Dell XPS 14 Review | Better Than You Think

To call the Dell XPS 14 controversial is an understatement. The completely redesigned laptop replaces the beloved XPS 15 and introduces some divisive new features, such as the seamless haptic feedback trackpad and capacitive touch buttons to replace the function row of keys. That makes it a nonstarter for many potential buyers, which is understandable. However, in my testing and use of it, I was happy to find more laptop here than I assumed there would be.
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VIDEO CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:15 Size
02:06 Trackpad Design
04:02 Capacitive Touch Buttons and Keyboard
05:09 RAM and Storage
06:08 Connectivity
07:16 OLED Screen
09:10 Performance
11:38 Battery Life and Speakers
12:51 Final Thoughts
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[@lukelarsen8228]

Thanks for watching! So tell me -- what do you think of the XPS 14? Has Dell made a big mistake or is this bold new direction exciting to you? Let me know, along with any further questions you might have.

[@jonnyboy6359]

I like it. I think this size is the perfect blend for portability and enough screen real estate for productivity. It's a bit pricey compared to similar options from Asus and Lenovo.

[@jheasley2]

After some careful consideration I decided to go with the new Spectre 360 14 inch. Seems to have good battery life in a light package. I need to run windows, so the MacBook Pro isn't an option. In a way almost all reviews compare the new Windows machines to the MB Pros, but I don't know how many people are cross shopping that way. I have a 14-inch MB Pro M1 Pro and it's still a great machine, but I have to run MS office and other productivity software that quite frankly stinks on Macs, so I'm really stuck with trying to pick the best Windows machine. I still love my 3-year-old XPS 15, but the battery life is horrendous, and it commonly died halfway to any destination more than 3 hours away by plane. It works great plugged in and sitting on my kitchen counter though ;-p

[@ArthropodSpidey]

Lol you changed the title of the video

[@lukelarsen8228]

As some have mentioned in the comments, I incorrectly stated that the SSD is soldered. It is, in fact, not! Standard M.2 storage that can be upgraded. Apologies for the mistake. The RAM remains soldered, of course, which is the main change.

[@davidkelvinangulojimenez9977]

Un gran error

[@SenselInc]

Thanks so much for the shout-out, Luke! We're thrilled that you liked our haptic touchpad in the XPS 14.

[@joesmith4254]

Which laptops have Sensel touchpads? I would like to try them before buying a laptop.

[@SenselInc]

Hey@@joesmith4254. My apologies for the delay. The complete list is: Lenovo ThinkPad: X1 Titanium Yoga (2021), Z13 & Z16 Gen 2 (2023), X1 Fold 16 (2023), X1 Carbon Gen 12 (2024), X1 2-in-1 Gen 9 (2024) Microsoft: Surface Laptop Studio 1 (2021), Surface Laptop Studio 2 (2023) Dell: XPS 14 and XPS 16 (2024). Note: we're not in every XPS 14 and 16 individual laptop, as Dell as multiple suppliers of the haptic touchpad. There is a way to check, which I can let you know about if you're interested.

[@krzysztofobodzinski2529]

​@@SenselIncHi, how do I check which Dells come with your touchpads?

[@SenselInc]

@@krzysztofobodzinski2529 Unfortunately, you have to already have the laptop to check. To do so, you go to Device Manager → Human Interface Devices → HID-compliant touch pad → Details tab → in the "Property" dropdown select Hardware Ids (3 down from the top). If you see HID\VID 2C2F, that's Sensel's ID

[@SenselInc]

@@krzysztofobodzinski2529 Apologies for the delay. To check, go to Device Manager → Human Interface Devices → HID-compliant touch pad → Details tab → in the "Property" dropdown select Hardware Ids (3 down from the top). If you see HID\VID 2C2F, that's Sensel's ID

[@elliekim6666]

If Dell can push a 1080P camera in that Bezel what is Apple's excuse for the Notch now? I don't mind the notch but if they can get rid of it why not?

[@blink182bfsftw]

Branding

[@markholle3450]

I will take a notch when I compare the cameras on my XPS 13 and M1 MBA. Dell can fit one but it isn’t great. Now Apple gives you less bezels but you get a notch. HP gives you a great webcam on the Spectre but they use a bit more bezel. Apparently there is a happy medium.

[@andyH_England]

It is branding, as product differentiation is essential. Also, Apple is pushing Dynamic Island. Finally, I expect that 3D Face-ID will eventually come to Macs and the notch is getting people used to the design.

