Dell XPS 14
It ’s a good laptop , but you need to buy into the new redesign to get the most out of it .
The Dell XPS 14 has a lot to offer , from a gravid screen to good performance for its size and frame factor . At the same clock time , the keyboard and touch role button do n’t quite slue it compared to other laptops , and you ’ll need to expend a fair bit to get a laptop with rather average graphical carrying into action . Starting at $ 1,499 ( retrospect at $ 2,399 )
The Dell XPS 14 certainly looks unique, but its performance is about on par with other laptops of this type.Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
Pros
Cons
If you already hated theDell XPS 14 from the first glimpse of itback at CES this twelvemonth , then there ’s nothing I or anybody can say that would probably alter your psyche . you’re able to judge by its cover all you desire ; the silken and ascetical 2024 XPS , whether 13 , 14 , or 16 inch , is a different kind of laptop than you ’re belike used to . Its sleek exterior chassis lines and extremist - flat interior screams “ future . ” Combined with all the hubbub about “ AI PCs , ” it becomes more difficult to parse through the hype and receive the actual laptop underneath .
Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
When Dellthrew down the gantlet on its XPS 13 , march on a year and a one-half from today , mass were still diffident where the laptop computer shaper was take in its famous work - given laptop computer design on theXPS 13 Plus . Unlike the more traditional physical key , everything was compressed , with no discernable trackpad or utility tactual sensation push button . It sure enough did look different , but we and others were n’t wholly sold on it and wondered if it offer any real benefits .
Despite the naysayers , Dell doubled down on its design . The ship’s company expanded itsnewfangled XPS into 14 - inch and 16 - inch versionsto sit alongside the XPS 13 . This year , rather of hope to win over customers with a few expanded sizing and specification options , Dell want to convince us that AI PCs are indeed the time to come of laptop computer . Both the XPS 14 and XPS 16 sport Intel Core Ultra CPUs ( the 14 maxes out on an Ultra 7 while a 16 - inch goes up to an Ultra 9 ) .
They have neuronic processing units that are suppose to boost the PC ’s processing power and care some of the background AI project you ’re now expected to do in these Alcyone days of Microsoft Copilot and other on - machine AI . There ’s even the fabled Copilot button hanging out right next to the right-hand Alt key , sitting there lonely and largely unused as the novel kid at school huddled at a table all by himself . Will you make usance of the winder right now ? No , probably not . But will you in the time to come ? possibly , but you ’re probably not buy a PC now because of what it might be in the future . You require something that turn well now .
Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
Thankfully , the XPS 14 is a middling to good portable machine even when you push aside the entire “ AI ” look of the laptop computer ’s selling . It may not be the flimsy or unclouded laptop , but it is undoubtedly one of the lighter , thinner , prettier , and still powerful mobile data processor you’re able to buy now . Unfortunately , it ’s also one of the dear PCs that does n’t make much of a splatter , particularly if you ’re only lukewarm on the overall esthetic .
The XPS 14 take up at $ 1,499 , but that ’s if you choose for a 512 GB SSD , no discrete GPU , and the FHD+ screen rather of the OLED . The baseborn version is dead serviceable , but it ’s not exactly headline - grabbing . Want that well display ? It will be an special $ 300 . If you desire the laptop reading of the RTX 4050 and the 1 TB SSD , be prepared to pay $ 200 and $ 100 more , respectively . To go up to 32 GB of RAM , you ’ll need to expend $ 200 additional , and you may be lure to do so since the RAM on the laptop is solder on , with no option to kick upstairs .
unavoidably , when you calculate at the pricing good example of the XPS that charges hundreds of dollars more for a good screen and graphics , you realize you ’re bear a agiotage for this newfangled conception . To love this laptop , you ’ll have to get laid the full flat keyboard and the extra declamatory , invisible touchpad . If you ’re like me , and you ’re only 50/50 on that lovemaking / hate dynamic for the flat , not - quite minimalist design for everything down to the Esc key , you ’ll set about to resent it just a little too much to justify its big price tag .
Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
Dell XPS 14 Design, Keyboard, and Trackpad
It Looks Cool, But I’m Not Completely Sold on the Redesign
I ’m a all-day sucker for unequalled intent . I ’m tired of ticket grey or off - livid laptop . I mature tired of boxy designs . I find like the worst dining guest asking for something “ new ” of the hold staff , but when Dell served me the XPS I had mellow hopes . Then you try it out and understand honest-to-goodness XPS devotee ’ hesitancy and possibly a bit of their enmity .
Dell ’s laptop computer design has an immaculate look , from its orotund invisible trackpad to its savorless keys to the shine utility buttons above . The design was controversial , to say the least , whenDell first reinvisioned the XPS two yearsago , but given enough time , the company seems to have settle on this sloped plate and physique that remind me a bit of older MacBook Airs . And you have sex what ? I wish it . The gentle slop exterior and sturdy CNC Al chassis are eye - catching and feel rather nice to hold in the bridge player .
That being said , you ca n’t hold onto them one - handed for too long without potent forearm . The 14 - inch XPS weigh 3.8 pound if you have the OLED screen ( and 3.7 dog pound without it ) . At least it ’s only .71 column inch thick-skulled , so you wo n’t have to worry about find elbow room for it in your rucksack . I ’d prefer to have some nick in the chassis to open it up , but the XPS requires a routine of fingernail wedging to snap it open .
Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
You also get a comely number of ports , considering its silklike design . There are two Thunderbolt 4 USB - light speed ports on the left side , while on the rightfield , there ’s a headphone seaman , a mini SD card time slot , and one more USB - C. Dell also packs a little , shaping port hub inside the box , giving you access to an HDMI 2.1 and a USB type A larboard . I would have like to see the short dongle summercater a full SD card slot . Still , while it ’s not the most durable port hub out there , the thought counts for a great deal here . If you ’re more used to the shortage of port available on other thin laptop like the MacBook Air , you ’ll feel almost spoiled on the XPS .
The palm relaxation is in full glass across the full face , which , if you ’re not used to it , can feel a bit slippery at first . My hands eventually got used to it , and I was no longer skating around like a bear on sparkler . If you were wonder whether an unseeable trackpad would fuddle your fingers , do n’t be . You ’ll be pinch and scroll on the XPS without any tussle .
The existent trackpad stretches from the leftover pointer key to the Windows key , so there ’s a wide expression to use , and only on extremely rare occasion did my finger drift past the point of no rejoinder . I did n’t see any fingerprints start up on the touch bar , which is a squeamish mite . The medallion rejection on the XPS is also proficient enough that you wo n’t accidentally scroll or flick when you ’re typing , something we care theRazer Bladewould in conclusion comprehend .
Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
And finally , we come to the keyboard . The tonality themselves do n’t have a great deal of change of location at just 1 mm , and if you ’re a light typer , it can finger more like you ’re squishing a arctic band than hitting down on a key , but it is a fairly well-situated typing political machine . you’re able to see the small touches that went into the design , like the shallow bag around the “ F ” and “ J ” key , to make finding your digit gentle . There are also automatic sensors to turn off the backlighting under a strong enough ambient freshness .
The top “ touch function ” row is precisely what it look like . They ’re pinch - sensitive button that , at the very least , did not start impacting your screen brightness due to wayward rat and dust , though a part of me wish plainly for physical buttons . There ’s no real , meaningful delay between weight-lift each button and watch the effect on the screen , and yet I would much prefer a physical delete or escape key fruit than an electronic one .
And then there ’s the Copilot key . If you were curious , no , there ’s very petty reason you ’d want to strike the copilot keystone , at least for now . perhaps in the future , but now it ’s a solution that is looking for a problem .
Dell XPS Performance and AI Capabilities
There’s No Reason for a Copilot Key, at Least Not Yet
We noticed that some of the new “ AI PCs ” touted by the big PC manufacturing business punch a little above their weight in terms of pure benchmark . Laptops like theMSI Prestige AI Evoimpressed us enough to recommend it to a lot of the productiveness - disposed folks out there .
