Dell is in the middle of a transition. It has a new logo and a new simplified approach to the brand. Dell 14 Plus is among the first laptop to be launched to test the waters of this new era, which sees the end of the sub-marks like XPS and Inspiron. While the most exciting XPS replacement is still to come, Dell 14 Plus has arrived to enter the place of Old Inspiron plus laptops.
Although it is far from the most exciting laptop in the world, it offers a solid balance of quality and value, if only it had more configuration options available to classify it properly as a cheap laptop.
Dell on the shell
Photography: Luke Larsen
Dell 14 Plus is not what I would call a nice laptop. But I don’t think it tries to be. Instead, he tries to be harmless. In the past, it could have mean a black plastic shell. Nowadays, this means a silver chassis with the least distractions or ornaments as possible. Dell 14 more managed to do this.
More importantly, the laptop is quite robust in the hand. The lid has absolutely no donation, probably because of how the hinge is closely rolled up. You cannot open it with a finger – in fact, there are not even lips on the lid for your finger. This lid is thicker than normal, although the device is only 0.67 inch thick. It is not thin compared to a MacBook Air, no, but it is slim enough to feel modern for a laptop of this price. It also allows enough space to sneak in certain inherited ports, including USB-A and HDMI. This is added to the two USB-C ports and the headphone jack. My only complaint is that the two USB-C ports are on the left side, which means that this is the only side you can charge.
One of the things that prevents Dell 14 more from feeling like a more premium laptop is the screen. He has thick plastic glasses and he uses a mate finish of heaviness. Although it helps to divert dazzling, this goes beyond the appearance of the display, which makes him appear a gradator and more saturated. It’s a shame too, because the screen itself is solid. It is a surprisingly well calibrated IPS panel with a decent color cover. According to my tests, it ends at 332 nits of brightness, which will not blow socks, but will not harm too much to experience.
I must mention that Dell offers a better display option on its 2 in 1. models. It is a shiny mini-LED screen, although it is not currently available from what I can see.
Dell 14 Plus has a usable keyboard and touchpad. By receiving the unit, I was concerned with the quality of the touchpad, because it is an aspect of laptops of intermediate level which tend to be compromised. The touchpad is not perfect – the surface is not as smooth as I wish. But I am happy to announce that this touchpad seems reactive and that the click mechanism is not too strong.
Limited options
Photography: Luke Larsen
Dell 14 Plus has single processor options, the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V. It is the modern and effective processor of Intel which offers a solid jump of the battery life during previous generations. I have already tested this chip on several occasions, and the Dell 14 the more good manages it. Dell 14 and more done even work to remain relatively cool and silent. This is not the kind of laptop you buy to run heavy applications or games, but for school, office work or light content creation, Dell 14 Plus has a lot of muscle.
