Dell XPS 16 Evaluation: Nicely-Rounded, Large-Display screen Laptop computer With Spiky, Large-Time Value

Professionals

Fashionable design with strong really feel
Stunning 16-inch 3.2K OLED show
Good stability between efficiency and battery life
Bodily keys in Operate row

Cons

RTX-level value with out RTX GPU
Seams alongside the perimeters and beneath the keyboard are particles magnets
Few ports, no SD card slot
Cannot improve RAM or SSD

With the XPS 16, Dell seemingly has two targets: re-establishing the XPS model, which it shuttered final 12 months earlier than bringing it again at CES in January, and positioning it between heavier, pricier, however extra highly effective content material creation laptops such because the Asus ProArt P16, Lenovo Yoga Professional 9i 16 Aura Version and Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Professional and cheaper, thinner and lighter 16-inch fashions just like the Asus Zenbook A16 and Acer Swift 16 AI.

I might say Dell succeeded on the primary mission: the XPS 16 is a incredible laptop computer befitting of the premium XPS title. Just like the smaller XPS 14 I reviewed, it has glossy seems and a strong really feel at an inexpensive weight, in addition to an non-compulsory OLED show that is definitely worth the improve. For the second enterprise, the transfer to Intel’s Panther Lake processors permits it to supply sturdy total efficiency in an enclosure that is pretty skinny and light-weight for its measurement. It does not have discrete graphics, so it simply does not have the muscle for extra demanding graphics duties, however enhancing content material and doing a bit of gaming are potential.

Whereas the XPS 16 is a well-rounded laptop computer with a very good stability between energy and portability, I want its value have been nearer to that of different 16-inch fashions with built-in GPUs. The configuration I examined prices nicely north of $2,000, which places it squarely in Nvidia RTX territory. And that is one thing not on provide with the XPS 16, at the same time as an improve that will additional drive up the worth.

Dell XPS 16 (2026)

Value as reviewed $2,350Display measurement/decision 16-inch 3,200×2,000 120Hz contact OLEDCPU Intel Core Extremely X7 358HMemory 32GB LPDDR5-9600Graphics Intel Arc B390 (12 Xe3 cores)Storage 1TB SSDPorts USB-C Thunderbolt 4 (x3), combo audioNetworking Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0Operating system Home windows 11 Dwelling 25H2Weight 3.8 kilos (1.7 kilograms)

Dell sells a handful of fastened configurations of the XPS 16 and a customizable mannequin. Pricing begins at $1,750 for an Intel Core Extremely 5 325 CPU, 16GB of RAM, built-in Intel Graphics with 4 Xe3 cores, a 512GB SSD and a non-touch 1,920×1,200-pixel LCD.

I examined the following mannequin up within the line with a Core Extremely X7 358H, 32GB of RAM, built-in Intel Arc B390 with 12 Xe3 cores, a 1TB SSD and a 3.2K-resolution (3,200×2,000 pixels) contact OLED for $2,350.

You possibly can outfit the XPS 16 with as much as a Core Extremely X9 388H, 64GB of RAM and a 4TB SSD for $3,550. Notably absent is any GPU improve. Your alternative is both the essential four-core Intel Graphics iGPU courtesy of the Core Extremely 5 325 or Core Extremely 7 355 or the 12-core Intel Arc B390 iGPU that comes with both the Core Extremely X7 358H or Core Extremely X9 388H. With no need to make room for a devoted GPU, Dell is ready to make the XPS 16 thinner and lighter than it will in any other case be and likewise run extra coolly and quietly.

The XPS 16 begins at £1,679 within the UK and AU$4,100 in Australia.

The Dell XPS 16 has Intel silicon inside, providing a number of Panther Lake processors.

Matt Elliott/CNET

Dell XPS 16 efficiency

My XPS 16 check system relies on an Intel Core Extremely X7 358H processor that options 16 cores made up of 4 efficiency cores, eight environment friendly cores and 4 low-power environment friendly cores. With it comes Intel’s built-in Arc B390 GPU that delivers 12 Xe3 cores.