This is why I was n’t too surprised to see the later XPS on an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H. It ’s the same processor we ’ve seen in hatful of 2024 laptops , and its performance here is where we ’ve see it elsewhere . On central processor benchmarking tests like Geekbench , the XPS 14 is about on equivalence with anAcer Predator Helios Neo 16and its Intel Core i7 - 14700HX . It ’s a okay bit that will keep thinner laptops chugging up to speed in the 2024 landscape . It ’s good enough that Dell ’s also stuck it in their late Alienware m16 R2 gaming laptop computer . However , on Cinebench , we saw Dell ’s gaming brand laptop do more or less good in multi - core options . A high - end microchip like the Core i7 - 14700HX will also overreach the XPS ’ low - grade mainframe when you ’re doing any artwork tasks .
That remains truthful across all the various graphic tasks . TheXPS 14can pack a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 , which is significant look at the size you ’re getting . However , it wo n’t be a computer graphic power station no matter what . We saw fair lots across our 3D Mark and Blender tests but nothing that would rap your socks off . Our Blender examination pull the laptop to render an image of a BMW under CPU and GPU mise en scene , and in the end , the time were roughly on equality with aMacBook AirorMacBook Pro 14 , both packing Apple ’s pedestal M3 chip . It was n’t wicked , but it was n’t amazing either . It ’s good for a portable PC , but it ’s not quite the in effect choice if you need to exclusively do a lot of graphically intensive tasks , even with the 4050 on board .
So , of trend , whenever anything wad a discrete GPU , the question becomes whether the gimmick is good for gaming . you could indeed get a few plot running on it with unchanging framerates . I could get Baldur ’s Gate III and Warhammer 40 K Darktide to run on high preferences with a semi - stable framerate with DLSS . However , you would need to push the car to the limits of its heat permissiveness . The OLED cover on the 2024 XPS line ( if you pay for it ) is indeed a treat with an up to 120 Hz variable refresh pace , so at the very least , those games that can run well will look their best ( more on that in a second ) . recollect , this is n’t a dedicated gaming motorcar , so do n’t look that performance .
But I also have to talk about AI , or at least what the hope of AI is . These new personal computer pack a CPU with a consecrate neural processing building block for AI , but as of now , you ’ll skin to see when it gets used . Press the Copilot keystone , and up pops a menu for your usual chatbot prompt . However , this is still scarper in the cloud , and even when I apply it , I do n’t see any uptick in NPU exercise whatsoever . We ’ve been a full three months into the new yr , yet Windows still does not even use the NPU for background blur on video calls as Intel promised half a class ago .
I have had conversation with Intel about these latest chips eventually running AI on - gimmick , but we have n’t see that hail alive yet .
Dell XPS 14 Display, Sound, and Webcam
The XPS 14 Has a Great Screen and Fair Audio
The 14.5 - in CRT screen on the XPS 14 is a bloody gracious display , as long as you choose for the more expensive OLED version . With the more expensive option , you ’re getting a 3.2 K , 3,200 by 2,000 resolution display that deal to push the bezels to a mere few millimeters on the sides .
It ’s a bright , crisp touchscreen , though , to be honest , I would n’t have any use for a touch screen on a laptop that ’s not a 2 - in-1 . At the very least , I did n’t see much smudging on the display . It also has a variable 120 Hz refresh rate , which is surprising to see on a productivity - minded laptop , though that ’s not to say it ’s unwelcome .
The laptop computer boasts a peak brightness of 400 nits , which is n’t just the vivid screen out there , but it ’s fair enough for everyday use . The real boon of OLED is the color contrast , especially the dark , inky Black . It piddle watch your content much more enjoyable , and thanks to Dell stretch the screen as far as it goes , it ’s middling to say you ’ll enjoy look at it during time of day of use .
The webcam is also nice for the laptop computer ’s sizing . It ’s a 1080p webcam , far better than old XPS models . The webcam has no physical switch or cover ; instead , it uses bearing detection to turn it on or off . The same system locks your computing equipment when you step aside from it . I know that may be feisty for those disquieted about hacking , so the want of forcible cover is worth mention . The existent movie quality you get from it is fair under rather dim light weather condition , though you ’ll still see a routine of noise around you if you ’re stuck under the depressing glow of fluorescent lights .
