Dell 14 Premium Review: The Trophy Wife

The Upsides

• Design & Aesthetics
  Few laptops look as striking as the Dell 14 Premium (previously branded XPS). With clean lines, hidden trackpad, and squared keys, it delivers a premium, modern appearance that easily turns heads.
• Display Quality
  The OLED 3200×2000 panel impresses with deep blacks, sharp resolution, and up to 120Hz refresh rate. It balances portability with productivity thanks to its 14.5-inch size, though opting for the lower-resolution panel would diminish sharpness.
• CPU Performance
  Powered by Intel’s latest Ultra 7 Arrow Lake H-series chip, the XPS 14 handles demanding workloads well. It competes with AMD’s Ryzen 9 365 and Apple’s entry-level M4 in multicore performance, while staying impressively cool under stress.
• Other Highlights
  Strong speakers, near-silent fan noise in light tasks, and upgradeable SSD storage all count as practical wins.

The Downsides

• GPU Limitations
  While the integrated GPU is competent, Dell’s optional RTX 4050 is underpowered and overpriced, offering little real advantage. Serious creators and gamers should consider the Omen Transcend 14.
• Keyboard & Trackpad Flaws
  The lack of physical function keys, shifted layout, and sharp deck edges make typing uncomfortable. Meanwhile, the large haptic trackpad suffers from poor palm rejection and unrefined click feedback.
• Port Selection
  With no HDMI, USB-A, or full-size SD card slot, most users will rely on dongles.
• Portability Issues
  At its weight, the Premium is heavier than some gaming laptops in the same size class, undermining its appeal as a thin-and-light device.
• Battery Life
  Perhaps its biggest weakness: battery runtimes fall short of competitors like the MacBook Pro 14 or even ASUS’s Zenbook 14, despite using similar processors.

Verdict

The Dell 14 Premium looks like a luxury device and delivers respectable CPU power, but its compromises—keyboard missteps, weak GPU options, poor battery, and limited ports—restrict its audience. At an MSRP of $1,800, it struggles against stronger rivals.

For those who value style and screen quality above all else, it’s worth considering. But for balanced performance and practicality, alternatives such as the MacBook Pro 14 with M4, Omen Transcend 14, or Zenbook 14 offer more well-rounded value.