Pros & Cons
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- Vivid OLED screen
- Potent flagship Intel chip
- Class-leading battery life
- Premium metal build
- Standout 4K webcam and high-fidelity speakers
- Warranty includes a year of onsite coverage
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- Pricey configurations
- All ports are Thunderbolt/USB Type-C
Dell XPS 14 (2026) Specs
| Boot Drive Capacity (as Tested) | 1 |
| Boot Drive Type | SSD |
| Class | Ultraportable |
| Dimensions (HWD) | 0.58 by 12.2 by 8.3 inches |
| Graphics Processor | Intel Arc B390 |
| Native Display Resolution | 2880 by 1800 |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home |
| Panel Technology | OLED |
| Processor | Intel Core Ultra X7 358H |
| RAM (as Tested) | 32 |
| Screen Refresh Rate | 120 |
| Screen Size | 14 |
| Tested Battery Life (Hours:Minutes) | 21:02 |
| Touch Screen | |
| Variable Refresh Support | None |
| Weight | 3 |
| Wireless Networking | Bluetooth 6 |
| Wireless Networking | Wi-Fi 7 |
Dell’s long-running XPS laptop brand disappeared for a year into the murky haze of what the company called its "Dell Premium" family, alongside equally generic-sounding product lines like "Dell Plus" and "Dell Pro." Some of those remain, but it seems you can't keep a good XPS down: The brand is back, and arguably in its best shape in years. The newly revived Dell XPS 14 (starts at $1,599.99; $2,199.99 as tested) flagship pairs a refreshed, practical design with big boosts to speed and efficiency from Intel’s “Panther Lake” Core Ultra processors. Dell also focused on classy upgrades that are actually useful in the real world: a glass OLED touch-screen option, high-fidelity speakers, and a 4K webcam. Every bit the modern, premium ultraportable with intensely competitive performance, the 2026 XPS 14 is our latest Editors' Choice award winner in the category of high-end thin-and-lights.
Configurations: Scalable, But Pricey Throughout
The XPS 14's internals revolve around various flavors of Intel’s new “Panther Lake” generation of processors, also known as the Core Ultra 300 Series. Under the model number DA14260, Dell starts the new XPS 14 with an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 CPU, 16GB of LPDDR5x memory, and a 512GB M.2 NVMe solid-state drive for $1,599.99. You can configure it with a slightly faster Core Ultra 7 355 chip for just $100 more. Both of these processors combine four Performance cores and four Low-Power Efficient cores with a sufficiently powerful neural processor (NPU) for CoPilot+ certification, replacing last year’s “Lunar Lake” Intel Core 200 Series chips.
In line with the XPS brand's traditional lofty power expectations, Dell sells an Intel Core Ultra X7 358H variant, which doubles the core count to 16 by adding eight more Efficient cores. That processor, crucially, also includes a far more potent integrated graphics solution, the Arc B390. That model starts at 32GB of RAM, with an available upgrade to 64GB.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)On Dell's website, the display and storage options for the XPS 14 are independent of the CPU choice. The base model includes a 1,920-by-1,200-pixel non-touch LCD panel, while configurable systems include an upgrade to the 2,880-by-1,800-pixel OLED touch display found in my review unit. Both screens support a 120Hz variable refresh rate, though the LCD panel can drop down as low as 1Hz, whereas the OLED can only go as low as 20Hz. (You may appreciate the 1Hz option for maximizing battery life while spreadsheeting, for instance, though 20Hz is already quite low.) Solid-state storage options range from 512GB to 4TB.
My $2,199.99 review unit features the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H chip with the aforementioned Arc B390 integrated graphics, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and the upgraded OLED screen. The most decked-out XPS 14 that Dell offers, at $3,049.99, doubles the memory (to 64GB) and pushes the storage to 4TB.
