The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 (2025) is a mid-range Windows convertible laptop featuring Intel Lunar Lake chips, from an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V to a Core Ultra 9 288V. Memory and storage max out at 32GB and 2TB, respectively. It has a 60Hz FHD+ display with touch and pen input support (Wacom AES), a 1080p webcam, Wi-Fi 7 wireless connectivity, and a fingerprint sensor. Ports include a 5Gbps USB-A, two USB-Cs (one with Thunderbolt 4 support), an HDMI 2.0, and a headphone jack.
See our unit's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section.
Note: We performed the productivity benchmarks, gaming benchmarks, thermals and noise, and performance over time tests using the Ultra Performance mode instead of the default Optimized mode. This change makes the results more representative of the laptop's maximum potential and brings them closer to user expectations. However, this also means that the results are only comparable with reviews containing this disclaimer, as we previously tested laptops in their default mode, which usually throttles performance to prolong battery life.
Our Verdict
The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is great for school use. It's a compact laptop that's easy to carry, and thanks to its 11-hour battery life in light uses, you likely won't need to bring a charger. It can handle light workloads like text processing and web browsing; however, it isn't powerful enough to handle demanding tasks, so it isn't ideal for students in more technical fields requiring lots of processing power, like 3D graphics or animation. The overall user experience is okay; its 1080p display looks reasonably sharp but dim and washed out, and its keyboard feels fairly comfortable to type on, albeit slightly mushy. You get a wide port selection for peripherals and external displays, though, and the display supports pen input if you want to take handwritten notes or mark up passages while studying.
Sturdy build.
Thin and light design.
Battery lasts around 11 hours in light uses.
Display supports pen input to take handwritten notes.
Great port selection.
Visibility may be an issue in well-lit settings due to display's low brightness and glossy finish.
SoC can't handle highly intensive workloads.
Slightly mushy keyboard, sometimes unresponsive touchpad.
The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 isn't designed for gaming. While its low-power SoC can handle some demanding games, you'll have to play with low settings to get playable frame rates, and even then, the gameplay might still be very choppy. Plus, it has a slow 60Hz display with no VRR support, resulting in a blurry image with visible ghosting and screen tearing.
Doesn't get hot or loud under load.
User-replaceable storage drive.
SoC can't handle highly intensive workloads.
60Hz display with slow response time.
No VRR support.
The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is decent for media consumption. It's very portable, and its battery lasts around 15 hours of local video playback, giving you plenty of time to get through a couple of movies and TV shows. Plus, since it's a 2-in-1 convertible, you can set up the laptop in tent mode to view content and navigate using touch input. Unfortunately, its 1080p looks dim and washed out, and its low contrast makes blacks look gray in dim settings. The speakers aren't great either, as they sound unnatural, with almost no bass.
Thin and light design.
Battery lasts over 15 hours of local video playback.
Can use in tent or tablet mode.
Speakers get very loud with minimal compression at high volume levels.
Visibility may be an issue in well-lit settings due to display's low brightness and glossy finish.
Display looks washed out.
Blacks look gray in dim settings.
Speakers sound unnatural, with almost no bass.
The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 isn't ideal for use as a workstation, as it doesn't have the CPU or GPU processing power to handle highly demanding tasks. Also, you can only get up to 32GB of soldered RAM. This laptop isn't suitable for color-critical work either, as its display doesn't even have full coverage of the commonly used sRGB color space.
Doesn't get hot or loud under load.
User-replaceable storage drive.
Great port selection.
SoC can't handle highly intensive workloads.
Can only get up to 32GB of soldered RAM.
CPU throttles under load.
Display isn't suitable for color-critical work.
The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is good for business use. It has a compact design and a sturdy build, and its battery lasts around 11 hours in light uses, making it ideal for those who travel a lot for work. Performance is good; its Intel Lunar Lake chip can easily handle light productivity tasks like text processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and web browsing. As for the user experience, its display looks reasonably sharp but dim, and while its keyboard feels fairly comfortable to type on, it's on the mushy side. Unfortunately, the webcam's video quality is sub-par, as the image looks soft and underexposed.
Sturdy build.
Thin and light design.
Battery lasts around 11 hours in light uses.
Display supports pen input to take handwritten notes.
Great port selection.
Visibility may be an issue in well-lit settings due to display's low brightness and glossy finish.
Slightly mushy keyboard, sometimes unresponsive touchpad.
Mediocre webcam.
Changelog
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Updated Jun 20, 2025:
We've corrected a mistake in the Hinge box. The hinge range is 360 degrees, not 180.
