Dell's new XPS 14 is impressively thin and even more powerful

TL;DR

• Dell has designed the XPS 14 to be impressively slim and lightweight, with the laptop being 14.6mm thin weighing just 1.36kg, and benefiting from a compact 209 x 309mm footprint, so you can easily take the device anywhere
• Despite its slim nature, the XPS 14 remains a performant laptop thanks to the speedy Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processor inside. This represents a 50% performance boost on the previous generation, ensuring apps run fast on the XPS 14, and the powerful integrated GPU can tackle mainstream games like Fortnite, too
• In addition to being thin and powerful, Dell has managed to ensure the XPS 14 has excellent battery life, with the laptop capable of lasting for up to 31 hours away from a power socket for the LCD model (or up to 24 hours for the OLED laptop)

Technology is like a modern form of alchemy in some ways, in that device makers are trying to crack one seemingly unattainable formula or another. When it comes to laptops, one of the most difficult lines to tread is making a notebook that's suitably powerful to cope with the owner's every need, and yet still thin and lightweight enough to easily carry around.

Okay, so perhaps that's not quite the equivalent of attempting to transmute base metals to gold, but it's still a very tricky equation to balance – albeit one that Dell has clearly mastered. If you require any evidence to that end, you only need look at one of the latest creations from the Dell laptop stable: the XPS 14.

How thin is the Dell XPS 14 exactly?

Dell's XPS 14 measures 14.6mm (for the OLED model, 15.2mm for the LCD) and it's an impressively slim laptop as a result. Indeed, it's the thinnest Dell laptop ever – but there's more to its portable nature than this.

Obviously being an ultra-thin laptop is great for portability, but this notebook has a compact footprint, too, at 209 x 309mm. This means the XPS 14 easily fits into a backpack or bag, and it's also light at 1.36kg, meaning it's truly a device that you can take with you anywhere. The XPS 14 is also a laptop that'll turn heads due to its trim nature and premium construction and appearance – which never hurts.

However, the XPS 14's slimline nature doesn't mean that it compromises on performance, because Dell – with help from Intel – has managed to pull off some technological alchemy here.

How powerful is the Dell XPS 14?

This is a seriously performant ultra-thin laptop and that's due to the Intel CPU which the Dell XPS 14 is built around.

Intel's very latest mobile silicon, the Core Ultra Series 3 (known as Panther Lake), is used in the XPS 14, which can be configured with (up to) the flagship processor in this range: the Core Ultra X9 388H. This CPU boasts 16-cores and some considerable architectural improvements over its predecessor (Lunar Lake), offering a boost speed of up to 5.1GHz.

Panther Lake represents a 50% performance boost compared to the previous generation of CPUs, Lunar Lake, based on Intel's own testing. And this processor can really stretch its legs thanks to the advanced cooling system implemented by Dell in the XPS 14, which allows the laptop to run 5°C cooler than the previous generation.

As a result, these Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors drive some very fast single-core performance in a thin-and-light laptop. Apps will load quickly and run performantly on the XPS 14 as a result, whatever software you're using. So whether you're working on a bunch of spreadsheets or batch image editing in Adobe Photoshop, the Intel CPU will ensure these tasks are finished swiftly.

The same goes for multi-core performance and more demanding workloads in terms of running apps simultaneously, with the power delivered by the Panther Lake processor making light work of multitasking. You'll be able to spin up a lot of apps all at once on the XPS 14 without the CPU getting bogged down.

Expect Windows 11 to run responsively all round, from booting up quickly to navigating the desktop interface or using AI to search and swiftly find the content you need on the laptop.

Speaking of that AI-powered search on the XPS 14 – which offers natural language queries, meaning you don't have to remember any file names – it's accelerated by the Core Ultra Series 3 chip's NPU. That NPU means any on-device AI tasks happen in a snappy manner, and that includes the raft of image tricks available for creative users, where the XPS 14's OLED screen in particular shines as an excellent color-accurate performer.

If you're wondering about gaming frame rates, the XPS 14 acquits itself admirably here, too. It has Intel Arc integrated graphics which allows for mainstream gaming and playing the likes of Fortnite nice and smoothly at 60 frames per second in 1080p resolution. That powerful integrated GPU is part of the recipe to ensure the XPS 14 stays so thin, as it avoids the need to have a discrete graphics card (which would, of course, take up a lot of space inside the laptop's chassis).

While you need a dedicated gaming notebook such as an Alienware model for demanding games, the XPS 14 more than pulls its weight here – and overall, there are no meaningful performance compromises due to the XPS 14 being commendably portable and trim.

Are there compromises elsewhere in Dell's XPS 14, though – for example, what about battery life?

The good news is that with the design of the XPS 14, Dell has managed to achieve a great balance of performance and portability, while keeping a third ball in the air in terms of a long battery life.

The XPS 14 can last for up to 31 hours on a single charge based on Dell's testing¹ of the LCD version of the notebook. (The OLED variant still offers a lengthy up to 24 hours away from a power socket).

This longevity is due to a few key factors, one of which is the chosen Intel CPU, which is not just highly performant, but also brings with it a generational leap in power-efficiency. In fact, the Intel 18A (2nm equivalent) process Panther Lake is built on provides up to 15% better performance per watt than Lunar Lake's 3nm process, according to the chipmaker. (And don't forget that Lunar Lake already impressed with its achievements in terms of efficiency).

Dell has also used 900ED battery cells with the XPS 14, which is an industry first. This means the cells offer a greater level of energy density, so more power is packed into the battery relative to its size.

On top of that, Dell has implemented VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) tech that allows the XPS 14's screen to drop as low as 1Hz (with static images) in a further power-saving innovation. (Note that this is for the LCD screen, although the OLED can still drop very low, reaching 20Hz and making a considerable saving therein).

All this combines to ensure that Dell delivers true all-day battery life in a slimline and powerful laptop with the XPS 14.

If you think a Dell XPS 14 is for you, find out more on the Dell website: US readers click here, CA readers 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, CA readers here and UK readers here.