Review of the 14 Plus: a new beginning or the same old man?

Dell is inside at the center of a transition. It has a new logo and a new simplified approach to branding. The Dell 14 Plus is among the first laptops to launch to test the waters in this new era, which is seeing the end of underbrandini such as XPS and Inspiron. While the most exciting XPS replacement has yet to come, the Dell 14 Plus has come to enter the role of the old Inspiron Plus laptops.

While it is far from the most exciting laptop in the world, it offers a solid balance of quality and value, if only had more configuration options available to classify it correctly as an economic laptop.

Dell on the shell

Photography: Luke Larsen

The Dell 14 Plus is not what I would call a graceful laptop. But I don’t think he’s trying to be. Instead, he is trying to be harmless. In the past, this could have meant a plastic and black shell. In these days, it means a silver frame with the least possible number of distractions or ornaments. The Dell 14 Plus manages to do it.

Even more important, the laptop looks quite robust in hand. The lid has absolutely no zero, probably because of how long the zipper is. However, you cannot open it with a finger, in fact, there is not even a lip on the lid for your finger. That lid is even more often than normal, although the device has a thickness of only 0.67 inches. It is not subtle compared to a MacBook Air, no, but it is thin enough to feel modern for a laptop of this price. It also allows sufficient space to squeeze some Legacy ports, including USB-A and HDMI. This is in addition to the two USB-C ports and the headphone jack. My only complaint is that both USB-C ports are on the left side, which means it is the only side from which you can load.

One of the things that prevents the 14 plus from feeling like a more premium laptop is the screen. It has some thick plastic frames and uses a opaque finish with heavy hands. While this helps to divert the dazzle, it straightens the appearance of the display, making it appear more dimmer and more saturated. It is also a shame, since the screen itself is solid. It is an IPS panel surprisingly well calibrated with a fair color cover. According to my tests, it is completed at 332 Nits of brightness, which will not explode the socks, but will not diminish too much from the experience.

I should mention that Dell offers a better viewing option on his 2 in 1 models. It is a shiny mini-guide display, even if it is not available from what I can see.

The of 14 plus has a wealthy keyboard and touchpad. After receiving the unit, I was worried about the quality of the touchpad, since it is an appearance of the average level laptops that tends to be compromised. The touchpad is not perfect: the surface is not as smooth as I would like. But I’m happy to report that this touchpad seems responsive and the click mechanism is not excessively strong.

Limited options

Photography: Luke Larsen

Dell 14 Plus has only single processor options, Intel Core Ultra 7 256v. This is the modern and efficient CPU of Intel that offers a solid jump in the battery life in previous generations. I have already tested this chip several times and the Dell 14 Plus manages it well. The Dell 14 Plus also does a job to remain relatively fresh and silent. This is not the type of laptop that purchases for the management of heavy applications or games, but for school, office work or the creation of light content, the Dell 14 Plus has a lot of muscles.