Dell is rebranding, moving away from their Inspiron, Latitude, and XPS computer lines. Instead, the following lines are being introduced this year (much like the modern Apple products):
Dell: For general use (the most affordable variation, set to replace the Inspiron series).
Dell Pro: Computers for business professionals (in place of the Latitude line).
Dell Pro Max: Premium pro-grade laptops and desktops with a higher price tag (effectively replacing XPS and Precision series).
As 2025 carries on, we begin to see those new models entering the market. Today, we will discuss one of the new top-shelf laptops: the Dell Pro 14 Premium, featuring a built-in AI chip.
Dell Pro 14 Premium Pros and Cons: A Quick Look
PROS:
- Stunning Design & Premium Build: Elegant, portable, and robust. (And a little reminiscent of the XPS design.)
- Efficient Performance: Latest Intel Core Ultra Lunar Lake CPUs, sufficient RAM/storage, AI enterprise solutions.
- Number of I/O Ports: Versatile port selection with full-size HDMI and USB-A.
- Future-Proof Connectivity: Multiple Thunderbolt 5 ports, Wi-Fi 7, optional 5G.
- Outstanding Battery Life: Designed for all-day productivity.
- Enhanced Audio & Webcam: Improved conferencing and media.
CONS:
- Premium Price Tag: A significant investment.
- Potential for Fan Noise Under Load: High-performance systems sometimes require higher fan speeds.
- Keyboard Limitations: Subpar typing experience, compromising accuracy.
- Limited Repairability: Due to its slim design and premium construction, the notebook has very limited repairability and no option for upgrades after purchase.
Design and Build Quality: Sleek Sophistication Meets Robustness
The Dell Pro 14 Premium (2025) continues Dell’s design approach, blending the minimalist aesthetics of the XPS line with the robust build quality typically found in a Latitude or Precision series. Its chassis is crafted from a magnesium alloy, made with 90% recycled materials. This model offers a satisfyingly solid feel while keeping the weight down to a manageable 2.52 lbs (approximately 1.14 kg).
However, while the construction is robust, some users already report that the magnesium chassis feels “coarser” and less premium to the touch compared to the machined aluminum unibody of an Apple MacBook Pro or the high-end finishes on competing HP models. It does not quite achieve the “XPS build quality” that its design emulates, resulting in a slight disconnect between its visual appeal and tactile sensation. Nevertheless, the laptop remains one of the lightest and most portable options in the premium 14-inch business segment.
Dell Pro 14 Display
The 2025 Dell Pro 14 Premium laptop features a 14.0-inch non-touch IPS panel with an FHD+ resolution (1920 x 1200), 300 nits of brightness, 45% NTSC color gamut, and an 8 MP + IR Camera.
Although the lack of options is somewhat disappointing, users would still appreciate the color accuracy, which is crucial for both productivity and creative work. An Ultra 7 266V configuration also features a touchscreen (OLED, 400 nits brightness, Low power, HDR, ComfortView+, 8MP IR Cam), but it is also the most expensive variation in the lineup.
The most significant and perplexing weakness of the premium OLED panel is its 60Hz refresh rate. In a market where 90Hz and 120Hz refresh rates are rapidly becoming the standard for a smooth user experience—even on less expensive consumer laptops—this limitation makes the Pro 14 Premium feel dated from the moment it is unboxed. Simple actions like scrolling through documents, moving windows, and cursor movement lack the fluidity found on competing high-refresh-rate displays.
Performance: Striving for Efficiency
CPU
The Pro 14 Premium can be configured with Intel Core Ultra 5 236V or Core Ultra 7 268V Lunar Lake processors. These chips feature an eight-core design, split between four high-performance “Lion Cove” cores and four power-efficient “Skymont” cores. Crucially, this platform tightly integrates the CPU with a powerful new Intel Arc graphics engine and a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) capable of up to 47 TOPS (trillion operations per second), which is essential for on-device AI workloads.
Analysis of CPU performance reveals a deliberate trade-off. In terms of raw multi-threaded performance, Lunar Lake offers only “minimal” or “underwhelming” gains compared to the previous 13th-generation Raptor Lake processors found in the Latitude 7440. Benchmark scores from tests like Cinebench and Geekbench indicate that the Pro 14 Premium is a competent performer for mainstream business applications, but not a chart-topper, often being outpaced by laptops equipped with higher-wattage H-series CPUs.
However, where the new platform excels is in sustained performance and thermal stability. Under prolonged stress, the Pro 14 Premium demonstrates significantly less thermal throttling than its predecessors, maintaining more consistent clock speeds over time. This means that while its peak performance isn’t dramatically higher, its real-world performance under load is more reliable and predictable.
