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Dell's new 14-inch laptops take on the MacBook Neo in a new way — ports and colors
The new models use Intel's Wildcat Lake processors.
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Dell has been spending its year taking on the MacBook Neo and settling in as a staunch advocate of the mid-range laptop. The Dell XPS 13 debuted at $699 to take on Apple's budget device with a higher end screen and lighter chassis, but ahead of IFA, Dell has a new strategy: colors.
The company announced the new Dell 14S (model DS14270), which, like the XPS 13, it's aiming at students and young adults and professionals looking for an "accessible" price tag. The system comes in four color options: linen (a light gold), dusty rose (a subtle pink), washed denim (a light sky blue), and velvet green (a barely teal shade).
"Color is not simply a finishing touch on the Dell 14S," Dell head of product Matt McGowan said in a press briefing ahead of the announcement. "It is the design story." The system is made of aluminum and starts at 2.65 pounds (1.15 kg). It measures 0.48 inches (12.21) mm at the thinnest point and 0.58 inches (13.5 mm) at the thickest.
14-inch, non-touch, 1920 x 1200, 60 Hz, 300 nits or 2880 x 1800, 120 Hz, 450 nits
2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10 GBps), HDMI 1.4, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Realtek Wi-Fi 6 with Bluetooth 5.3 or MediaTek Wi-Fi 6E with Bluetooth 5.4
Dell claims the 14S is the first laptop with a 750 ED PNCM battery (an optional upgrade), with a cell that stays cool and discharges more slowly. McGowan promised 21 hours of Netflix streaming.
The 14S has more ports than the XPS 13, including two 10Gbps USB-C ports, an HDMI output, and a headphone jack. The XPS 13 only features a pair of USB-C ports. But where the XPS 13 has Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 for wireless connectivity, the 14S relies on older Wi-Fi 6 and 6E standards, as well as older variants of Bluetooth 5.