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日本Dell Latitude 9450 (2-in-1) review – Vibrant Display, Cool Performance, Long Battery
The Dell Latitude 9450 (2-in-1) is a compact transformer that is full of modern hardware including 15W Meteor Lake-U CPU options with NPU for AI tasks. The port selection and the connectivity are as modern as possible – three Thunderbolt 4 ports, a combo of Wi-Fi 7 + Bluetooth 5.4 alongside an optional Nano-SIM card slot.
This may be a small machine but it offers a quad stereo speaker setup with two 2W sub-woofers and 2W tweeters. Since the profile is thin, the only available slots for upgrading are the M.2 and the WWAN ones. Yes, even the Wi-Fi card is soldered. Still, the touchscreen display is very good. It’s a color-accurate 14-inch unit with a 1600p resolution.
The security seems on point thanks to an IR Web camera, optional fingerprint reader, dTPM 2.0, and Dell SafeBIOS which detects and alerts about malicious activity. The manufacturer offers this device with a pretty fancy keyboard with mini LEDs and a touchpad with quick controls for MS Teams and Zoom.
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/dell-latitude-14-9450-2-in-1/
Contents
Specs, Drivers, What’s in the box
Dell Latitude 14 9450 (2-in-1) - Specs
- Display
- 14.0”, WQXGA (2560 x 1600), IPS
- HDD/SSD
- up to 2000GB SSD
- M.2 Slot
- 1x 2230 PCIe NVMe 4.0 x4 See photo
- RAM
- up to 64GB
- OS
- Windows 11 Pro, Windows 11 Home
- Battery
- 60Wh
- Body material
- Aluminum
- Dimensions
- 310.5 x 215 x 14.92 - 16.28 mm (12.22" x 8.46" x 0.59")
- Weight
- 1.54 kg (3.4 lbs)
- Ports and connectivity
- 3x USB Type-C
- Power Delivery (PD), DisplayPort
- Card reader
- Ethernet LAN
- Wi-Fi
- 802.11be
- Bluetooth
- 5.4
- Audio jack
- 3.5mm Combo Jack
- Features
- Fingerprint reader
- optional
- Web camera
- FHD RGB IR
- Backlit keyboard
- optional
- Microphone
- Dual-array microphone on FPC
- Speakers
- 4x 2.5W Stereo Speakers
- Optical drive
- Security Lock slot
- Wedge Lock
All Dell Latitude 14 9450 (2-in-1) configurations
Drivers
All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/latitude-14-9450-2-in-1-laptop/drivers
What’s in the box?
The package contains a bit of paperwork, the laptop itself, and a USB-C to Type-A adapter. You get a 60W, 65W, or 100W Type-C charger depending on the CPU model.
Design and construction
The Dell Latitude 9450 (2-in-1) design is clean and stealthy in Graphite color. The aluminum build is very sturdy. The profile height is 14.92 – 16.28 mm and the weight reaches 1.54 kg. Yep, that’s a compact gadget.
One of this device’s few disadvantages is that you’ll need both hands to open the lid.
The dark thin bezels are thin and contrast well with the slightly lighter chassis. The 1080p IR Web camera on top is for Windows Hello. The unit boasts functionality such as “Onlooker detection” which texturizes the screen when someone else is looking at the display.
Here we have a lid with two rubber feet on its lower side. It lifts the back of the base when you open the device wider than 90 degrees. This enhances the cooling capabilities of the thermal system.
This 2-in-1 notebook supports Notebook, Tablet, Stand, and Tent modes thanks to the versatile 360-degree hinge.
The backlit keyboard with big keycaps and a Copilot shortcut has good travel for such a thin profile. The feedback is also nice but not the best we’ve seen. The optional fingerprint reader is built into the Power button. Dell claims that the Mini-LED backlight reduces the keyboard’s power usage by up to 75% compared to conventional illumination. The board is surrounded by two tall speaker grills.
The so-called “Haptic Collaboration Touchpad” is large (135 x 91.40 mm), smooth, and accurate. It has four icons on the top. These are meant to control video, share screen, chat, and microphone functions during calls in Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
The bottom plate plate houses a 3-row ventilation grill, three rubber feet, and two speaker cutouts. The heat is guided via two vents on the rear in between the hinges and one on the bottom that aims at the desk.