Overall, the XPS 14’s components align with expectations for a cutting-edge, high-performance ultraportable. Its power profile, even down to its reliance on advanced integrated graphics, aligns closely with the M5 version of the Apple MacBook Pro 14-Inch. The Lenovo ThinkPad X9 14 Aura Edition is similar in design and presentation to the XPS 14, but much less expensive, though the Lenovo machine hasn’t adopted Panther Lake yet. (We have seen, however, the newest 15-inch ThinkPad X9 with Intel's latest silicon.)
Design: Familiar Lines, Sharper Execution
Elite ultraportables must look the part, and Dell’s XPS 14 fits right in. Though it echoes last year’s Dell 14 Premium, several meaningful changes stand out: the return of a function-key row made of physical buttons (thank heavens!), the addition of subtle lines that delineate the touchpad area (ditto), and speakers positioned beneath the keyboard, without grilles. The XPS didn't drop any style points in moving to this more practical design, either. The system still projects the sleek high-end vibe that Dell’s top-end consumer models are known for.
Dell's build quality meets expectations for style and sustainability: The laptop's outer panels and base cover, made of 75% recycled machined aluminum, pair with a 100% recycled Gorilla Glass touch panel for a buttoned-up look. The chassis feels impressively rigid, showing no flex, no matter how I pick it up. Thoughtful touches, like a hinge that allows one-handed lid opening, subtly reinforce the system’s upscale focus.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)At 0.58 by 12.2 by 8.3 inches (HWD), the XPS 14 is nearly all screen on the upper half, with slim bezels framing its 14-inch panel. Apple's 14-inch MacBook Pro is actually slightly thicker, at 0.61 inch, while the ThinkPad X9 14 is thinner, at just 0.51 inch, but deeper and wider overall. Dell lands in the middle in terms of weight: At just 3 pounds, the XPS 14 narrowly holds onto its ultraportable status between the 3.4-pound MacBook Pro and the 2.74-pound ThinkPad X9 14.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)Dell’s port selection is sparse. The XPS 14 has just three Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) connections and a headphone jack. All the USB-C ports support power delivery and DisplayPort out. Apple has normalized this approach, though it also brought back its dedicated MagSafe power connector. While having three USB-C ports allows two to connect other devices, with one dedicated to power, you'll still need adapters or appropriate cables to connect displays or USB-A accessories. The laptop's wireless connectivity is as modern as it gets, with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 included via an Intel BE211 network card.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)The XPS 14 relies on an IR webcam for biometric logins, which, more important, delivers outstanding visuals. I can catch the exceptional sharpness in the camera's image, thanks to its 4K recording resolution. The camera exhibited accurate colors and well-balanced highlights, too. My only quibble with the camera? It lacks a privacy shutter, though on that score, it's not alone in this class of laptop.
As for software, Dell keeps the array of preinstalled applications light. Among them is the Dell Optimizer app, which provides Dolby Vision display modes ("Bright," "Dark," or "Vivid") and thermal performance profiles, including "Cool," "Quiet," "Ultra Performance," and the default "Optimized" setting. Another, Dell's SupportAssist app, covers system updates, diagnostics, drive cleanup, and network optimization, with the option to schedule performance scans and updates.
Dell provides a standard one-year warranty for the XPS 14, and it also includes free access to its Dell Care Plus support service for that year. This otherwise extra-cost service includes 24/7 phone support, on-site repairs at home or in the office, and a diagnostic tool to detect issues early. (If you want coverage against accidental damage, that costs extra, the price depending on the device covered.)
Keyboard, Touchpad, and Display: A Return to Form That You Can Feel
The resurgence of the XPS brand confirms something I’ve long believed: It was too strong to disappear into Dell’s broader “Premium” rebranding. Dell should be proud of XPS. Renaming it "Dell Premium" made sense on paper, but it undersold what XPS stood for. XPS was premium, and its halo stretched further. I remember the impression the original XPS models made on me back in the 2000s, and I am happy to see the name restored. Dell clearly heard the sentiment, as evidenced by its CES 2026 rhetoric around the XPS brand's resurrection.