[@JHayler7]

Isn't it because the sensors for Face ID (use it to log into banking, etc, so needs to be secure) won't fit in a smaller hole punch?

[@meymunamusa5097]

It doesn't have faceId​@@JHayler7

[@larrytraber]

The ssd isnt soldered on this laptop. Its a standard size m.2 ssd

[@thegorn]

Got proof?

[@iCrackr]

literally look it up, it's one full size M.2 NVMe slot@@thegorn

[@Antlav96]

Is it a battery or weight difference between ARC GPU and RTX4050?

[@BRuas9080]

I’d like to know how many battery hours I’d get with the FHD screen vs the OLED version. And if its possible to disable the discrete graphics card to gain extra battery life. And about the function keys, how they work on this laptop? Where, for example, is the F5 key!

[@buttercrazy30]

Great video, too many compromises for my liking: soldered memory and RAM, captive touch top row buttons, not knowing where the trackpad end and begins, mediocre battery life (half battery life), and weak speakers .

[@elliekim6666]

A lot of laptops have soldered memory these days and if you really want that blazing fast DDR5 speeds you'll want LPDDR5 which is soldered on.

[@ArthropodSpidey]

Do you work for Dell's social media team? You're making a lot of defensive comments.@@elliekim6666

[@srividhya5285]

Many were skeptical about trackpad, but in xps 13, many youtubers confirmed it's not much of an issue, so it shouldn't be in this laptop as well.😊 Edit: not xps 13, xps 13 plus

[@josephle2381]

Trackpad shouldn’t be an issue. Plus it’s pretty large so you’ll be fine

[@robertbruce7671]

The trackpad was trash on the xps plus, I doubt this is much better. I sold my 9320 and went to a 9315 because the track pad and keyboard were so much worse

[@GannDolph]

That soft-touch rubber coating on the keys is real nice, at least until it starts rubbing off and/or getting sticky a couple years down the road ..

[@Valentino_Crespo]

Only time will tell :/

[@kaischmidt730]

@@Valentino_Crespo unfortunately the story has been told countless times. you wanna find out with your money if this time it ends differently?

[@GannDolph]

@@Valentino_Crespo 🙏

[@ToriZealot]

@@kaischmidt730 you are perhaps correct

[@AndroidSTheOfficialKnight]

you forgot to mention WHY the ram is not upgradeable. Part of the reason is Meteor Lake needs RAM to be soldered next to the silicon to get the 7000+mhz ram speed.

[@drjames079]

ram has been soldered on xps lineup for quite some time. Not sure about xps15 but it was already soldered on my 7 year old xps 13.

[@iCrackr]

not true. It was only on the 13, 15 and 17 had upgradable RAM forever@@drjames079

[@joesmith4254]

How is the click on the touchpad compared to MacBook? On all Windows laptops I have tried I hate that I have to press hard compared to my MacBook. Why can't Windows laptops have clicks like on MacBook or a Logitech MX mouse?

[@ocvjw8734]

How are quality control issues? any quirks? I just ordered a lower-spec'd 14 as a gift, while also been reading about certain reliability issues with the XPS line.

[@dibadu234]

dell has a decent reputation. I had very bad experiences, getting stuff repaired when things went wrong though. Dell's parts are priced insanely high and the Aftermarket delivers mediocre alternatives.

[@christianayer]

5G data connection possible as option?

[@muhammad-bin-american]

Hopefully they improved thermal management. Tried XPS 13 for about a week but returned it due loud fan noise due to horrible thermal management. Incredible little machine otherwise. Loved the screen, sound and portability.

[@Cybertron667]

Thanks for the nice review! Pretty interesting that the battery life is much better on the xps 16... 120hz vs 90hz ? And less battery capacity ofcourse... In some screens I see the dreaded Screen door effect also known as Moire effect, how bad is it ? Even on the dark gray search balloon in the video you can see this as "grainy" which is a pitty for such pricey devices 😢

[@krloslels]

Would the battery last longer on the IPS screen vs the OLED?

[@houssamalucad753]

much longer, but that screen is trash quality compared to the oled, at that point just get a cheaper better laptop like the 2024 G14 or a macbook.

[@msk.y]

Anyone know if the copilot key (left ctrl) is remappable in bios? Like the Fn/Ctrl on ThinkPads

[@thegorn]

Great review man - awesome. I just wished it had a full sized SD card and a WiFi7 adapter and then it would be near perfect for me.

