Not a Keeper. It scores 74 and a Keeper needs 80. The weakest part is how hard it is to repair.
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Where the 74 comes from
Reviews16/30
Engadget 78, CNET 8.1 of 10, PCMag 4 of 5, Tom's Guide 4.5 of 5, TechRadar 4 of 5. That averages 82 out of 100; a 60 earns nothing and a 100 earns all 30.
Updates25/25
Dell sets no update period. Windows updates come from Microsoft, which supported Windows 10 for ten years; we count seven, the most any maker here promises.
Repairable8/20
iFixit hasn't scored it. Memory is soldered; the SSD can be swapped after taking out four screws and lifting the keyboard deck.
Timing25/25
It went on sale in early 2026, two years after the last XPS 14, and no successor is announced.
One short email when something new makes the list: an album to play, a game to buy, a film to watch, a book to read, tech worth buying, a thing that lasts. Nothing else.
How the score works
Tech
Reviews, 30. The average of the published scores from outlets that score, like Engadget, CNET, PCMag, Tom's Guide and TechRadar. A 60 earns nothing and a 100 earns all 30.
Updates, 25. Years of software updates, from the maker's promise or, where there isn't one, what its last comparable model got. Seven years earns all 25.
Repairable, 20. iFixit's repairability score, doubled. Where iFixit hasn't scored it, we read the parts and guides.
Timing, 25. Where it is in its line's usual refresh cycle, the MacRumors question. Full points for the first half; nothing once the next model is due.
A Keeper is our bet on what lasts. Some releases show it right away: the reviews, the players and the people behind them all point the same way, the way they did for Elden Ring. For albums, games, films, shows and books, 85 or above is a Keeper and 75 to 84 is worth your time. Things and tech need 80. We score everything again as time goes by, and a Keeper that fades loses the label. Nobody pays to be here or pays for a score. Every score links to where its numbers came from. Each one has a link to find it on Amazon, and as an Amazon Associate, Keepers earns from qualifying purchases.