 color gamuts or palettes the display can show—and its 50% and peak brightness in nits (candelas per square meter).
Snapdragon laptops are known for extra-long battery life, and the Latitude is no exception. Although the Samsung lasted even longer, we can't complain about over 18 hours of run time. The Latitude also has a top-notch screen, with a sunny 424 nits of brightness and wider color coverage than all but the AMOLED Samsung.
Verdict: Dell's First Arm Business Laptop Is a Winner
As long as your apps are compatible with the Arm processor architecture, the Dell Latitude 7455 is a solid 14-inch laptop for business environments. It maintains the quality and productivity focus we expect from the company's Latitude flagships, delivering peppy performance and all-day battery life—with enough stamina left for an after-hours movie on its excellent screen and speakers. Microsoft's Copilot+ features are, for now, more promise than pizzazz, but they still promise a bright future for this corporate productivity platform.
Dell's Latitude 7455 updates a tried-and-true, full-metal business laptop design with a luminous touch screen and an Arm Snapdragon processor that, while potent, doesn't last as long on a charge as others.
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About Charles Jefferies