[@5647014]

I have owned an XPS 13 plus before and I sold it because I needed a bigger screen. I loved the design so much and to be honest the capacitive touch button is very responsive hence to me it does not effect the user experience. Hope to buy the XPS 16 soon after getting some useful reviews from you tube.

[@bruceparker3139]

can someone explain what does he mean that ultra 7 165 h is only made for commercial applications?

[@RaitoYagami88]

He means that the CPU is only sold to commercial customers. Generally, this means companies which are buying large batches of laptops to equip their employees with. Regular customers get the 155U.

[@ravelandexplorewitharnold]

Do you recommend any of the Dell XPS for video editing? As not a fan of Apple. Thank you.

[@akin242002]

Dell XPS 17 (9730) is good. Only issues are heating, 720p web camera, and an average 60hz refresh rate. The pros: Adjustable RAM, adjustable SSD, 4k screen resolution with high color accuracy, good keyboards, and Nvidia 4080p GPU. A 2nd Windows option is Asus Zenbook Pro 14x OLED UX6404. Nvidia 4070 GPU, adjustable SSD, and amazing color accuracy.

[@houssamalucad753]

Just get the 2024 G14/G16 or one of Lenovo's new offerings (yoga pro 7/9i), much better laptops overall. The XPS is no longer a macbook competitor. The zenbook is a good option too for editing depending on the price you find.

[@micheleg.2244]

I'm thinking of buying a Dell and my choice is between this and 3480 precision....I have no clue which one prefer.... EDIT: I manily need a laptop to elaborate/visualise raw format photos (25MB each) and also to play a guitar (using an audio interface and amp simulator). In my little knowledge I'd say I need a fast processor and a good screen. What is the best screen between XPS, Mac Pro 14 and precision? (assuming not oled) Thank you all.

[@YoutubeUniverse]

Didn’t they release also a 15 plus version!!

[@MR-tt9mc]

I just spoke with a Dell sales person who said the SSD is upgradable but you said it isn’t. Did you make an error or did that person not know what he’s talking about?

[@mrpogueman]

the SSD is upgradable on the XPS 16, not the 14

[@iCrackr]

it is upgradable on the 14@@mrpogueman

[@allstarkidXD]

Surface laptop studio 2 or this ?

[@evansafrifa6396]

I will go for the Zephyrus G14 over the XPS 14 anyday

[@segura9]

Why?

[@wetalkinb0utpractice]

L.

[@Cybertron667]

Apparently the Oled models do have the dreaded Screen door effect! 😢

[@navixaxa5023]

Have been using the XPS 13 Plus for almost a year now. I absolutely love this thing. The Keyboard and the Trackpad ae also cool. My only qualms are piss-poor Battery Life and 60Hz Refresh Rate. Nice that Dell sorted out the Refresh Rate. Battery being as poor as in the past is disappointing. I've tested, multiple times, using my XPS 13 Plus and M1 14' MBP with the exact same applications running, and my MacBook lasted for almost more than twice than the XPS, whose battery goes nada after 3-4 hours. Funny enough, my MacBook has a higher Screen Brightness [500 Nits] and a higher Refresh Rate [120Hz], and yet still was able to brutally decimate the XPS. Just wow.

[@dannyyin9663]

14.5” 3.2k OLED screen sounds amazing but 3.7 lbs is too heavy and $2400 is too much. I’ll be buying the 2024 Asus G14.

[@wetalkinb0utpractice]

L.

[@Beatles4Sale.]

So if I want to rest my palms while typing, doesn’t this interfere with the trackpad? It seems so if the trackpad goes all the way across.

[@lilyphipps1]

i love it but im not very happy that it doesnt have wifi 7 but the larger model does

[@zednaught]

dang, real shame about the touch buttons. i had a macbook pro with the touchbar and absolutely hated it so that's a deal-breaker for me

[@edwingallas3227]

Putting aside the controversial design features, the weight seems a bit excessive for the size as compared to similar laptops (HP Spectre X360 14 for example). The cost is more comparable to a MacBook Pro than some equivalently equipped Windows laptops. I actually like the design but cannot get past pricing and weight.

