Club Benefits
TL;DR
- Dell is actively listening to its customer base, bringing the much-loved XPS brand out of retirement and crafting a premium-looking laptop that truly feels premium to use again. We've missed you, XPS.
At CES 2025, Dell announced that it was sunsetting its XPS brand of high-end portable laptops, replacing it with a new “Premium” lineup. However, the new nomenclature didn’t gain full traction with some laptop buyers, who yearned for a revival of the XPS brand that they’d come to know and love since 1993.
Thankfully, the tech giant listened, acknowledging that it didn’t fully hit the mark with last year’s redesign, before announcing that it would be relaunching the XPS brand. This time, they promised to focus on user feedback to deliver a truly premium laptop that would look, feel, and perform like a top-tier machine — no pressure, then.
With that said, Dell went back to the drawing board, rebuilding the XPS series from the ground up. Lighter. Slimmer. Powerful(er). And we think the Texan computing giant has nailed the comeback of the decade. Let’s dive into how the company has resurrected the beloved XPS brand that now hits the mark for discerning laptop users.
XPS is back, and better than ever
Dell attempted to streamline its top-flight portable laptops by replacing the XPS brand, but to some users, the Premium range’s naming system lacked the simplicity of the more established marque. Importantly, Dell’s premier ultraportables lost a key part of their brand identity.
For over three decades, XPS earned its reputation (and a legion of fans) according to a simple philosophy: premium design, premium performance. With that in mind, the new Dell XPS 14 lives up to that legacy. The new metal chassis oozes elegance and durability, while the XPS logo is unashamedly etched onto its front.
The practical design goes back to basics
Many laptop owners argued that Dell tried to reinvent the wheel with the design of the last gen machines. With a touch-sensitive function row that lacked haptics, an invisible touchpad, and a non-tactile keyboard, the Premium laptops lacked some of the seamless user friendliness that some XPS die-hards were used to seeing.
However, that’s all sorted. For starters, the new XPS 14 still turns heads at the office — for all the right reasons. Constructed using premium craftsmanship, the chassis consists of CNC-machined aluminum, achieving a minimalist yet highly practical design. The all-new glass touchpad comprises Gorilla Glass 3, making it highly durable, with new tactile markings to make the active area easier to find. Most pleasingly, the capacitive keys have been ditched in favour of the more traditional function key row, while that lattice keyboard has been refined for improved tactile feedback.
And with a thickness measuring just 14.6mm, it’s also Dell’s thinnest 14-inch laptop yet, so users can slip it easily into a small backpack. The XPS 14 also weighs in at a paltry 3 pounds, so it’s uber portable and ready to travel whenever you are.
Finally, there’s a first-to-market Kensington Lock slot for greater security, helping ensure this shiny new laptop doesn’t wander off without permission.
There’s more power under the hood
Laptop enthusiasts expected the new XPS 14 to have a notable uptick in power, consistent with the series’ offerings. They were not disappointed. Dell has stuffed some serious horsepower into the new machine, with a series 3 Intel Core Ultra processor up to X9 for efficient but quiet performance. It’s good enough to handle office multitasking and casual creation on software like Adobe Photoshop, while the onboard AI can help make everyday tasks a breeze.
Plus, the discrete graphics deliver up to 50% faster integrated graphics performance over its predecessor, without the cost or power draw of a dedicated GPU. Imagine clocking off from work and immediately indulging in titles like “Cyberpunk 2077” at medium settings.
They didn’t skimp on the displays
The high-fidelity panels were arguably some of the best components in Dell’s last-gen ultraportables, and the company saw fit not to drop the ball here.
Two options offer great features for creatives and casual gamers. For those who demand stamina in the battery department, the sharp and bright 2K LCD panel offers first-to-market 1-120Hz VRR, delivering a whopping 31 hours of streaming battery life between charges.
Meanwhile, gamers and cinephiles will surely flock to the OLED option, which offers cinematic quality visuals, with a huge color gamut and deep, inky blacks, as well as a tandem panel setup for enhanced brightness. It’ll surely do movies like “Predator: Badlands” justice.
The battery lasts all day
Battery life was another lauded aspect of the previous gen, but hypermobile users still wanted a battery that could go further. Thankfully, the new XPS 14 offers the best battery life of any 14" notebook, with first-to-market 900ED cells offering all-day power. And thanks to power-saving VRR, the 2K LCD model can manage up to 31 hours of streaming battery life. If you’re stuck at an airplane, cafe, or train station where power outlets are hard to come by, the new XPS will last that much longer, so say goodbye to low battery anxiety.
The thermals have been redesigned
Users found that Dell’s focus on making thinner and thinner laptops often meant its ultraportables ran hot. Now, however, the new XPS 14 runs on a redesigned heatsink system, with Dell’s largest and thinnest fans working with a new thermal management system featuring enhanced insulation and airflow, allowing for better heat dissipation. The new XPS 14 now runs 0.9 sones quieter and 5°C cooler than the previous gen, translating to less thermal throttling and cooler, quieter, and more comfortable use, even on your lap.
If you think a Dell XPS 14 is for you, find out more on the Dell website: US readers click here and CA readers here
And there’s one more thing to know before you buy: Dell offers a price match guarantee. To learn more about the Dell price match and price guarantee, including the terms, exclusions and restrictions, US readers can click here and CA readers here
