Is Dell finally admitting it’s been chasing a ghost? For years, the company has been locked in a quiet, often clumsy, imitation game with Apple, desperately trying to replicate the MacBook’s allure. The real story here isn't about Dell making a better Windows laptop – it’s about Dell finally acknowledging that simply copying Apple doesn’t work, and instead trying to carve out its own, albeit still Apple-adjacent, space. Last year’s baffling rebranding of its entire PC line as “Dell Pro” and “Dell Pro Max” was a particularly embarrassing chapter, a clear signal of a company adrift. Now, with the return of the XPS branding and the new XPS 14, Dell is attempting a course correction, but it’s a correction riddled with compromises and a nagging sense of “almost.”
This new XPS 14 is, undeniably, the most MacBook Air-like Dell has ever produced. From the increased performance thanks to Intel’s Panther Lake chips with extra GPU cores, to the frustratingly limited port selection, the influence is palpable. It’s a good laptop, particularly for moderate graphics tasks, but it’s also a laptop that feels like it’s constantly apologizing for not being a MacBook. Intel’s new chips are the engine here, and the midrange Core Ultra X7 358H can hold its own, even if it doesn’t quite match Apple’s M5 MacBook Pro in CPU benchmarks. However, it does outperform the M5 in iGPU performance, making it surprisingly capable for light graphics work – a niche where Dell is genuinely starting to shine. Kyle Barr of Gizmodo noted the two versions sent for review highlighted this disparity, with the cheaper $1,700 model serving as a stark reminder of the benefits of upgrading.
But the performance gains come at a cost, and that cost isn’t just monetary. Dell is increasingly leaning into the Apple playbook of locked-down hardware, and the XPS 14 is no exception. Soldered RAM, limited I/O ports, and a price tag creeping dangerously close to comparable MacBooks all point to a worrying trend. The $2,200 price for the X7 358H configuration puts it in direct competition with last year’s Razer Blade 14 and the M5 MacBook Pro, both offering similar specs. This isn’t about offering a compelling alternative; it’s about offering a more expensive, less customizable version of something that already exists. For the average user, the one who just wants a reliable work machine, this feels less like innovation and more like a calculated attempt to capture a slice of the Apple pie.
The most divisive element, however, is the keyboard. Dell’s continued insistence on the “seamless” keyboard design – where keys sit nearly flush with each other – is baffling. While aesthetically pleasing, it’s a typing nightmare. As Barr eloquently put it, it’s led to “accidentally hitting multiple keys at once, and it’s certainly been garbling my words even as I ‘writye thjis trevbiew.’” This isn’t a minor inconvenience; it’s a fundamental flaw that undermines the entire user experience. It speaks to a larger issue: Dell prioritizing form over function, style over substance. The trackpad, while large, suffers from similar issues, plagued by palm rejection problems and unintended clicks. These aren’t the quirks of a premium device; they’re the frustrations of a poorly executed design.
This article draws on reporting from gizmodo.com.
Despite these shortcomings, the XPS 14 does have redeeming qualities. The bright OLED screen is stunning, the sound quality is surprisingly good for a laptop of this size, and the battery life is genuinely impressive. Dell has finally excised the disastrous light-up function row from previous models, a welcome change for accessibility and usability. And the iGPU performance, powered by the extra Xe3 cores, is a legitimate strength, making this laptop a viable option for light gaming and rendering tasks. But these positives are overshadowed by the nagging feeling that Dell is still trying too hard to be something it’s not. The company is inching closer to Apple in terms of performance and design, but it’s also adopting Apple’s restrictive practices and premium pricing without fully understanding what makes the Apple ecosystem so appealing.
Looking ahead, I predict we’ll see Dell double down on this strategy. They’ll continue to refine the XPS line, focusing on performance and aesthetics, but they’ll also likely further restrict customization options and push prices even higher. The question isn’t whether Dell can make a good Windows laptop; it’s whether they can convince consumers that a slightly-less-good, more-expensive alternative to a MacBook is worth the premium. And, crucially, whether they’ll finally address the keyboard. If they don’t, the XPS line will remain a beautiful, frustrating, and ultimately unfulfilled promise.
