Dell 14 Plus Review: A Solid Mid-Range Laptop That Gets The Job Done

Dell reset the clock in 2025, and with the Dell 14 Plus, the company is looking to reinvent the wheel, especially in the mid-range laptop category. At Rs 84,889, the Dell 14 Plus comes with an AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, 1TB SSD, a 14-inch non-touch FHD+ anti-glare display, a 1080p webcam, and a 64Wh battery.

There is also an Intel variant of the same laptop, as well as a 2-in-1 option. If you’re keen on the Dell 14 Plus, then the variant I have for review (with the specifications I’ve listed above) is the one to get, especially if you can find a nice discount on it. It’s an excellent value-for-money option, with only one downside that I’ve had.

Just like with the Lenovo ThinkPad I recently reviewed, I’m excited about the second generation of this rebrand from Dell. There’s a whole lot to like, and if they fix a few small things, they’ll be able to run a marathon around the competition. After all, Dell is one of the most well-known and respected names in the laptop industry, and that will remain the case going into 2026.

At this point in the industry, there is no point in my going into a full in-depth review of this laptop. With CES (formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show) happening from the 6th of January, a plethora of chips (from AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm) will be showcased and launched, and several laptops will make their official debut.

So, to that extent, you’ll most likely be looking at a 2026 laptop to buy or to get the Dell 14 Plus on a hefty discount. Either way, you’re not going to be disappointed because laptops, especially the Dell 14 Plus, have grown up in 2025 and how.

I’m going to tell you what I liked about the laptop, in brief, the two issues I had with it, and who this is targeted at. So, you’ll get a rough idea of where Dell is headed, and why you should be excited for the following few laptops that are about to be launched.

What’s good

Fast performance. Great battery life. Surprisingly solid IPS display. Comfortable keyboard and touchpad. Enough ports for the chassis size. Well built.

Yes, that’s, in brief, what I liked about the Dell 14 Plus. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor is no slouch. Pair that with 16GB of RAM, and everything, but Google Chrome, will fly. Photo editing was breezy, watching videos was good, and even playing casual games was fun. For some reason, though, having 20 Google Chrome tabs slowed the laptop down. I have tested numerous laptops, and I haven’t encountered this much of a slowdown in many months.

But aside from Google Chrome, I had no performance issues. I was also pleasantly surprised by the IPS display. It may have thick plastic bezels, but thanks to the matte finish, glare isn’t an issue. It’s a little more saturated than I’d like, but the IPS panel is very well-calibrated and has good colour coverage. The brightness at 300 nits isn’t the best in the business, but it’s still good. I’m happy that the display is now 90Hz, instead of the usual 60Hz, though I’d have preferred a 120Hz refresh rate.

The battery life was another solid win for Dell. I easily got through a workday with a mixed-to-heavy usage pattern, including several hours of YouTube playing in the background.

What’s not good

Now, the Dell 14 Plus isn’t perfect, and there are several shortcomings, but nothing that’s a dealbreaker. For the price, Dell could easily have included a better webcam and one that supports Windows Hello facial authentication. Also, maybe, just maybe, an OLED display over an IPS panel. Second, the bezels could be slimmed down, and the look could be a little more exciting. Then there’s the fact that the laptop is hard to open (almost impossible to open one-handed).

Last, but not least, if you’re buying this laptop primarily for media consumption, then invest in a Bluetooth speaker, because frankly, the speakers aren’t great.

No Windows Hello facial authentication. Thick bezels, boring look. Hard to open. Speakers aren’t great.

Who is this aimed at

If you can get the Del 14 Plus at a discount, then it’ll be even better. For a mid-range laptop, the Dell 14 Plus punches above its weight. The Dell 14 Plus is a laptop you buy for school, office work, or for times when you don’t want to be flashy. For those quiet moments (yes, the laptop stays cool and quiet) when you just want to get the job done. Even if you’re new to content creation, this isn’t a bad option.

Just don’t buy this for heavy-duty video games or if you’re a professional videographer.

But, with the XPS line set to be brought back, and the second generation of the rebrand, I’m excited. Dell is moving in the right direction.