Graphics and AI Performance
The true star of the Lunar Lake platform is the integrated Intel Arc 140V GPU. This component represents the single biggest generational leap in Intel’s integrated graphics history. Multiple analyses confirm a performance uplift of over two times that of the Iris Xe graphics found in the previous-generation Latitude series, all while consuming nearly 35% less power.
This revolutionary improvement fundamentally changes the capabilities of the Pro 14 Premium. In 3DMark benchmarks, it achieves scores that are competitive with those of low-power discrete GPUs from just a few years ago. This translates into real-world capabilities that were previously impossible for a business ultrabook without a dedicated GPU. The machine can now comfortably handle moderately intensive creative workloads and even light gaming. For instance, tests show that it can run demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p resolution with medium settings, achieving a playable average of 38.5 frames per second.
Furthermore, the powerful NPU officially qualifies the Pro 14 Premium as a Copilot+ PC. This unlocks a new suite of on-device AI features within Windows 11, such as enhanced Windows Studio Effects for video calls (background blur, eye contact), the controversial Recall feature for searching a visual timeline of user activity, and real-time Live Captions with translation.
Thermals and Acoustics
The remarkable efficiency of the Lunar Lake architecture, combined with a dual-fan cooling system, allows the Pro 14 Premium to run exceptionally cool and quiet. During light productivity tasks, the fans are often silent. Even under heavy, sustained load, surface temperatures are significantly cooler than on the preceding Latitude 7440, with keyboard and bottom panel hotspots remaining comfortably in the low 30s Celsius. While the fans can become audible under maximum stress, reaching up to 44 dB(A), the overall thermal management is excellent, ensuring performance is not hampered by excessive heat. Some reviewers did note that the fan noise can have a relatively sharp or high-pitched character.
What is Happening With the Dell Pro 14 Keyboard and Trackpad?
The Zero-Lattice Keyboard
The most controversial feature of the Pro 14 Premium is its “zero-lattice” keyboard, a design inherited directly from the recently retired XPS line. This layout features large, flat keycaps with no discernible space or gutter between them, creating a seamless, monolithic appearance across the keyboard deck.
While visually striking, the functional reception from expert reviewers has been overwhelmingly critical. The typing experience is frequently described in unflattering terms: “funky,” “compromised,” and feeling more like a tablet’s keyboard cover than a premium laptop keyboard. The primary complaints center on a shallow, unresponsive key-press action and a lack of tactile feedback, which creates a “nagging uncertainty about whether you’re hitting the right keys”. For many reviewers, this design led to a significant increase in typographical errors compared to their usual pace. This represents a substantial departure from the comfortable and highly regarded keyboards that have been a hallmark of the Dell Latitude series for years.
Dell’s keyboards have generally been excellent, and the Pro 14 Premium (2025) is no exception. We expect a comfortable, full-size backlit keyboard with satisfying key travel and a responsive, tactile feel, making long typing sessions a breeze. The spacious glass trackpad would utilize Microsoft Precision drivers, offering smooth, accurate tracking and gesture support.
The Collaboration Touchpad
In contrast to the keyboard, the large, buttonless touchpad is generally well-received. It is a mechanical touchpad, not a haptic one, but reviewers praise its smooth Mylar surface, nice glide, and light, quiet click action.
Its standout feature is the “Collaboration Touchpad.” This innovation integrates video conferencing controls directly into the touchpad surface. When a user is in a Microsoft Teams or Zoom call, four backlit icons automatically illuminate along the top edge of the pad, providing one-touch access to toggle the microphone, camera, screen sharing, and chat functions. This provides a clear, visual, at-a-glance status for critical meeting functions.
The primary limitation of this otherwise clever feature is its narrow software support. Currently, it is only compatible with the desktop applications for Microsoft Teams and Zoom. It does not function with the web-based versions of these platforms or with other popular video conferencing tools, like Google Meet, which significantly limits its universal utility.
Connectivity and Ports
Aimed to be an enterprise computer, the Pro 14 Premium mirrors the aggressive minimalism of the old XPS but with a more practical and versatile port selection. Dell has successfully integrated a robust array of connectivity options into the slim chassis, reducing the need for dongles in a typical business setting.
The port layout is thoughtfully distributed:
- Left Side: 1x HDMI 2.1 port, 1x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) port with Power Delivery and DisplayPort, 1x headset (headphone and microphone combo) port.
