Dell 14 Premium Review: Impressive Performance Tested

Explore our Dell 14 Premium review! See why it impresses yet leaves us missing the XPS. Discover performance, design, and value before you buy.

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Dell 14 Premium Review: Impressive, but Leaves Me Missing the XPS

The Dell 14 Premium (DA14250) enters the market as a successor to the beloved XPS line. On paper, it’s a powerhouse: a sleek design, Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU, and a dazzling OLED display. Yet, despite its strengths, this laptop leaves a few things to be desired. Could it truly replace the XPS for professionals and creatives alike? Let’s dive in.

First Impressions and Build Quality

At first glance, the Dell 14 Premium exudes a no-nonsense aesthetic. Its graphite finish is understated, professional, and avoids flashy gimmicks. The back panel features a subtle Dell logo, while the 14.5-inch display offers a near-borderless InfinityEdge design. The keyboard, a 10keyless chiclet layout, is spacious and comfortable, and the integrated dual-microphone array ensures crisp audio for calls.

However, Dell’s design choices start to show cracks in daily use. The top touch function row, essentially a touchbar, combines the escape key, volume and microphone buttons, brightness controls, and navigation keys. While innovative in theory, it quickly becomes a source of frustration. For instance, adjusting brightness in dim lighting often results in accidental taps on the wrong key. As someone who relies heavily on the delete key, I found it sluggish holding it down feels like a test of patience rather than functionality.

The touchpad, completely invisible, adds a modern twist but little practical value. Its seamless look is appealing visually, yet it lacks the tactile feedback some users crave. Finally, the laptop’s sharp edges, while stylish, dig into wrists when typing on a lap or bed an oversight that undermines comfort during prolonged use.

Ports and Connectivity

Dell hasn’t skimped on connectivity, although it has fully embraced USB-C. The left side houses two Thunderbolt 4 ports, while the right side contains another Thunderbolt 4, a headphone/microphone combo jack, and a microSD slot. Each port supports both Power Delivery and DisplayPort functionality, providing flexibility for power-hungry peripherals and external monitors. For users accustomed to USB-A, however, this could require adapters a minor inconvenience in 2025.

Display: OLED Brilliance

Where the Dell 14 Premium truly shines is its OLED display. Boasting a 3,200 x 2,000p resolution and a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz, visuals are crisp, vibrant, and immersive. Watching The Revenant, dark forests and flickering torches maintained subtle shades of gray and black, capturing nuance often lost on lesser panels. Facial features in Interstellar appeared rich and detailed, proving the display’s capacity to deliver cinematic experiences.

Gamers and casual players also benefit. Alfred Hitchcock: Vertigo displayed striking color contrast across fields, sunsets, and architectural textures. Touchscreen functionality is responsive, offering a satisfying alternative to the touchpad for scrolling or navigation.

Performance and Multitasking

With the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H CPU, 16 cores, and 32GB of RAM, multitasking becomes effortless. From web browsing to Photoshop, music streaming to heavy document editing, this laptop handles nearly everything with minimal slowdown. Even with Spotify running, multiple browser tabs open, and Adobe Photoshop processing images, the system remained surprisingly smooth. Minor delays in photo loading or Google Docs responsiveness were rare and mostly negligible.

This level of performance is perfect for professionals, remote workers, and creatives who juggle multiple applications simultaneously. For the average user, the Dell 14 Premium provides more power than one could realistically need.

Gaming: A Mixed Bag

Despite its impressive CPU, gaming performance is where the laptop falters unless you opt for the NVIDIA RTX 4050 upgrade. The default Arrow Lake IGP struggles with modern, resource-intensive titles. Games like Disney Dreamlight Valley ran smoothly at high settings (60–115 fps), but titles like Grounded 2 or Control: Ultimate Edition were essentially unplayable. For casual gamers, this may suffice, but serious gaming will require the higher-end configuration.

Audio, Webcam, and Microphones

Dell equips the 14 Premium with a quad-speaker setup totaling 8W, but the experience is underwhelming. Sound lacks depth, bass is muted, and highs can become harsh at higher volumes. Music listening suffers, though movies and casual media are adequate.

The 1080p FHD RGB-IR webcam performs decently for video calls, capturing clear images even in moderate low light. The dual-array microphones, enhanced with IntelliGo noise reduction, prioritize voice clarity, though at times they can overfilter and slightly muffle sound. In practice, the setup is excellent for meetings, online classes, or casual streaming.

Battery Life

The Dell 14 Premium impresses with battery longevity. In Balanced mode, it averages a 13% per hour drain, while Best Performance mode rises to about 23% per hour. Recharging is swift: 54% charge in an hour is a welcome efficiency boost. For professionals on the go, this laptop reliably lasts a full workday without scrambling for a plug.

Conclusion: Who Should Buy It?

In summary, the Dell 14 Premium (DA14250) is a solid contender for professionals seeking a high-resolution OLED display, excellent CPU performance, and long battery life. Yet, it isn’t perfect. Odd design choices, an underwhelming speaker system, and uncomfortable edges detract from its overall appeal. Gamers may need to upgrade to the NVIDIA GPU for smoother performance.

If these drawbacks are manageable, the Dell 14 Premium offers a premium experience at a reasonable price point. Otherwise, competitors in the XPS or MacBook lines might still better satisfy those seeking a flawless balance of design, comfort, and multimedia performance.

✅ FAQs

1. How does the Dell 14 Premium compare to the Dell XPS series?
While the Dell 14 Premium offers strong performance, a sleek design, and good battery life, it lacks some premium features and display quality that XPS users expect.

2. Is the Dell 14 Premium suitable for professional work and multitasking?
Yes, it handles everyday professional tasks and multitasking well, thanks to its solid CPU and RAM options, though heavy graphics work may be better suited to higher-end XPS models.

3. What are the standout features of the Dell 14 Premium?
The laptop impresses with a lightweight design, a responsive keyboard, good audio quality, and fast SSD storage. Its overall build quality feels premium for its category.

4. Are there any drawbacks compared to the XPS?
Yes, the display brightness and color accuracy aren’t quite on par with XPS laptops, and some high-end features like thinner bezels or higher-resolution displays are missing.

5. Is the Dell 14 Premium worth buying over the XPS for most users?
It’s worth considering if you want a more affordable, well-built laptop for everyday use. However, users seeking top-tier displays and advanced features may prefer the XPS series.