Dell 14 Premium review: An XPS in everything but name
The Dell 14 Premium ($1,499 to start) might sound like a brand-new laptop line, but it’s now the moniker for the company’s long-running XPS series. The rebranding might be confusing, but this is effectively the same Dell XPS 14 I reviewed last year, only with updated internals. That could be good or bad, depending on how you feel about XPS laptops from 2024.
Like the previous Dell XPS 14, this is a compact and minimalist notebook featuring a function row of capacitive LED-lit keys and no visible touchpad. I’m mostly a fan of this design, though the capacitive function row still hasn’t won me over. But if you can look past the divisive design, you’ll find a laptop that’s easy to travel with and looks stylish to boot.
One undeniably great thing is the bright and colorful 14.5-inch OLED panel that’s nicely suited for both work and play. And I do mean play, as the Intel Meteor Lake CPU and RTX 4050 mobile GPU inside the unit I reviewed allow this machine to play the best PC games on medium settings. If getting work done is your primary focus, then you’ll like the keyboard’s large keycaps, tight spacing and satisfying travel distance.
Despite its contentious design and less-than-stellar battery life, the Dell 14 Premium is still one of the best Windows laptops out there. If you liked the previous XPS laptop, you won’t be disappointed by this rebranded model. Find out more in my full review.
Dell 14 Premium: Cheat sheet
- What is it? The Dell 14 Premium is a refreshed and rebranded version of 2024’s Dell XPS 14, featuring the latest Intel Meteor Lake chips.
- Who is it for? For those who want a unique-looking Windows laptop that’s powerful enough for work, watching videos and playing games.
- What does it cost? The Dell 14 Premium starts at $1,499 on Dell’s website. As configured, our review unit retails for $2,099.
- What do we like? We like the minimalist design, vivid OLED display, strong performance and sharp 1080p webcam.
- What don’t we like? We don’t like the poor battery life and the lack of physical function keys.
Dell 14 Premium: Specs
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Dell 14 Premium (starting) |
Dell 14 Premium (tested) |
|
Price |
$1,499 |
$2,199 |
|
Display |
14.5-inch, 2560 x 1600, IPS, 30-120Hz (non-touch) |
14.5-inch, 3200 x 2000, OLED, 48-120Hz (touch) |
|
CPU |
Intel Core Ultra 7 255H |
Intel Core Ultra 7 255H |
|
GPU |
Intel Arc Graphics |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 |
|
RAM |
16GB |
32GB |
|
Storage |
512GB |
1TB |
|
Ports |
3x Thunderbolt 4, 1x headphone jack, 1x microSD card |
3x Thunderbolt 4, 1x headphone jack, 1x microSD card |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 |
|
Dimensions |
12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 inches |
12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 inches |
|
Weight |
3.66 pounds |
3.79 pounds |
Dell 14 Premium: The ups
The Dell 14 Premium might have an unusual design, but that’s also what distinguishes it from other laptops. Aside from the eye-catching and ultraportable design, it also has a vivid OLED panel and plenty of power for everyday use and gaming.
Striking design
While Dell 14 Premium’s design isn’t for everyone, even naysayers have to admit that it’s one of the most unique-looking mainstream laptops. It might appear like a regular clamshell when closed, but it really stands out the instant you open it.
There are no physical function row keys to speak of, and the touchpad is completely invisible. You’ll also notice that the keyboard keys are more tightly spaced than on a standard laptop. These design choices can be strange individually, but together, they create a cohesive look that’s also functional.
The keys have good travel distance and just the right amount of resistance when pressed. Once you get used to how tightly packed they are, typing is a breeze. And now that I’m used to it, the invisible touchpad doesn’t bother me. As before, I like the haptic feedback the touchpad produces, which also helps me know its location.
As before, the machined aluminum chassis and Gorilla Glass 3 keyboard deck give the Dell 14 Premium a, well, premium feel. The OLED model I reviewed weighs 3.7 pounds, which is heavier than the 3.5-pound MacBook Pro 14-inch M4. That said, Dell’s laptop has good weight distribution that makes it feel relatively light. This sturdy laptop also just feels nice to hold, thanks to its smooth surface.
Stellar performance
Like previous XPS laptops, the Dell 14 Premium offers excellent performance. The unit I reviewed packs an Intel Meteor Lake chip, an Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and 32GB of RAM. Thanks to that, it has no problem handling my average workload that usually consists of well over 30 open tabs and the occasional YouTube video.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Dell 14 Premium |
MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4) |
Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro |
|
Geekbench 6 (single/multi-core) |
2,701 / 15,794 |
3,807 / 15,114 |
2,760 / 11,115 |
|
Handbrake (video transcode) |
5:45 (mins:secs) |
4:27 |
6:16 |
In our lab tests, Dell’s notebook fared well against competitors like the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 and Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro. On Geekbench 6, which tests overall CPU performance, the Dell 14 Premium did better overall than the Galaxy Book 5 Pro and even matched the M4-powered MacBook in terms of multi-core performance.
