Dell XPS 14 review: Built for endurance, not speed

Best Prices Today: Dell XPS 14

Dell has wisely returned to the XPS brand with its new XPS 14 and XPS 16 laptops, ditching the forgettable “Premium” and “Pro” branding it switched to a couple years ago. That’s good news for the Dell XPS 14, which fixes several design problems found in prior models.

But the Dell XPS 14 you choose matters—and arguably more so than many competitors. The entry-level model starts at $1,349.99 and has an Intel Core Ultra 5 325. That puts the most affordable XPS 14 in an uncomfortable position in many performance benchmarks, though it at least manages to deliver superior battery life.

Dell XPS 14 (LCD): Specs and features as-tested

As mentioned, the entry-level Dell XPS 14 has an Intel Core Ultra 5 325. It’s among the most affordable and least performant variants of Intel’s new Panther Lake architecture. It has half as many CPU cores, and a third as many Xe graphics cores, as the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H that powers top-tier XPS 14 configurations. The laptop I tested paired the Core Ultra 5 325 with 16GB of memory and a 512GB solid state drive.

● CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 325

● Memory: 16GB LPDDR5x-7467

● Graphics/GPU: Intel Graphics

● NPU: 47 TOPS

● Display: 14-inch 1920×1200 120Hz IPS-LCD

● Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 solid state drive

● Webcam and microphone: 4K webcam with IR camera

● Connectivity: 3x Thunderbolt 4 with DisplayPort 2.1 and Power Delivery, 1x 3.5mm audio jack

● Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0

● Biometrics: Windows Hello facial recognition

● Battery capacity: 70 watt-hours

● Dimensions: 12.19 x 8.26 x 0.60 inches

● Weight: 3.1 pounds

● Operating System: Windows 11 Pro

● Price: $1,409.99

The MSRP for this configuration rings up at $1,409.99. That includes a $60 charge for Windows 11 Pro, putting the minimum MSRP at $1,349.99 for a Dell XPS 14 with Windows 11 Home. That’s a lot less than the OLED model I reviewed, which had an MSRP of $2,259.99.

If you care about portability, but don’t care about performance, the entry level model might be for you.

Dell XPS 14 (LCD): Design and build quality

Dell’s pitch for the XPS 14 is a return to form, and the new laptop’s design backs that claim. It’s not loud about it, as there’s no aggressive geometry or attention-seeking finish, but the details fall together into a cohesive and slick piece of kit.

The exterior uses thick aluminum panels with gently curved edges that eliminate any hard transitions between surfaces, and the graphite colorway produces a dark, understated luster that looks brilliant when the light catches it just right. Branding is minimal with a single glossy XPS badge on the lid and the interior is wonderfully free of stickers.b

My only issue with the design can be found in the display hinge. It only opens to about 145 degrees, which will feel limiting if you use the laptop in a tight space or if you’re particularly tall. On the plus side, the hinge is tuned to make the lid easy to open with a single finger, and a slight bump-out on the lip of the laptop provides a place to grip the lid for that purpose. 

Weight is a small downside, too, as the XPS 14 sits on the heavier end for its class in 2026 at roughly 3.1 pounds for the LCD model (the OLED model is a tad lighter at three pounds, but the difference isn’t noticeable). The Asus ExperBook Ultra is worth a look if portability is your priority. The LCD model of the XPS 14 is thicker than the OLED model, too, but the difference is about half a millimeter so, once again, it’s hard to notice. 

Fortunately, the XPS 14’s weight contributes to its chassis rigidity. And while three pounds is a little heavy for this class of laptop, it’s still light enough that the XPS 14 won’t feel like a burden when stowed in most laptop backpacks and messenger bags.

Dell XPS 14 (LCD): Keyboard, touchpad

Good news, everyone! The XPS 14’s keyboard once again has a physical function row, which deserves a moment of acknowledgment. Dell’s decision to replace it with a capacitive touch strip in prior XPS and Premium models was an awkward misstep, and it’s good to see the company correct itself.

