In contrast, the 14-inch Precision 5470 aims to provide a more portable option, with Dell claiming that it’s “the world’s thinnest and lightest 14-inch workstation”. In fact, at 1.48kg, the Precision 5470 is only slightly heavier than Apple’s recently upgraded 13-inch MacBook Pro (1.4kg), but it outguns the M2 MacBook Pro in terms of raw performance. That lightweight design comes with a heavyweight price, though, especially for the Core i7-based model reviewed here, and Dell also makes a few cost-cutting decisions that are disappointing for a laptop in this price range.
Design & features
The build quality of the Precision 5470 is impeccable. The laptop measures 19mm along the rear edge, tapering to 11mm at the front, 310mm wide and 210mm deep. Its aluminium casing is both light and sturdy (MIL-STD-810H tested), and well suited to life on the road. The keyboard and trackpad feel firm and responsive, and the keys travel well when typing at speed, and there’s a soft carbon-fibre palm rest on the front section of the keyboard panel. There are signs of compromise, though. The FHD+ (1920 x 1200) display (161.7dpi) delivers a 16:10 aspect ratio and the slimline bezels give it a smart, compact appearance with a 91% screen-to-body ratio. The display also provides 500 nits brightness, and produces a bold, colourful image with close to 180-degree viewing angles. However, that resolution is quite modest for a laptop costing over $2,500, and it’s disappointing that you have to pay an additional $200 in order to upgrade to QHD+ (2560 x 1600) resolution. The display only supports the sRGB colour standard too, which should be fine for basic graphics and photo-editing work, but will disappoint creative users who need a more precisely calibrated display for graphics or video work. And while the stereo speaker system – with two woofers and two tweeters – sounds quite full bodied, the 720p webcam is a disappointment, even though it has IR support for Windows Hello face authentication. The webcam performs quite well in dim light, but the slightly grainy image reveals the low resolution so it won’t be ideal for video calls or remote working. The Precision 5470 is well connected, though, featuring Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax at 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz) and Bluetooth 5.2, along with four Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 ports with DisplayPort support. There’s also a combination 3.5mm jack for audio input and output, and a MicroSD card slot. There are no HDMI or USB-A ports, though, so you’ll need to provide your own adapters for older displays or peripherals that use those connectors.
Prices & options
Dell’s website currently offers a number of pre-built configurations for the Precision 5470, all equipped with the same 14-inch display with FHD+ (1920 x 1200) resolution. Dell’s prices fluctuate quite a bit from day to day, but at the time of writing prices in the US start at $1,659 for the entry-level configuration with a 12th-generation Core i5-12500H processor and integrated Iris Xe Graphics, along with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of solid-state storage. Oddly, the UK pricing for that model is considerably higher at £2,928.59 (ex. VAT). We tested the Core i7 model, which costs $2,679 in the US with a 12th-gen Core i7-12800H processor. This is a 14-core processor, incorporating six high-performance cores that can run at up to 4.8GHz, along with eight ’efficient’ cores to preserve battery life for less demanding tasks. That price also includes 32GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and discrete Nvidia RTX A1000 graphics with 4GB of dedicated video memory. The UK pays a premium here as well, with that configuration weighing in at a hefty £3,666.48 (ex. VAT). SEE: The 7 best tablets: Ditch the laptop If you delve a little deeper, Dell’s US website also includes a ‘build your own’ option that includes a number of additional upgrades (from the Core i7 model), including a Core i9-12900H processor for $325.05, and a touch-sensitive 14-inch display with QHD+ (2560x1600) resolution (215.6dpi) for $257.71. It’s also worth mentioning that there is another 14-inch laptop available in Dell’s Precision range, called the Precision 3470. This has a very similar design and specification to the Precision 5470 reviewed here, although its graphics capabilities are more modest, relying on integrated graphics, and an FHD+ display with just 250 nits brightness. At the time of writing, the Precision 3470 starts at $1,479 for a Core i5-1250P model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage.
Performance
It’s not quite in the same league as its 17-inch stablemates, but the Precision 5470 provides strong performance that will appeal to many professional and creative users. The M2 processor in Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro, scores 1,900 for single-core performance in the Geekbench 5 CPU test, slightly ahead of the Precision 5470’s 1,700 score. However, the Dell laptop turns the tables with its multi-core performance, scoring 11,000 compared to 8,986 for the M2 MacBook Pro. It pulls even further ahead on Geekbench’s Compute test for graphics performance, scoring 51,700 while the MacBook Pro manages only 30,180. That graphical performance is confirmed when running 3DMark Wildlife Extreme, where the MacBook Pro scores 30fps while the Precision 5470 sits comfortably at 40fps. To be fair, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is less expensive at around $2,000, but the MacBook Pro also includes a 2560 by 1600 display at no extra cost, and delivers battery life that the Precision 5470 simply can’t match. In fact, Dell’s website does its best to avoid the topic of battery life, but in our battery test the Precision 5470 lasted for 7 hours and 22 minutes when streaming full-screen video from the BBC iPlayer using the integrated Iris Xe Graphics and with the screen brightness set to 50%. If you’re not using wi-fi all day long then you should certainly be able to get a full day’s work out of the Precision 5470, but that’s still nowhere near the 19 hours and 56 minutes we got from the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Conclusions
The slimline, lightweight design of the Precision 5470 is attractive, and will appeal to professional users who need a powerful laptop that’s portable enough to carry on long trips or when working outdoors. However, the Precision 5470 perhaps puts too much emphasis on portability, leaving room for improvement elsewhere. Battery life is relatively modest, even when using integrated graphics, and the FHD+ display and 720p webcam are both disappointing compared to what’s offered by many of its rivals in this price range. Dell Precision 5470 Workstation specifications
Alternatives to consider
There are a number of 14-inch laptops that now aim to provide workstation levels of performance, with Apple’s MacBook Pro range setting the standard for battery life. But if battery life isn’t a top priority, there are larger 16-inch and 17-inch laptops that can genuinely compete with traditional desktop workstations. RECENT AND RELATED CONTENT Dell Precision 5760 Mobile Workstation review: Portable power, at a price Lenovo ThinkPad P17 Gen 2 review: A highly configurable old-school mobile workstation Asus ProArt Studiobook 16 OLED (H5600) review: A top-quality 16-inch mobile workstation for creative pros HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 review: Upgraded CPU and GPU, but screen options and battery life disappoint The best laptops for graphic design: Top creator notebooks Read more reviews
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