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Head-to-head · Best Thin and Light Laptops

ASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406) vs Dell XPS 14 (9440)

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Dell XPS 14 (9440) comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.4 vs 4.2). Dell XPS 14 (9440) is best for: Creators and power users who want a premium 14-inch Windows laptop with an OLED option and discrete graphics, and who can live with shorter battery life. Read the strengths below before deciding.

ASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406)
Ranked #3 in Best Thin and Light Laptops
ASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406)
3 sources

The ASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406) is the value OLED ultraportable, pairing a stunning 3K 120Hz OLED with a 2.6 lb Ceraluminum body and nearly 14 hours of battery for less than the ThinkPad. Notebookcheck scored it 88.1% and Laptop Mag called it near-perfect. Weak multi-core performance, a mediocre webcam and soldered components are the trade-offs.

Strengths
  • — Gorgeous 14-inch 3K (2880x1800) OLED at 120Hz
  • — Strong real-world battery life of nearly 14 hours
  • — Quiet, efficient Intel Lunar Lake performance for everyday tasks
Watch-outs
  • — Multi-core CPU performance lags AMD Zen 5 and Snapdragon rivals
  • — Display brightness (around 380 nits SDR) trails some competitors
  • — Lackluster webcam and a so-so keyboard
Buy at bestbuy.comFull review →
Dell XPS 14 (9440)
Higher ratedRanked #2 in Best Thin and Light Laptops
Dell XPS 14 (9440)
2 sources$2,049as of Oct 12

The Dell XPS 14 (9440) is the most powerful and feature-rich pick here, offering an optional OLED panel, RTX graphics and a striking aluminum design. TechRadar called it a stunning real MacBook competitor and Windows Central praised its display and quad speakers (Ausdroid 88%, 91mobiles 85%). Battery life and weight are the trade-offs for that extra power.

Strengths
  • — Stunning optional OLED display with excellent quad speakers
  • — Discrete NVIDIA RTX graphics option for light gaming and content creation
  • — Excellent full-HD webcam, a step above many rivals
Watch-outs
  • — Polarizing capacitive function row and seamless haptic touchpad
  • — Pricey once configured with OLED and discrete graphics
$2,049 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →

How they stack up

ASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406)

The value OLED pick: it matches the OLED panel and roughly the weight of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 for less money, but its keyboard and webcam trail the ThinkPad, and it lacks the discrete-graphics option of the Dell XPS 14; battery life sits between the MacBook Air M4 and the XPS 14.

Dell XPS 14 (9440)

The performance and creator pick: it offers discrete RTX graphics the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13, MacBook Air M4 and ASUS Zenbook S14 lack, but it's the heaviest here and its battery life trails all three.

Specs side-by-side

SpecASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406)Dell XPS 14 (9440)
CPUIntel Core Ultra 7 258V (Lunar Lake)Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
RAM16-32GB LPDDR5X16-32GB LPDDR5X
Storage512GB-1TB SSD512GB-1TB SSD
Display14-inch 3K OLED, 120Hz14.5-inch FHD+ or 3.2K OLED
Weight2.6 lbs (1.18 kg)3.7 lbs (1.68 kg)
Battery~14 hours real-world6-9 hours real-world
ChassisCeraluminum—
WirelessWi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4—
Graphics—Intel Arc or NVIDIA RTX option
Ports—3x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C)
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