- Right Side: 1x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) port with Power Delivery and DisplayPort, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port with PowerShare, 1x Wedge-shaped lock slot.
This configuration provides the best of both worlds. The inclusion of legacy ports, such as full-size HDMI and USB-A, ensures broad compatibility with existing peripherals and displays —a crucial requirement for many corporate environments. Simultaneously, the placement of Thunderbolt 4 ports on both sides of the device offers superior flexibility for charging and docking, a small but significant quality-of-life improvement over designs that cluster all USB-C ports on one side. An optional nano-SIM card slot is also available for users who require 5G WWAN connectivity on the go.
This thoughtful approach to connectivity is one area where the “Pro” designation feels truly earned. Dell has successfully merged the modern, clean aesthetic of its consumer flagships with the functional demands of its business clientele, resulting in a design that is both stylish and eminently practical.
Battery Life: Powering Your Entire Workday
With energy-efficient hardware, the new Dell Pro 14 Premium notebook offers an exceptional battery life. It can yield 12-15 hours of real-world usage on a single charge, ensuring you can get through a full workday without needing to hunt for an outlet.
When the battery eventually does need replenishing, the Pro 14 Premium supports Dell’s ExpressCharge technology via its included 65W USB-C adapter. This allows for rapid charging, with tests showing the ability to restore the battery from zero to 50% in approximately 31 minutes and achieve a full charge in just 66 minutes. This quick-charge capability further enhances the model’s mobility credentials, ensuring that even a short time connected to a power outlet can provide hours of additional runtime.
Audio and Webcam: Enhanced Multimedia Experience
The Dell Pro 14 Premium establishes a new benchmark for integrated webcams in business laptops. It features a standard 8MP HDR + IR camera, a massive upgrade over the 1080p or 2MP sensors found in most competing devices. This camera is capable of capturing sharp 1440p video and detailed 4K stills, delivering vibrant and well-lit images across various lighting conditions. The IR capability enables swift and reliable facial recognition for Windows Hello logins, and the system includes advanced features like presence detection, which can automatically lock the device when the user walks away and wake it upon their return. A physical privacy shutter is also included for enhanced security.
Audio quality is another high point. The laptop is equipped with a quad-speaker system, featuring two top-firing and two bottom-firing speakers that produce a total of 4W of output. Tuned with Cirrus Logic Smart Amp technology, the sound is loud, clear, and surprisingly full for an ultraportable laptop, representing a significant improvement over previous generations and providing an excellent experience for both voice calls and media consumption.
Pricing and Value: A Premium Investment
As a “Premium” offering, the Dell Pro 14 Premium (2025) undoubtedly comes with a premium price tag. Available configurations range from $1,799 to $2,369. While a significant investment, its blend of AI-enhanced performance, elegant design, and comprehensive features presents a valuable proposition for professionals, executives, and power users who require a computer that supports the latest technological innovations and can be relied upon for years to come.
So, What Should I do with My Old Dell XPS Now?
If your XPS computer is still functioning fine, continue using it. However, with the line now discontinued, it would be wise to upgrade by 2026, as older models will experience higher depreciation rates due to limited support and a lack of spare parts.
To sell a Dell XPS laptop, start by visiting Gadget Salvation’s homepage and looking up your specific model in our database. Calculate an offer based on the condition, and if that sounds like a deal, checkout and receive a free shipping label. Package your laptop safely, drop it off at the UPS store, and receive payment within one to two business days of our receipt and evaluation of your computer.
Final Verdict: Who Should Buy It?
The Dell Pro 14 Premium is a fascinating but deeply flawed flagship. It’s a perfect fit for a very specific user, but a poor choice for many others due to its compromised keyboard and display.
Recommended For: The Ultimate Road Warrior
The executive or consultant whose top priority is unparalleled battery life and portability. This user lives on the move and values the freedom from the charger above all else. They can tolerate the keyboard and 60Hz screen in exchange for true multi-day endurance and an excellent webcam.
Consider Alternatives If You Are…
- A High-Volume Typist: The shallow, zero-lattice keyboard is a significant ergonomic compromise. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is far superior.
- A Creative Professional: The Apple MacBook Pro 14 offers a brighter 120Hz display and more raw CPU power for demanding tasks.
- Seeking Versatility: The HP Spectre x360 14 offers a 2-in-1 design and a 120Hz screen, making it a more versatile option.
Olena is an operations manager at Gadget Salvation, wearing many hats and navigating the intersections of efficiency and innovation. With a deep passion for tech and sustainability, they thrive on exploring solutions that drive progress while protecting our planet.