- Updated Jun 19, 2025: Review published.
- Updated Jun 09, 2025: Early access published.
- Updated May 27, 2025: Our testers have started testing this product.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 (model DB04250) with an Intel Core Ultra 7 226V SoC, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. Only the SoC and storage are configurable; the available options are below.
SCREEN
- 14" IPS 1920 x 1200 60Hz (glossy, touch and pen input support, 45% NTSC, 300 cd/m²)
SoC
- Intel Core Ultra 5 226V (8 cores/8 threads, up to 4.5GHz, 8MB cache, Intel Arc 130V, 16GB RAM)
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V (8 cores/8 threads, up to 4.8GHz, 12MB cache, Intel Arc 140V, 16GB RAM)
- Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (8 cores/8 threads, up to 4.8GHz, 12MB cache, Intel Arc 140V, 32GB RAM)
- Intel Core Ultra 9 288V (8 cores/8 threads, up to 5.1GHz, 12MB cache, Intel Arc 140V, 32GB RAM)
MEMORY
- 16GB LP-DDR5x 8533MHz (Core Ultra 5 226V and Core Ultra 7 256V)
- 32GB LP-DDR5x 8533MHz (Core Ultra 7 258V and Core Ultra 9 288V)
STORAGE
- 512GB M.2 2230 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
- 1TB M.2 2230 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
- 2TB M.2 2230 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
COLOR
- Ice Blue
See our unit's label.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is a decent laptop with a sturdy build and excellent battery life. However, because its price is closer to more premium laptops like the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4, 2025), it's difficult to recommend. Many aspects of this laptop fall short compared to the MacBook Air, like its dim, washed-out display, slightly mushy keyboard, sometimes unresponsive diving board touchpad, and low-quality webcam. Its Intel Lunar Lake chip is also noticeably behind Apple's base M4 SoC in performance. One can argue that the Dell's 2-in-1 form factor is a feature that the MacBook Air lacks, but because so many aspects of this laptop fall short, you're essentially paying for its 2-in-1 feature.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best 2-in-1 laptops, the best lightweight laptops, and the best travel laptops.
The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 (2025) and the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4, 2025) are very different laptops. The former is a Windows convertible with touch and pen input support, while the latter is a more traditional clamshell model running macOS. The MacBook Air is a better device overall, providing a superior user experience with its sharper, brighter, and more colorful display, more tactile keyboard, easier-to-use haptic touchpad, and significantly better webcam. Apple's M4 SoC is also noticeably faster than the Dell's Intel Lunar Lake chips, capable of handling more demanding workloads. Plus, unlike the Dell 14 Plus, the MacBook Air is fanless, allowing you to work in complete silence.
The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 (2025) and the Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 14 (2024) are both Windows convertible laptops. The Lenovo is better overall; its AMD Ryzen CPUs are faster, especially in multi-threaded workloads, and it provides a better user experience with a more comfortable keyboard, a more premium-feeling and responsive touchpad, and a superior webcam. You can also get the Lenovo with an OLED display, which will give you a much better visual experience than the Dell's dim, washed out IPS panel.
The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 (2025) and the HP Pavilion Aero 13 (2024) are both Windows ultraportables. However, the Dell is a 2-in-1 convertible with stylus support, while the HP is a more traditional clamshell model. The Dell has a sturdier build, as well as a longer battery life, especially when consuming media. On the other hand, the HP provides a better user experience, especially in regard to the display—its FHD+ display is brighter and more colorful than the Dell's, and you can also get the HP with a QHD+ panel, whereas the Dell is only available with a FHD+ screen. Performance will depend on the configuration, though generally speaking, the Dell's Intel Lunar Lake chips have better single-thread performance, while the HP's AMD Ryzen CPUs have better multi-thread performance.
Although the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 (2025) and the ASUS Zenbook A14 UX3407 (2025) are both 14-inch Windows laptops, they're quite different. The Dell is a convertible with stylus support, while the ASUS is a more traditional clamshell model. In terms of the overall user experience, the ASUS is better, as it has a nicer OLED display, a more comfortable keyboard, and a more responsive touchpad. The most important thing to know about these two laptops is that the Dell runs on an Intel x86 chip, while the ASUS runs on Qualcomm's ARM-based SoC. For most people, the difference in performance won't matter much, as these chips can easily handle general productivity tasks; however, keep in mind that many programs don't run natively on ARM-based SoCs, so you'll want to check that the apps you use are compatible if you're considering the ASUS. The upside is that the Qualcomm chips are very power efficient, giving you much longer battery life on the ASUS.
Test Results
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