Dell XPS 14 (2026) vs ASUS Zenbook S 14 (UX5406AA)

Neither of these laptops has a published test of the exact configuration you'd buy. Start there.

I'd buy the ASUS Zenbook S 14. The base Dell XPS 14 gives you half the memory and half the storage, plus an LCD where ASUS fits an OLED, and it weighs more. I haven't used either. Everything below comes from Dell's and ASUS's own pages, read November 7, 2026, and from tests by Pickr and Notebookcheck on other chip configurations. The picks and the 7.6 are mine.

What they cost

The XPS 14 in its base build (Core Ultra 5 325, 16GB, 512GB) is $1,989.99Not verifiedNot verified on dell.com, checked November 1, 2026. When I read Dell's page it said Sold Out. The Zenbook S 14 in the build ASUS sells (Core Ultra 7 356H, 32GB, 1TB) is $1,999.99Not verifiedNot verified on the ASUS eShop, checked November 1, 2026.

Whatever the gap between those two numbers, they don't buy the same machine. To get the Dell close to the Zenbook's memory and storage you'd climb its configurator, which goes up to a Core Ultra 7 358H. Neither store showed a sale.

Side by side

Screen

Dell calls its base panel "2K". It's 1920 x 1200. That annoys me, because the label invites a comparison with the Zenbook's 2880 x 1800 that the pixels can't win. The Dell's 1-120Hz range is the good part: the panel can drop its refresh rate when nothing moves on screen. Dell rates it at 500 nits. Dell also sells a 2.8K OLED version, at 1.36 kg.

The Zenbook's OLED runs at 120Hz with a 0.2 ms response time, per ASUS. Its brightness is not published on the eShop page. Notebookcheck's headline on the Core Ultra 9 386H version says "Brighter OLED", which helps, though it's a different chip and I read no nit figure there.

Battery

The Zenbook carries 77 Wh to the Dell's 70 Wh. That's the only battery fact I have for the ASUS. Notebookcheck calls its battery life improved on the 386H model and prints no runtime, so a measured figure for the Zenbook is not published anywhere I read.

The Dell has numbers, with a catch. Pickr tested a Core Ultra X7 358H unit with 32GB, a 1TB SSD and a 2880 x 1800 OLED touch screen, not the base model. In PCMark's battery rundown at 250 nits it ran 12:29. Under a heavy workload it lasted 2:28, and Pickr couldn't reproduce Dell's maximum battery claim.

A test of the Core Ultra 5 325 base model: not published.

Weight

180 g. That's how much more the LCD XPS 14 weighs than the Zenbook, 1.38 kg against 1.20 kg. Notebookcheck lists the Zenbook at 1.205 kg, so ASUS's figure holds up. If the laptop lives in a backpack every day, I'd take the lighter one.

Speed and graphics

On paper the Zenbook's 356H has twice the cores of the Dell's Core Ultra 5 325, 16 against 8. ASUS lists an NPU at up to 50 TOPS. Dell marks the XPS 14 as a Copilot+ PC and doesn't list an NPU figure on the page I read.

Don't buy either for games. Notebookcheck's headline on the 386H Zenbook says "a slow Panther Lake iGPU", and the 356H build ASUS sells lists plain Intel Graphics. Pickr's XPS 14 scored 55043 in OpenCL and 63137 in Vulkan, but that's the X7 358H unit, and I have no matching Zenbook scores to put next to them.

When I'd pick the Dell

If you want an LCD instead of OLED and find the base XPS 14 back in stock, it's a reasonable 14-inch for documents and browsing. Its 1-120Hz panel and Pickr's 12:29 rundown (on a pricier build) are the case for it. For most people paying for a premium 14-inch, I'd still put the money on the Zenbook S 14.

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