Early Verdict
The Dell XPS 14 features a gorgeous 14.5-inch OLED display, a minimalist design and enough power for everyday work and mid-range gaming. Based on our early testing, we think this could be one of 2024's best laptops — if you don't mind its controversial design.
Pros
- +
Svelte design
- +
Vivid OLED display
- +
Enjoyable typing
- +
Powerful RTX GPU
Cons
- -
Capacitive function row
- -
Trackpad not visible
- -
No lip on lid
- -
Poor battery life
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For better and for worse, the new Dell XPS 14 follows the same design language as the Dell XPS 13 Plus. It’s a compact, minimalist notebook with an LED function row and no visible touchpad. Those factors made the XPS Plus a divisive product, and I imagine the same will be true of 2024’s entire new XPS laptop line.
Besides looking like the XPS 13 Plus, the other stand-out feature is the inclusion of the new Meteor Lake CPU — packing the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) to accelerate AI-driven tasks. We’ve yet to see “AI laptops” offer more value than the existing best laptops, but the XPS 14’s AI capabilities could bear fruit once more applications begin making the most of it.
Even if you don’t care about performing AI tasks, the Dell XPS 14 still has plenty going for it. It’s small and light enough to carry around, and the bright and colorful 14.5-inch 3.2K+ OLED InfiniteEdge display is perfect for both work and entertainment. The keyboard’s large keycaps, tighter spacing, and satisfying travel distance also make it a joy to type on. Plus, thanks to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, it can even play the best PC games on modest settings.
Dell sent us a business model of the XPS 14, which has a different CPU than the model you can buy. I’ll have a full review of the consumer model soon, so let this serve as a preview of what you can expect. Based on my time with the Dell XPS 14 so far, I can see it replacing last year’s Dell XPS 15 OLED as my main work laptop.
Dell XPS 14 hands-on review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? A 14-inch Dell XPS laptop that packs the latest 14th gen Intel Core processor and Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics.
- Who is it for? Users who want a powerful laptop for work, watching videos and playing games.
- What does it cost? Starts at $1,699 on Dell's website.
- How is its gaming performance? The RTX 4050 GPU allows you to get excellent performance when playing games at medium settings (especially with DLSS 3.0).
- How is the typing and touchpad? The thick keycaps are ideal for touch typists, though it takes time to acclimate to the invisible touchpad.
Dell XPS 14 hands-on review: Specs
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Dell XPS 14 (starting) |
|---|---|
| Price | $1,699 |
| Display | 14.5-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200) InfinityEdge non-touch (30-120Hz) |
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 |
| RAM | 16GB |
| Storage | 512GB |
| Ports | 3x USB-C, 1x headphone jack, 1x microSD |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Dimensions | 12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 inches |
| Weight | 3.7 pounds |
Dell XPS 14 hands-on review: The ups
The Dell XPS 14 stands out thanks to its elegant, semi-futuristic design. It features a keyboard made for touch typists, a vivid 3.5K+ OLED display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and a decently powerful discrete GPU. There’s a lot to like about this notebook.
Minimalist design
I know some people didn’t like the Dell XPS 13 Plus' design, but I never hated it. After all, it’s nice seeing a laptop that doesn’t look like every other clamshell out there. Sure, the XPS 14 appears like a standard notebook when closed, but its distinctiveness is evident once you open it.
Let’s address the proverbial elephant in the room — the LED function row and invisible touchpad. Though I’d prefer having traditional function row keys (more on that below), the capacitive function row works well with the overall design. The same is true for the touchpad. It’s still there; you just can’t see it.
The machined aluminum chassis and Gorilla Glass 3 keyboard deck not only look great, but also make the XPS 14 feel uber premium. At 3.8 pounds (for the OLED model), it’s slightly heavier than the 3.5-pound MacBook Pro 14-inch M3. Still, the XPS 14 feels sturdy and light, and I had no trouble traveling with it to the office or bringing it to my rooftop lounge at home. It’s a perfect travel notebook.
Beautiful display
The 14.5-inch OLED InfiniteEdge display impresses with vibrant color, deep blacks and striking brightness. Plus, that sharp 3.5K+ resolution allows you to see even the most minute details. Everything from text on web pages to fast-moving videos looks dazzling on the display.
Watching the latest trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, with its deluge of colors and fast-moving action, shows off the phenomenal quality of this panel. The same is true of Doom Eternal’s colorful and twisted hellish landscapes. Though I mostly used the XPS 14 for work, it’s a splendid device for all kinds of entertainment.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Dell XPS 14 | Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) | MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nits (brightness) | 380 | 373 | 555 |
| sRGB | 113.2% | 113.7% | 117.7% |
| DCI-P3 | 80.2% | 80.5% | 83.4% |
| Delta-E | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
The business model I tested has the same display as the consumer variant. As you can see from the table above, the Dell XPS 14 has good color reproduction (sRGB and DCI-P3) and decent color accuracy (Delta-E). Non-HDR brightness is just slightly under the advertised 400 nits and HDR brightness is just shy of 600 nits — both of which are solid showings.
