Dell 14 Premium Review: The Trophy Wife
September 23, 2025
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Dell 14 Premium
Summary
The new Dell 14 Premium tries to refine the XPS formula, but it’s a mixed bag of elegance, performance, and frustrating trade-offs.
Table of contents:
Laptops in this Article
14 Inches | 16 GB | 512 GB | M4 10-Core | M4 10-Core GPU
Best Price Ever
Great Deal
14 Inches | 16 GB | 1 TB | Core Ultra 7 255H | RTX 5060
14.5 Inches | 16 GB | 512 GB | Core Ultra 7 255H
Good Deal
14.5 Inches | 16 GB | 512 GB | Core Ultra 7 255H
Pros
- +Looks stunning
- +Very well built
- +Excellent 14.5inch display
- +Comfortable keyboard
Cons
- −Heavy for a 14.5 inch laptop
- −Dedicated GPU is woefully underpowered
- −Expensive
- −No physical function row
- −Hidden trackpad has palm rejection issues
- −Limited ports
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.
14 Inches | 16 GB | 1 TB | Core Ultra 7 255H | RTX 5060
Pros
- +Premium feeling laptop
- +Runs cooler and quieter than most 14inch gaming laptops
- +Excellent keyboard
- +Charges with just USB-C power
- +Good OLED display
- +Fantastic battery life
Cons
- −GPU underperforms (its fed less wattage)
- −Gets a little warm to the touch in extended performance use
- −Trackpad feels a little cheap for a laptop this premium
- 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.
14 Inches | 16 GB | 512 GB | M4 10-Core | M4 10-Core GPU
Pros
- +Extremely Powerful
- +Long Battery Life
- +Extremely Power Efficient
- +Excellent Keyboard and Trackpad
- +Fantastic Display - High Resolution, Fast Refresh Rate, Bright
- +Minimal Fan Noise (If Any)
- +Excellent Speakers
- +Good Webcam
- +Lots of Memory as Standard
Cons
- −Expensive
- −No Wi-Fi 7
14 Inches | 16 GB | 512 GB | Core Ultra 7 255H
Pros
- +Powerful CPU - Core Ultra H (Series 2)
- +Often Goes on Sale
- +Strong Integrated Graphics for Gaming or Light Editing
- +Remains cool to the touch during performance tasks
Cons
- −Has high pitched fan noise (during performance tasks)
- −Display is very glossy and reflective
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.
14.5 Inches | 16 GB | 512 GB | Core Ultra 7 255H
Pros
- +Looks stunning
- +Very well built
- +Excellent 14.5inch display
- +Comfortable keyboard
Cons
- −Heavy for a 14.5 inch laptop
- −Dedicated GPU is woefully underpowered
- −Expensive
- −No physical function row
- −Hidden trackpad has palm rejection issues
- −Limited ports
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.