Dell Pro 14 Premium review: Power packed performer
The Dell Pro 14 Premium is a high-powered laptop designed for professionals with a svelte design, potent processor, and great battery life. But how does it perform in day-to-day life? We check that out in our detailed review of the Dell Pro 14 Premium.
Earlier this year, Dell reset its entire brand entity, eliminating its well-known professional sub-brands XPS, Inspiron, Precision, and Latitude, replacing them with the Pro and Premium lineup. Along similar lines, Dell has introduced the Pro 14 Premium, with tons of upgrades and changes from last year's Latitude 7440 or Latitude 9440 series. It comes with a 2.8K OLED touchscreen display, a powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 chip, and a generous 32 GB of RAM. All of these hardware excellences mean that it is built for fast-moving professionals who want a snappy machine to deliver all their business needs, at a price tag of just under Rs 2,00,000.
We have now thoroughly tested the Dell Pro 14 Premium to determine if it is a capable business laptop and to assess its performance as a primary work machine for.
Design and keyboard
The Dell Pro 14 Premium feels refreshingly easy to use, thanks to its compact design, lightweight weight of around 1.5 kg, and a hinge that is relatively easy to operate. The touchscreen doesn’t extend beyond 180 degrees, making it underutilised for artists or users who want to showcase multiple presentations. On the sides, we find ample and varied port selection, including two Thunderbolt 4-capable USB-C ports, a full-size HDMI port, one USB-A port, and a headphone jack.
dell
For a modern laptop, that’s quite generous, especially if you are used to the limited port availability from the world of Apple Macs. Talking about the Mini-LED keyboard, it’s well-spaced, is easily visible under low light, and offers decent tactile feedback. However, when you are typing fast, the key travel is a bit shallow and leaves a lot to be desired. The Pro 14 Premium’s trackpad, though, is on the smaller side compared to most modern ultrabooks. However, it still provides enough room for easy navigation and tracking, while supporting the most common Windows gestures.
Display and sound
The Dell Pro 14 Premium opts for a 2.8K OLED screen and sticks with a tried-and-tested 14-inch panel. While watching videos or even during work, the image output is crisp, sharp, and adequately saturated. The text rendering is also sharp, and thanks to its 16:10 aspect ratio, multitasking is a breeze. Its maximum brightness of 400 nits isn’t ideal for outdoor work, but the screen with its anti-reflective coating does help to a certain extent to counter the background light in some scenarios.
dell
However, we wished Dell could have provided a fast refresh rate display instead of the standard 60Hz as at this price point, it is something which should have been included. The touchscreen support also feels like a missed opportunity, as there is no stylus bundled in the box, which could have been useful for creators. The speakers are upwards-firing from grilles adjacent to the keyboard tray and offer decent volume output with reasonable detail, especially if you are watching movies on the go.
Performance and security
The Dell Pro 14 Premium shines in the performance department, as with the supplied Intel Ultra Core 7 processor and ample 32GB RAM, the machine felt consistently fast, with no signs of slowing down, even under extreme load. Boot time is nearly within 10 seconds, and the laptop easily manages to open multiple daily apps such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Office suite apps, and video conferencing apps such as Zoom or Google Meet, all at once.
dell
As for gaming, we tried playing some older titles like GTA V or Shadow of the Tomb Raider on the machine, and managed to get decent 40-50 FPS with a few setting tweaks. However, the Intel Arc integrated graphics is not recommended for gaming in particular, and should be strictly considered for creative workflows or video playback. The thermal performance also remains steady, with no fan noise or heating on the palm. The 512GB NVMe SSD works fast and is adequate for storing files, apps, and more, with ultra-quick loading speeds.
The fingerprint reader on the power button works fast and is reliable, even with slightly wet hands. However, its small size and slight misalignment can be irritating for some users. We also appreciate that Dell has provided a dedicated privacy shutter in the webcam to eliminate all the privacy-related issues.
Battery and charging
The Dell Pro 14 Premium is also unmatched in the battery department, as the laptop easily lasts a full day with about 7-8 hours of screen time, with about 60% brightness, and Wi-Fi always turned on. It also charges quickly via USB-C, filling up the battery to about 80% in under an hour, with a full charge in under 90 minutes. Moreover, the laptop supports most standard GaN chargers, which is suitable for travellers, who, instead of carrying a proprietary one, can use any certified charger.
Verdict
For users who want a lightweight laptop with all-day battery life and adequate performance, the Dell Pro 14 Premium should be a no-brainer. It also has a solid port selection, and the security features are adequate for most professionals. Moreover, the gorgeous 2.8K OLED display outputs punchy colours and can be relied on for good output, even under direct sunlight.
However, as nice as the OLED panel may be, its 60 Hz refresh rate feels out-of-date in today’s age, especially when 90 Hz or greater is becoming commonplace for most laptops under Rs 2 lakh. The pointless touchscreen implementation and the shallow typing experience are also minor inconveniences. Nonetheless, the Dell Pro 14 Premium is still one of Dell's best notebooks for professionals or students, and is a major improvement over the company’s previous Latitude series.
