Dell 14 Plus 14" DB14250 Ice Blue 2024

The Dell 14 Plus DB14250 stands out with 32GB of RAM and a sharp 2.5K display inside a light 14-inch body, making it a multitasking champ for productivity and AI tasks. The biggest catch is the 300-nit screen, which ranks poorly in our database and limits outdoor use. Prices vary wildly, but if you score it around $1,170, it's excellent value. Recommended for students and developers who work indoors and don't need a bright panel or gaming muscle.

The Dell 14 Plus DB14250 is a thin-and-light 14-incher that goes all-in on AI readiness without tacking on a dedicated GPU. You're getting Intel's latest Core Ultra 9 288V with an NPU built for local Copilot+ tasks, backed by an unusual amount of memory for this class: 32GB of LPDDR5X. That combination alone positions it as a productivity monster for students, developers, and anyone who lives in dozens of browser tabs while juggling video calls. The 2.5K 16:10 display is sharp and colour-accurate, and at 1.55kg, it disappears in a backpack.

But there's a trade-off that's hard to ignore once you step outside. The screen tops out at 300 nits, which in our database lands in the 37th percentile for laptops of this type. Indoors it's fine, but near a window or out in the garden, you'll be squinting. The integrated Intel Arc graphics are capable for media playback and light photo edits, but with a gaming score of just 20.4 out of 100, nobody should mistake this for a machine that'll run modern titles smoothly.

What really sets the 14 Plus apart is the focus on AI-assisted workflows. Microsoft's Copilot+ features get a proper neural engine to chew on, so tasks like real-time transcription, background blur, and even on-device image generation feel snappier than on older Intel chips. If your day involves drafting emails, summarising PDFs, or letting AI tidy up your calendar, this laptop is squarely aimed at you. Just keep the charger handy, because battery life is still one of those "we'll believe it when we test it" stories.

In our database, the Core Ultra 9 288V sits at the 67th percentile for CPU performance. It's not a chart-topper like an M5 Pro or a high-wattage HX chip, but it has enough grunt to keep compile times short and large spreadsheets responsive. The real star is the 32GB of LPDDR5X. That's a 93rd percentile amount of RAM in a 14-inch laptop, and you feel it every time you leave Docker, Slack, and a dozen Edge tabs open while editing a 4K video. The machine doesn't flinch, even if the fans eventually spin up to remind you there's a powerful chip inside a thin chassis.

The integrated Intel Arc graphics pull their weight for everything but gaming and 3D rendering. Decoding AV1 video and accelerating AI workflows is as smooth as you'd hope, and pushing that sharp 2.5K display doesn't tax the GPU. But with a 64th percentile graphics score and integrated memory sharing, real-time gaming is out of the question. Even older titles will need resolution dialled down. So yes, it's quick, but only if you keep your workloads firmly in the productivity and media-consumption lane.

Pricing for this model is all over the map. We've seen it listed from $1,170 up to a completely ridiculous $265,366 from different vendors. When you find it closer to that low end, the Dell 14 Plus is a strong deal. For about the same money as a mid-tier Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro, you get double the RAM and a fresh Intel silicon that handles AI tasks on-device. The best price we spotted was on Amazon, and at under $1,200 this laptop undercuts a lot of the 32GB ultrabook competition.

The caveat is that you really need to hunt for a reasonable vendor. At anything over $1,500, it's harder to justify when a MacBook Pro M5 Pro brings a far brighter, colour-accurate screen and class-leading battery life. But if you can nab the Dell at the low end and don't mind a display that forces you to work mostly indoors, the value proposition is hard to beat for RAM-hungry multitaskers.

The most natural competitors are the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro and the MSI Prestige PRE13EVOA2088, both thin ultrabooks that chase the same productivity crowd. Samsung's entry typically sports a brighter OLED panel, so if you routinely work next to a window, that's the smarter buy. But you'll likely get 16GB of RAM at a similar price, while Dell offers 32GB as standard. The MSI Prestige is closer on specs but tends to have better reliability ratings in our database, so if long-term durability keeps you up at night, it's worth a closer look.

Then there's the elephant in the room: the Apple MacBook Pro M5 Pro. For significantly more cash, you get a stunning mini-LED display, the fastest CPU in an ultraportable, and battery life that genuinely lasts all day. If your workflow isn't tied to Windows or you're willing to pay the Apple tax, it's the better machine. On the other side, the ASUS ROG Flow GZ302EA-XS99 and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 both crush the Dell in gaming and GPU tasks, but they're heavier, pricier, and complete overkill if you just need a fast laptop for code and documents.

Anyone who needs a bright, vibrant screen for outdoor work should look elsewhere. That 300-nit panel is simply not cut out for sunny coffee shops or campus quads, and the lack of an OLED or high-brightness option will frustrate designers and photographers who rely on accurate colour in varied lighting. If that's you, the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro or even a refurbished MacBook Pro M5 Pro will serve you far better.

Gamers and creative pros depending on a discrete GPU should also skip this. The integrated Arc graphics can't drive modern games or accelerate 3D rendering in a meaningful way, and the machine's gaming score is near the bottom of our database. In that case, a portable gaming laptop like the ASUS ROG Flow GZ302EA-XS99 makes more sense, even if it adds weight and cost.

If you're a student, developer, or office power user who juggles VMs, large datasets, or a chaotic browser tab collection, the Dell 14 Plus DB14250 is a compelling pick. That 32GB of RAM is a luxury you rarely find at this price, and the Core Ultra 9 chews through productivity apps without drama. The AI acceleration is a nice bonus for Copilot+ features, and the 2.5K screen delivers crisp text and accurate colours as long as you're indoors.

But as soon as your day involves direct sunlight or any kind of serious gaming, this laptop becomes a frustrating choice. The 300-nit limit is a genuine compromise, and the unknown battery life means you should carry a charger for long days. If that dim screen is a dealbreaker, look at the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro or the MacBook Pro M5 Pro instead. And if you're buying, shop around. At $1,170 it's a steal; at twice that, it's a pass.