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XPS has been going through an identity crisis for some time. Last year, Dell announced it was restructuring its laptop catalog, dropping the popular XPS, Inspiron, and Latitude brand names in favor of a more streamlined “Plus/Premium” naming convention.
The rebrand was unpopular, to say the least, and in late 2025, Dell executives reversed the decision, admitting that they had missed the mark by diluting the XPS name (and, more importantly, confirming that the decline in sales was in line with the unpopular perception).
Also: Dell made its boldest product decision yet at CES 2026, and XPS fans should be happy
And so, at CES 2026, the XPS is back – an epic resurgence story for one of the most popular laptop brands of all time. with the return of dell xps 14There’s a new sense of identity here, a sense that Dell has fully delivered on its commitment to the brand, and in the process, produced the strongest XPS to date.
construction and design
This isn’t the same XPS as before; It’s thinner, smaller, and has better battery life at the expense of some lighter hardware. The 2026 XPS 14 has been refreshed with Intel’s latest Series 3 “Panther Lake” processors, a gorgeous tandem OLED display, some changes to its physical construction, and swapping out (for now, at least) the discrete GPU option for Intel’s integrated graphics.
These decisions have a somewhat similar effect on the XPS, making it less specialized for gaming and high-end graphics applications, but better equipped as a lightweight, battery-efficient main driver device.
I bought a new Dell $1,949And an Intel Core Ultra 7 355, with 16GB RAM and IPS display $1,649.
The physical build of both configurations is nothing short of stunning. The 2026 XPS 14 delivers a premium experience with a minimalist, sophisticated design that uses texture, line and space to create a great-looking machine. There’s no whiff of cheapness here, no questionable plastic components, no distortion, flex or wobble of the chassis. It’s solid and a testament to Dell’s engineering that it’s half a pound lighter than last year’s Dell 14 Premium.
Examples of smart design include the display’s hinge that folds back to hide the physical bezels at the bottom, thereby maximizing the projected screen size. The haptic track pad, which previously lacked delineation from the rest of the wrist, now has two subtle but easily felt lines to mark its end. It also has an improved feel, with great palm rejection and good feedback. In fact, I have yet to experience a single incorrect input on the trackpad due to palm placement.
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Dell also improved the XPS’s signature zero-lattice keyboard, giving the keys some subtle indentations and clearer feedback, but honestly, it still takes some getting used to. Typos are common when you’re making hand-muscle connections, and if you’re an exceptionally fast typist, you may need to slow down and be a little more thoughtful.
Then there are the LED function keys, which Dell has finally removed – a smart decision in my opinion. Although I appreciate experimental design elements like this, the LED lights felt more like a showroom gimmick than a practical feature, and didn’t translate well to gaming, specialized applications, or repairability. The new design is a bit more advanced and more sophisticated.
In the end, it passes the one-finger test, but only with some practice. The new press-fit hinge isn’t exactly easy to open, and the weight-balancing mechanism is very sticky. The clamshell is almost completely flush, which looks great, but leaves little room for grips. However, when closing the lid, it closes with a satisfying click with zero lag.
Hardware and usability
The above hardware solidifies the XPS as a powerful generalist consumer laptop with high-end hardware options and a premium build. Intel’s Panther Lake Core Ultra 5, 7, and Core Ultra
The lack of a discrete graphics option in the new XPS may be a bit disappointing for some, but the downside is its battery efficiency, especially with the IPS display (more on that in a bit). Additionally, Dell indicated additional configurations will be available in the near future, which will likely arrive later in 2026.
Review: Asus ExpertBook B9 (2026)
In terms of connectivity, the XPS continues its minimalist approach. You’ve got three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports (two on the left, one on the right) and an audio jack with DisplayPort 2.1 and Power Delivery, and that’s about it. This isn’t exactly new to the XPS line, but it may still be too restrictive for pro creators or users who need an HDMI connect or USB-A port.
The performance is where things get exciting. 2.8K tandem OLED is available on both 14- and 16-inch XPS devices this year, and it looks gorgeous. It’s bright (but handles glare well) and bright enough at 400 nits with a 120Hz refresh rate, and Dell’s InfinityEdge design pushes the display to the edge of the panel.
Intel’s XeSS 2 AI graphics upscaling works for gaming with crisp, high-resolution images at 1080p. Intel says that when it comes to graphics-intensive tasks the 12 Xe cores in Intel Arc GPUs deliver up to 50% faster graphics performance than the previous generation. While that may be true in itself, I wouldn’t say that they completely replace discrete graphics cards.
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I fired up Steam and launched a few older titles: “No Man’s Sky” and “Diablo IV,” and found moderate performance with high graphics settings even in performance mode. High-end titles like “Ark Raiders” and “Baldur’s Gate 3” require significant graphics downscaling to make them playable, and even then, these are questionable. However, less demanding games like “Wow Classic” look great and run well.
This makes the XPS 14 with integrated Intel GPU great for casual gaming and everyday content creation, but not a specialized device for these use cases. For casual gamers or content creators who don’t need a bulky, expensive workstation, the Intel Core Ultra X7 in the XPS 14 is a portable option with great battery life.
Battery life here is one of its biggest improvements, especially with the Intel Core Ultra 7 355 and IPS display, which yielded 16.5 hours of battery life in our testing of everyday use (working in the browser, multitasking on productivity apps) at half brightness in balanced mode over Wi-Fi. Part of this is the XPS’s ability to dynamically reduce the panel’s refresh rate by 1Hz when idle, drastically increasing battery life.
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On the OLED model, things still look good, with my battery test taking a little over 13 hours. For typical office workdays, this easily equates to 1.5-2 full workdays with an IPS display and 1.25-1.5 with an OLED.
Although I haven’t tested it in person yet, it’s worth noting that the 2026 XPS 16 has the same 70Wh battery as its 14-inch brother, which will be very interesting to see how it compares.
In our benchmarking tests, the Intel Core Ultra
Compared to the Asus ExpertBook B9, another premium laptop released in early 2026 with the same processor, the XPS lags 14 inches behind in performance, but offers slightly better battery life for the same price.
Similarly, the difference between the two models I tested (the Intel Core Ultra 7 355 and the
ZDNET’s shopping advice
Look, XPS has changed, and whether or not you dig this current iteration will depend on where you fall on the user spectrum. If you’re a professional who wants a portable and powerful main driver that can do a little bit of everything, and doesn’t need a dedicated gaming or graphics workstation – you’ll love this. xps 14. By the way, I’m in this group – I have a desktop at home for “real” gaming, and I would happily sacrifice battery life for this gorgeous OLED.
However, if you need a laptop that can keep up with the big dogs at graphics-intensive, demanding tasks, you may be better off with a laptop running a discrete GPU.
Review: Dell Premium (2025)
I tested two different configurations of the XPS 14, and I strongly suggest going for the tandem OLED display with the Intel Core Ultra X7 processor, because the experience is so great that it’s worth the shorter battery life and higher cost.
That said, my biggest complaint with the XPS 14 is its price. Dell has repeatedly expressed a desire to make its products more accessible, and this iteration of the XPS will certainly be available at a lower price, especially compared to the competition.
Currently, several configurations are on sale on Dell’s website, with the OLED model with Intel Core Ultra X7 and 32GB of RAM priced at $1,949, which is $250 less than the regular price.
Why the Dell XPS 14 (2026) gets our Editor’s Choice Award
2026 dell xps 14 One of the most premium Windows PCs on the market right now, offering an experience that rivals MacBooks in performance, build quality, and battery life. Dell’s new commitment to the brand and willingness to listen to feedback from its user base has resulted in an overall stronger product.
