Dell 14S
pros and cons
- Outstanding battery life
- Good hardware
- High quality screen
- Prone to fingerprints
- Highly reflective
on Google.
For much of 2026, I figured HP had the midrange laptop market on lockdown. Over the past year or so, the company has released one impressive low-cost notebook after another, from the OmniBook 7 to the OmniBook 3. I almost thought the race was over. Then I received the new Dell 14S
Open the lid, and you’ll find the keyboard deck in the same finish, creating a clean, cohesive design. Combine the color with rounded corners and gentle edges, and you get a form factor reminiscent of an Apple MacBook. Looking down, the touchpad sits slightly off-center toward the right. This design lets you comfortably control the cursor with your left hand. I tried navigating with my right hand, and felt more cramped since there was less room to move my wrist naturally. This setup isn’t a major deal-breaker, but prospective buyers should be aware of the approach.
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In fact, I do have a few nitpicks about the design. As much as I love the Celestial blue finish, it’s a fingerprint magnet. The colored finish smudges very easily. Also, I wish the lid had either a lip sticking out or a small indentation. The Dell 14S’s weight is evenly distributed, so it passes the one-finger test. I can lift the lid, and the laptop doesn’t move around. However, getting a good grip on the lid is a little tricky. The edges of the device are so smooth that I had to hold the device down before I could lift the display.
Vibrant screen
The Dell 14S is a perfect example of why display-enhancing software matters. On paper, the screen specs don’t seem super impressive, but its supportive features help elevate what could’ve been an average panel to a great one.
That said, it’s not all bad. In fact, I would say it’s mostly positive. The Dell 14S boasts a 14-inch OLED panel that covers the entire DCI-P3 color gamut and supports Dolby Vision. With all these components working together, the visual output is wonderful. The OLED technology delivers strong contrast between highlights and shadows and Dolby Vision ensures the colors stay true to life. Online content, from movies to YouTube videos, looks top-notch. Like other Dell laptops, this model supports ComfortView Plus, which actively reduces the amount of blue light sent out to reduce eye strain.
Performance
My review unit came equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, putting this machine firmly in the midrange category. To put its capabilities into perspective, I compared the Dell 14S against similarly positioned laptops in the same price and performance categories. I wanted to focus on systems that potential buyers would consider alongside Dell’s model. And against its rivals, the 14S holds up quite well, delivering top-notch performance at a lower price.
And it’s here where the Dell 14S shines: delivering reliable performance without costing an arm and a leg. The device is incredibly responsive, waking instantly when the lid is opened. I used this PC while writing my article comparing the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Razr Fold, having connected the device to an external monitor. Even with a dozen browser tabs open, music streaming in the background, and multiple applications running (including WPS Office), the laptop ran smoothly with no noticeable slowdowns. Thanks to the CPU’s strength, photo editing was another major strength. I was able to make adjustments to high-resolution photographs in GIMP comfortably.
Does the Dell 14S provide the best value among all laptops? No, I believe that honor goes to the MacBook Neo (for now). Although not as powerful as the 14S, it’s not too far off in performance, and it’s cheaper. The 2026 Dell XPS 13.