Dell has announced its 14S laptop series, featuring all-day battery and a lightweight chassis that’s designed to keep you going until you get back home. The 14S complements Dell’s XPS lineup, giving you a new option between the brand’s ultra-budget devices and a premium ultraportable.
Speaking about the 14S in conjunction with its XPS 13, Dell says that “both are compelling alternatives to the MacBook Neo,” with the 14S functioning as “more affordable student or everyday use alternative” to the XPS 13. The Dell 14S is designed for students and light users, bringing features typically associated with premium laptops to a broader market segment.
All variants use an attractive aluminium chassis, available in four colours: Linen, Dusty Rose, Washed Denim, and Velvet Green, to suit different personalities and preferences. Tipping the scales at just 1.15kg, the Dell 14S can be easily transported all day long without you noticing it, plus its 13.5mm height (at the thickest point) means it will easily slip into your bag.
Depending on the model you choose, the Dell 14S can be powered by either an Intel Core 5 320 or Core 7 350 Wildcat CPU. Both are cut-down Core Ultra Series 3 chips designed for web browsing, media streaming, and text editing, housing two P-cores for performance, plus four LPE-cores designed for power efficiency.
Dell claims that the 14S can handle multitasking across tabs, documents, and apps without slowing down. On the memory side, you get to choose between 8GB or 16GB of soldered single-channel LPDDR5X-7467 RAM; an important decision for you to make, since you won’t be able to upgrade it later. As for storage, you get three options: 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB, all using PCIe NVMe SSDs.
While the Dell 14S may not offer much when it comes to raw performance, it appears to more than deliver on the battery side. Despite its small and thin size, Dell says this laptop can handle up to 21 hours of Netflix streaming on a single charge, meaning it should keep you going during an entire study session or workday without needing a recharge.
Dell says this durability was made possible thanks to a denser 61.2Wh battery cell that was engineered to run cooler under load, while retaining its capacity over time, and without adding weight or cost.
Dell is offering the 14S series with two 16:10 screen options. The first is a 14in 2K (1920×1200) panel with a 60Hz refresh rate, and 300nits brightness rating. Meanwhile, the second is a 14in 2.8k (2880×1800) screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 450nits brightness rating, targeting those wanting a smoother and brighter experience for outdoor use. Note that neither display supports touch input.
All 14S models come equipped with an FHD camera supporting Windows Hello, as well as dual-array microphones, stereo speakers, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Meanwhile, you get one HDMI 1.4 port for video, plus two USB 3.2 10Gb/s Type-C connectors supporting video and powered delivery. Wireless connections will depend on the model you choose, with Wi-Fi 6 plus Bluetooth 5.3 on the base version, and Wi-Fi 6E plus Bluetooth 5.4 on the next one up.
The Dell 14S lineup will be available this fall in North America, but pricing is yet to be disclosed. That said, Dell says that the 14S is designed to be complementary to the XPS 13 and accessible for students and young adults globally. The XPS 13 launched at $699 (or $599 for students), and it looks as though the Dell 14S could have an even lower price at the base level. If that’s correct, then the Dell 14S could be a serious competitor to Apple’s MacBook Neo, which now starts at $699.
