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💻 Dell 14 Premium vs X1 Carbon

AI-powered analysis across 51 matched specifications

Dell 14 Premium (DA14250) in Platinum — front view with 14.5-inch 2K InfinityEdge display and edge-to-edge zero-lattice keyboard
Dell 14 Premium
Dell
7.9
Overall Score
Creators and power users who need discrete RTX 4050 graphics and an H-class CPU in a premium 14-inch chassis
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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 14-inch business ultraportable in black carbon-fibre — front view, open
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13
Lenovo
8.5
Overall Score
Mobile executives and managed fleets wanting the lightest, most secure, Copilot+-ready 14-inch business ultraportable
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Performance Overview

Scores based on quantifiable specification values (1-10 scale)

Performance & graphicsDisplayPortability & batteryConnectivity & portsSecurity & manageability
Dell 14 Premium
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13
Performance & graphics
Dell 14 Premium
9.0
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13
7.0
Display
Dell 14 Premium
8.6
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13
8.4
Portability & battery
Dell 14 Premium
7.3
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13
9.2
Connectivity & ports
Dell 14 Premium
7.5
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13
8.8
Security & manageability
Dell 14 Premium
7.0
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13
9.0

Detailed Specifications

Specification
Dell 14 Premium
Dell
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13
Lenovo
At a Glance
PositioningConsumer-premium flagship — XPS 14 successorBusiness flagship ultraportable (Aura Edition)
Model codeDA14250 (regulatory P184G)21NS / 21NX series
Screen14.5" 16:1014.0" 16:10
Stocked processorIntel Core Ultra 7 255HIntel Core Ultra 7 258V or 255U
Discrete GPUNVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (6 GB)None — integrated graphics only
Starting weight1.63 kg (2K build)0.986 kg (Lunar Lake)
Operating system (stocked)Windows 11 ProWindows 11 Pro
Processor, graphics & memory
ProcessorCore Ultra 7 255H — 16C/16T (6P+8E+2LPE), up to 5.1 GHz, 28 W base / 115 W max turboCore Ultra 7 258V (Lunar Lake, 8-core) or 255U (Arrow Lake, 12C/14T)
NPU (on-device AI)Up to 13 TOPS (Intel AI Boost)Up to 47 TOPS on 258V / up to 12 TOPS on 255U
Copilot+ certifiedNo — 13-TOPS NPU is below the 40-TOPS barYes on 258V (47 TOPS); no on 255U
Discrete graphicsNVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, 6 GB GDDR6, 30 W TGPNone
Integrated graphicsIntel Arc 140TIntel Arc Graphics 140V (258V) / Intel Graphics (255U)
Memory (stocked)32 GB LPDDR5x-8400, soldered16 / 32 GB LPDDR5x-8533 (258V), soldered
Maximum memory64 GB platform max (soldered — order-time only)64 GB on 255U (Arrow Lake); 32 GB on 258V
Memory upgradeableNo — solderedNo — soldered
Storage1 TB M.2 2230 PCIe Gen4 ×4 NVMe (single slot; 2230/2280, up to 4 TB SED-ready to order)Up to 2 TB M.2 2280 NVMe, Opal 2.0; PCIe 5.0 ×4 (V/H) or 4.0 ×4 (U)
Display
Base panel14.5" 2K 1920×1200 IPS, 500 nits, 100% sRGB, anti-glare14.0" WUXGA 1920×1200 IPS, 500 nits, 100% sRGB, anti-glare
OLED option3.2K 3200×2000 OLED touch, 400 nits, 100% DCI-P3, DisplayHDR 5002.8K 2880×1800 OLED touch, 120 Hz, 100% DCI-P3, DisplayHDR True Black 500
Peak refresh rate120 Hz (30–120 Hz VRR)120 Hz (2.8K OLED)
Dolby Vision HDRYes (both panels)Yes (OLED)
TouchOLED build onlyOLED build; WUXGA touch also available
Privacy screen optionNot availableThinkPad Privacy Guard to order
Low blue lightEyesafe + TÜV RheinlandEyesafe 2.0
Connectivity & I/O
Thunderbolt / USB-C3× Thunderbolt 4 (USB4 40 Gbps, DP 2.1, Power Delivery)2× Thunderbolt 4 (USB4 40 Gbps, DP 2.1, PD 15–65 W)
USB-ANone2× USB-A 5 Gbps (one Always On)
HDMINoneHDMI 2.1 (up to 4K/60 Hz)
Card readermicroSDXC v7.1 (UHS-I/UHS-II)None
Headphone jackUniversal headset jack3.5 mm combo jack
Max external displaysUp to 3 (two 4K or one 8K)Up to 4 (Arrow Lake) / 3 (Lunar Lake); 8K/60 over TB
Wi-Fi & BluetoothWi-Fi 7 (Intel Killer BE201) + Bluetooth 5.4Wi-Fi 7 BE201 + BT 5.4 (Wi-Fi 6E on some Arrow Lake)
Mobile broadband (WWAN)Not availableOptional 5G Sub-6 / 4G LTE with eSIM
Build, battery & durability