Having said that, the keyboard still isn’t a standout. Dell’s key design leans toward large, flat slabs with minimal spacing between them, which gives the deck a clean look but doesn’t translate to a satisfying typing experience. I like to have a better tactile sense of the gap between keys.

The keycaps also feel slightly out of step with the rest of the machine, as the plastic doesn’t carry the same premium tactility as the aluminum chassis. Plastic is of course a common material for keycaps, but the details matter, and the plastic used here seems light and insubstantial. Key travel is shallow and the bottoming action is indistinct. The keyboard is perfectly usable, but if you’re comparing the XPS 14 to a Lenovo Yoga 9i or an Asus ExpertBook, Dell comes up short.

The touchpad is a different story. Dell has added subtle physical bumpers along the left and right edges to delineate the touchpad’s boundaries, which sounds minor but was an annoying omission on previous models. The touchpad is generous in size at roughly six inches wide and three inches deep, edging out most competitors, which land closer to five inches wide. The extra real estate earns its keep during multi-touch navigation. 

Haptic click simulation rounds out the package, and Dell’s implementation is well-tuned. The feedback feels deliberate and never buzzy. I’ve heard some complaints about haptic touchpads, but I think the feel is much better than any physical touchpad button action available from a laptop sold in 2026.

Dell XPS 14 (LCD): Display, audio

This review is focused on the entry-level Dell XPS 14 with a 14-inch LCD display packing 1920×1200 resolution. It’s the most affordable display and it’s included with most pre-built configurations, though it’s possible to customize any configuration to the OLED display for $150.

You’ll want to spring for that upgrade if you care about image quality. The LCD display is fine, with okay contrast and reasonably vivid color. However, OLED provides a night-and-day improvement. Its vastly superior contrast offers a better sense of depth and more detail in dark scenes, while its improved color performance provides a more vivid look. And while the LCD display is fine in terms of image quality, virtually all notable competitors have fully switched to OLED.

It’s not a straight win for OLED, though. The LCD display has a semi-gloss finish, as opposed to the OLED’s glossy finish, which makes the latter more difficult to use in bright rooms. The LCD display is brighter, too, as it slightly exceeds the promised 500 nits in my testing (a roughly 25 percent improvement over the OLED’s max of about 400 nits).

Surprisingly, the LCD display also has a slight advantage in VRR because it can handle a refresh rate from 1Hz up to 120Hz. The OLED has a range of 20 to 120Hz. To be honest, I’m not sure that matters in terms of motion clarity and performance. It can matter for battery life, however, and the LCD model delivers a big battery life gain over the OLED model. More on that in the battery life section of this review.

While the LCD model’s image quality is reduced compared to the OLED model, all XPS 14 laptops have an exceptional quad-speaker sound system with a pair of three-watt speakers and a pair of two-watt tweeters. The speakers serve up a loud, well-rounded sound stage that’s among the best I’ve heard from any 13-inch or 14-inch Windows laptop.

Dell XPS 14 (LCD): Webcam, microphone, biometrics

Dell’s specifications list a 4K webcam, but there’s a (hopefully temporary) issue. Windows reports a maximum video resolution of 1440p at 30 FPS, and 4K is not available. That’s true even in applications like OBS. The issue, according to Dell, relates to the current Windows Studio Effects driver. Disabling that driver enables 4K resolution but then, of course, will disable Studio Effects (like auto-framing and background blur). Dell says it’s working with Microsoft to resolve this problem.

Unlike many competitors, the XPS 14 doesn’t provide a physical privacy shutter. It’s not an essential feature, but it would have been nice to see.

A dual-microphone array flanks the webcam. Background noises are well managed and my voice came through clearly when I recorded a test clip. It’s not perfect, however. The microphone’s audio capture still has the hollow, distant character typical of such microphones.

