Move over, MacBook Pro M5: The new Dell XPS 14 is one of the longest-lasting laptops we’ve ever tested
Publish Date: 2026-02-13 16:05:00
Source Domain: www.tomsguide.com
When Intel launched its “Panther Lake” Core Ultra Series 3 chips, the company promised up to 27 hours of battery life. That was a bold claim — one I initially dismissed as standard marketing hype. However, there was a tiny part of me that thought Intel might not just be blustering this time. After having tested several Panther Lake laptops, I can say that my gut reaction wasn’t unfounded.
While the Samsung Galaxy Book 6 Pro and Asus Zenbook Duo (2026) deliver excellent battery life for the best Windows laptops, they didn’t last anywhere close to 27 hours in our testing. Why? Because they’re high-end models with power-hungry OLED panels.
Dell XPS 14 Battery Life Beats MacBook Pro?! – YouTube
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However, we just got our hands on a (near) entry-level Dell XPS 14, a machine built for efficiency thanks to its LED panel and less demanding Panther Lake processor. I expected a bump in endurance, but I wasn’t prepared for what our lab results actually showed.
In our battery life test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness, this XPS 14 model lasted for an astonishing 20 hours and 41 minutes. Not only is that one of the best results we’ve ever seen from a Windows 11 laptop, but it officially beats the MacBook Pro M5 by almost three hours!
Dell XPS 14 battery vs. the competition
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)Swipe to scroll horizontally
|
Laptop |
Time (Hours:Mins) |
|
Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite) |
20:51 |
|
MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro) |
20:46 |
|
Dell XPS 14 (Intel Core Ultra 7 355) |
20:41 |
|
Lenovo ThinkBook 16 G7 (Snapdragon X Plus) |
20:23 |
|
MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) |
18:31 |
|
MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) |
18:00 |
|
Samsung Galaxy Book 6 Pro |
15:17 |
Getting into specifics, this Dell XPS 14 model features a 1920 x 1200 LED display rather than the higher-resolution OLED found on premium SKUs. It’s powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 CPU with standard Intel Graphics (not the beefier Arc Graphics found in the higher-tier models). It’s rounded…
