Dell made a misstep in ending its XPS laptop line in favor of a lineup with models labeled Plus, Premium and Pro. It has admitted as much and announced last month that it was making the XPS's absence a short one. Only a year after killing them off, Dell pulled an about-face and resurrected its most well-known laptop brand.
Dell was so excited about the return of the XPS that it sent me not one but two XPS 14 models to review. And I'm excited to dig into these machines, but I didn't want to wait until they were fully tested to share my thoughts. So, here are my initial observations as I get this pair of Dell XPS 14 laptops set up for testing.
XPS returns after a year away
The XPS line returns with the XPS 14 and XPS 16 (with an XPS 13 to follow later this year). Dell sent me a pair of XPS 14 laptops. Each is based on Intel Panther Lake processors, with the biggest differences being the CPUs (the integrated GPU on each, in particular) and displays (IPS LCD on one, touchscreen OLED on the other).
Here's what I got:
Dell XPS 14 model No. 1
- CPU: 8-core Intel Core Ultra 7-355
- RAM: 16GB LPDDR5-7467
- Graphics: Intel Arc with 4 Xe cores
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: IPS LCD with 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution
- Price: $1,700
Dell XPS 14 model No. 2
- CPU: 16-core Intel Ultra X7-358H
- RAM: 32GB LPDDR5-9600
- Graphics: Intel Arc B390 with 12 Xe3 cores
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Display: tandem touchscreen OLED with 2,880x1,800-pixel resolution
- Price: $2,200
The Dell XPS 14 starts at $1,600 with a Core Ultra 5-325 CPU, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD and an IPS LCD. You can bump it up to a Core Ultra 7-355 for $100. Memory (up to 64GB) and storage (up to 4TB) upgrades are also available.
A pair of Dell XPS 14 laptops: the IPS display is on the left, and the touchscreen OLED is on the right.
Matt Elliott/CNETGetting reacquainted with XPS
The Premium models were the direct replacements of the XPS, and they were the worst of the new bunch. Over-designed and overweight, they had many pining for the old days of XPS laptops. The XPS 14 corrects two of the most glaring flaws of the Dell 14 Premium: the XPS 14 is significantly lighter, and the touch-sensitive icons in the Function row (that nobody liked) are gone, replaced with physical keys.
The Dell 14 Premium was a tank of a laptop. It tipped the scales at 3.8 pounds, making it one of the heaviest -- if not the heaviest -- 14-inch laptops on the market. I mean, it was shockingly heavy. Dell said it was for "creators on the go," but I'd imagine only for creators who hit the gym regularly. It was a chore to lug around. I traveled with it last year to put it to the test, and it felt like I was carrying around lead bricks in my laptop bag. When I handed it to my brother-in-law for his take, he asked, "What'd they put in this thing?"
Look at that! A Function row made up of physical keys.
Matt Elliott/CNETThe XPS 14 slides in at closer to 3 pounds, which is a more typical weight for a 14-inch laptop. Each model weighs just under 3.2 pounds. (The lower-end model with the IPS display weighs 3.18 pounds, and the touchscreen OLED model is slightly lighter at 3.15 pounds.) Dell made the XPS 14 lighter without sacrificing the build quality, too. It feels just as solid as the Dell 14 Premium.
The XPS 14 is made from CNC-machined aluminum that is practically flex-free. The laptop pulls off the neat trick of actually looking more solid than the 14 Premium while being thinner and lighter. The XPS 14 loses the tapered design of the 14 Premium for a more steady, slab-like appearance, and looks even more like a MacBook Pro now. It's slightly thinner and a few ounces lighter than the 14-inch, 3.5-pound MacBook Pro.
The Dell XPS 14 is smaller and thinner than the 14-inch MacBook Pro.
Matt Elliott/CNETOne way Dell trimmed some weight was by shrinking the size of the display. The XPS 14 has a 14-inch screen, down from the 14.5-inch panel on the Dell 14 Premium. It's also slightly smaller than the 14.2-inch display on the MacBook Pro. Side by side, the XPS 14's display does look smaller than the MacBook Pro's, but part of the reason is that the XPS 14 has even thinner bezels than the MacBook Pro. For the more compact package and lighter carrying weight, I think I'd be willing to trade 0.2 inches of screen size. (I still wouldn't trade MacOS for Windows, but that's another story altogether.)
After the shocking, shoulder-destroying heft, my least favorite part of the Dell 14 Premium was the touch-sensitive icons that made up the Function row. When I want to raise or lower the volume or screen brightness, I want to do so with a simple tap or two on a physical key -- not on an icon that provides no feedback to inform me if my aim was true. I also take comfort in knowing I have a functioning Esc key at all times. With the XPS 14, there's no more guesswork with the Function row. Actual Function keys are back, and they never should have left in the first place.
Thankfully, the excellent haptic touchpad returns with the XPS 14, but it's no longer borderless. Dell has added etched lines on either side of the touchpad so you can see and feel where its active surface ends. The lines are very subtle, so if you were a fan of the minimalist look of the 14 Premium, you'll appreciate the look of the XPS 14.
The haptic touchpad now has etched lines on each side so you can see and feel its borders.
Matt Elliott/CNETThe latticeless keyboard also returns, but the keys feel a bit firmer than before with snappier feedback. The port selection is the same, with a trio of Thunderbolt 4 ports and an audio jack, but the microSD card slot from the 14 Premium is missing here.
And there you have it, the XPS 14 is back and better than, well, the 14 Premium before it. It's slightly smaller but significantly lighter while correcting the error of the touch-sensitive strip of Function row icons. So far, it's made a good first impression. Check back soon for my full review with performance and battery testing. And for the OLED model with the Intel Core Ultra X7-358H chip and Arc B390 graphics, I'll run our gaming benchmarks to see how it handles AAA titles.
