Dell 14S (DS14260) Laptop Review

About the Dell 14S DS14260

• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 355 (Panther Lake, 8 cores, 4P+4LPE)
• RAM: 16GB LPDDR5X-7467 (soldered, non-upgradeable)
• Storage: 512GB PCIe Gen4 SSD (M.2 2230, replaceable)
• Display: 14.0-inch 16:10 OLED touch, 1920x1200, 60Hz, 300 nits, 100% DCI-P3
• Battery: 3-cell 70Wh, 65W USB-C charger
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0
• Price as tested: $1,469

The configuration we tested pairs Intel's Core Ultra 7 355 with 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD for $1,469. The 14S comes in two colors: Celestial Blue and Frost Blue. Both are 1920x1200 at 60Hz, with 300-nit brightness and full DCI-P3 coverage. The memory is soldered and can't be upgraded, which is worth thinking hard about before you buy, but the SSD and the battery are both replaceable. There are three display options—and ours has a Full HD+ OLED screen with touch support.

How we tested

The main way we tested this laptop was simply to use it. We've used dozens of laptops both personally and professionally and reviewed many of the best laptops out there, including several XPS models, MacBooks, and so on. We have a good idea of what a laptop is supposed to look and feel like, and we know what we're looking for when buying a high-quality machine. We used the laptop in our day-to-day productivity workloads, which involve heavy typing, lots of browser tabs, and so on. We also conducted some benchmarks and heavier workloads, which produced more or less expected results, especially when it came to graphics performance.

What we like

Sleek design and connectivity

The 14S looks the part of a premium laptop. The aluminum chassis is well finished, the design is relatively stylish without trying too hard, and it's lightweight enough to carry around easily. It's not as striking as the XPS 14, but it's certainly not ugly by any stretch of the imagination.

Where the 14S does well is in the port selection. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports with Power Delivery and DisplayPort support, two USB-A 3.2 ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack—all built directly into the chassis. Sure, that selection is modest by some standards, but compared to the XPS 14, it's a real improvement. We do wish one of the USB-C ports was on the right side, or that there was an extra one on that side instead of having both on the left, but it's not a huge issue.

Wireless connectivity is strong, too. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0 are both on board, which means lower latency and better performance in crowded environments like offices, campuses, and apartment buildings. You'll need a Wi-Fi 7 router to take full advantage, but the laptop won't be the bottleneck as networks catch up.

A comfortable keyboard with function keys

We wouldn't say the keyboard and trackpad are the best things about the Dell 14S, but they're far from the worst. We like the feel of the keyboard overall. The keys are tactile with enough travel to make for a good typing experience. The touchpad is high quality, too. Sure, no Windows manufacturer competes with Apple on trackpad quality yet, and the Dell 14S is no exception—but for the most part, we found it responsive and precise.

The keyboard has a row of function keys, which is odd to be mentioning as a positive, but given that plenty of Dell laptops haven't had them, we're glad they're making a return. All the basic controls are there, including brightness, volume, and so on.

High-quality OLED display

There are three display options for the Dell 14S, but our review unit has the best one. The OLED panel we got has touch support and a high resolution, with 300-nit peak brightness. Sure, a brighter panel would have been welcome, and the limited brightness does mean it can be tricky to see some content outdoors. If that's a concern for you, then it might be worth going for one of the other panels, which offer either 400 or 500 nits depending on the option you get.

That said, we found this screen to be vivid, sharp, and colorful. Text looks crisp, and movies look excellent. We also like the 16:10 aspect ratio, which makes it easier to see more content than a narrower display would.

Responsive everyday performance

The Dell 14S comes in a variety of configurations with processors ranging from the Intel Core Ultra 5 322 all the way up to the Core Ultra 9 386H. Our review model has the Core Ultra 7 355, which we found to be easily powerful enough for the tasks most will want to use this laptop for: productivity, web browsing, and media consumption. This is not a gaming machine, but you wouldn't expect it to be.

The Intel Core Ultra Series 3 platform is faster than previous-gen models, and if you've used one of those, you might notice it. But there are still faster options. Apple's M5 is a fair bit faster than the Core Ultra 7 in this laptop, and even faster than the Core Ultra 9 386H in single-core performance, though it's about even with the Ultra 9 in multi-core benchmarks. When you can get a MacBook Air for less, that's worth considering—though you're probably more likely to base your decision on operating system than chipset performance.

What we don't like

Battery life is fine but not great

The 70Wh battery is generous for a 14-inch laptop, and for most people, the 14S will easily last most of a workday. That's fine. The problem is that fine is no longer the bar in this category.

The Apple M5, as discussed, is more powerful than the Core Ultra 7 355, and it's also more efficient—a frustrating combination if you're shopping Intel. Panther Lake Intel chips are a step forward for Intel's efficiency, and the 14S offers reasonable battery performance, but Intel still doesn't match what Arm-based chips deliver. A MacBook Air will run longer on a smaller battery while staying cooler and quieter.

None of this makes the 14S a bad travel companion. The 65W USB-C charger tops it up quickly, and you can charge from any compatible USB-C brick or dock through the Thunderbolt ports. But if all-day-and-then-some battery life is your top priority, this isn't the class leader.

Should you buy the Dell 14S DS14260?

Yes, if you want a portable, well-connected OLED laptop for everyday work

The Dell 14S DS14260 (available at Dell) makes the most sense for someone who wants a sleek, portable 14-inch office companion and cares about the screen. The OLED panel's contrast and color, the sharp text, and the smooth everyday performance make it a genuinely pleasant machine to work, study, and stream on. It's also the rare laptop that pairs forward-looking tech like Wi-Fi 7 and Thunderbolt 4 with legacy conveniences like onboard HDMI and USB-A—something the XPS 14 can't claim without a dongle in your bag.

It's not for everyone, though. If you rely on your laptop for serious gaming, 3D design, or heavy video exports, the integrated Intel graphics will be a bottleneck, and you should be looking at machines with discrete GPUs instead. And if you work primarily outdoors, the 300-nit ceiling might test your patience in direct sunlight.

At $1,469, the 14S isn't a bargain, and a MacBook Air with an M5 will outrun it in both performance and battery life, at a starting price of $1,299. But if you're set on Windows and you value display quality, portability, and practical ports over raw speed, the 14S is an easy laptop to live with.