Dell Plus 14 2-in-1 review: A versatile, inexpensive touchscreen machine

If you haven’t heard, Dell dropped a bombshell earlier this year. It announced the company has done away with its well-known Inspiron, XPS, and Precision brands and instead opted for an entirely new hierarchy.

At the bottom of this hierarchy, you’ll find laptops like the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1. Last year, this would’ve been called a Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1, and despite the change in name, it still fills its role of providing an affordable entry point into computing.

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Specifications

The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 that PC World received for testing is an entry-level AMD configuration with an AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 processor at its heart. Dell offers many different Ryzen AI processors, as well as Intel models, but this is among the least powerful configurations available.

• CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 (6 cores, up to 4.8GHz)
• Memory: 16GB LPDDR5x
• Graphics/GPU: AMD Radeon 840M
• NPU: AMD 50 TOPs
• Display: 14-inch 1920×1200 60Hz WVA 300-nits touchscreen
• Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe solid state drive
• Webcam: 1080p 30fps camera
• Connectivity: 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 with Power Delivery and DisplayPort, 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 1.4, 3.5mm audio jack
• Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
• Biometrics: Fingerprint reader
• Battery capacity: 64 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 12.36 inch x 8.9 in x 0.65 in
• Weight: 3.51 pounds
• Operating System: Windows 11 Home
• Price: $849.99 MSRP / $599.99 at time of testing (Best Buy)

That’s reflected in the price. Although it technically carries an MSRP of $849.99 on Dell.com, which feels a bit steep, it currently sells on Best Buy for $599.99, which is among the lowest prices you can expect from a Windows laptop that has the most recent generation of AMD or Intel processor inside. While this is a sale price, the laptop was listed just a couple weeks ago—so I’d expect this “sale” to occur frequently.

Despite its low sale price, the laptop doesn’t cut corners too closely. It still provides 16GB of RAM and a 512GB solid-state drive.

You can expect to pay higher prices if you do decide to go with a Plus 14 2-in-1 from Dell’s website. However, some of the models available on Dell.com offer a 1TB solid-state drive, and there’s also an option for a 2560×1600 resolution display on the Intel variant, which is an upgrade over the entry-level model’s 1920×1200 display.

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Design and build quality

IDG / Matthew Smith

Budget Windows 2-in-1s aren’t exactly known for their riveting or dramatic design, and the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is no exception. It’s a simple, slim 14-inch machine that measures no greater than 0.65 inches thick, available in a silver or navy-blue colorway, neither of which is remarkable.

With that said, it’s a well-executed laptop when it comes to build quality. Opening the laptop lid reveals a bit of display flex, but not enough to raise any concerns. It’s a similar story with the lower chassis, which does slightly creak if handled roughly but doesn’t visibly flex unless truly abused.

I also like the materials used. I felt the plastics on the lower chassis had a nice texture to them and didn’t try to fake a metallic finish. The rear of the display panel, meanwhile, seems to be made of aluminum and offers a premium feel.

Of course, as the name indicates, the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is a 2-in-1 device with a touchscreen, and the hinge allows the display to be rotated back 360 degrees for use like a tablet. It’s too large and heavy to be comfortably used as a tablet for any length of time, but the option is useful if you want to take notes or draw. Dell doesn’t include an Active Pen with the 2-in-1, but one is available for about $40. Owners can also rotate the display partway back to use the keyboard like a kickstand, which can be handy if you want to use the laptop to watch Netflix or YouTube.

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Keyboard, trackpad

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1’s keyboard ranks among its best traits. The keys have good travel and a definitive tactile feel with a subtle, clicky bottoming action. I found the keyboard comfortable to use for long typing sessions. The comfort is aided by a good amount of palm rest space below the bottom of the keyboard. Keyboard backlighting is standard, and it does what it says on the tin.

The touchpad is less remarkable, but also competent. It measures about 4.5 inches wide and about 3 inches deep. The touchpad felt responsive in my testing and handled multi-touch gestures well. However, some competitors—most notably, Asus—offer budget models with larger touchpads.

Of course, since this is a 2-in-1 with a touchscreen, it’s possible to use the touchscreen instead of the touchpad. I personally prefer having the option to touch the screen over not having that option, if it doesn’t add too much to the price, and the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is certainly affordable.

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Display, audio

IDG / Matthew Smith

Most Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 configurations have a WVA-LCD touchscreen display with a resolution of 1920×1200 and a refresh rate of 60 Hz. A 2560×1600 upgrade is available on some models from Dell.com, but PC World did not receive that display to test.

Display quality is passable. On the plus side, the 14-inch display’s 1920×1200 resolution is quite sharp. However, the display is only rated for 300 nits of brightness, and on top of that it has a glossy coating that shows quite a bit of glare. That is a recipe for problems if you intend to use the laptop in a bright room or outdoors.

Color performance is also mediocre. The display looks reasonably saturated and vibrant on its own, but if compared to an OLED display (which can be found on some price-competitive laptops, like the Lenovo IdeaPad 5x and Asus Zenbook 14) the difference is night and day in OLED’s favor. The same is true for contrast, since OLED displays have an effectively infinite contrast ratio that results in a deeper, more immersive image.

To put it simply, the display is not among the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1’s strong points, and it’s the one feature that cuts strongly against a recommendation. If you want a budget laptop with a great display, this isn’t it.

Audio quality is better, though still mixed. The speakers deliver good volume and clarity, especially with dialogue, which is more than can be said for many budget laptops. Throw a bit of bass at them, however, and distortion can result. Even the laptop chassis itself can vibrate, creating an annoying rattle. The speakers are good for podcasts and video calls, but not for games or music.

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 comes with a 1080p webcam and a dual array microphone, both of which are common specifications for modern Windows laptops. The webcam is sharp, and the microphone picks up good audio quality with great noise rejection, especially if AI noise rejection features are enabled. The camera includes a physical privacy shutter, which is always nice to see.

The one slightly unusual specification for the price point is the inclusion of a fingerprint reader on the power button in the upper left corner of the keyboard. It works well in most situations, although a bit of grime or moisture on your finger can fool it. So, don’t try to log in after taking a swig of Mountain Dew.

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Connectivity

IDG / Matthew Smith

Dell has a reputation for leaning on modern connectivity, and the 14 Plus 2-in-1 is no exception.

It provides two USB-C ports, both of which offer power delivery and DisplayPort video connectivity, and both of which can be used to power the laptop with the included USB-C power adapter. They are joined by one USB-A port, an HDMI 1.4 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Although I could nitpick about the lack of a second USB-A port, which means you’ll need an adapter if you happen to want to connect a wired keyboard and mouse, this type of connectivity is typical for a modern Windows laptop.

When it comes to wireless connectivity, the laptop supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, which are the latest versions of the respective wireless standards. Although this is common for modern Windows laptops, at this price point you might end up looking at some older models from the 2024 or 2023 model years, and it’s likely they would not have Wi-Fi 7 or Bluetooth 5.4. Keep that in mind if wireless performance matters to you.

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Performance

The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 that PC World received for testing was an entry-level model with an AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 processor. This APU has a 6-core CPU and AMD Radeon 840M graphics. As you might expect, the entry-level CPU and integrated GPU result in modest overall performance.