And though the Dell 14 Premium can transcode 4K videos to 1080p faster than the Galaxy Book 5 Pro, Apple’s laptop performed the task much faster than both.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Dell 14 Premium |
|
Borderlands 3 |
41 fps |
|
Cyberpunk 2077 |
12 fps |
|
Shadow of the Tomb Raider |
Row 3 – Cell 1 |
Since the Dell 14 Premium I reviewed has a discrete GPU, we tested its gaming performance by running specific games’ respective benchmarking tools. At maximum graphical settings, games like Borderlands 3 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider ran relatively well, though still below the desired 60 frames per second. However, the graphically demanding Cyberpunk 2077 runs pretty poorly at our settings.
While those gaming benchmark results paint a bleak picture, I want to stress that said benchmarks were done with games’ graphics set to max and without frame generation. If you play at 1080p resolution, medium graphical settings, and enable DLSS, you’ll have a smoother experience. At those settings, I got Cyberpunk 2077 to run at around 55 to 60 frames per second, which is fantastic for such a demanding game.
Gorgeous OLED panel
Selecting an OLED panel for the Dell 14 Premium costs $200 extra at checkout, but it’s well worth the price if you want an upgraded visual experience when playing games and watching videos. The boosted resolution this panel option provides (3.2K vs 2K for the non-OLED option) helps text on websites appear sharper and easier to read. The variable 48 to 120Hz refresh rate also helps everything run nicely and smoothly.
I fired up the latest trailer for Avatar: Fire and Ash and was blown away by how bright and colorful everything appeared. The display generally delivers oversaturated hues, which certainly helps everything in the trailer’s alien worlds appear appropriately surreal. The OLED panel also creates defined contrasts between light and dark elements.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Dell 14 Premium |
MacBook Pro (14-inch M4) |
Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro |
|
Nits (brightness) |
354 (SDR) | 593 (HDR) |
556 (SDR) | 1096 (HDR) |
385 (SDR) | 517 (HDR) |
|
sRGB |
163.2% |
113.3% |
117.5% |
|
DCI-P3 |
115.6% |
80.2% |
83.3% |
|
Delta-E |
0.28 |
0.19 |
0.32 |
As you can see from the table above, the Dell 14 Premium delivers oversaturated color reproduction (sRGB and DCI-P3) compared to rival laptops, though its color accuracy (Delta-E) is generally good. SDR and HDR brightness are comparable to the Galaxy Book 5 Pro, but the MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 literally outshines them both.
Dell 14 Premium: The downs
The Dell 14 Premium has a lot to offer, but some of its flaws could be deal-breakers.
Capacitive function row
While I still don’t outright hate it, I can’t say I’m a fan of the capacitive function row. Yes, the LED buttons above the keys lend to this laptop’s overall distinctive appearance. But since I’m a touch typist, not having physical keys on the function row still throws me off despite my long-running familiarity with this design.
Like last year’s XPS line, you can set the capacitive row buttons to turn off after 10 seconds of inactivity. That’s a plus if you don’t want the bright function row in your face as you work. If you don’t mind it, you can always keep the lights on.
Poor battery life
Nowadays, we generally consider 10 hours of battery life to be pretty good for Windows laptops without a Snapdragon X chip, which generally have the best battery life for Windows notebooks. Unfortunately, the Lunar Lake-powered Dell 14 Premium doesn’t quite hit the 10-hour mark.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Time (hours:mins) |
|
Dell 14 Premium |
8:16 |
|
MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4) |
18:31 |
|
Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro |
12:25 |
On the Tom’s Guide battery test, which involves surfing the web at 150 nits of screen brightness, the Dell 14 Premium lasted for 8 hours and 16 minutes. In comparison, the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 lasted for an astonishing 18 hours and 32 minutes. Even the Galaxy Book 5 Pro, which also has an Intel Lunar Lake chip and an OLED panel, lasted four hours longer than Dell’s machine.
Dell 14 Premium: Verdict
Despite its new name, the Dell 14 Premium is, for good or ill, a refreshed XPS laptop from last year. You get the same (contentious) ultraportable design, beautiful OLED panel and strong performance. Sure, the lack of physical function keys is a bummer, and I wish battery life were better, but this laptop’s strengths make up for some of its weaknesses.
If you can get past the unusual design and don’t mind paying extra to get an OLED model, the Dell 14 Premium is an overall great Windows laptop for both work and gaming.
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