Dell Latitude 7390 Ultrabook Review UK 2026. Tested & Rated

I’ve been hunting for a proper business ultrabook that doesn’t cost the earth, and honestly? The market’s a minefield. You’ve got sleek machines that promise the world but deliver three hours of battery life. Then there are the ‘budget’ options that feel like they’ll snap in half if you look at them wrong. So when this refurbished Dell Latitude 7390 landed on my desk, I was curious. Could an older business machine still cut it in 2026, or would it feel like using a museum piece?

The problem’s simple: most people need a laptop that just works. Something you can throw in a bag for the morning commute, use all day without hunting for a plug socket, and not wince at the price tag. Business laptops from Dell’s Latitude line were built for exactly this, but this is an 8th-gen Intel chip we’re talking about. That’s ancient in tech years.

I spent two weeks with the Latitude 7390, using it for everything from writing reviews in coffee shops to video calls from my home office. I wanted to know if an older business ultrabook could still earn its keep, or if you’re better off spending more on something newer. Let me tell you what I found.

But let’s be clear about what ‘refurbished’ means here. My unit had some minor scuffing on the lid and a tiny scratch near the trackpad. Nothing that affects functionality, but if you’re expecting showroom condition, adjust your expectations. The battery health is the real wildcard with refurbs, and I’ll get into that later.

The i5-8350U is the vPro business variant, which means it’s got some extra security features that IT departments love. For you and me, it just means slightly better performance than the consumer i5-8250U. Still, we’re talking about 2018 silicon here. It’s fine for Word, Excel, web browsing, and video calls. Start opening 20 Chrome tabs whilst editing photos, and you’ll hear the fans spin up.

The soft-touch coating on the lid is a fingerprint magnet, which is annoying if you’re particular about that sort of thing. But it also means the laptop doesn’t slide around on surfaces, which I actually prefer. The Dell logo is understated, and there’s a small LED power indicator on the front edge that glows white when it’s on. Very business-like.

At 1.22kg, this is properly light. I carried it daily in a small messenger bag and barely noticed the weight. The charger’s a traditional Dell barrel plug, which is a shame because USB-C charging would’ve been more convenient, but at least the brick is compact.

Text is sharp enough that I had no eye strain during long writing sessions, and the matte finish means you’re not constantly battling reflections. But if you’re coming from a modern laptop with a bright, punchy display, this will feel like a step backwards. It’s a business display through and through: functional, not exciting.

The trackpad is a Windows Precision unit, which means gestures work reliably. It’s smooth glass, clicks are satisfying, and I had zero issues with palm rejection. It’s not huge, but it’s big enough for comfortable navigation. There’s also a pointing stick (the little red nub between the G, H, and B keys) if you’re into that old-school ThinkPad vibe, though I never used it.

For basic productivity, it’s absolutely fine. I had Word open, Spotify streaming, a dozen Chrome tabs, and Slack running simultaneously without major issues. Email, web browsing, YouTube videos all work smoothly. Even light photo editing in the built-in Photos app was okay.

But push it harder and the cracks show. Opening Lightroom with a library of RAW files made the fans spin up immediately. Video calls whilst screen sharing caused occasional stutters. Trying to edit a 4K video clip in DaVinci Resolve? Forget it. This isn’t a machine for heavy lifting.

The 8GB of RAM is also a limitation. Windows 11 alone uses about 4GB, so you don’t have much headroom. I hit 100% RAM usage a few times when I had too many tabs open. And because the RAM is soldered, you can’t upgrade it. The 256GB SSD is at least replaceable if you need more storage.

Gaming? Not really. The Intel UHD 620 integrated graphics can handle very light indie games and older titles at low settings, but this isn’t a gaming machine by any stretch.

The laptop never got uncomfortably hot during normal use. The area above the keyboard warms up during sustained workloads, but the palm rest stays cool. I used it on my lap regularly without issues.

The fan noise is noticeable but not annoying. It’s a low whoosh rather than a high-pitched whine. Fine for home offices, maybe a bit loud for quiet libraries. During video calls, my microphone picked it up occasionally but it wasn’t a major issue.

I could get through a full work day if I was careful about brightness and didn’t have too many things running. But if you’re planning on using this unplugged for 8+ hours regularly, you might want to carry the charger just in case.

Two USB-A ports means you’re not living the dongle life, which is refreshing. The USB-C port is data and DisplayPort only, it won’t charge the laptop. HDMI is version 1.4, so you’re limited to 4K at 30Hz if you’re connecting to an external monitor. WiFi 5 is older but still perfectly adequate for most home and office networks.

The 720p webcam produces a grainy, slightly washed-out image. It’s fine for Zoom calls but you’ll look better with an external webcam. There’s no physical privacy shutter, which is a bit disappointing for a business laptop. The microphones are decent though – colleagues never complained about audio quality during calls.

Speakers are bottom-firing and pretty mediocre. They get loud enough for video calls and YouTube videos, but there’s no bass whatsoever. Music sounds thin and tinny. You’ll want headphones for anything beyond basic system sounds.

This is outstanding value for the budget tier. You’re getting business-grade build quality and a genuinely good keyboard at a price where most competitors are plastic creaky messes. Yes, the performance is dated, but for basic productivity work, it punches well above its price point.