Dell XPS 14 Review (2026): This Laptop Marks an Incredible Comeback

8/10

The 2026 Dell XPS 14 has a lot to prove. Dell attempted to kill the “XPS” brand in 2025, only to revive it this year. It also comes with a significant change: no more options for discrete graphics. Instead, the laptop uses Intel’s new Panther Lake chips, which also have a lot to prove.

I was able to test two configurations of the Dell XPS 14 to see how performance scales across price points, and I came away impressed by what these machines could achieve. They're a bit expensive, but for the first time in a while, they may actually be worth the price.

This 2026 model just might be the perfected version of the Dell XPS 14. XPS has always been design-forward, but the brand has started pushing the envelope over the last few years. The 2024 model introduced a stunning but controversial design that replaced the row of function keys with a line of light-up touch buttons. The buttons were futuristic and neat, but not the easiest to actually use. The same was true of the invisible haptic feedback trackpad. It was gorgeous and minimalist, but not very practical.

The new Dell XPS 14 keeps much of the more adventurous and sleek design elements, but dials back the ones that created the most uproar. The laptop now has a standard row of function keys (yay!), as well as subtle divider lines for the trackpad. These lines are a particularly smart inclusion, as your finger will bump up against them but they don’t detract from the overall look. It still uses a haptic feedback mechanism to artificially generate the feeling of a click through vibration, which gives you the most consistent and customizable trackpad experience. I did experience a few mis-clicks from time to time, but overall, it’s very smooth and enjoyable to use.

Important to this new generation is the size. The Dell XPS 14 is now just 0.58 inch thick (or 0.60 in the LCD model). That’s a tenth of an inch thinner than the previous generation (the Dell 14 Premium), and just so happens to be slightly thinner than the 14-inch MacBook Pro. It also weighs just 3 pounds, around a half-pound lighter than the MacBook Pro. This is a pretty huge achievement in its own right, as many of the would-be contenders to the MacBook Pro in terms of performance end up being thicker and heavier laptops.

The keyboard still uses the same low-key-travel switches that some will hate and some will love. For me, it’s fun to type on, but I did find it produced a lot more errors in my typing. That lessened over time as I refamiliarized myself with how the switches feel, but be forewarned: There’s a learning curve. On the plus side, I’ve always liked the zero-lattice keyboard, which gives it larger keycaps and less wasted space on the keyboard deck.

One other change is in the ports. You still get three Thunderbolt 4 ports and a headphone jack, but gone is the microSD card slot. As someone who regularly needs one, I really wish Dell could have squeezed a full-size SD card slot in here, especially since these laptops are targeted toward creators.

The build quality is exceptional, as is to be expected, with a hint of flex in the lid and keyboard. You can even open the device with just one finger now, something the XPS laptops of the past have always struggled with.

There’s a bit of an issue with how Dell configures the displays on the XPS 14. The base configuration comes with just a very standard 1920 x 1200 LCD display, despite it costing $1,699. This is a pretty serious downgrade from the mini-LED display offered on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, which is sharper, more colorful, and significantly brighter. The MBP is even $100 cheaper and comes with an extra 8 GB of RAM.

The more expensive OLED model comes standard with the Core Ultra X7 configuration with the option to upgrade to the X9. This isn't just standard OLED though—it's tandem OLED, which the company first used on the XPS 13. The result isn't more brightness (as it's actually slightly dimmer than the LCD model), but instead higher efficiency for more battery life.

I tested both the LCD and OLED models, which are both good for what they are. The OLED model has beautiful, vibrant colors covering sRGB, AdobeRGB, and Display P3 color spaces at 100 percent. Even more importantly, the color accuracy is fantastic. The LED takes a step back from there in terms of color performance, but I do like that both options have a dynamic 120-Hz refresh rate.

On the plus side, the bezels along the frame of the base XPS 14 look better than most LED displays. Many matte LCD displays have a plastic bezel along the sides which make it look cheap. These super-thin bezels still look very modern and sleek—a hallmark of the XPS brand. The top bezel remains thin as well (though not as tiny as it once was), despite Dell squeezing an 8-megapixel, 4K camera module up there. I haven’t seen many 4K-capable laptop webcams, and this one is particularly great, and there’s no ugly notch to deal with either.