[@ysp6989]

I''ve watched many videos on this and yours seems to be the most unbiased and on point. This is the most beautiful laptop there is agree 100% (XPS's have always been special in this regard) and it's a great laptop overall, just loses the value for money battle to the MBP when you go to the higher specs. But if aesthetics and solid/ultra premium feel are priorities, this is by far the best Windows laptop out there. People bashing it are just negative voices one is better advised to ignore.

[@user-ji9tk3qw3b]

should i get it

[@Evie0133]

The SSD is upgradable. RAM isn't tho :(

[@Ericthefilo]

Really can't understand the omission of the function row

[@JimKanaris]

Yes, I've always found Dell products too pricey out of the gate. It's definitely NOT a MacBook Pro killer at that price. Unless one's tethered to Windows and meaningful AAA gaming, the MBP is still the more enticing alternative on significant fronts: performance, screen, battery, speakers. This new line still looks cool, though!

[@israelramirez0202]

um no lol. This beats out the MBP on performance, screen, and speakers. Battery is the only think MBPs have now because of Arm chips but everything else has been surpassed and been that way since 2021.

[@JimKanaris]

@@israelramirez0202 Ya, ok.

[@JimKanaris]

@@israelramirez0202 I've had both machines side by side since 2001. On the Dell side, the 7590 (OLED), the 9500 (UHD+), the 9530 (FHD+), on the Apple side, the 16" M1 Pro. No contest. Improvements in screen on the Dell side (OLED) may have shortened the distance, but you are absolutely wrong on the speaker front, as every reviewer will tell you and as my experience with these machines convinces me.

[@greatpix]

No user upgradable parts inside a laptop is a deal breaker for me, which is why I've never bought an Apple laptop and held off buying an iPhone after owning an LG G3 with interchangeable battery. Note: I bought my first Apple computer in 1979, an Apple ][ Plus maxed out with 48K memory and cost just under $1,500. I was one of the first to get the updated floating point chip Plus version.

[@andyH_England]

The days of premium Windows laptops being cheaper than Macs are gone. Unless your game and you probably would not buy this for gaming, the MB Pro 14 is better, assuming you are not stuck using a Windows app. Higher performance, twice the battery life, better speakers, less noise, running as well on the battery as mains, and better IO makes the MB Pro 14 a comfortable winner.

[@austing4321]

PC prices have gone up as their build quality/materials have, meanwhile the M chips bring a lot of performance per dollar to newer Macs so it creates a weird situation where a Mac often times might be a better buy, at least in the US (Apple prices are crazy in EU and Asia, I am not sure what Dells are like). Also, pricing aside, let's not forget that Dell's QC is generally awful no matter what price point they hit while Apple remains top dog in that category especially once they got rid of the butterfly keyboards. If I were sticking to Windows, I'd much rather get a ASUS g14 or a Spectre for similar or less money.

[@markh351]

Will definitely give this a pass but I appreciate the unbiased review. I might be interested in a G15 if it were around $1000. Side note, I have a cousin who years ago bought a Dell 233MHz Pentium 2 laptop new for a fairly hefty price at the time and the screen lost all of it's color not long after the one year warranty expired and he has been sworn off the brand ever since.

[@christianx2k]

The pricing on these new XPS laptops are insane and out of control

[@akin242002]

It's a good laptop, but not leading in any categories and added unnecessary issues (Unadjustable RAM and electronic F keys). I'd rather get a refurbished Asus Zenbook Pro 14x 6404. It has 120hz refresh rate, Nvidia 3050 dedicated GPU, and hard F keys.

[@WorshipOnline1]

No SD-card reader, HDMI, USB-3.1 = thank you DELL, maybe next time.

[@OddlySatisfying]

Lack of full size SD card slot is a dealbreaker.

[@MainInternetUser]

If they didn't remove the functions keys, put mediocre ports, and make reparability worse it would be a good laptop

[@srividhya5285]

Was worried the keyboards may end up like the butterfly from macs, but gladly that ain't happening here😅

[@user-fs1qn9in1z]

I feel like this is a downgrade in many ways. I find the new trackpad pretty cool, but that keyboard is too flat if you're someone who types a lot. I liked the carbon fibre design they had on the XPS models since 2020. They removed the SD card slot, plus the performance of the 7 Ultra (other than it being more efficient) is on par if not lower than the i7 they had on the 9530. Meh.

[@VicharB]

It's an underperforming, costly, with issues notebook series this year.

