Once I first reviewed the Dell 14 Plus (6/10, WIRED Review), my fundamental criticism was over the value. On the time, the one configuration obtainable had a terabyte of storage and price $1,099. That harm its attraction to me, particularly since it could be a extra attractive sub-$1,000 laptop if Dell have been promoting a 512-GB choice.
However what if that 1-TB mannequin was considerably discounted? Properly, that adjustments every part. The 14 Plus is just $700 right now, directly from Dell, down $400 from its retail value. It dipped right down to $850 briefly throughout Amazon Prime Day final week earlier than shooting right back up.
What you get for $700 is a stacked laptop computer with 1 TB of storage and 16 GB of RAM. It additionally has a 2,560 x 1,600-pixel decision show, a lot sharp for the 14-inch measurement. Should you favor a bigger display screen to work on, Dell offers the same laptop in a 16-inch size on the identical value and specs.
The Dell 14 Plus Deal
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{Photograph}: Luke Larsen
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{Photograph}: Luke Larsen
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{Photograph}: Luke Larsen
Examine this deal to my present suggestion for the best cheap laptop, the Asus Vivobook 14 (Snapdragon), which is promoting for $750. The Dell 14 Plus blows that laptop computer away at its $700 sale value. Battery life is simply as lengthy, however the show is healthier, and the touchpad is extra responsive. These are two areas the place laptop computer producers are likely to compromise to carry the value down, and the Dell 14 Plus makes use of high-quality elements in each.
The Intel Core Extremely 7 256V is the important thing to the laptop computer’s success. It is a very environment friendly CPU. It additionally provides the very best built-in graphics I’ve examined on a laptop computer. Do not count on AAA gaming at max settings, however for lighter stuff, the Core Extremely 7 256V might shock you. It held up surprisingly effectively at a current informal LAN occasion, with Counter-Strike 2, Heroes of the Storm, Starcraft, and some different light-weight titles.
{Photograph}: Luke Larsen
Should you’re shopping for a laptop computer proper now, there’s just one different laptop computer that will make me query shopping for the Dell 14 Plus. That is the M1 MacBook Air. It obtained a price cut last week at Walmart, dropping the value to $599, and that sale remains to be going robust. That is $100 cheaper than the Dell and nets you a correct MacBook, with its unmatched construct high quality, touchpad, and audio system. It is a pitiful quantity of RAM and storage, sure, however for the correct particular person, that MacBook remains to be in all probability the best way to go.
You can even find higher-quality Windows laptops on the market, such because the Surface Laptop, which has a quicker screen-refresh price and a haptic suggestions trackpad. However you will be paying further for it and getting much less storage. At its sale value, the Dell 14 Plus is sort of unimaginable to beat.