Ports
On the left, you get a pair of 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 ports followed by an optional Nano-SIM card slot. On the right, there is a Lock slot, another 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 port, and an Audio combo jack. All Type-C ports support DisplayPort 2.1 and Power Delivery capabilities.
Display and Sound Quality, Get our Profiles
| Dell Latitude 9450 (2-in-1) | X7F7W-B140QAN (AUO499A) |
| Diagonal | 14.0 inches (35.6 cm) |
| Panel Type | IPS, Touch |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1600 pixels |
| Max Refresh Rate | 60 Hz |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:10 |
| Pixel Density | 216 PPI |
| ‘Retina’ Distance | Greater than or equal to 41 cm |
Viewing Angles
Viewing angles are good. We take photos from different angles to evaluate the quality.
Also, a video with locked focus and exposure.
Color Coverage
The whole “sail-shaped” map below (Fig. 1) consists of all the colors we can see, while the black crooked line shows all the colors from real-world scenes and nature around us.
Then, we’ve drawn some of the most important and interesting color spaces, compared to the colors the panel of Dell Latitude 9450 (2-in-1) can show:
Standard/For Web: sRGB – widely used color space for most consumer devices, ideal for Web design and development
For Print: AdobeRGB – used in professional photo editing, graphic design, and print
For Photographers/Video Editors: DCI-P3 – used in high-end film production, post-production, and digital cinema
Premium HDR: Rec.2020 – the widest consumer ITU color standard, covering a massive 75.8% of the visible spectrum, a benchmark for premium HDR content
Dell Latitude 9450 (2-in-1): the yellow dashed triangle (– – – – – –) represents the range of colors this monitor can display.
In our tests, we calculated the total color coverage of the monitor at 100% of the sRGB color gamut and 85% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
(Fig.1) Dell Latitude 9450 (2-in-1) covers 100% of the sRGB gamut
Brightness and Contrast
The maximum brightness in SDR mode is 584 cd/m² in the center of the screen and 559 cd/m² averaged across the surface with a maximum deviation of 9%.
The Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) on a white screen at maximum brightness is 6000K.
The contrast ratio is 1700:1.
Uniformity: Luminance, Contrast, and Color Deviation
The figure below shows the results from our uniformity test across different sections of the screen. It’s measured at 182 nits (Windows slider = 57%) — a brightness level we consider typical for standard working conditions.
DeltaE values below 4.0 are acceptable for regular users. For those working with colors, screens with DeltaE values no higher than 2.0 are recommended.
Color Accuracy
Let’s check the difference between real colors and those you’ll see on the Dell Latitude 9450 (2-in-1). We measure that distance in DeltaE – the higher the number, the more different they look.
Values below 4.0 are acceptable for regular users, while values below 2.0 are suitable for color-sensitive work. A value below 1.0 means the difference is indistinguishable to the naked eye.
For the next graph, we’ve selected 24 common colors, including dark/light skin, blue sky, green grass, etc.
Before our calibration of the Latitude 9450, the Average color accuracy was 4.0 dE (Fig. 2), and with our Design and Gaming profile, it lowered to 1.3 dE (Fig. 3).
(Fig. 2) Dell Latitude 9450 in its factory condition
(Fig. 3) Dell Latitude 9450 with our display profile
Comparison in the sRGB color space (primaries and D65 white point specified in ITU-R BT.709, sRGB encoding curve).
Here’s an illustration of what the Design and Gaming profile aims to deliver:
Left: No Profile | Drag the slider to see the difference | Right: Design & Gaming Profile
Visibility in dark scenes
Have you ever watched a movie with dark scenes where you could barely see anything? This often happens because many display panels struggle to differentiate the darkest nuances, making them appear the same.
The next figure illustrates how well the display reproduces these dark nuances. The left side of the image shows the display with stock settings, and the right side shows it with our Design and Gaming profile activated.
On the horizontal axis are the grayscale levels, and on the vertical axis – the corresponding display brightness.
You can also check how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display and the surrounding light conditions.
Response time (Gaming capabilities)
We test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “black-to-white” and “white-to-black” method from 10% to 90% and vice versa.
We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 26.7 ms.
After that, we test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “Gray-to-Gray” method from 50% White to 80% White and vice versa between 10% and 90% of the amplitude.
Health Impact: PWM (Screen flickering)
Some use PWM to regulate their brightness, which means that instead of reducing the light intensity, they pulse or flicker. Our brain merges the image, so it appears darker, but this strains both it and our vision, especially when the frequency of the pulses is low. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.