Chassis materialCNC-machined aluminium, Gorilla Glass 3 palm restCarbon-fibre lid over magnesium / aluminium base
ColourPlatinum or GraphiteBlack
Dimensions (W × D)320 × 216 mm312.8 × 214.75 mm
Thickness6.70 mm front → 18.02 mm rear16.95–17.95 mm
Starting weight1.63 kg (2K) – 1.83 kg (OLED)0.986 kg (Lunar Lake) / 1.006 kg (Arrow Lake)
Battery capacity70 Wh57 Wh
Rated battery life--Up to ~17 hr (MobileMark 25, WUXGA)
Fast chargeExpressCharge 0–80% in 1 h; Boost 0–35% in 20 minRapid Charge to 80% in 1 h
Supplied charger100 W USB-C65 W USB-C
Ruggedisation testing--MIL-STD-810H passed
Security & management
TPMTPM 2.0, FIPS 140-2Discrete TPM 2.0, FIPS 140-3 (TCG)
Fingerprint readerIn power button (capacitive, 500 dpi)Match-on-chip, in a keyboard key
IR face sign-inYes (Windows Hello)Yes (Windows Hello)
Camera privacy shutterNo (camera status LED only)Yes
Human presence detectionYes (Express Sign-In)Optional (Computer Vision / ultrasonic)
Lock slotNoneKensington Nano Security Slot
BIOS protectionDell SafeBIOS / SafeIDSelf-healing BIOS (ThinkShield)
Intel vPro--Available to order
Standard warranty1-year Dell Care Plus1-year base (3-year & Premier Support to order)
SustainabilityENERGY STAR 9.0, EPEAT Gold (Climate+)ENERGY STAR 9.0, EPEAT Gold, TCO gen 10; recycled carbon fibre
At a Glance
Positioning
Dell 14 PremiumConsumer-premium flagship — XPS 14 successor
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Business flagship ultraportable (Aura Edition)
Model code
Dell 14 PremiumDA14250 (regulatory P184G)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 1321NS / 21NX series
Screen
Dell 14 Premium14.5" 16:10
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 1314.0" 16:10
Stocked processor
Dell 14 PremiumIntel Core Ultra 7 255H
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Intel Core Ultra 7 258V or 255U
Discrete GPU
Dell 14 PremiumNVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (6 GB)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13None — integrated graphics only
Starting weight
Dell 14 Premium1.63 kg (2K build)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 130.986 kg (Lunar Lake)
Operating system (stocked)
Dell 14 PremiumWindows 11 Pro
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Windows 11 Pro
Processor, graphics & memory
Processor
Dell 14 PremiumCore Ultra 7 255H — 16C/16T (6P+8E+2LPE), up to 5.1 GHz, 28 W base / 115 W max turbo
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Core Ultra 7 258V (Lunar Lake, 8-core) or 255U (Arrow Lake, 12C/14T)
NPU (on-device AI)
Dell 14 PremiumUp to 13 TOPS (Intel AI Boost)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Up to 47 TOPS on 258V / up to 12 TOPS on 255U
Copilot+ certified
Dell 14 PremiumNo — 13-TOPS NPU is below the 40-TOPS bar
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Yes on 258V (47 TOPS); no on 255U
Discrete graphics
Dell 14 PremiumNVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, 6 GB GDDR6, 30 W TGP
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13None
Integrated graphics
Dell 14 PremiumIntel Arc 140T
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Intel Arc Graphics 140V (258V) / Intel Graphics (255U)
Memory (stocked)
Dell 14 Premium32 GB LPDDR5x-8400, soldered
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 1316 / 32 GB LPDDR5x-8533 (258V), soldered
Maximum memory
Dell 14 Premium64 GB platform max (soldered — order-time only)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 1364 GB on 255U (Arrow Lake); 32 GB on 258V
Memory upgradeable
Dell 14 PremiumNo — soldered
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13No — soldered
Storage
Dell 14 Premium1 TB M.2 2230 PCIe Gen4 ×4 NVMe (single slot; 2230/2280, up to 4 TB SED-ready to order)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Up to 2 TB M.2 2280 NVMe, Opal 2.0; PCIe 5.0 ×4 (V/H) or 4.0 ×4 (U)
Display
Base panel
Dell 14 Premium14.5" 2K 1920×1200 IPS, 500 nits, 100% sRGB, anti-glare
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 1314.0" WUXGA 1920×1200 IPS, 500 nits, 100% sRGB, anti-glare
OLED option
Dell 14 Premium3.2K 3200×2000 OLED touch, 400 nits, 100% DCI-P3, DisplayHDR 500
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 132.8K 2880×1800 OLED touch, 120 Hz, 100% DCI-P3, DisplayHDR True Black 500
Peak refresh rate
Dell 14 Premium120 Hz (30–120 Hz VRR)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13120 Hz (2.8K OLED)
Dolby Vision HDR