Biometric login is available through Windows Hello facial recognition. A fingerprint reader is not available.

Dell XPS 14 (LCD): Connectivity

The XPS 14 course-corrects on a few of Dell’s recent design decisions, but connectivity isn’t one of them. The port selection continues a modern minimalist approach. You get three Thunderbolt 4 ports, each of which also handles USB-C, DisplayPort, and Power Delivery, plus a 3.5mm audio jack.

Of course, the trio of Thunderbolt 4 ports has perks. They give you serious flexibility for docks, hubs, high-speed storage, and Thunderbolt/USB-C compatible monitors. Many such devices can extend the Dell XPS 14’s connectivity. And Dell itself makes many monitors with fantastic Thunderbolt/USB-C connectivity, such as the Dell Ultrasharp U3225QE.

On the other hand, the XPS 14 lacks USB-A, dedicated video output, a card reader, and  other legacy connectivity. For most users, that means dongles will be a fact of life. USB-C and Thunderbolt 4 have made significant inroads, but I think it’s close to impossible to move about the real world without occasionally needing to use a port not found on the laptop’s flanks.

While the XPS 14’s physical connectivity has trade-offs, its wireless connectivity fires on all cylinders. The laptop ships with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0, both of which are recent enough that your existing devices probably can’t take full advantage of them yet. That’s a good thing. A well-built laptop at this price point has a realistic useful life of five to ten years, and both standards should remain relevant throughout the entirety of the laptop’s life.

Dell XPS 14 (LCD): Performance

The entry-level Dell XPS 14 with LCD display ships with Intel’s Core Ultra 5 325. This chip is based on Intel’s new and deservedly well-reviewed Panther Lake architecture—but there’s a catch. 

Intel’s Core 5 line-up is more down-market than it used to be, so the Core Ultra 5 325 is a rather basic chip. It has just eight cores (four performance and four low-power efficiency). It also lacks the new high-end Arc B390 graphics and instead has Intel Graphics with four Xe cores. These downgrades hold back the entry-level XPS 14’s performance.

PCMark 10 actually puts the Dell XPS 14 with Intel Core Ultra 5 325 off to a respectable start with a score of 7,260. As the graph shows, that is quite a bit behind the XPS 14 with Intel Core Ultra X7, but it’s well ahead of most Intel Core Ultra Series 2 chips. 

This is a trend I’m observing with Panther Lake. All Panther Lake chips seem to do well in this benchmark. As PCMark 10 is a holistic test that stresses multiple areas of performance, I think this demonstrates that chips that use the Panther Lake architecture are well balanced in CPU, GPU, and memory performance.

The story begins to shift a bit in Cinebench 2024. The Intel Core Ultra 5 325 looks good if compared to the prior generation of Intel hardware, as it can outperform the Intel Core Ultra 7 255U and Ultra 5 226V.

Compare it to the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, though, and things sour. The Ryzen AI 7 350 is about 50 percent quicker in the multi-threaded Cinebench 2024 benchmark. Keep in mind, as well, that the Ryzen AI 7 350 isn’t positioned as a more expensive chip. On the contrary, it can be found in laptops sold for as little as $800 and sometimes less. The HP OmniBook 7 Aero, for example, currently retails for $759.99 direct from HP.com.

It’s a similar story in Handbrake. The Intel Core Ultra 5 325 looks good if compared to the prior generation of Intel hardware. However, it only barely defeats the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 in the HP OmniBook 7 Aero—a much less expensive laptop.

I can find things to like about the Intel Core Ultra 5 325. There’s no doubt that it delivers a meaningful bump over the prior generation. An Intel Core Ultra 5 325 seems to provide CPU performance on par or better than chips like the Intel Core Ultra 7 255U and Intel Core Ultra 7 256V.

But the price matters, and in this case the Intel Core Ultra 5 325 is out of its league. AMD’s Ryzen AI 7/9 chips are better bang-for-the-buck in lower price brackets. Or, at least, that’s the case right now. Laptops with Panther Lake are only just now hitting stores, which means many have not yet received the discounts they’re likely to receive after a few months on shelves.

