Can a Dell Plus laptop keep up with you? Top 10 myths busted

TL;DR

• Dell Plus laptops are performant enough to multi-task smoothly and cope with whatever you throw at them, even some light gaming
• These notebooks are durable, well-built, and offer high-quality screens and speakers for watching TV shows or movies
• Dell Plus laptops are also impressively portable, with long-lasting batteries and a good selection of ports

If you're thinking of buying a new laptop this holiday season – or indeed right now – there's a lot to consider. For instance, you may worry that your laptop of choice will come with too many compromises over portability, battery life, or the range of tasks it can tackle.

The good news is there's no need to fear if you purchase a Dell Plus laptop, as these portables can keep up with all of your needs. In this article, we're going to focus on some of the main worries any laptop buyer might have – and show you why these are myths, not realities, when you get a Dell Plus laptop.

Myth 1: Choosing a new laptop is difficult

As we've just touched on, you may worry about buying a laptop that comes up short in some regards, and you need to choose wisely to get a notebook capable of dealing with everything you throw at it – but Dell provides a lot of help to cut through any spec confusion.

When you pick a Dell Plus laptop with Windows 11 Home, the Dell store (see here for the US and UK) provides options on different configurations, including RAM and storage – and crucially advice on these specs, right on the website, to help you make the correct choices in a painless manner.

Myth 2: If I regularly use a lot of apps at the same time, my laptop won't be able to keep up

It might be the case that some notebooks may stumble and stutter trying to run a bunch of apps simultaneously, but a Dell Plus laptop won't.

That's because Dell equips these machines with fast Intel Core Ultra 200V series processors that have performant built-in GPUs and NPUs to help with graphics and AI workloads respectively. This is cutting-edge Lunar Lake hardware, and these CPUs were a huge stride forward for Intel, and will have no problem coping with any typical daily computing needs.

Plus, that's true even if you're running a browser, checking your email and streaming some content, all while using a couple of Microsoft Office apps, and more; you're not going to run into slowdowns with a Dell Plus laptop.

Myth 3: Most laptops come with so-called 'bloatware' that slows down the system

Again, this may be true for some notebook manufacturers, but Dell keeps apps installed by default on its Dell Plus laptops to a minimum to avoid any performance hits and bloating the system.

This way, the laptop isn't bristling with unnecessary apps that you have to take the time to remove – which could hamper performance if you don't – but what you do get is some genuinely useful pieces of software.

That includes Dell SupportAssist, which can help keep your laptop running smoothly, flag performance issues, and assist you in staying on top of important updates for your notebook.

Myth 4: Laptops screens and speakers often aren't great for watching movies

This is an understandable fear, particularly as some cheap notebooks may really skimp on the display, or run with tinny speakers, or indeed have both of those failings to save a bit of money – but Dell doesn't cut these corners.

Dell Plus laptops boast a pair of 2.5W speakers (5W total) which support Dolby Atmos to deliver clear and pleasant audio for when you're engaging in a spot of movie watching.

Dell also offers high-quality screens in Dell Plus laptops, up to a Mini-LED display in fact, boasting high resolutions (2.5K) for crisp images. Dell ComfortView tech is on-board for low blue light levels and to ensure a flicker-free viewing experience to avoid eyestrain throughout binge-watching sessions.

Myth 5: Laptops are generally poorly built and can be easily damaged

Your life may demand that you take your laptop everywhere you go, with it perhaps being packed into a crammed backpack, and if the device takes a few knocks, you might be afraid that something will break – but the good news is that Dell laptops are built to be durable.

These notebooks are designed to last for five years (at least), and Dell Plus laptops have an aluminum chassis to ensure they're suitably sturdy enough to survive your daily travels. Dell also puts the Plus range of laptops through a number of stress tests, which includes testing the notebook hinges to ensure they still feel tight after opening and closing the lid 20,000 times, and heat tests (surviving short-term exposure to temperatures of up to 65°C/149°F).

You can get extended warranties from Dell and accidental damage cover, too, to allay any other fears you may have around unfortunate episodes of clumsiness.

Myth 6: Many laptops are hefty and not very portable

Okay, so it's true that some notebooks can be large and beefy units, but Dell Plus laptops remain laudably light, even if they are robust as we just touched on in the last point.

These notebooks are tough enough for everyday life, but thanks to their aluminum construction, the weight is kept relatively light (from 1.55kg / 3.4lb, which is the weight of the base Dell 14 Plus Laptop). That 14-inch model is also a slim device at 17mm thick, so you'll have no problem fitting it into a backpack or bag.

Myth 7: Copilot+ laptops may have exclusive AI features, but they aren't useful

The AI features which only Copilot+ PCs like the Dell Plus laptops offer, are actually highly useful, particularly for creative types. They include the ability to create images from scratch in Windows 11's Paint app using the Cocreator feature – no artistic skills required, with all the heavy lifting done by AI – and to revamp old photos, or completely restyle them.

All of this happens in a responsive manner thanks to the NPU accelerating these workloads (which are happening snappily on-device – not in the cloud, where you'd be waiting longer for results).

Locating files on your Dell Plus laptop is also far easier thanks to the CoPilot+ AI-powered search, too.

Myth 8: You can't play casual games on a non-gaming laptop – you need a proper gaming laptop with a discrete GPU

You absolutely can play less graphic-intensive games on a Dell Plus laptop, but when it comes to more titles that demand more processing power, you need to manage your expectations compared to a dedicated gaming notebook.

The Intel Core Ultra 200V series processors from the Lunar Lake family in Dell Plus laptops have some pretty powerful integrated Arc graphics, and this is more than enough muscle for casual or lighter gaming.

Even a somewhat more demanding game can just about run okay if you turn down all the graphics details while on a lower resolution (or by using upscaling). That said, when it comes to cranking up the visual settings for an intensive gaming experience, you will require a proper gaming laptop like the Alienware Area-51 – as you'll need a powerful discrete GPU.

Don't rule out doing a decent amount of casual gaming on a Dell Plus laptop, though, – just within reason.

Myth 9: Laptop batteries just don't last very long when you're out and about

Advances in battery technology – and power-saving features in Windows 11 – mean that battery longevity is much better than it used to be, and Dell Plus laptops can last a surprisingly long time away from a power socket.

Dell Plus laptops have Intel Lunar Lake processors, as we've already touched on, and another benefit of these chips aside from performance levels is power-efficiency. To give you an idea of just how efficient these CPUs are, Dell's testing of video playback with a Dell 14 Plus notebook powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor shows it lasts for up to 22 hours.¹

That's impressive, and even if you're putting the laptop through some demanding workloads, it'll keep up with you throughout a typical full day without breaking a sweat.

Myth 10: Laptops often have a poor selection of ports that won't cover all my needs for connectivity

Some laptops may take liberties and skimp on the number of ports, or their functionality, but whatever you're looking to do in terms of plugging things into a Dell Plus laptop, you'll be covered by a good selection of connectors.

Dell Plus notebooks serve a flexible range of connection needs, and they include a Thunderbolt 4 port which allows for fast data transfer (40Gbps), charging, and hooking up to a monitor (via DisplayPort 2.1), or even connecting a GPU enclosure. You also get two USB 3.2 ports, one of which is USB-C and supports output to a monitor (DisplayPort 1.4), and again, it facilitates charging.

There's an HDMI 2.1 port, too, so that gives you plenty of choices for connecting external monitors, while still being able to use USB ports for, say, a thumb drive. You won't go short on ports with a Dell Plus laptop.

If you think a Dell Plus laptop is for you, find out more on the Dell website: US readers click here, and UK 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 UK readers here.