Dell 14 PremiumYes (both panels)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Yes (OLED)
Touch
Dell 14 PremiumOLED build only
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13OLED build; WUXGA touch also available
Privacy screen option
Dell 14 PremiumNot available
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13ThinkPad Privacy Guard to order
Low blue light
Dell 14 PremiumEyesafe + TÜV Rheinland
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Eyesafe 2.0
Connectivity & I/O
Thunderbolt / USB-C
Dell 14 Premium3× Thunderbolt 4 (USB4 40 Gbps, DP 2.1, Power Delivery)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 132× Thunderbolt 4 (USB4 40 Gbps, DP 2.1, PD 15–65 W)
USB-A
Dell 14 PremiumNone
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 132× USB-A 5 Gbps (one Always On)
HDMI
Dell 14 PremiumNone
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13HDMI 2.1 (up to 4K/60 Hz)
Card reader
Dell 14 PremiummicroSDXC v7.1 (UHS-I/UHS-II)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13None
Headphone jack
Dell 14 PremiumUniversal headset jack
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 133.5 mm combo jack
Max external displays
Dell 14 PremiumUp to 3 (two 4K or one 8K)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Up to 4 (Arrow Lake) / 3 (Lunar Lake); 8K/60 over TB
Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
Dell 14 PremiumWi-Fi 7 (Intel Killer BE201) + Bluetooth 5.4
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Wi-Fi 7 BE201 + BT 5.4 (Wi-Fi 6E on some Arrow Lake)
Mobile broadband (WWAN)
Dell 14 PremiumNot available
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Optional 5G Sub-6 / 4G LTE with eSIM
Build, battery & durability
Chassis material
Dell 14 PremiumCNC-machined aluminium, Gorilla Glass 3 palm rest
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Carbon-fibre lid over magnesium / aluminium base
Colour
Dell 14 PremiumPlatinum or Graphite
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Black
Dimensions (W × D)
Dell 14 Premium320 × 216 mm
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13312.8 × 214.75 mm
Thickness
Dell 14 Premium6.70 mm front → 18.02 mm rear
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 1316.95–17.95 mm
Starting weight
Dell 14 Premium1.63 kg (2K) – 1.83 kg (OLED)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 130.986 kg (Lunar Lake) / 1.006 kg (Arrow Lake)
Battery capacity
Dell 14 Premium70 Wh
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 1357 Wh
Rated battery life
Dell 14 Premium--
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Up to ~17 hr (MobileMark 25, WUXGA)
Fast charge
Dell 14 PremiumExpressCharge 0–80% in 1 h; Boost 0–35% in 20 min
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Rapid Charge to 80% in 1 h
Supplied charger
Dell 14 Premium100 W USB-C
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 1365 W USB-C
Ruggedisation testing
Dell 14 Premium--
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13MIL-STD-810H passed
Security & management
TPM
Dell 14 PremiumTPM 2.0, FIPS 140-2
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Discrete TPM 2.0, FIPS 140-3 (TCG)
Fingerprint reader
Dell 14 PremiumIn power button (capacitive, 500 dpi)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Match-on-chip, in a keyboard key
IR face sign-in
Dell 14 PremiumYes (Windows Hello)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Yes (Windows Hello)
Camera privacy shutter
Dell 14 PremiumNo (camera status LED only)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Yes
Human presence detection
Dell 14 PremiumYes (Express Sign-In)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Optional (Computer Vision / ultrasonic)
Lock slot
Dell 14 PremiumNone
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Kensington Nano Security Slot
BIOS protection
Dell 14 PremiumDell SafeBIOS / SafeID
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Self-healing BIOS (ThinkShield)
Intel vPro
Dell 14 Premium--
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Available to order
Standard warranty
Dell 14 Premium1-year Dell Care Plus
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 131-year base (3-year & Premier Support to order)
Sustainability
Dell 14 PremiumENERGY STAR 9.0, EPEAT Gold (Climate+)
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13ENERGY STAR 9.0, EPEAT Gold, TCO gen 10; recycled carbon fibre
★