Outstanding keyboard
Dell’s XPS laptops tend to have excellent keyboards and the new XPS 14 is no exception. Thick keycaps, 0.03mm travel distance and virtually no spacing between keys make typing on this keyboard both efficient and pleasurable. Even if you have big hands like me and prefer the best mechanical keyboards, you won’t have much trouble typing on this device.
There are no lines denoting where the glass touchpad begins and ends. The space beneath the keys is completely flat, which could fool you into thinking there is no touchpad. Since the touchpad has no edge or physical borders, I initially found myself swiping on the wrong area. Once I adjusted, using the smooth and responsive touchpad became second nature. The Piezo technology used to provide a clicking sensation is also a nice touch.
I understand that some folks will get frustrated by an invisible touchpad. But in my experience it’s not that big of a deal.
Solid mid-range RTX performance
The XPS 14 packs an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card. Because of that, you’re able to play most modern games at medium settings at 1080p resolution. Though not quite on par with the best gaming laptops, you can still have a great time playing your favorite games on Dell’s new XPS notebook.
At the aforementioned settings, Doom Eternal’s frame rate fluctuated between 90 to 105 frames per second. That’s not too surprising given how this is one of the most well-optimized titles out there. But what about something more challenging like Cyberpunk 2077? With the frame-boosting DLSS option enabled, the game ran at around 33 to 45 frames per second. That’s below my personal 60fps minimum, but playable nonetheless.
I’ll add full performance metrics once I update this Dell XPS 14 hands-on into a full review, but I suspect the consumer model’s gaming performance will generally fall within what I saw. I’ll also include benchmark results for Geekbench and Handbrake and compare those to the M3 MacBooks and the best Windows laptops.
Dell XPS 14 hands-on review: The downs
The Dell XPS 14 has a lot going for it. However, there are some design choices that prevent it from being a perfect laptop.
Capacitive function row
Even though I don’t totally hate the capacitive function row, the lack of physical function keys can be frustrating. I like the way the LED buttons look above the keys, since it’s not something you often see on laptops. But quite frankly, they aren't that useful in some situations.
I’m a touch typist so having no physical function row throws me off. And before you ask, yes, I had similar issues with the touch bar on older MacBook Pros. The LED function row looks cool and blends nicely with the rest of the laptop, but I have to look down at the keyboard to find the button I want to press — which can slow me down. I still haven’t gotten used to this, even after many hours of testing this notebook.
Another problem some folks had with the capacitive function row was that the buttons always stayed lit. Now, after 10 seconds of inactivity, they turn off. That’s good since you might not want the bright function row glaring at you the entire time.
No lip on lid
XPS laptops are on par with the best MacBooks when it comes to eye-pleasing and practical designs. However, there’s one major flaw with Dell’s notebooks that persists with the new XPS lineup. Because there’s no lip on the lid to grab onto, opening the laptop is harder than it should be.
Since the new XPS laptops share the same design as the XPS 13 Plus, perhaps I shouldn’t have expected a lip on the lid. However, that’s a missed opportunity considering these laptops are still redesigns of the older XPS models. Opening the lid isn’t a Herculean task, but it's tricky doing it with one hand.
That aside, the actual lid itself is sturdy and doesn’t wobble when you walk around with the laptop open. The hinge is equally sturdy yet glides smoothly when you open and close the device. The lid’s thickness ensures it won’t flex no matter how hard you try to bend it.
Potentially poor battery life
Since we tested the business model of the XPS 14, our battery life results will differ from the consumer model. That said, if the model we tested is any indication, the XPS 14 might have rather poor battery life.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Time (min:sec) |
| Dell XPS 14 | 6:26 |
| Dell XPS 13 Plus | 6:20 |
| MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3) | 17:25 |
In our battery test, which involves continuous web-surfing over Wi-Fi with the display at 150 nits, the Dell XPS 14 clocked in at a pitiful 6 hours and 26 minutes. That's just six minutes longer than the Dell XPS 13 Plus and 11 hours less than the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch.
Again, the battery life we observed on this model isn't indicative of the consume model you can buy. However, I don't expect a drastic difference.
Dell XPS 14 hands-on review: Outlook
I’ll share my verdict on the Dell XPS 14 once I’ve tested the consumer model. But based on my time with this enterprise version, I can tell this will be one of my favorite laptops of the year.
I’m not a fan of certain aspects, such as the capacitive function row and lipless lid. But the XPS 14's gorgeous OLED display, svelte design, portability and RTX-powered gaming performance more than outweigh the negatives. Starting at $1,699, it’s also reasonably priced for what it offers.
Stay tuned for my full Dell XPS 14 review.
