Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source, there’s a renewed sense of identity here, a feeling that Dell has gone all-in on its commitment to the brand, and in the process, produced the strongest XPS yet.
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Build and design
This isn’t the same XPS as before; it’s thinner, smaller, and has better battery life at the cost of some lighter hardware. The 2026 XPS 14 has been refreshed with Intel’s latest Series 3 “Panther Lake” processor, a gorgeous tandem OLED display, some tweaks to its physical build, and swapping out the discrete GPU option for Intel’s integrated graphics (for now, at least).
These decisions have a somewhat equalizing effect on the XPS, making it less specialized for gaming and high-end graphics applications but better equipped as a lightweight, battery-efficient main driver device.
I reviewed two configurations of the new Dell XPS 14: one with an Intel Core Ultra X7 358H processor (that’s the one with the Intel Arc GPU), 32GB of LPDDR5x-9600 RAM, and the tandem OLED display, currently on sale for $1,949.
The display is where things get exciting. The 2.8K tandem OLED is available on both the 14- and 16-inch XPS devices this year, and it looks gorgeous. It’s glossy (but handles glare well) and bright enough at 400 nits, with a 120Hz refresh rate, and Dell’s InfinityEdge design pushes the display to the edge of the panel.
Intel’s XeSS 2 AI graphics upscaling puts in the work for gaming, with crisp, high-resolution images at 1080p. Intel says the 12 Xe cores in the Intel Arc GPU offers 50% faster graphics performance versus the previous generation when it comes to graphics-intensive tasks. While this may be true in and of itself, I wouldn’t say they fully replace a discrete graphics card.
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I fired up Steam and launched a few older titles: “No Man’s Sky” and “Diablo IV”, and found middling performance with high graphics settings, even in performance mode. Higher-end titles like “Arc Raiders” and “Baldur’s Gate 3” require significant graphics downscaling to be playable, and even then, are questionable. Less demanding games, however, like “WoW Classic,” look fantastic and play well.
If, however, you need a laptop that can throw down with the big dogs in graphics-intensive, demanding tasks, you might be better off with something that runs a discrete GPU.
Review: Dell Premium (2025)
I tested two different configurations of the XPS 14, and I strongly suggest going for the tandem OLED display with the Intel Core Ultra X7 processor, as the experience is such a jump up that it’s worth the reduced battery life and higher cost.
That said, my biggest gripe with the XPS 14 is its price point. Dell has repeatedly stated a desire to position its products as more accessible, and this iteration of the XPS would certainly lend itself to a lower price point, particularly compared to the competition.
Right now, multiple configurations are on sale on Dell’s website, with the OLED model featuring the Intel Core Ultra X7 and 32GB of RAM going for $1,949, $250 off the regular price.
Why the Dell XPS 14 (2026) gets our Editor’s Choice Award
The 2026 Dell XPS 14
