Dell has expanded its Dell 14S line-up with lower-end, more colourful models aimed squarely at students seeking an affordable laptop. The company positioned the machines as a broader answer to Apple’s MacBook Neo, complementing the existing XPS 13 in its student-focused range. The new versions are expected to arrive later in the season, and Dell has yet to confirm pricing, a decision it attributes to volatility around ongoing component shortages.
While costs remain unconfirmed, several specifications are known. The refreshed 14S will be offered in four colours, including a bold green, and will run Intel Wildcat Lake processors, starting with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
The Dell 14S itself is not new. Dell launched the 14S series alongside the larger 16S in May, built on Intel Panther Lake processors and priced above roughly £790. The cheapest Panther Lake 14S currently sells for around £1,065, and that figure includes a discount of about £40.
Wildcat Lake Brings Greater Efficiency
The new models use Wildcat Lake chips, which are less powerful but more efficient than Panther Lake. Buyers can choose between a Core 5 320 or a Core 7 350, each a six-core processor comprising two performance cores and four efficient cores. By comparison, the Core Ultra 7 355 Panther Lake chip in the original 14S is an eight-core design with four performance and four efficiency cores.
Wildcat Lake processors run at 15 watts with a turbo power limit of 35 watts, whereas Panther Lake operates at 25 watts with a maximum turbo power of 55 watts. Stepping down to Wildcat Lake means sacrificing two performance cores in exchange for improved efficiency, which should translate into longer battery life and quieter operation. Dell states that the three-cell, 61-watt-hour battery is capable of all-day use.
Displays, Memory and Build
Alongside the processor choice, the Dell 14S offers two 14-inch display options. Both are IPS panels: one delivers a 2K resolution (1,920 by 1,200 pixels) with a 60Hz refresh rate and 300-nit brightness, while the other steps up to a 2.8K resolution (2,880 by 1,800 pixels) with a smoother 120Hz refresh rate and a brighter 450-nit rating.
Like the XPS 13, the 14S is available with 8GB or 16GB of RAM, with the 16GB upgrade carrying an additional cost of roughly £160. Unlike the XPS 13, the 14S starts with a 256GB SSD, with 512GB and 1TB storage upgrades available.
The Dell 14S features a larger screen than the 13.4-inch XPS 13 and weighs slightly more as a result, tipping the scales at 2.5 pounds against the XPS 13’s 2.2 pounds. The 13-inch MacBook Neo is the heaviest of the trio at 2.7 pounds. All three laptops use an all-metal construction, which is not standard in the budget class where plastic or partially plastic builds remain common. The Dell 14S also offers a wider port selection than the XPS