It turned in aggressive multi- and single-core scores on our Geekbench 6 and Cinebench 2024 exams. It could not match the efficiency of the 16-inch MacBook Professional with Apple’s M5 Professional chip, however that MacBook Professional prices about $1,000 greater than the XPS 16 I examined. The XPS 16 got here nearer to the 14-inch MacBook Professional with Apple’s base M5 chip on the multicore check of Geekbench 6, however was nonetheless nicely off the tempo set by the smaller MacBook Professional on the single-core check in addition to each Cinebench 2024 exams. And the 14-inch MacBook Professional we examined is $400 cheaper than the XPS 16.

Amongst its Home windows competitors, the XPS 16 is true within the combine however completed behind the Asus Zenbook A16 on the Geekbench 6 and Cinebench 2024, the place its 18-core Snapdragon X2 Elite Excessive gave it a bonus in each multi- and single-core testing. The Zenbook A16 additionally loved a big benefit with on-device AI efficiency, vastly outpacing the XPS 16 on our Geekbench AI check that measures the capabilities of a processor’s neural processing unit, however the XPS 16’s end result was proper consistent with Apple’s newest MacBooks and different latest Home windows laptops.

The XPS 16 has an all-aluminum design in a darkish grey shade that Dell calls graphite.

Matt Elliott/CNET

The place the XPS 16 has the benefit over the Zenbook A16 and most different laptops with built-in graphics is in 3D gaming efficiency. Its Intel Arc B390 graphics lend it some gaming chops. The XPS 16 produced playable body charges at 1080p on our Guardians of the Galaxy (76 frames per second) and Shadow of the Tomb Raider (73fps) benchmarks. These are spectacular body charges for a laptop computer this skinny, and it is so quiet, too.

The XPS 16 additionally runs longer than the everyday big-screen, high-powered laptop computer. It could not match the 20-plus hours of battery lifetime of Apple’s newest MacBook Professionals, but it surely lasted 14 hours in our YouTube streaming battery-drain check, which ought to allow you to get by most days on a single cost.

Skinny and light-weight and latticeless

The XPS 16 is a trimmed-down model of 2024’s Dell 16 Premium, but it surely retains lots of the design components, together with a latticeless keyboard and big, haptic touchpad. The XPS 16 weighs 3.8 kilos, making it practically 1.5 kilos lighter than the tank-like 16 Premium that tipped the scales at greater than 5 kilos. It is also virtually a pound lighter than the 4.7-pound MacBook Professional 16. However in the event you want an on the go 16-inch laptop computer, then the two.9-pound Zenbook A16 is the higher alternative.

Whereas Dell stored the keyboard and touchpad the identical because the 16 Premium, it made enhancements to every. It changed the 16 Premium’s touch-sensitive icons within the Operate row with regular, bodily keys which can be simpler to make use of. Let’s not overthink the Operate row: hold it easy and provides me precise keys that present tactile suggestions so I do know if I’ve pressed the important thing. The touchpad is big and supplies vigorous and customizable haptic suggestions for clicks, and Dell has added refined however useful etched borders on its sides so you already know the place its lively floor ends.

Bodily keys returned to the Operate row, and there was nice rejoicing.

Matt Elliott/CNET

I approached the latticeless keyboard with some trepidation, frightened that the dearth of key spacing would result in typos and a irritating typing expertise. My fears have been unfounded. I loved utilizing the keyboard; the keys provide a shallow however springy response that allowed me to sort quick and precisely. The inflexible, all-aluminum body additionally aids the typing expertise; I felt no flex beneath my fingertips as I banged away on the keys.

One other fear: The seams that run alongside the perimeters of the keyboard deck and the underside of the keyboard might gather crumbs, filth and different particles. Dell says the XPS 16 has a “seamless unibody development,” but it surely should be overlooking these seams in making that assertion. This isn’t the identical as Apple’s really seamless unibody design for its MacBooks.

The seam that runs alongside the sting of the keyboard deck and the seam that runs throughout the underside of the keyboard are sure to gather mud, filth and particles.

Matt Elliott/CNET

The baseline show for the XPS 16 is a primary 1,920×1,200-pixel, non-touch IPS LCD. The three.2K OLED improve provides solely $150 to the associated fee, and it is cash nicely spent for the higher-resolution and higher distinction alone. However you additionally get contact help and a variable refresh charge as much as a clean 120Hz. It additionally supplies nice shade efficiency. On my exams with a Spyder X Elite colorimeter, it lined 100% of the sRGB and P3 gamuts and 97% of the bigger AdobeRGB shade house. It additionally achieved a peak brightness of 414 nits, which, mixed with the OLED panel’s efficient zero black ranges, creates a superbly dynamic image with vivid whites, deep blacks and wealthy, vivid colours.

