Dell Doubles Down on Cheap Student Laptops With Lower-End Dell 14S Configs

Dell seemingly isn’t content with taking on Apple’s MacBook Neo with just the XPS 13 for student dollars and attention. On Wednesday the company brought in budget laptop reinforcements with new lower-end, more colorful versions of its mainstream Dell 14S laptop. Dell is playing coy and won’t reveal pricing until we get closer to seeing these new laptops later this fall, which is understandable given the volatility around the ongoing component shortages. 

While we await pricing details, here’s what we do know about these new machines. They’ll come in four fun Neo-esque colors, offer Intel Wildcat Lake processors and start with just 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. 

New Dell 14S models: Colorful and affordable

The Dell 14S isn’t new. Dell released the 14S series along with its larger 16S sibling back in May. These mainstream laptops are based on Intel Panther Lake processors and were priced north of $1,000. Currently, the cheapest Panther Lake Dell 14S model costs $1,350 (and that’s after a $50 discount).

The new Dell 14S models feature Wildcat Lake processors, which are less powerful, more efficient versions of Panther Lake. You’ll have a choice of either a Core 5 320 or Core 7 350, each of which is a six-core processor made up of two performance cores and four efficient cores. The popular Panther Lake chip, the Core Ultra 7 355, that Dell offers on the inaugural 14S is an eight-core chip with four performance and four efficiency cores. Wildcat Lake processors run at 15 watts with a turbo power limit of 35 watts, while Panther Lake operates at 25 watts with a max turbo power of 55 watts. 

So while you are giving up two performance cores in dropping down to Wildcat Lake, you are getting greater efficiency, which should result in longer battery life and quieter operation. Dell says you can expect all-day battery life from the relatively modest three-cell, 61-watt-hour battery.

Along with a choice between Core 5 and Core 7 Wildcat Lake processors, the Dell 14S offers a pair of 14-inch display options. Both are IPS panels, but one has a 2K resolution (1,920 by 1200 pixels), 60Hz refresh rate and 300-nit brightness rating, while the other has a finer 2.8K resolution (2,880 by 1,800 pixels), smoother 120Hz refresh rate and brighter 450-nit rating.

Like the XPS 13, the Dell 14S comes with 8GB or 16GB of RAM. Unless you plan to use your laptop for the lightest, most basic of tasks, you are probably better off spending more for 16GB of RAM. I tested both 8GB and 16GB versions of the XPS 13 and concluded that the 16GB model is worth Dell’s steep $200 upcharge for most people. Unlike the XPS 13, the Dell 14S starts off with an undersized 256GB SSD. That’ll fill up fast. Dell offers 512GB and 1TB storage upgrades.

The Dell 14S has a larger display than the 13.4-inch XPS 13 and weighs a bit more because of it. It weighs 2.5 pounds, and the trim XPS 13 is just 2.2 pounds. The 13-inch MacBook Neo is the heaviest of the three at 2.7 pounds. All three laptops offer all-metal designs, which is not a given among the budget class where all-plastic or partially plastic constructions aren’t uncommon.

The Dell 14S has a better port selection than the XPS 13. It has the same pair of 10Gbps USB-C ports as the XPS 13 but also adds an HDMI port and headphone jack.

I really liked the XPS 13, but one of my complaints was targeting it toward students and then not offering any of the fun colors that Apple does with the Neo. With the Dell 14S, you get four color options that rival the cheerful hues Apple offers for the Neo. There’s dusty rose (a soft pink), washed denim (a light blue), velvet green (a bold green and my favorite of the bunch, based on Dell’s photos) and linen (a beige-y gold).

How low can Dell 14S pricing go?

It’s difficult to form too firm an opinion of the Dell 14S before we get pricing for it, but it will face steep competition from Apple’s MacBook Neo and Dell’s own XPS 13 when it’s released later this fall. 

With their premium designs and high-resolution displays, both the Neo and XPS 13 are excellent budget options at their discounted student prices starting at $600. The upgraded Neo with more storage and Touch ID at $700 and the upgraded XPS 13 with more memory at $800 are also great buys with their student discounts. 

The Dell 14S will need to limbo below those low bars to add a competitive third option for the school set.

Matt Elliott

Senior Editor

Matt Elliott is a senior editor at CNET with a focus on laptops and streaming services. Matt has more than 20 years of experience testing and reviewing laptops. He has worked for CNET in New York and San Francisco and now lives in New Hampshire. When he’s not writing about laptops, Matt likes to play and watch sports. He loves to play tennis and hates the number of streaming services he has to subscribe to in order to watch the various sports he wants to watch.

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