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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Dell is bringing again the XPS model identify.
- The corporate has launched new Dell XPS 14 and XPS 16 units.
- The laptops function form-factor tuning and the most recent Intel processors.
When Dell introduced it was retiring its in style laptop computer strains for a consolidated “Professional/Plus/Premium” naming conference final 12 months, customers have been greater than a bit confused. The XPS was a well-respected product line with a definite identification — would not giving that up dilute the model (particularly for one thing that sounds prefer it got here out of Cupertino)?
Effectively, Dell might have discovered the reply. Only a 12 months later, the corporate is bringing again the XPS model identify with the brand new Dell XPS 14 and XPS 16, plus a 13-inch mannequin that will likely be launched later this 12 months.
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Throughout a press convention in New York, Jeff Clarke, COO of Dell Applied sciences, acknowledged the corporate had made a mistake by discarding the XPS identify and that the flagship lineup could be making a triumphant return in 2026.
“This sophisticated model we rolled out final 12 months did not do what we mentioned it might do,” Clarke defined. Whereas discussing Dell’s fiscal efficiency after the model restructuring, Clarke confirmed numbers weren’t the place they wished them to be, resulting in a call to convey again the XPS in Q3 of 2025.
Clarke additionally hinted that Microsoft’s general shift to “AI PCs” hasn’t precisely been the hit with customers it was anticipated. This, mixed with the elimination of trusted model names, meant much less individuals are shopping for.
Now at CES 2026, the XPS is again, refined, and, Dell confirmed, right here to remain. In actual fact, the 2026 fashions even have an “XPS” brand on the laptop computer cowl for the primary time, a nod to the person base that has been requesting it for years.
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Following in that vein, the bodily perform row is again, ditching the LED lights for bodily keys, a way more sensible, skilled selection that prioritizes on a regular basis performance over gimmicks that look good in a showroom however complicate long-term repairability.
Dell has additionally included modular USB-C ports and an easier-to-remove keyboard design in step with overarching improvements in repairability throughout the trade this 12 months, with extra modular, easy-to-fix elements that stretch product lifetimes as customers change into conscious of deliberate obsolescence improve cycles.
The brand new XPS: What’s beneath the hood
The 2026 XPS lineup is being refreshed with Intel’s newest Sequence 3 “Panther Lake” processors: Core Extremely 5, 7, X7, or X9. As a substitute of discrete GPUs, the XPS units function Intel Arc graphics with 12 Xe cores, offering as much as 57% and 78% quicker AI efficiency within the 14 and 16 fashions, respectively. Each the 14 and 16 will likely be out there in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB RAM configurations, with as much as 4TB of storage.
With all this {hardware}, the XPS line is not recognized for being probably the most featherweight of laptops on the block, however this 12 months’s 16-inch mannequin particularly is its thinnest bodily clamshell but: 14.6mm (0.57 inches) thick. This strategy carries over to the thinnest (however largest) followers in an XPS for what Dell mentioned are vastly improved thermals.
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Shows are equally what you’d anticipate from a flagship lineup. On the XPS 14, you’ve got received a 2K non-touch or 2.8K contact display tandem OLED. On the 16, the high-end 3.2K tandem OLED scales to 500 nits peak brightness, with each screens providing 120Hz refresh. The Gorilla Glass 3 and ultra-thin bezels retain the premium, power-forward look the XPS is understood for.
When it comes to battery, each fashions function a 70Whr battery that Dell says will present as much as 27 hours of streaming battery life on the 2K show.
The result’s a premium laptop computer that resembles the XPS system customers love. Dell did not re-invent the wheel right here, and that is exactly the purpose. As a substitute, there are considerate modifications that replicate the methods individuals truly use their units, with welcome enhancements to repairability, form-factor tuning, and a refresh with the most recent Intel processors.
I am not going to say “I advised ya so,” however there’s something to be mentioned about producers taking model recognition significantly. Reputations aren’t constructed in a single day, and advertising executives ought to know higher than anybody that you would be able to’t shift years of client attitudes with one concept.
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The brand new XPS laptops will likely be out there beginning January 6 within the US and Canada, with the 13-inch mannequin out there later in 2026. As anticipated, there are a number of configurations for each fashions. Dell has listed the beginning worth for the XPS 14 at $1,649, whereas the XPS 16 will begin at $1,849.