The speakers have been improved, going from 8 watts to 10 watts. Not a substantial change, and they’re still a world away from the MacBook Pro, but they do sound a bit more full-bodied than the previous generation.

Here’s where things get truly interesting. Part of what allowed Dell to make the XPS 14 so much thinner is the lack of a discrete graphics option. That choice came down to whether or not you wanted a standard, high-end laptop or one with some serious performance chops behind it. With the introduction of Intel Panther Lake chips, though, the choice is now between a more basic chip like the Core Ultra 7 355 and the souped-up Core Ultra X7 358H.

I tested both versions of the XPS 14, and the difference in performance between these two can’t be overstated. We’re talking about twice the CPU and GPU performance. The eight extra efficiency cores in the X7 358H really make a huge difference, alongside the new Arc B390 integrated graphics. It’s a $300 price difference, but that also includes an extra 16 GB of RAM. Dell already charges $300 to only double the RAM in the Ultra 7 configuration, so the upgrade is absolutely worth it. For what it’s worth, Apple charges $400 to go from 16 GB to 32 GB in the M5 MacBook Pro.

What’s not really worth it, however, are those less powerful configurations. You can get much more affordable Windows laptops for hundreds of dollars less, and the difference in performance will be negligible. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see prices come down on these models in the future, but on the other hand, Dell (like almost all PC manufacturers) has warned about higher prices later in 2026 due to the ongoing memory shortage.

The Core Ultra X7 358H and the RTX 4050 discrete GPU of the previous generation are neck-and-neck in terms of gaming performance. The RTX 4050 was only 3 percent faster in the 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark, for example. That’s a huge accomplishment for Intel and Dell, especially since the new model is both thinner and longer-lasting in terms of battery life. And yes, that means the new Dell XPS 14 is a decent gaming machine when it needs to be. It can run games like Cyberpunk 2077 natively at 1920 x 1200. At the Medium present, I was able to average 56 frames per second in the game’s built-in benchmark. Again, that’s without upscaling at all. Flip on Intel’s Xe2 upscaling on the Quality setting and that is boosted up to 70 fps.

Intel even has a low-latency mode to help compensate for the extra input lag that’s introduced through upscaling. You’ll have to rely on upscaling or even frame generation a bit more heavily in games like Marvel Rivals, but it’s certainly possible to have an enjoyable play experience, which feels awesome on a laptop like the XPS 14. I’ve been waiting years to say this, but for the first time, I can confidently declare in this case, we’re far better off without discrete graphics.

As impressive as the X7 chip is on its own, however, performance is lower here than on other laptops I’ve tested with this same chip. The MSI Prestige 14 Flip, an even thinner laptop, was 24 percent faster in CPU and 16 percent faster in gaming. So the XPS 14 is hardly the pinnacle of performance when it comes to this new chip (and presumably also with the X9 that’s available to buy through Best Buy). All this means the Dell XPS 14 isn't quite up to par with the M4 Pro MacBook Pro, which also costs $1,999.

I already mentioned the battery life, but it's stellar. This was one of the primary downsides of the past Dell XPS 14 (or the previously named Dell 14 Premium) laptops, as well as any other Windows-based MacBook Pro competitors. Even as of last year, Intel's higher-powered CPUs just weren't as efficient as Apple Silicon, and the addition of discrete graphics made things even worse. In contrast, the new Core Ultra X7 358H version of the Dell XPS 14 lasts well over twice as long, reaching 20 hours of local video playback battery life in my testing. That's even more impressive considering it's using an OLED 2880 x 1800-resolution screen with a 120-Hz refresh rate.

In terms of price, I still think the $1,599 configuration is far too expensive for what it is, both in terms of the quality of the display and the performance. And if you're comparing the $1,999 to the M4 Pro MacBook Pro, there's still a gap in performance, which makes the XPS 14 pricey by comparison. But if you're hell-bent on a Windows laptop, this is the best alternative to the 14-inch MacBook Pro so far.