In the graph below, you see the intensity of light at different brightness levels—on the vertical axis is the brightness of the emitted light, and on the horizontal axis—time.
The light from the backlight of the Dell Latitude 9450 display is not pulse-width modulated, providing visual comfort in the discussed aspect.
Health Impact: Blue light emissions
Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates harmful PWM when the laptop uses it to control brightness but also reduces harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate.
If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.
Health Impact: Screen Reflectance
Glossy-coated displays can cause eye fatigue in high ambient light conditions due to reflections. We measure the level of screen reflection with the display turned off, at a 60° angle.
The reflectance of the Dell Latitude’s screen is 75.8 GU.
High Gloss: >70 GU
Medium Gloss: 30 – 70 GU
Low Gloss: <30 GU
Get our profiles
Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for Dell Latitude 9450 (2-in-1) configurations with X7F7W-B140QAN (AUO499A), 2560 х 1600, IPS panel.
*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].
Read more about the profiles HERE.
In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.
Office Work
Office Work should be used mostly by users who spend most of the time looking at pieces of text, tables or just surfing. This profile aims to deliver better distinctness and clarity by keeping a flat gamma curve (2.20), native color temperature and perceptually accurate colors.
Design and Gaming
This profile is aimed at designers who work with colors professionally, and for games and movies as well. Design and Gaming takes display panels to their limits, making them as accurate as possible in the sRGB IEC61966-2-1 standard for Web and HDTV, at white point D65.
Health-Guard
Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate. Health-Guard simulates paper so the pressure on the eyes is greatly reduced.
Get all 3 profiles with 33% discount
Sound
The sound of the Dell Latitude 9450 (2-in-1) is of relatively good quality. In the subjective listening of a sound file, the low, middle and high frequencies have slight deviations in purity.
Performance: CPU, GPU, Storage
All benchmarks and tests were conducted with the “Best performance” preset activated in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu. Also, the “Ultra Performance” mode is enabled in the Dell Optimizer app.
CPU options
These are the CPU options – Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, Core Ultra 5 135U, and Core Ultra 7 165U.
Our notebook has a 165U chip.
Here, we evaluate the CPU's performance using a real-world 3D rendering task, assessing its ability to handle complex computations and rendering workloads efficiently.
Results are from the Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core test (higher is better)
Single-core performance ensures smooth operation and responsiveness in operating systems, providing a better user experience.
Results are from the Geekbench 6 Single-Core test (higher is better)
Multi-core performance is essential for handling complex and demanding tasks, such as Video editing, CAD, and Scientific simulations.
Results are from the Geekbench 6 Multi-Core test (higher is better)
GPU options
All machines of this Dell series rely on Intel Graphics (4-Cores) for graphics tasks.
The results are from 3DMark Time Spy (Graphics). Higher is better.
The results are from 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited. Higher is better.
Gaming tests
| CS:GO | HD 1080p, Low (Check settings) | HD 1080p, Medium (Check settings) | HD 1080p, MAX (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average FPS | 151 fps | 142 fps | 85 fps |
| Gears 5 | Full HD, Low (Check settings) | Full HD, Medium (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average FPS | 40 fps | 28 fps | 20 fps | 15 fps |
Here, the Intel Graphics (4-Cores) is impressively snappy. The main reason for that is the high CPU clocks alongside the fast memory in dual-channel mode.
Storage performance
The SSD of our notebook is the 1TB WD PC SN740. This Gen 4 NVMe drive is pretty fast for a 2230 unit but since it’s not additionally cooled by thermal pads, it reaches 80°C during benchmarking. Don’t worry, you’re not going to see such thermals when using the laptop for Web browsing or watching videos.
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Temperatures and comfort, Battery Life
Max CPU load
In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering.
Average P-core frequency; Average E-core frequency; Average LP E-core frequency; CPU temp.; Package Power
| Intel Core Ultra 7 165U (15W Base Power) | 0:02 – 0:10 sec | 0:15 – 0:30 sec | 10:00 – 15:00 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dell Latitude 9450 (2-in-1) | 3.70 GHz @ 3.18 GHz @ 1.59 GHz @ 69°C @ 43W | 3.69 GHz @ 3.15 GHz @ 1.59 GHz @ 83°C @ 44W | 2.40 GHz @ 2.38 GHz @ 1.19 GHz @ 68°C @ 24W |
The Core Ultra 7 165U P and C cores boost to around 3.70 GHz / 3.20 GHz in short and medium loads which is a great result for a compact laptop like this one. In longer stress, the frequencies and the power limit are higher than the Intel’s official official base ones so we can call it a day.
