Dell Pro Essential 14" Review

The Dell Pro 14 Essential is a basic workhorse laptop with average performance. Its best score is for the GPU (68th percentile), but the screen and storage are weak. It's worth buying only if you find it under $700 and just need a simple PC.

The Dell Pro 14 Essential is a solid, no-frills laptop. It packs a decent AMD Ryzen 5 220 CPU and 16GB of RAM, which gives it enough muscle for everyday tasks and light work. But it's not trying to be a flashy gaming rig or a sleek ultrabook. It's a basic workhorse. And that's the vibe. You get a 14-inch 1080p screen, a 512GB SSD, and Windows 11 Pro. The specs are middle-of-the-road across our database. It's a straightforward machine for someone who needs a reliable PC without breaking the bank.

Performance is about average. The AMD Ryzen 5 220 CPU sits in the 61st percentile, which means it's a competent chip for office work and web browsing. The AMD Radeon graphics are in the 68th percentile, so they're a bit stronger than the CPU, but this isn't a gaming laptop. It'll handle some light photo editing or older games, but don't expect to run the latest titles smoothly. The 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD are both squarely in the middle of the pack. They're fine, but you might feel cramped on storage if you hoard files.

The price swings from $653 to $760 depending on where you shop. At the lower end, around $650, this laptop is a fair deal for the core specs. You're getting a functional machine. But if you're paying close to $760, it starts to feel less justified. At that price, you're competing with laptops that have better screens, more storage, or sleeker designs. Shop around and grab it at the lowest price you can find.

This Dell sits in a weird spot. It's not as powerful or polished as the ASUS ProArt or MSI Creator, which are aimed at creatives with better screens and GPUs. It's also not as portable or efficient as a Microsoft Surface Laptop. Compared to a Lenovo Legion, it's a non-gamer. The closest match might be other basic business laptops, but even there, its screen and port selection are weak spots. It's a generalist that doesn't excel in any specific category.

Skip this if you're a developer, a content creator, or a gamer. Our data shows it scores poorly for developer work (40.6/100), and the screen and GPU aren't suited for serious creative or gaming tasks. If you need a beautiful display or lots of ports, look elsewhere.

Buy this if you need a simple, Windows 11 Pro laptop for basic office work, web browsing, and light tasks, and you found it for under $700. It's a get-the-job-done machine. Don't expect thrills, but it should handle the fundamentals.