Dell XPS 14 (2026) Laptop Review: A Great Return To Form

One of this generation’s larger engineering efforts was the thermal solution on board the new XPS 14. Dell redesigned the internal airflow system with dual larger but thinner fans, an upgraded heat pipe assembly, and layered graphite thermal materials that helps distribute and dissipate heat more evenly. Side intake and rear exhaust paths maintain the clean bottom surface area while improving airflow efficiency. 


In practical use, the system remains effectively silent during light workloads. Under sustained CPU and GPU stress, fan ramp-up is smooth and controlled without the high-frequency whine that plagues some other thin designs. And at under 40db, even the Core Ultra X7 Dell XPS 14 is stealthy quiet. Bravo!

More importantly, the system holds performance over time. Sustained multi-core workloads do not immediately collapse into aggressive throttling. While this is not quite a workstation-class machine, it avoids the short-burst-only performance trap that some ultra-thin systems often fall into. Thermal discipline defines this XPS 14 and skin temps are also relatively cool, hitting only around 100°F at the warmest parts of the bottom of the machine under a heavy, graphics-intensive load like a continuous loop of 3DMark Speedway. The warmest point on the topside was 96°F, at the very top of the system, along the chassis' edge, closest to the display.

How Does Dell's New XPS 14 Perform With Respect To Battery Life

Battery life is critically important for a business PC. Working on the go could mean long stretches away from outlets. The machine needs to last through endless hours of work that could mean e-mails and time spent poring over spreadsheets, not to mention long runs of content consumption like Netflix binging.

Here we've calibrated the laptop displays to a similar fixed brightness, in an effort to minimize that aspect of power draw, though lots of other variables come into play, like battery capacity, for example.


The 70Wh battery paired with the 2K LCD configuration delivers outstanding endurance in mixed productivity use. Light office tasks, streaming, and web browsing comfortably stretch beyond a standard workday, and in controlled video workloads like this PCMark Video Playback test, the system pushes into territory that surpasses most machines we've test to date. 

The Tandem OLED model predictably shortens battery life, but not dramatically, maintaining a strong 19 hour+ runtime. Dell’s power optimizations, including adaptive refresh scaling, help preserve usable longevity even with the more power-hungry panel, and higher-end processor on board. As always, real-world battery life depends heavily on brightness and workload, but the XPS 14 is firmly in the top tier of Windows ultraportables currently, in terms of endurance.

HotHardware's Dell XPS 14 (DA14260): Review Conclusion

The new Dell XPS 14 (DAA14260) is less about dramatic reinvention and more about disciplined refinement. It is thinner but feels solid and exudes quality. It is also powerful without feeling thermally stressed. It is quiet without sacrificing sustained performance, and it's efficient without feeling underpowered. Starting at $1349 in its base config, ($1449 for the FHD display/16GB RAM model we tested), and $2199.99 as tested for our higher-end OLED-equipped model, the new Dell XPS 14 is also fairly competitively priced with good optionality. The Dell XPS 14's OLED option elevates media consumption and creative work, while the 2K LCD configuration arguably represents the smartest balance of endurance and sharpness. Intel’s latest Core Ultra silicon, particularly in Arc-equipped trims, provides competent class-leading graphics performance for content creators and even light duty gaming. The trade-offs here remain familiar: no USB-A ports and a missed opportunity in the SSD storage equipped in our machines (though we'd love to test Dell's PCIe 5-stapped XPS 14 models), but both of those shortcomings are not uncommon in the premium thin-and-light laptop category.

Ultimately, this is the most capable XPS 14 Dell has produced to date, and it feels properly balanced in all the major areas. Intel's Core Ultra Series 3 Panther Lake platform brings excellent performance for premium laptops, and Dell has re-introduced its flagship offering with panache, grace and an understated but premium look. If you want a bit more flare, you'll have to wait for Dell's Shimmer colorway to arrive in a few months. I'd actually like to get my hands on one of those machines as well, but in the meantime, the new Dell XPS 14 (DA14260) just scored a HotHardware Editor's Choice. Dell just got its XPS back, and it's better than ever.