Expert Analysis

Specs web-verified from manufacturer datasheets · Servnet-reviewed · Last reviewed 12 Jul 2026

These are two very different answers to the same brief — a premium 14-inch Windows flagship. The Dell 14 Premium is the XPS 14 as it exists after Dell's 2025 rebrand: a consumer-premium machine that reaches further on raw capability. Its stocked build pairs an H-class 16-core Core Ultra 7 255H with a discrete NVIDIA RTX 4050, runs its LPDDR5x at 8400 MT/s, drives a bright 500-nit 2K panel (or a 3.2K OLED), and carries the larger 70 Wh battery with faster ExpressCharge. If the work is GPU-bound — creative edit suites, CAD viewports, local model experiments — it is the stronger tool of the two.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 is built for a different priority: it is a managed business flagship first. At 986 g with a rated ~17-hour battery, MIL-STD-810H testing, HDMI and twin USB-A ports, optional 5G with eSIM, and a full ThinkShield stack — discrete FIPS 140-3 TPM, camera privacy shutter, Kensington lock slot, self-healing BIOS and vPro to order — it is the machine that slots cleanly into a corporate image, a dock estate and a security policy. The Copilot+ 258V option also clears the 40-TOPS NPU bar the Dell's 255H cannot.

For most UK organisations the X1 Carbon is the safer standardisation choice: lighter, longer-lasting, better-connected and enterprise-secured, with Premier Support and multi-year cover available. Reserve the Dell 14 Premium for the individuals who genuinely need discrete RTX graphics and H-class headroom in a premium chassis, and budget for a Thunderbolt dock and adapters to cover its ports-light design and one-year consumer warranty.

Dell 14 Premium
Creators and power users who need discrete RTX 4050 graphics and an H-class CPU in a premium 14-inch chassis
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13
Mobile executives and managed fleets wanting the lightest, most secure, Copilot+-ready 14-inch business ultraportable

Frequently asked questions

Which is the better choice for a managed UK business fleet?

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 is the stronger fit. It carries a discrete FIPS 140-3 TPM, a camera privacy shutter, a Kensington Nano lock slot, a self-healing BIOS and vPro options, plus HDMI and USB-A for meeting rooms and older peripherals. The Dell 14 Premium is a consumer-premium machine — Thunderbolt-only I/O, no lock slot or shutter, and a one-year standard warranty rather than multi-year business cover.

Does either laptop qualify as a Copilot+ PC?

Only the ThinkPad, in its Core Ultra 7 258V (Lunar Lake) build, whose 47-TOPS NPU clears Microsoft's 40-TOPS Copilot+ bar for on-device features such as Recall and Click to Do. The Dell 14 Premium's Core Ultra 7 255H is an H-class chip with a 13-TOPS NPU — a capable AI PC, but below the Copilot+ threshold. Choose the 258V configuration if Copilot+ is a requirement.

Can these handle serious creative or GPU workloads?

The Dell can. Its stocked build pairs the 16-core Core Ultra 7 255H with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (6 GB GDDR6, 30 W) and 8400 MT/s memory, bringing CUDA acceleration to edit suites, 3D viewports and GPU compute. The X1 Carbon is integrated-graphics only — Intel Arc 140V or Intel Graphics — so it favours efficiency and portability over sustained discrete-GPU performance.

How do portability and battery life compare?

They target different priorities. The X1 Carbon starts at 986 g with a 57 Wh battery rated up to around 17 hours (MobileMark 25) and MIL-STD-810H testing — built to travel light. The Dell is heavier at 1.63 kg but fits a larger 70 Wh battery with faster ExpressCharge (0–80% in an hour). Dell publishes no runtime figure, so treat its battery life as unquoted.

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