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Dell's latest XPS 14 offers numerous appealing features, making it challenging to critique without appearing overly enthusiastic. The refreshed aesthetic renders it exceptionally slim and portable. Powered by Intel's Panther Lake processors, it delivers substantial performance, including solid gaming capabilities. Following the XPS series' recovery from a poorly received redesign last year, Dell appears to have prioritized addressing prior shortcomings in this model.

Regrettably, the keyboard's limited depth, lack of responsiveness, and frequent inaccuracies prevented full appreciation of the XPS 14. It struggles to register sequential keystrokes pressed rapidly. For proficient typists accustomed to high speeds, this results in frequent mistakes that interrupt productivity. In drafting this review's previous line, for instance, corrections were needed over ten times for misplaced commas or minor misspellings. Such frustrations undermine the value of an otherwise swift, lightweight, and attractive device.

Dell's updated XPS 14 achieves new levels of portability and capability, yet its problematic input device remains a significant drawback.

While adaptation to laptop keyboards is common, the XPS 14's problems stem not from inexperience but from inferior key detection speed compared to other tested devices. As demonstrated in the accompanying video, rapid inputs often register incorrectly in reverse order or get missed entirely. These glitches diminish with slower, more careful typing, an unacceptable concession for a high-end 2026 laptop.

Engineers at Dell are examining one of the two units provided for review, both displaying identical keyboard problems. Fellow critics have observed the need for reduced typing speed to achieve reliable performance. Kyle Barr of Gizmodo shares similar irritation, attributing it partly to the borderless key layout. An IT specialist relative also encountered the same input difficulties during use.

Dell indicates that its technical team attributes the rapid-typing glitch to a limited run of initial XPS units. The company asserts that production models now avoid this defect and intends to issue a firmware update by month's end. This review reflects the device in its current shipped state, despite availability for several weeks. In summary, it ranks among the most visually striking laptops tested, marred only by typing woes.

The device's appearance is truly remarkable. Designers crafted a sleek metallic chassis that echoes MacBook elegance, a departure from earlier angular versions. Remarkably, it tips the scales at only three pounds, slotting between the 3.4-pound 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 2.7-pound 13.6-inch MacBook Air, while exceeding the MacBook Neo's weight by a mere third of a pound—a nod to Apple's budget-oriented option.

It's reassuring that Dell toned down the excessive styling from the prior XPS generation. The seamless trackpad, integrated into the palm rest, persists but now includes subtle boundary lines for better definition. This approach mirrors Apple's bordered glass trackpads on MacBooks, preserving the clean look while enhancing navigation confidence through precise gestures.

Dell also abandoned the troublesome touch-sensitive function keys of past iterations, which prioritized style over function. Those elements proved hard to use blindly due to their flat feel and vanished in bright outdoor light, complicating adjustments like volume control. The current model restores physical function keys, improving blind operation and visibility in sunlight—a practical fix suggesting prior oversights in real-world testing.

The tested configuration's 14-inch 2.8K OLED display with touch support delivers vibrant hues and inky blacks, meeting expectations for the technology. OLED enhances media and gaming visuals noticeably, though such panels are exclusive to top-tier variants; base models feature non-touch 2K LCD screens.

Port options are minimal, limited to three USB-C ports and a 3.5mm audio jack. Absent are the microSD slot, HDMI, or USB-A found on competitors from ASUS and Acer. In contrast, the 14-inch MacBook Pro includes three USB-C, HDMI, SD card slot, and headphone connectivity.

Central to the XPS 14's appeal is Intel's Panther Lake Core Ultra X7 358H processor, providing notable graphics improvements over predecessors. The reviewed setup, with 32GB RAM and integrated Arc B390 GPU, hit 130 frames per second in Arc Raiders at 1080p medium settings using XeSS upscaling and frame generation, enabling lag-free sessions on this slim form factor.

Though unsuitable as a dedicated gaming machine, the XPS 14 handles contemporary games capably for a productivity-focused device. It achieved 63 frames per second in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p medium with XeSS, a respectable result for one of gaming's most resource-intensive titles.

Performance metrics confirm robust internals: The XPS 14 matched the MSI Prestige 14 AI+ (also Ultra X7 358H) in PCMark 10 and Geekbench 6 tests. Notably, its single-core Geekbench 6 result surpassed the ASUS ProArt PX13 GoPro Edition, despite the latter's 128GB RAM and AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor. Multi-threaded scores exceeded the Acer Predator Triton 14 AI by 3,000 points, the latter using an older Core Ultra 9 288V.

Intel's components showed clear advancement this year. Results derive from the premium XPS 14 variant, listed at $2,250 with 64GB RAM. Entry-level options begin at $1,450, equipped with Core Ultra 7 355, 16GB RAM, and 512GB storage. A quick test of that base model yielded 2,000 fewer points in PCMark 10 than the X7 version; gaming expectations remain low without the advanced Arc graphics in lower chips.

Battery endurance surprised at 10 hours and 21 minutes in PCMark 10's Modern Office workload, trailing the MSI Prestige 14's 22 hours and 15 minutes—aligning better with Panther Lake efficiency projections. Both tests used Windows' balanced power mode; additional optimizations might extend runtime further.

Evaluating solely on hardware and aesthetics, the XPS 14 stands as a top Windows ultrabook. However, the persistent keyboard shortcomings prove intolerable, requiring deliberate pacing and extra edits during this write-up. Dell nears a genuine rival to the MacBook Pro, regrettably restrained by this input hurdle.

Update, March 6, 2026, 2:20 PM ET: Incorporated additional details on the XPS 14 keyboard defect and forthcoming firmware solution.