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The XPS 14--along with its 15- and 17-inch siblings--marks the rebirth of Dell's XPS brand, which is now focused on multimedia and premium designs. Packed with the latest Intel Core i5 processor, Nvidia's Optimus technology, and impressive JBL speakers, the XPS 14 is a well-stocked $988 system. Unfortunately, this laptop doesn't last very long on a charge without adding a 9-cell battery. So should you snatch this laptop up, opt for the XPS 15 instead, or just get something else?
Like the XPS 15, the XPS 14 features a hinge-foward design with an anodized aluminum lid. The hinge area has a black bar with a small backlit Dell logo, which is a nice touch. On the inside you'll find a brushed aluminum deck with a diamond-cut silver trim around the keyboard and touchpad. All of these little details lend the machine a premium look and feel. If you don't like the metallic look of the lid, you can always customize it with one of hundreds of Dell Studio designs.
In the narrow space between the keyboard and display, you'll notice twin JBL speakers, which flank the power button and a series of large LED lights, indicating Wi-Fi signal and battery life. This area also houses three touch-sensitive buttons, including one that lets users adjust the audio settings, another that opens Windows Mobility Center (a settings dashboard), and a third which users can program to launch any application.
Although the XPS 15 weighs 5.4 pounds with its standard battery, our configuration shipped with a 9-cell battery, bringing the weight to a hefty 5.8 pounds. While this battery doesn't jut out past the hinge, it creates a bulge on the bottom side of the notebook, making it two inches thick at the back, and slightly awkward to carry. In practice, we actually liked typing at this angle. The problem is that the XPS 15 weighs only a bit more (6.1 pounds), and the HP Envy 14 offers a larger 14.5-inch display than the XPS 14 while weighing 5.4 pounds.
The XPS 15 features a traditional keyboard layout with the keys positioned close to each other. Although the XPS 14's shrunken right Shift key led to some errors when it came to typing things such as quotation marks, we generally loved the keys' bouncy feel, as well as the sturdy panel beneath them.
The touchpad, which measures 3.25 x 1.5 inches, felt smooth and reliable. The touch buttons were tactile, too, offering just the right amount of responsiveness without feeling mushy.

While not hot, the XPS 14 runs warmer than other thin-and-light systems. For instance, after playing a Hulu clip at full-screen for 15 minutes, it reached temperatures of 95 degrees near the touchpad and 93 at the center of the keyboard. The typical laptop in this size range reaches temperatures of 88 and 89 degrees in these respective spots. However, the underside of the XPS 14 measured 87 degrees, while the bottom of other laptops this size get as hot as 93 degrees.
The XPS 14's 14-inch display has 1366 x 768 resolution, which is pretty standard for a notebook this size. Although an episode of 30 Rock from Hulu looked bright and played smoothly at full screen, the viewing angles weren't that versatile. When we dipped the screen downward, we could still make out what was going on, but the image quality appeared washed out.
Though the XPS 14 does not have a 3D-capable display or emitter, its Nvidia GT420 video card can stream three dimensional video to a 3D-enabled television using Nvidia's 3DTV Play software and the system's HDMI 1.4 port. We didn't have a 3D TV on hand during testing, but the technology worked well during a hands-on demonstration. 3DTV Play will display photos or videos you capture with a 3D camera or camcorder, as well as content from the Web. To take full advantage of this software, though, you should equip the XPS 14 with a Blu-ray drive that can play 3D Blu-ray movies.
Dell partnered with JBL in creating the speakers on the XPS 14, which promise sound that's as rich as it is loud. Indeed, when we listened to "Range Life" by Pavement, we were comfortable keeping the volume below the median level in both Windows and in Slacker Radio's player. We were also impressed by the range of instruments we could make out while listening to "Do You Realize??" The bundled Waves MaxxAudio software allows you to tweak the audio with the push of a button to simulate a surround-sound experience. While these two three-watt speakers don't offer as much power as the 20 watts of audio the XPS pumps out (which also has a subwoofer), the XPS 14 is the best-sounding 14-inch laptop to date.
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