Comfort during full load
Expectedly, the Dell Optimizer is the way to go to control the laptop’s power. The fans are audible but not noisy during heavy loads in “Ultra Performance” mode.
When the internals are heavily stressed, the hotspot on the keyboard is on the top row of the keys reaching ~ 43°C. The middle section of the board is even cooler hitting just 35°C. The comfort during max system loads is good.
The fans could be near quiet if you apply the “Optimized” mode. That’s due to the lower CPU clocks which are still high enough for standard work.
Battery
Now, we conduct the battery tests with the Windows Best Power Efficiency setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 180 nits and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. The 60Wh battery lasts for around 11 hours of video playback. The result is great! To achieve that, you have to apply the “Best Power Efficiency” preset in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu and select the “Optimized” power plan in the Dell Optimizer app.
Brightness: 180 nits; Display Mode: SDR
Time to Full Discharge: Higher is Better
Disassembly, Upgrade options, and Maintenance
To see the internals of this compact device, you have to undo 6 captive Phillips-head screws. Use a thin plastic tool to pry the back. Then, pop the top two corners and pry the sides and the front.
Here’s how the bottom plate looks on the inside.
This machine relies on a 60Wh battery. To take it out, pull up the connector from the motherboard and undo the 6 Phillips-head screws that fix the unit to the chassis. You also have to untangle the Wi-Fi card cables around the battery housing. The capacity is enough for around 11 hours of video playback.
Since that’s a thin 2-in-1 laptop, the memory is soldered. Still, the maximum possible amount of RAM is 64GB LPDDR5x-7467MHz in dual-channel mode which seems future-proof. For storage, you get just one M.2 slot compatible with the shortest 2230 Gen 4 NVMe drives. The SSD is protected by a metal cap that is held in place by a single screw. There are no thermal pads here.
The WWAN slot on the right is for optional 5G connectivity. The soldered Wi-Fi card is placed close to the battery connector.
The cooling looks good for such a small laptop. It comprises a pair of fans, one long heat pipe, two heat sinks, and a sizable heat spreader.
Verdict
We like the Dell Latitude 9450 (2-in-1). This expensive transformer offers a premium and solid aluminum build, a comfortable keyboard, and an accurate touchpad. The overall performance is good because the cooling with two fans is doing its job well. The Core Ultra 7 165U P and E cores boost to 3.70 GHz / 3.20 GHz in short and medium loads and around 2.40 GHz in longer stress. That’s more than enough for home or office work. The comfort under full load is fine – the fans aren’t noisy and the keyboard doesn’t get hot. This doesn’t apply to the fast NVMe that reaches whooping 80°C during benchmarking.
The 1600p IPS touchscreen (X7F7W-B140QAN (AUO499A)) is suitable even for color-sensitive work because it has 100% sRGB coverage and thanks to our “Design and Gaming” profile, the color accuracy is enhanced to an average dE value of 1.3. We are also amazed by the 584 nit max brightness and the 1700:1 contrast ratio.
The upgradability may be limited but you can order this notebook with up to 64GB of LPDDR5x memory which is a hefty amount. The battery life is very good considering the modest capacity of 60Wh – 11 hours of videos.
The Latitude 9450 (2-in-1) is a snappy 2-in-1 machine with a modern port selection, long battery life, premium build, and a vibrant PWM-free IPS touch panel.
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/dell-latitude-14-9450-2-in-1/
Pros
- The fans aren’t noisy under max CPU loads in “Ultra Performance” mode
- Solid aluminum build
- Good input devices
- No PWM (AUO499A)
- 100% sRGB coverage + accurate colors with our “Design and Gaming” profile (AUO499A)
- 1700:1 contrast ratio + 584 nit max brightness (AUO499A)
- 3x Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Long battery life
- 1080p IR Web camera
- Fingerprint reader + Nano SIM slot (all are optional)
- The CPU can sustain 3.70 GHz / 3.20 GHz P and E-core clock in short and medium loads
- 360-degree hinge
- Fast 2230 NVMe (WD PC SN740)
Cons
- Pricey
- Soldered RAM + one M.2 slot
- The SSD gets toasty during benchmarking
- No Type-A ports
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