Dell Pro 14 (PA14250) review: Professional powerhouse that overpromises on a few fronts

Mint

6 days ago

Some laptops grab your attention with RGB lights and gamer flair. Others, like the Dell Pro 14 (PA14250), walk in dressed for business, speak when spoken to, and promise to quietly handle whatever you throw at them. With a crisp 2.8K OLED touchscreen display, a snappy Intel Core Ultra 7 chip, and a generous 32 GB of RAM, this machine feels like it was built for fast-moving professionals who don't want to waste time, or space.
But after living with this machine for a few weeks, I've realised that while Dell has packed in a lot of hardware muscle, a few design quirks and usability gaps hold it back from greatness.
Component Details Processor Intel Core Ultra 7 RAM 32 GB LPDDR5 Storage 512 GB NVMe SSD Display 14-inch, 2880 x 1800 (2.8K), OLED Touchscreen Graphics Integrated Intel Arc Weight ~1.57 kg (approx) Ports 2x USB-C, 1x USB-A, HDMI, microSD slot Extras Fingerprint reader, Backlit keyboard
At first glance, the Pro 14 feels refreshingly minimal. It's compact, weighs around 1.5 kg, and feels easy to slide into any professional setting. The chassis doesn't creak, the hinge holds firm, and the matte finish keeps fingerprints to a minimum.
But spend some real time with it, and a few annoyances creep in. The trackpad showed visible wear within weeks, which is rare for a machine in this price range. It's responsive, yes—but visually aged far too quickly.
And the hinge, while solid, doesn't go beyond 180 degrees, making the touchscreen feel oddly underutilised. You can tap, scroll, and pinch, but without any pen in the box or tablet-mode flexibility, the touchscreen ends up as a nice-to-have rather than a meaningful upgrade. Dell Pro 14 (PA14250) review
Now here's where the Pro 14 redeems itself. The 14-inch 2.8K (2880×1800) OLED panel is crisp, sharp, and lovely to look at. Colours are punchy without being oversaturated, text rendering is tack-sharp, and the extra vertical resolution (thanks to the 16:10 aspect ratio) makes multitasking noticeably more comfortable. Dell Pro 14 (PA14250) review
I worked on slides, edited documents, or took multiple YouTube breaks, and this display consistently delivered. It's not overly reflective, which helped me while working near windows. The brightness isn't eye-searing, it's comfortably usable indoors. The OLED contrast was refreshing to see, but do not that this panel is built for productivity, not punch.
Armed with the Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and 32 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, this machine felt consistently fast. Boot times are near-instant, heavy Chrome multitasking doesn't cause stutters, and the laptop glides through productivity apps like Excel, PowerPoint, Lightroom (light edits), and even video conferencing with background tasks running. Dell Pro 14 (PA14250) review
The Intel Arc integrated graphics did not let me game on high settings, but for creative workflows and FHD video playback, it held up just fine. Thermal performance remains steady, no hot palm rests or fan blast during normal use.
In short:it performs like a top-tier ultrabook should.
This is where things get subjective, but not without reason. The keyboard is well-spaced, cleanly backlit, and offers decent feedback… but the key travel is shallow, and that becomes a problem during fast typing sessions. If you're coming from a ThinkPad like me, or any laptop with deeper keys, you might find yourself pressing Caps Lock instead of 'A', as I often did.
The layout also takes some getting used to. It's not unusable, but it lacks the kind of muscle memory comfort that serious typists typically expect—especially in a productivity-focused machine like this one.
With real-world use (screen at ~60% brightness, Wi-Fi on, multitasking in full swing), the battery comfortably lasts around 7 to 8 hours. That's good, but not outstanding for a laptop in this class. The bright 2.8K panel definitely draws more power than a typical FHD display, so you'll want to keep a charger nearby for longer stretches.
On the upside, it charges quickly via USB-C, juicing up to about 80% in under an hour. I could also use a portable GaN charger with this laptop, instead of carrying a proprietary one.
Dell gets the I/O mix mostly right. You get: Two USB-C ports (both support charging, only one supports fast charging)
One USB-A for legacy devices
HDMI for displays
A headphone jack
The fingerprint reader on the power button works fast and reliably, but the slight misalignment did trigger my OCD. Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 ensure you're future-proof on the wireless front. No Ethernet, but that's expected at this size. Dell Pro 14 (PA14250) review
Pros Cons Snappy Core Ultra 7 performance with 32 GB RAM Touchscreen feels redundant with no pen and limited hinge flexibility 2.8K display is sharp, vibrant, and productivity-friendly Trackpad shows wear within weeks Reliable battery life with fast USB-C charging Shallow key travel, not ideal for fast or accurate typing
The Dell Pro 14 (PA14250) delivers excellent internals in a smartly packaged body, making it ideal for professionals who value speed, clarity, and a compact form. The display is crisp, the performance is snappy, and it holds its own in real-world multitasking. Dell Pro 14 (PA14250) review
But a few design choices prevent it from feeling truly complete: the shallow keyboard, the pointless touchscreen implementation, and the visible trackpad wear in under a month all leave room for refinement. If you want a laptop that performs beautifully for work and daily tasks, this is a compelling choice. Just don't expect the kind of long-term polish or tactile satisfaction that power users (especially writers or coders) might crave.