Dell Pro 14 Plus Review: Compact Intel Core Ultra 7 Laptop Designed for Productivity

Introduction

The Dell Pro 14 Plus is a 14-inch business laptop engineered for professionals, students, and remote workers who prioritise portability, modern features, and reliable performance. Positioned in Dell’s Pro series, this laptop is designed to deliver efficiency for everyday office tasks while maintaining a compact, lightweight form factor suitable for mobile work environments.

Equipped with the Intel Core Ultra 7 225U processor, 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, and a 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD, the Dell Pro 14 Plus offers seamless multitasking capabilities, fast boot times, and a smooth computing experience for business applications. The 14-inch 1920x1080 display ensures clear visuals, and its robust construction makes it suitable for both office and home environments.

By 2025, the Dell Pro 14 Plus remains a relevant choice for professionals seeking reliable business laptops without paying premium ultrabook prices. While it does not rival high-end workstations or gaming laptops in raw power, it provides ample performance for office productivity, remote collaboration, and multimedia consumption.

Specifications Overview

The Dell Pro 14 Plus strikes a balance between modern efficiency and portability, with specifications tailored to professional workflows and day-to-day business tasks.

Design and Build Quality

Dell has designed the Pro 14 Plus with a minimalist yet professional aesthetic. Its lightweight aluminium chassis makes it easy to carry between work locations, client meetings, and co-working spaces. Weighing 1.61 kg, it is portable without sacrificing durability.

The laptop’s matte finish and slim profile reduce fingerprints and smudges, ensuring it maintains a polished, professional look. Its hinges are sturdy, supporting smooth lid operation while preventing wobble, even with frequent opening and closing.

Compared to older Dell Latitude or Inspiron models, the Pro 14 Plus emphasises portability while maintaining business-grade reliability. Its compact 14-inch form factor fits comfortably in backpacks or laptop sleeves, making it suitable for hybrid work setups.

Display and Visual Experience

The 14-inch Full HD display of the Dell Pro 14 Plus offers crisp text, accurate colours, and wide viewing angles. With a resolution of 1920x1080, professionals can view documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with clarity, making collaboration and multitasking easier.

The 60 Hz refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling through web pages, emails, and office applications. While not designed for high-refresh gaming or professional-level graphic work, the display is well-suited for business productivity, video conferencing, and casual media consumption.

Although the Pro 14 Plus does not feature a touchscreen, its IPS panel provides consistent brightness and colour fidelity, sufficient for professional and educational tasks.

Performance and Everyday Usage

The Intel Core Ultra 7 225U processor provides 8 cores, balancing performance and power efficiency. Combined with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and a 256GB PCIe SSD, the Dell Pro 14 Plus is capable of handling multiple office applications, web browsers with numerous tabs, video calls, and lightweight content creation simultaneously.

Intel’s Arc integrated graphics enhance video playback, basic graphic design, and light editing tasks. Professionals using cloud-based productivity tools, Microsoft Office applications, or online collaboration platforms will find the system responsive and reliable.

Key use cases include:

• Running productivity and office applications efficiently
• Remote work and video conferencing
• Managing spreadsheets, presentations, and document workflows
• Light creative work, including graphic design previews or photo editing

Although it is not suited for gaming or GPU-intensive workloads, the Pro 14 Plus excels at delivering smooth and consistent performance for everyday professional use.

Keyboard and Trackpad

Dell’s Pro series keyboards are designed for comfort and efficiency. The keys are well-spaced, responsive, and provide tactile feedback, allowing long typing sessions without fatigue. This makes the Pro 14 Plus ideal for professionals, writers, or students who spend extended periods on document creation or coding.

The trackpad is smooth and supports multi-touch gestures, offering precise control for navigation, zooming, and scrolling. While some users may prefer an external mouse for extensive work, the built-in trackpad provides reliable performance for standard office tasks.

Battery Life and Portability

The Dell Pro 14 Plus features efficient power management, providing up to 8–9 hours of battery life under standard office workloads. This makes it suitable for a full workday without requiring frequent charging.

Its lightweight 1.61 kg frame complements the long battery life, making it an ideal solution for professionals who are frequently on the move. Even during more demanding workloads, the laptop balances power consumption and performance effectively, ensuring consistent productivity.

Connectivity and Ports

The Dell Pro 14 Plus offers modern and versatile connectivity options, including:

• USB-C port for fast data transfer, display output, and docking
• USB-A port for legacy devices
• HDMI for connecting external displays or projectors
• Headphone jack for audio devices

This port selection caters to professionals who require compatibility with both contemporary and legacy peripherals. The inclusion of USB-C and HDMI ensures smooth integration with modern office setups and multi-monitor environments.

Security and Reliability

Dell prioritises security and reliability in the Pro 14 Plus. The laptop includes:

• Hardware-based security features such as TPM 2.0
• BIOS-level security settings for enterprise environments
• Optional software-level encryption and authentication tools

Its durable aluminium chassis ensures long-term reliability, making the Pro 14 Plus suitable for daily professional use, commuting, or hybrid work.

Why the Dell Pro 14 Plus Matters in 2025

The Dell Pro 14 Plus remains a practical choice for professionals because it delivers:

• Portability for hybrid work and commuting
• Sufficient performance for office and light creative tasks
• Modern ports including USB-C for future-proof connectivity
• Energy-efficient Intel Ultra 7 CPU with multitasking capabilities
• Reliable build quality suitable for everyday use

Refurbished or newly purchased units offer an affordable entry point into a modern business laptop with high durability and professional-grade features.

Comparison with Similar Laptops

Analysis

• The Dell Pro 14 Plus is ideal for budget-conscious professionals seeking modern CPU efficiency and portable design.
• The ThinkPad T14S Gen 3 is more premium, offering Thunderbolt 4 and a higher-resolution 14-inch display.
• The P14S Gen 2 is suited for light workstation workloads due to its dedicated Nvidia GPU.
• The HP EliteBook 660 G11 offers large RAM and storage, making it ideal for high-demand office and enterprise tasks but is heavier.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Lightweight and portable for mobile professionals
• Efficient Intel Ultra 7 CPU for multitasking
• Long battery life ensures full-day productivity
• USB-C and HDMI support modern and legacy peripherals
• Affordable business laptop option

Cons

• 256GB storage may feel limited for large workloads
• Integrated GPU limits creative and 3D tasks
• No touchscreen functionality
• Higher-end features like Thunderbolt 4 are absent

Conclusion

The Dell Pro 14 Plus is a compact, efficient, and reliable business laptop suitable for professionals, students, and remote workers. Its combination of Intel Ultra 7 CPU, 16GB RAM, and Full HD display provides a seamless experience for office productivity, video conferencing, and light content creation.

In 2025, the Dell Pro 14 Plus remains a practical choice for those seeking affordable, portable, and dependable laptops. Its long battery life, lightweight design, and modern connectivity options ensure that it fits well into hybrid work environments, co-working spaces, and professional office settings.

FAQs

Q: Is the Dell Pro 14 Plus suitable for remote work?
A: Yes, it can handle video calls, office software, and web-based productivity tools efficiently.

Q: Can I run light creative software on it?
A: Yes, Intel Arc Graphics supports photo editing and design previews, but not intensive 3D rendering.

Q: How long does the battery last?
A: Approximately 8–9 hours under normal office workloads.

Q: Are there sufficient ports for professional use?
A: Yes, it includes USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, and a headphone jack for compatibility with most devices.

Q: Should I consider a refurbished unit?
A: Yes, refurbished Pro 14 Plus laptops offer modern performance and portability at a lower cost, maintaining reliability for professional work.