All that being said , it certainly does n’t have the audio to check the looker of the screen . Even though Dell boasts its speakers are professionally tuned for quality audio , it does n’t exactly have the feel of the 360 - degree spacial audio recording , even with it directly sitting in your lap . The laptop boast Dolby Atmos and 3D stereo , but it lack the basso to trade it even with the side speakers . It is certainly a loud laptop computer , at the very least . The general impression from the audio is that it ’s practiced but not awesome .
Dell XPS 14 Battery and Heat
The XPS 14 has Middling Battery Life
After using the XPS 14 for a full workday in optimized fashion , doing basic committal to writing , cyberspace surfing , and streaming task , I averaged about six to seven minute before control it dip into the red . That ’s pretty reasonable for most laptops , though I admit I expected more from a consecrate workhorse like the XPS . It ’s packed with a 70 - Whr battery , so I was n’t expecting the moonshine , but I wish I could have a direct equivalence to laptops with impeccable battery management like the MacBook Airs .
It ’s also sad to see because we said the same matter about the last XPS 13 Plus . Dell mention in its files that the OLED CRT screen at the 3.2 K resolving lowers battery liveliness compared to the FHD+ version .
However , if you ’re only using the XPS for canonic chore , you wo n’t have to worry about your laptop computer getting warm . I registered the equipment hitting about 85 degrees Fahrenheit under normal , optimise mount . The laptop computer also come with the MyDell app installed that let you change the cooling setting from optimal to “ Ultra execution ” when you need to push the PC to Performance setting .
Under stress , with the fan decease at full gust , the temperature nearest to the screen accomplish around 110 degrees Fahrenheit . This is evenhandedly good overall , though I found I had to manually fructify the fan f number using the My Dell app rather than it going on mechanically when in undecomposed functioning mode . The fans are not excessively gaudy no matter the circumstances , and when operating as intend – that being doing far uncomplicated , moderately intensive tasks – you gratefully wo n’t pick up a peep from the XPS 14 .
It’s Best Not to be Lukewarm if You’re Considering the XPS
There ’s nothing wrong with theXPS 14 , especially considering its power for its size , but it does n’t feel as exceptional as its pattern implies . If I enjoy the screen and the general performance , I ’m not exactly blown out by the keyboard , especially the touch subroutine key . If it were far lighter and sparse , I would consider it a closer contender to the utility of the MacBook Air , but instead , I terminate up wanting to contrast it with other 14 - inch Windows laptop computer that have make out to make gains on the slender - sized grocery store .
The fact that Dell has stuck an RTX 4050 in such a slim PC is telling , but it ’s not something we have n’t seen before . We do n’t require to directly compare the XPS to gaming laptop , although it ’s hard to push aside the enticement when you’re able to get it with a distinct GPU .
A Zephyrus G14 from Asus cost $ 2,000 for the 32 GB of RAM variant and a GeForce RTX 4070 . And that ’s not even the trashy 14 - inch play laptop you could get , conceive the HP Omen Transcend 14 has the same bit as the XPS . Alienware ’s x14 R2 can sustain an RTX 4060 for a mediocre spot less than the XPS , though you wo n’t have the choice for the fancy display there .
With everything pack into the XPS , from the 120 hz refresh cover to the RTX 4050 to the touch screen , it seems like Dell want to make everything laptop for every variety of user . While it will doubtlessly do most tasks fairly well , how much you ’ll get out of it depends on how much you wish the overall designing . I do like it , or at least I do when all I have to do is look at it . Using it is slimly worse , not uncomfortable , though not pristine .
The keyboard is perfectly serviceable , but not perfect , especially with the touch - sensible keys . The invisible glass trackpad is fun , but it certainly does n’t change how you use the laptop . In go after the encompassing potential collection , Dell has made a laptop computer that only a choice audience could directly appreciate . Unfortunately , I ’m not exactly who Dell is attend for .
Want more of Gizmodo ’s consumer electronics picks ? determine out our guidebook to thebest laptops , better TVs , andbest phone . If you want to get word about the next great thing , see our usher toeverything we know about the iPhone 16 .
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