The audio system beneath the show and the webcam above it are each top-notch. The quad audio system produce richer, extra detailed sound than the typical laptop computer, and the 8-megapixel webcam produces crisp, detailed 4K images and 1440p video. The webcam is an IR cam, which suggests you should use it for Home windows Hiya facial recognition logins. And that is vital as a result of the XPS 16 lacks a fingerprint reader.

The Dell XPS 16 cuts a skinny profile but additionally provides a skinny port choice.

Matt Elliott/CNET

The XPS 16 additionally lacks a bountiful port choice: you get a trio of Thunderbolt 4 ports together with a headphone jack. And with out an adapter within the field, you will want to offer your individual for connecting to older USB-A peripherals or an HDMI monitor. And for a laptop computer with some content material creation capabilities, I used to be dissatisfied to see that the XPS 16 has no SD card slot — microSD or full-size.

Inside, enlargement can be restricted. The RAM is soldered to the motherboard, so you possibly can’t substitute or improve it. And with out a second M.2 slot, you will want to switch the laptop computer’s SSD to extend storage. That is a a lot trickier operation than merely including a second SSD. The three USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, nonetheless, are modular and may be changed.

With no RAM slots or a free M.2 slot for a second SSD, the XPS 16 doesn’t provide a lot in the best way of inside enlargement or upgrades.

Matt Elliott/CNET

Is the 2026 Dell XPS 16 value shopping for?

The XPS 16 is an effective match for laptop computer customers searching for a do-it-all, big-screen laptop computer that gives a roomy 16-inch OLED show inside a reasonably trim package deal, backed by strong however not groundbreaking efficiency. It’ll allow you to interact in some content material creation, however lacks the extra energy you’d get from a laptop computer with devoted Nvidia RTX graphics. The Asus Zenbook A16 is extra transportable and gives higher on-device AI efficiency, whereas the Asus ProArt P16 and Lenovo Yoga Professional 9i 16 Aura Version every provide higher graphics efficiency. In between is the Dell XPS 16 that gives a very good stability of energy and portability.

I might really feel higher about recommending the XPS 16 I reviewed if it have been nearer to $2,000 than its value of $2,350 on the time of this writing. If you happen to can catch considered one of Dell’s rotating reductions, the XPS 16 makes extra sense since you’re getting it for lower than an analogous 16-inch laptop computer with RTX graphics.

Dell by no means discounted the XPS 16 whereas I used to be engaged on this evaluation, however it’s at present providing a “Create & Sport” software program bundle with the XPS 16 to assist justify the laptop computer’s elevated value. It contains two video games — Battlefield 6 and Everwind — and a free six months of both Adobe Artistic Cloud Images or Premiere.

Disguise our skilled take

The evaluation course of for laptops, desktops, tablets and different computerlike gadgets consists of two elements: efficiency testing below managed circumstances within the CNET Labs and in depth hands-on use by our skilled reviewers. This contains evaluating a tool’s aesthetics, ergonomics and options. A remaining evaluation verdict is a mixture of each goal and subjective judgments.

The record of benchmarking software program we use modifications over time because the gadgets we check evolve. An important core exams we’re at present operating on each suitable pc embrace Primate Labs Geekbench 6, Cinebench 2024, PCMark 10 and 3DMark Fireplace Strike Extremely.

A extra detailed description of every benchmark and the way we use it may be discovered on our How We Take a look at Computer systems web page.

Disguise our skilled take

Geekbench 6 CPU (multi-core)

Apple MacBook Professional 16 (M5 Professional, early 2026) 28666Asus Zenbook A16 21856Apple MacBook Professional 14 (M5, late 2025) 17946Lenovo Yoga Professional 9i 16 Aura Version 17748Dell 16 Premium 17037Dell XPS 16 17013MSI Status 14 Flip AI Plus 16607Dell XPS 14 16197Acer Swift 16 AI 16187Asus ProArt P16 15377