Dell’s sharp-looking, sensibly-priced 14S closes the gap to the XPS range so well I was genuinely shocked: A Practical Look
Value for money isn’t usually an XPS calling card (though there has been one noticeable exception of late) – but it’s a different story for laptops that proudly wear Dell’s OG logo. The New Dell 14S aims to split the difference, with tempting mainstream specs and ultra-modern styling that’ll feel more at home in student accommodation than the business room. It should also land with a price that won’t make your wallet weep.
Aimed at a younger crowd than the office-friendly XPS line, you’ll be able to snag a Dell 14S in washed denim, velvet green or dusty rose colours – a big departure from the traditional black, silver or white.
The 14in ultraportable might not be a unibody build, but its three-piece metal chassis is still a svelte 13.5mm thick, weighs just 1.15kg, and promises to be tough enough to survive home or university life.
After handling a dummy unit in Dell’s private booth at this year’s IFA show, I was amazed how little there was to separate it from the XPS line in terms of materials and build quality. I’m convinced that if you handed it to 100 people on the street and asked how much it cost, the vast majority would guess higher than the actual figure (even if Dell isn’t revealing what that figure is quite yet).
Specs aren’t that far off the MacBook Neo-rivalling XPS 13, with Intel’s Series 3 Core processors providing the muscle, 8GB of RAM as standard, and 256GB of on-board storage. The latter two are upgradable to 16GB and 1TB if you’re feeling flush.
It has more connectivity options than the XPS 13, with a full-size HDMI 1.4 and a 3.5mm headphone port, plus two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-Cs with DisplayPort and Power Delivery. The Windows Hello-compatible webcam is optional, otherwise you get a basic 2MP snapper good for video calls. Other goodies include a backlit keyboard.
Battery life could be the big winner here, with a 61Whr cell that’s rated for all-day use – or a generous 21 hours of streaming video playback, if you’re more into box set binges than coursework or cramming for exams. The built-in stereo speakers have Atmos audio, so it should be a proficient entertainer.
The base Dell 14S will ship with a Full HD LCD screen, complete with 100% sRGB colour coverage, a 300 nit brightness and 60Hz refresh rate; that’ll put it closer to the MacBook Neo than the XPS 13, which bests Apple’s effort on resolution and refresh rate. You can upgrade to a 2.8K resolution panel if you want extra clarity.
The Dell 14S is launching in the coming months. Pricing was still TBC at the time of writing, but it’ll almost certainly aim to undercut the already affordable XPS 13 (at least in the USA, anyway).
