Dell XPS 13 and XPS 14 Test (2024): Beautiful Laptops with Usability Quirks

Weight is the most obvious difference between the XPS 13 and 14: The smaller model weighs 2.6 pounds (slightly less than the MacBook Air), while the XPS 14 is significantly heavier at 3.7 pounds. (Dell follows Apple’s product strategy somewhat, as the 13-inch MacBook Air weighs 2.7 pounds and the MacBook Pro 14-inch weighs between 3.4 and 3.6 pounds.) The XPS 13 and 14 can both be Easily carry around all day, but the one-pound difference might make the larger model more inconvenient if you’re trying to travel light.

Still, the XPS 14 justifies its extra weight by accommodating more hardware. It can be equipped with NVIDIA’s RTX 4050 GPU (at 30 watts) and also has more robust cooling, allowing it to achieve a higher maximum thermal envelope of 47 watts. The XPS 13, on the other hand, only manages a continuous output of 28 watts. Even though both devices use the same Intel Core Ultra CPUs, you’ll get far better performance with the XPS 14 on longer workloads like video encoding or 3D rendering. (Again, this is very similar to the difference between the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro in the base configuration.)

The XPS 14’s 14.5-inch screen is an inch larger than the XPS 13, making multitasking with multiple apps or working on media timelines more comfortable. Regardless of which model you choose, you’ll get a bright and impressive image, as well as thin bezels that Apple still can’t match. Both computers offer a variety of display options: the Screens (non-touch) and 3.2K+ OLED screens (3,200 x 2,000).

Dolby Vision is standard across the board, but you only get 100 percent DCI-P3 color space coverage on the more expensive displays. You also get refresh rates of up to 120Hz on all screens. except for the OLED of the XPS 13, which reaches its maximum at 60 Hz. (I would recommend avoiding this option altogether and opting for a high refresh rate LCD, which will ultimately provide a smoother image.)

Both the XPS 13 and XPS 14 I tested came with Intel’s Core Ultra 7 155H CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. The XPS 14 also featured NVIDIA’s RTX 4050 GPU, while the smaller laptop relied on Intel’s integrated Arc graphics. As I expected, they weren’t all that different on CPU benchmarks like Geekbench 6. But the XPS 14 was twice as fast as the XPS 13 in the Geekbench 6 Compute test, which relies on the GPU for more intensive work. That NVIDIA hardware also helped the was more than three times as fast as the 13th.

The XPS 14 is far from what I would consider a gaming laptop, but I was able to play with the NVIDIA GPU Halo Infinite in 1080p with medium graphics at 40fps. That’s not exactly my ideal gloriole experience, but hey, it’s playable. In comparison, the XPS 13’s Intel Arc graphics card barely managed to sustain 25 fps. The RTX 4050 GPU is particularly useful for media creation on the XPS 14: I was able to transcode a 4K clip to 1080p in 26 seconds using Handbrake, while the same task took 36 seconds on the

I didn’t have any problems with my daily workflow on either device, but I had a lot more fun carrying the XPS 13 around town than the XPS 14, simply because it’s lighter and easier to maneuver. I could safely throw it in a shopping bag, take it to Starbucks and start using it straight away. Because of the extra size and weight, I sometimes had trouble storing the XPS 14 in the same bag among the parent gear. This won’t be a huge problem if you’re using a backpack (and aren’t trying to fit kids’ toys and snacks), but it was a reminder of how useful a notebook weighing under three pounds can be.

Similar to the XPS 16, I enjoyed typing on Dell’s generously wide keyboards. The large keycaps are easy to hit and provide satisfying key travel. The keyboard is more visually impressive on the XPS 13 as it stretches completely from edge to edge, while on the It’s the capacitive function keys fine However, most often they disappear in direct sunlight and other bright lighting.

And then there is the trackpad. I’m now used to Dell’s invisible design and also appreciate the larger size of the XPS 14’s trackpad. However, it still takes some adjustment, especially for newcomers. I also noticed that it is sometimes difficult to find the line separating left and right clicks, which led to some frustrated attempts to copy and paste links from Chrome.

Now that I’ve experienced Dell’s invisible trackpad and capacitive feature suite on four devices, I’m even more convinced that it’s a bug. Sure, they look cool and help Dell stand out in the boring world of Windows laptops, but that doesn’t justify the usability issues. On the XPS 13 and 14, I also noticed split-second delays when swiping in Windows. The problem went away when I forced both machines to run at 120Hz, but that also uses more battery life than running at 60Hz. It almost feels like I’m trying to brush through an extra layer of glass. I encountered the same issue on several XPS 13 and 14 devices, but Dell told me it couldn’t reproduce the slowdown in its labs. The company will conduct further research on our test devices and I will report the results later.

As for the rest of the hardware, both the XPS 13 and XPS 14 have solid 1080p webcams with Windows Hello support for facial authentication. Thanks to the NPUs in Intel’s new Core Ultra chips, you can also use Windows Studio effects during video chats to blur backgrounds and adjust your gaze. Their 8-watt speaker configurations sound good for watching YouTube videos or playing some background music, but they’re nowhere near as impressive as Apple’s notebooks. There was also a surprising difference in battery life between the two devices: the XPS 13 lasted 13 hours and 15 minutes in PCMark 10’s Modern Office benchmark, while the XPS 14 only ran for four and a half hours. This can be attributed to the stronger GPU and the larger screen.

Another downside to the sleek looks of the XPS 13 and 14? Higher prices. The XPS 13 now starts at $1,399 in the configuration we tested, while the XPS 16 starts at $1,699. (Our review unit would cost $2,399 thanks to the NVIDIA GPU and OLED screen.) I give Dell credit for making 16GB of RAM standard, rather than 8GB like previous models, but for the most part, you pay the nose out to have a nicer trackpad. Is it really worth it? Dell’s prices are particularly high considering you can buy an M3 MacBook Air for $1,099 and a 14-inch MacBook Pro for $1,599. Of course, you’ll also have to add $200 to get 16GB of RAM, but even the base configurations are faster than Dell’s laptops.

While there’s a lot to like about the new XPS 13 and XPS 14, we can’t recommend them as easily as Dell’s previous XPS generations. They look attractive and offer good performance, but that comes at the expense of usability, battery life and, well, actual costs. Simply put: you pay more for nice machines.