Ah, the Dell XPS 16 (2026)—Dell’s apparent attempt at making laptops look like they’re designed by an architecture firm. It’s sleek, it’s stylish, and it comes at a price that makes your wallet weep. But does it live up to its premium billing, or is it just a shiny object to show off in cafes?
Let’s dive right in. Dell’s XPS series is known for its elegant aesthetics, and the XPS 16 is no exception. With a CNC-machined black aluminium chassis, it looks like something Batman might use if he were into spreadsheets. This level of extravagance screams cutting-edge, but get past the looks, and we have the usual suspects for a premium laptop: a 16-inch 3K OLED touch display that’s brighter than my future, up to 64GB of non-upgradeable LPDDR5X RAM, and an Intel Arc B390 discrete GPU. You can’t fault Dell for its ambition here.
However, while it’s flexing its muscles on big screens and high performance, the XPS 16 stumbles a bit in areas that count for practical souls—notably, its thunderous lack of ports. You get three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, and that’s your lot. It’s like buying a sports car with a three-speed gearbox.
The numbers
- 16-inch 3K OLED touch display (3200 x 2000)
- Intel Panther Lake Core Ultra X7 358H CPU
- Intel Arc B390 discrete GPU
- Up to 64GB LPDDR5X RAM
- Up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
- Battery life exceeding 17 hours
- Three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports
- CNC-machined black aluminum chassis
- Price: Starting at USD $2,029.99
But let’s face it, if you’re in the market for an Apple MacBook Pro or an Asus Zenbook S 16, the Dell XPS 16 falls squarely into your consideration set. How does it stand against, say, a Venom BlackBook? I imagine the BlackBook would scoff at the XPS’s soldered RAM, but then again, the XPS does have a more consumer-friendly badge for those who revel in the mainstream.
At its high starting price, the Dell XPS 16 is clearly not a thrifty choice, but it’s a fair contender in the world of premium laptops if you’ve got a penchant for sleek design and don’t mind carrying around a USB-C hub like a ball and chain. You get aesthetics and performance, with the caveat that your connectivity options might leave you feeling a bit claustrophobic.
Sources: techradar.com