[@dajanaesanders5418]

It’s insaine how they found a way to ruin their flagship laptop. In most of my comp sci classes if people have windows they have a older XPS they can add hardware to. They started soldering components on & now they’ve gotten rid of physical function keys??? Seems like whoever’s on their marketing team does not know who their target audience is 😅

[@navixaxa5023]

Only Qualcomm can save Windows laptops now. Intel is done. If the SnapDragon X Elite can match, even if not outdo, Apple's M-Series Silicon's raw power, insane efficiency [resulting in insane battery life], and congruent performance whilst being unplugged, and Windows laptop manufacturers actually do equip their laptops with it, only then can they seriously undercut the MacBook. Else, forget it.

[@victormarian7889]

You 've talked a lot about the wonderful ... apple, but no mention about the refresh rate of the screen for Dell, after all I 've thought it was about this laptop, a poor review, too much talking, too little information. But I guess Apple would have payied ...

[@brucekrisinger4827]

Good video BUT as a long time broadcaster, now retired, please work on your delivery. I cannot understand a lot of words you're saying; it's very hard to listen since you swallow a lot of words at the end of sentences. Just work on your delivery and speak more distinctly and you'll be top notch....just a little critique...hope you're not offended

[@nagoyen7292]

I personally disagree with this take

[@DanielKirk]

I also find your pronunciation perfectly clear.

[@faarao44]

Dell needs to up the game. I would rather have XPS with Linux but Macbook pro is still better unfortunately.

[@hyperpedro2868]

Dell battery sucks. I got disappointed by my XPS13 Plus which is not 4K. Around 4 hours of work on the battery, that is a big downside for an ultrabook.

[@fatalradius]

Way too expensive. It does look real nice though!

[@kalverstukas1414]

They should have left 15 inch, upgrade oled to 120 Hz. Instead they have decided to move into 14 in territory where they will lose the competition to everyone with such a product..stupid move

[@navixaxa5023]

RAM is soldered because of Intel Meteor Lake requires the RAM to be very close to the CPU to reach those insane speeds. Also, how tf can anybody cry at 16GB/512GB Base Variant? Apple still fucking sells a 'Pro'' Laptop with 8GB RAM in its base variant, with an upgrade to 16GB costing $200 fucking dollars. Not even gaming Laptops [G Series, Strix, Scars, Legions have upgradable RAM anyways, for years now].

[@Captainlonate]

No dedicated escape button. Not suitable for engineers.

[@Aslam_Aliyu]

It looks like the xps 16 is much better

[@BilloBob1231]

The lid tells everything very poor design, big surprise

[@ArthropodSpidey]

lol you changed the title of the video.

[@SR-yb3ys]

The speakers are poor. No bass. XPS 15 speakers far better, even without Dolby Atmos.

[@g-jalil6961]

Didn’t watch after 370 nits.

[@adonespitogonaif]

No physical fn keys. This renders the xps useless for programmers.

[@NPC123UH]

it looks like a 2007 hp laptop

[@YaoiBoy5xx]

Spectre > XPS

[@JackTheBlack1585]

An apple fanboy review a non Apple product…. Now that a red flag

[@diegolab1114]

XPS 14 is a MacBook wannabe with a lot of downgrades from the old XPS

[@TheSecurityAgency]

Non-upgradeable RAM/SSD/WiFi, bye-bye Dell. Thinkpad T14 Gen 5 it is.

[@christianayer]

Every single reviewer on KZbin testing if laptop can be opened one handed is simply beyond my understanding. Seriously who gives a flying fck about it? Who started with that ridiculous test anyway? It simply doesn't make a difference! You will need two hands to type anyway! So what's the big deal about using them to open the laptop??? 🤦

[@38201270298]

+1

[@EverydayJimmy]

NO TYPE a PORTS? ... NAA... TR AGAIN. omen 2024 is taking over all 14" laptops. g14 2024 is a ripoff this year.

[@davidgolden1726]

Un'upgradable junk

[@TaNdurra]

Pathetic quality & service from Dell

[@aoikemono6414]

Oh god, a dig at the imaginary outrage that reviewers manufacture to make themselves feel good about themselves. Not a good way to start a review. Then we have one of the most obnoxiously smug faces taking up most of the video window with an equally obnoxious voice and speaking style. This is even worse than the hipsters at The Verge. The rest is your typical paid promotional ad that boasts about the laptop with a few "minor" nitpicks, with too many attempts at sounding smart and enlightened while providing zero useful information. Digital Trends should stick to their TV reviews instead.