What makes the XPS 14 compelling isn’t just what shows on the spec sheet. Yes, its component mix keeps pace with the competition, and yes, it’s thin and light, but we’ve reached a point in laptop evolution where dramatic reductions in size and weight aren’t happening generation to generation. So, Dell turned to optimizing and refining the XPS experience.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)The laptop's sharp synthesis of machined aluminum and glass speaks volumes the moment you pick it up. It’s a laptop you want to keep holding. The soft-touch feel of the palm rest is particularly delightful, and it resists fingerprints well. The metal chassis' overall rigidity leaves no doubt that this is a top-tier device.
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Dell also deserves credit for bringing back the touchpad border and physical function-key row, as I mentioned in passing earlier. The company earnestly tried to innovate with the previous design, but it listened to consumer feedback and course-corrected, bringing back both features better than before. The keyboard now feels more precise, with weightier feedback that competes against the best I’ve used. It’s the kind of keyboard that inspires me to keep typing, hitting my peak speed and accuracy in my usual MonkeyType test run. The practicality continues in the dark, thanks to white backlighting that contrasts cleanly with the dark keycaps. The touchpad, too, has an excellent feel, with adjustable haptic feedback in the Windows Settings app. And now my fingertips can sense where it begins and ends.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)The 2,880-by-1,800-pixel OLED touch screen is another highlight, delivering the vivid color and deep contrast that OLED panels are known for. The glass surface feels smooth for touch interactions, and, surprisingly, it doesn’t reflect as much light as you’d expect. The laptop's entertainment value receives another boost from its four speakers, which produce enough body and clarity to rival the sound you'd expect from a low-priced Bluetooth speaker. Just make sure to install the Dolby Access app—oddly, it’s not preinstalled—so you can enable Atmos profiles and fine-tune the audio.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)I also appreciate that it doesn't take much volume to drown out the XPS 14’s fans, which range from unobtrusive to silent during everyday use and become just faintly noticeable under sustained load. Throughout benchmarking, the XPS 14 chassis stayed impressively cool to the touch.
Performance Testing: Panther Lake Pours on the Power
I've tested the XPS 14 in a slightly stepped-down version of its flagship configuration: an Intel Core Ultra X7 358H processor (16 total cores, 4.8GHz maximum clock speed), integrated Arc B390 graphics, 32GB of LPDDR5X-9600 memory, and a 1TB SSD. The only piece missing here that could boost its performance further is the optional additional 32GB of RAM, though none of its competitors below include that much, either.
My comparison lineup starts with Apple’s 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro ($2,349 as tested), the XPS 14's closest rival here in terms of raw speed. That's followed by Lenovo’s $1,519 ThinkPad X9 14 configuration, our current Editors' Choice award holder for high-end ultraportable laptops. I've included the 14-inch HP OmniBook X Flip ($1,529 as tested) to show a relatively comparable AMD-based platform, and the $999 Microsoft Surface Laptop (2025) build represents the entry point for super-slick ultraportables like these. This lineup covers a variety of processors, with Apple’s M5 chip, a last-generation “Lunar Lake” Core Ultra CPU, an AMD Ryzen AI processor, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chip, all of which compete in various spots across the ultraportable spectrum.
Productivity and Content Creation Tests
Our primary overall benchmark, UL's PCMark 10, puts a system through its paces in productivity apps ranging from web browsing to word processing and spreadsheet work. Its Full System Drive subtest measures a PC's storage throughput. (The Dell XPS 14 could not finish the primary PCMark 10 test, likely due to early driver issues, and Macs aren't compatible with these tests, so we have removed the PCMark 10 productivity results below.)
Three more tests we rely on are CPU-centric or processor-intensive: Maxon's Cinebench 2024 uses that company's Cinema 4D engine to render a complex scene; Primate Labs' Geekbench 6.3 Pro simulates popular apps ranging from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine learning; and we see how long it takes the video transcoder HandBrake 1.8 to convert a 12-minute clip from 4K to 1080p resolution. Finally, workstation maker Puget Systems' PugetBench for Creators rates a PC's image-editing prowess by performing a variety of automated operations in the seminal photo editor Adobe Photoshop 25.
