Dell XPS 14 (2026) review: The true MacBook competitor has returned – and it's even better

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The XPS has gone through a bit of an identity crisis of late. Last year, Dell announced it was restructuring its laptop catalog, doing away with 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 at the end of 2025, Dell execs rolled back the decision, admitting they had missed the mark by nuking the XPS name (and, more importantly, confirmed that lagging sales aligned with the unpopular perception). 

Also: Dell just made its boldest product decision yet at CES 2026, and XPS fans should rejoice

And so, at CES 2026, the XPS hath returned — an epic resurrection story for one of the most popular laptop brands ever. With the return of the Dell XPS 14, there’s a renewed sense of identity here, a feeling that Dell has gone all-in on its commitment to the brand, and in the process, produced the strongest XPS yet. 

Build and design 

This isn’t the same XPS as before; it’s thinner, smaller, and has better battery life at the cost of some lighter hardware. The 2026 XPS 14 has been refreshed with Intel’s latest Series 3 “Panther Lake” processor, a gorgeous tandem OLED display, some tweaks to its physical build, and swapping out the discrete GPU option for Intel’s integrated graphics (for now, at least). 

These decisions have a somewhat equalizing 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 reviewed two configurations of the new Dell XPS 14: one with an Intel Core Ultra X7 358H processor (that’s the one with the Intel Arc GPU), 32GB of LPDDR5x-9600 RAM, and the tandem OLED display, currently on sale for $1,949, and one with the Intel Core Ultra 7 355, 16GB of RAM, and the IPS display for $1,649. 

The physical build on both configs is nothing short of stunning. The 2026 XPS 14 exudes premium, with a minimalist, refined design that employs texture, line, and space to make for a fantastic-looking machine. There is no semblance of cheapness here, no questionable plastic components, no warping, flexing, or bending of the chassis. It’s solid and a testament to Dell’s engineering in that it’s half a pound lighter than last year’s Dell 14 Premium. 

Also: Why mini PCs are suddenly a smarter buy than expensive laptops – this model is proof

Examples of smart design include the display’s hinge that folds back to hide the physical bezels at the bottom, maximizing the perceived screen size. The haptic track pad, which previously lacked delineation from the rest of the wrist rest, now has two subtle yet easy-to-feel lines to mark its end. It feels improved, as well, with fantastic palm rejection and good responsiveness. In fact, I have yet to experience a single false input on the trackpad due to palm placement. 

Dell improved the XPS’ signature zero-lattice keyboard as well, giving the keys some subtle indentations and crisper feedback, but let’s be honest, it still takes some getting used to. Typos are common while you’re building that hand-muscle connection, and if you’re an exceptionally fast typist, you may be required to slow down and be a little more deliberate. 

Also: Review: Asus Zenbook Duo (2026)

Then there’s the LED function keys, which Dell has finally done away with — a smart decision in my opinion. While I appreciate experimental design elements like these, 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 little more grown-up and a lot more sophisticated. 

Lastly, 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 entirely flush, which looks great, but leaves little to grab onto. When closing the lid, though, it snaps shut with a satisfying click, with zero gap.

Hardware and usability 

The aforementioned 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 X7 358H (with the Intel Arc GPU) make for a capable and battery-efficient laptop with up to 12 XE cores, 64GB of memory, and up to 4TB of local storage. 

The lack of a discrete graphics option in the new XPS might be a little disappointing for some, but the trade-off is its battery efficiency, particularly with the IPS display (more on that in a bit). Besides, Dell hinted at additional configurations available in the near future, potentially coming later in 2026.

Review: Asus ExpertBook B9 (2026)

Regarding connectivity, the XPS continues its minimalist approach. You’ve got three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports (two on the left, one on the right) with DisplayPort 2.1 and power delivery, and one audio jack, and that’s it. This isn’t exactly anything new for the XPS line, but it could still be simply too restrictive for pro creators or users who need the HDMI connect or USB-A port. 

The display is where things get exciting. The 2.8K tandem OLED is available on both the 14- and 16-inch XPS devices this year, and it looks gorgeous. It’s glossy (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 puts in the work for gaming, with crisp, high-resolution images at 1080p. Intel says the 12 Xe cores in the Intel Arc GPU offers 50% faster graphics performance versus the previous generation when it comes to graphics-intensive tasks. While this may be true in and of itself, I wouldn’t say they fully replace a discrete graphics card.

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I fired up Steam and launched a few older titles: “No Man’s Sky” and “Diablo IV”, and found middling performance with high graphics settings, even in performance mode. Higher-end titles like “Arc Raiders” and “Baldur’s Gate 3” require significant graphics downscaling to be playable, and even then, are questionable. Less demanding games, however, like “WoW Classic,” look fantastic and play well. 

This makes the XPS 14 with integrated Intel GPUs great for casual gaming and everyday content creation, but not a device specialized for these use cases. For casual gamers or content creators who don’t need a heavy, expensive workstation, the Intel Core Ultra X7 in the XPS 14 is a portable option with great battery life. 

Speaking of, the battery life here is one of its biggest improvements, especially with the Intel Core Ultra 7 355 and IPS display, which got 16.5 hours of battery life in our testing of everyday usage (working in the browser, multitasking across productivity apps) on Wi-Fi in balanced mode at half brightness. Part of this is the XPS’s ability to dynamically reduce the panel’s refresh rate to as low as 1Hz when idle, massively increasing battery life.

Also: What does an orange USB port mean? I learned the truth behind the colors, and it’s wild

Over on the OLED model, things still look good, netting a little over 13 hours in my battery test. For typical office workdays, this easily equates to 1.5-2 full workdays with the IPS display and 1.25-1.5 with the OLED. 

Although I have yet to test it personally, it’s worth noting that the 2026 XPS 16 has the same 70Wh battery as its 14-inch sibling, which will be very interesting to see how it compares. 

In our benchmarking tests, the XPS 14 with the Intel Core Ultra X7 performs very similarly to other laptops with the same chip we’ve tested so far this year, with results that aren’t too far off from the Intel Core Ultra X9 Panther Lake in the ZenBook Duo. 

Compared to the Asus ExpertBook B9, another premium laptop released in early 2026 with the same processor, the XPS 14 inches it out in performance, but offers slightly better battery life for a similar price. 

Similarly, the difference between the two models I tested (the Intel Core Ultra 7 355 and X7 358H) shows a relatively large leap in performance, especially in multi-core performance, where the latter’s 18-core architecture outperforms the 12-core in the former. 

ZDNET’s buying advice

Look, the 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 don’t need a dedicated gaming or graphics workstation — you’ll love the XPS 14. I’m in this group, by the way — I have a desktop at home for “real” gaming, and will happily sacrifice battery life for this gorgeous OLED.

If, however, you need a laptop that can throw down with the big dogs in graphics-intensive, demanding tasks, you might be better off with something that runs 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, as the experience is such a jump up that it’s worth the reduced battery life and higher cost. 

That said, my biggest gripe with the XPS 14 is its price point. Dell has repeatedly stated a desire to position its products as more accessible, and this iteration of the XPS would certainly lend itself to a lower price point, particularly compared to the competition. 

Right now, multiple configurations are on sale on Dell’s website, with the OLED model featuring the Intel Core Ultra X7 and 32GB of RAM going for $1,949, $250 off the regular price. 

Why the Dell XPS 14 (2026) gets our Editor’s Choice Award

The 2026 Dell XPS 14 is one of the most premium Windows PCs on the market right now, offering an experience that rivals the MacBook in performance, build quality, and battery life. Dell’s renewed commitment to the brand and willingness to listen to feedback from its user base have resulted in an overall stronger product.