Intel talked up Panther Lake’s new integrated graphics prior to launch, and for good reason. The Intel Arc B390 integrated graphics, which provides 12 Xe graphics cores, can deliver performance on similar to entry-level discrete graphics from a few years ago, such as Nvidia’s RTX 3050.

However, the Arc B390 is only found on some Panther Lake chips—and the Intel Core Ultra 5 325 isn’t one of them. Instead, the Core Ultra 5 325 gets along with just four Xe graphics cores clocked at 2.45 GHz. The 3DMark results make the consequence of that clear.

I’ll admit that I’m surprised to see this solution nearly hit 3,000 in 3DMark Time Spy, and it managed to slightly outperform the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 with Radeon 860M integrated graphics. However, there’s a huge gap between the Intel Graphics solution and the Intel Arc B390, with the latter more than doubling performance. Most laptops with the last-generation Intel Arc 130V or 140V graphics will also have an advantage.

Real world results reflect this. Shadow of the Tomb Raider averaged 27 FPS at 1080p and Highest detail, which isn’t an enjoyable result. You’ll likely want to drop the detail to Medium. Cyberpunk 2077 averaged only 31 FPS at 1080p and Low detail, which is a huge downgrade from the Dell XPS 14 with Intel Arc B390, which averaged 36 FPS at 1080p and Ultra detail.

Of course, it’s unreasonable to expect high-end performance from a modest chip like the Intel Core Ultra 5 325. However, the entry-level Dell XPS 14 is priced against laptops that will have much better graphics solutions ranging from AMD’s Radeon 890M to Intel’s Arc 140V.

Dell XPS 14 (LCD): Battery life and portability

Dell ships the XPS 14 with a 70 watt-hour battery and boldly claims the laptop can last up to 40 hours on a charge. That claim is only applicable to the versions with the IPS display, however, so does it live up to that mark?

Well, no—but as the graph shows, the Dell XPS 14 with LCD display still offers excellent battery life.

Frankly, the 40-hour claim was absurd. Windows laptop makers have grown increasingly aggressive about pushing technically possible but unrealistic battery life claims, and Dell is not immune to that.

However, the Dell XPS 14 with LCD display managed to turn in nearly 23 hours of battery life in our standard battery life test, which loops a 4K file of the short film Tears of Steel. 

That defeats many similar laptops. Plus, this level of battery life is high enough that I never had to specifically charge the laptop. I did charge it, of course—but through a USB-C monitor that I share with other PCs. I always found myself returning to my desk way, way before the XPS 14’s battery was ready to give out.

Importantly, the LCD model provides a huge battery life gain over the OLED model, which endured about 15 hours in the same test. I can’t say for sure how much of the LCD model’s gain should be credited to the LCD display, or how much should be credited to the less performant Core Ultra 5 325 chip. In any case, it’s a winning combo if battery life is important to you.

Dell XPS 14 (LCD): Conclusion

The Dell XPS 14 with LCD display is, in some ways, an excellent value. I hesitate to call a retail MSRP of $1,409.99 affordable, but in 2026 it’s definitely more of a mid-range price than it used to be. And the entry-level XPS 14 retains most of the perks found in more expensive configurations. It has a great haptic touchpad, lots of Thunderbolt connectivity, and a beautiful design.

Intel’s Core Ultra 5 325 is a weakness at this price point, however. $1,400 is enough to snag a number of alternative laptops with AMD Ryzen 7/9 AI or Intel Core Series 7 chips, and most of these will have a significant advantage. The integrated GPU performance is more competitive but still not impressive.

Remember, too, that the entry level XPS 14 achieves excellent battery life and is superior to the more expensive configuration in this area. If you care about portability, but don’t care about performance, the entry level model might be for you.

Best Prices Today: Dell XPS 14