While PCMark 10’s primary test wouldn't run on the XPS 14, it completed the PCMark storage benchmark without issue, placing near the top of the field but behind the HP 2-in-1 laptop. From there, it was all top of the charts for the XPS 14 when compared with its PC rivals, but the MacBook Pro gave it a much tougher fight. (The XPS 14 and Intel Core Ultra X7 processor surprised us in the next round, however.)
The Dell laptop's Core Ultra X7 chip and effective cooling dominated the CPU benchmarks among the PC laptops in this test set, in large part thanks to it having twice as many processing cores as the competing Windows systems. Apple's MacBook Pro and M5 processor, however, edged out the XPS 14 and Core Ultra X7 chip every chance they got, and by a considerable margin in Photoshop.
To be clear, the XPS 14 still scored very respectably across these benchmarks, but the MacBook Pro is the most comparable laptop here, given its price and configuration. While it was a close match in tests like HandBrake, it wasn't that close in the others. The Core Ultra X7 showed a definitive advantage over the midrange Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm Snapdragon chips in these laptops, highlighting an impressive generational leap. This laptop's ready for whatever you throw at it, but it already has some clear rivals, like the latest MacBook Pro and the legion of Panther Lake laptops on the way.
Graphics Tests
We challenge all systems’ graphics with a quintet of animations or gaming simulations from UL's 3DMark test suite. The first two, Wild Life (1440p) and Wild Life Extreme (4K), use the Vulkan graphics API to measure GPU speeds. The next pair, Steel Nomad's regular and Light subtests, focuses on APIs more commonly used for game development to assess gaming geometry and particle effects. Last up, we turn to 3DMark Solar Bay to measure ray tracing performance. (We have Mac results for only a portion of these 3DMark tests, so the MacBook Pro is missing from some charts below.)
The XPS 14 and its Arc B390 integrated graphics dominated the group on these benchmarks, in some cases more than doubling the scores of the Lenovo laptop with the previous-generation Intel Arc graphics. Most notably, the Apple M5 GPU's numbers fell short of the Intel Arc B390 in every contest between them, despite Apple’s touted graphics improvements this generation. While the XPS 14 isn’t a gaming laptop, by any stretch, we did thoroughly test the Arc B390 integrated graphics in a different (Core X9) laptop, suggesting that the XPS 14 with a Core Ultra X7 could suffice for some casual gaming, in a pinch.
Battery Life and Display Tests
We measure the battery life of each laptop we test by playing a locally stored 720p video file (the open-source Blender movie Tears of Steel) with display brightness set to 50% and audio volume set to 100%. We make sure the battery is fully charged before the test, with Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting turned off.
To gauge display performance, we use a Datacolor SpyderX Elite monitor calibration sensor and its Windows software to measure a laptop screen's color saturation—what percentage of the sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3 color gamuts or palettes the display can show—and its 50% and peak brightness in nits (candelas per square meter).
Laptops with OLED screens haven't been known for their long battery life. Still, the XPS 14’s high-density battery and power-efficient components propelled it for an outstanding 21 hours, more than doubling the HP laptop's result and outpacing the ThinkPad by roughly 90 minutes. The MacBook Pro, unsurprisingly, lasted longer, upholding MacBooks' reputation for marathon battery life, while the Surface Laptop's hyper-efficient Snapdragon chip propelled it to the group lead by a big leap.
Dell's XPS comeback also performed exceptionally well on the display front, even outclassing the M5 MacBook Pro's mini LED screen on color coverage. Predictably for an OLED, the XPS 14 panel covered the full sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamuts and nearly the full Adobe RGB spectrum. The HP and Lenovo laptop screens came close to these results, while Microsoft’s IPS display lagged in brightness and color coverage.
More than 400 nits is ideal for an OLED panel, if not the brightest we’ve seen, but the XPS 14 screen is far from dim and has usable brightness at the 50% setting we use for battery testing. It also matched the MacBook Pro's panel in brightness at both tested levels.