Dell XPS 14 (2026) review: This laptop marks a stunning comeback

The build quality is exceptional, as expected, with a touch of flex in the lid and keyboard. You can even open the device with just one finger now, something that XPS laptops have always struggled with in the past.

Get OLED

Photo: Luke Larsen

There’s a small issue with how Dell configures the displays on the XPS 14. The base configuration comes with a standard 1920 x 1200 LCD, though it costs $1,699. That’s a pretty serious downgrade from the Mini-LED display on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, which is sharper, has sharper colors, and is noticeably brighter. The MBP is $100 cheaper and comes with an additional 8GB of RAM.

The more expensive OLED model comes standard with a Core Ultra X7 configuration with the option to upgrade to X9. This isn’t just a standard OLED — it’s a tandem OLED, which the company first used in the XPS 13. The result isn’t more brightness (because it’s actually slightly less bright than the LCD model), but instead higher efficiency for more battery life.

I tested both the LCD and OLED models, and both are actually good. The OLED model features beautiful, vibrant colors that cover 100 percent of the sRGB, AdobeRGB, and Display P3 color spaces. Most importantly, the color accuracy is great. The LED takes a step back in terms of color performance, but I like that both options have a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate.

On the plus side, the bezels along the frame of the base XPS 14 model look better than most LED displays. Many matte LCD displays have a plastic frame along the sides which makes them look cheap. These ultra-thin bezels still look ultra-modern and stylish, which is a hallmark of the XPS brand. The top bezel remains slim, too (although not as small as before), although Dell has squeezed an 8MP, 4K camera module in there. I haven’t seen many laptop webcams that support 4K resolution, and this one is particularly nice, and there’s nothing ugly to deal with either.