Dell XPS 16 (2026) evaluation: A stupendous laptop computer with compromises

Finest Costs As we speak: Dell XPS 16 (2026)

The XPS model is again, despite the fact that Dell didn’t go away it behind for lengthy. That helps make sense of the brand new XPS 16, which clearly exhibits its heritage with the distinctive design that’s been exhibiting up with minor revisions during the last a number of years.

This mannequin threads a needle with some higher-power componentry and a high-end Tandem OLED show whereas nonetheless emphasizing environment friendly operation. However to get the bundle and all its regal wrappings, you’ll pay a premium for the XPS 16, which begins at $1,749 and jumps to $2,349 as examined. That leaves it open to critical competitors from laptops like the superb Acer Swift 16 AI at $1,899 and the portability-minded MSI Status Flip 14 AI+ at simply $1,299. 

Dell XPS 16: Specs and options

• CPU: Intel Core Extremely X7 358H
• Reminiscence: 32GB LPDDR5x-9600
• Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc B390
• Show: 16-inch 3200×2000 OLED touchscreen, anti-reflection, 20-120Hz
• Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD – Kioxia BG7
• Webcam: 8MP + IR
• Connectivity: 3x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C with Energy Supply and DisplayPort Alternate Mode, 1x 3.5mm combo audio
• Networking: WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6.0
• Biometrics: Home windows Hey facial recognition
• Battery capability: 69 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 13.88 x 9.35 x 0.58 inches
• Weight: 3.75 kilos
• MSRP: $2,349 as-tested ($1,749 base)

On the time of writing, the Dell XPS 16 solely got here in two preset configurations straight from Dell. The bottom configuration prices $1,899 and consists of an Intel Core Extremely 7 355 processor paired with 16GB of LPDDR5x-7467, a 1TB SSD, and a extra fundamental show. That show has a decrease decision (1920×1200), isn’t touch-compatible, and doesn’t use an OLED panel or Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. Nonetheless, it does provide a wider 1–120Hz adaptive refresh fee vary. This mannequin additionally notably lacks Intel Arc B390 graphics.

The configuration examined right here prices $2,349 and bumps up the processor to an Intel Core Extremely X7 358H processor with 32GB of LPDDR5x-9600 RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 3200×2000 Tandem OLED touchscreen with a 20-120Hz refresh fee vary. Dell affords a $2,459 mannequin as nicely, which is bodily the identical as our check configuration however consists of Adobe Categorical Premium, McAfee+ Premium, and one 12 months of Dell Care Premium. 

Dell permits for customized configurations beginning at $1,749. The bottom configuration is nearly the identical because the cheaper preset configuration, however has an Intel Core Extremely 5 325 and 512GB of storage as an alternative. Dell offers the choice of upgrading to as a lot as 64GB of reminiscence and 4TB of storage, although 32GB of reminiscence and better solely comes with the Intel Core Extremely X7 358H. 

Dell XPS 16: Design and construct high quality

Foundry / Mark Knapp

The Dell XPS 16, sticking to its weapons, is about as elegantly designed as ever. It combines premium supplies like a CNC aluminum chassis and Gorilla Glass in a glossy body. Like prior fashions, it’s fairly the looker. This mannequin is rather less sharp than prior ones, with the entrance edge extra sq. with mushy, rounded edges versus the blade-like entrance edge seen earlier than.

It’s nonetheless a reasonably skinny machine at simply 0.58 inches thick. And it’s not a lot greater than it must be to slot in its 16-inch show. In our configuration, that’s a Tandem OLED panel that sits behind Gorilla Glass Victus, although the non-OLED mannequin doesn’t get this glass cowl. 

The keyboard deck is sparse. It options an ordinary keyboard with none quantity pad. Under that could be a huge expanse of Gorilla Glass 3. Dell appears to have listened to suggestions (or at the very least heard my very own complaints over prior designs) as now the huge trackpad fitted into that tumbler expanse is demarcated with refined ridges at both facet. The highest and backside edges aren’t outlined, however they’re so near the keyboard and backside lip of the keyboard that it nearly doesn’t matter. 

The keyboard is surrounded by nothing in any respect. There’s massive areas above and on both facet of it. Audio system may have been positioned right here, however Dell opted for down-firing audio system hidden in lengthy slits on the backside of the pc.

The system sits on two huge, agency rubber toes that present good traction, which helps with one-handed opening of the lid. With its premium supplies, the XPS 16 finally ends up feeling fairly sturdy, however the XPS 16 additionally winds up a bit weighty. It hits 3.75 kilos, which isn’t unhealthy for a 16-incher, however isn’t breaking any data. Dell is utilizing a brand new 900ED battery tech that purportedly affords increased power density, however that wasn’t sufficient to make it impressively gentle, and the battery remains to be solely rated at 70Wh. The Acer Swift Go 16 was 3.3 kilos, nearly a half-pound lighter, and managed to suit a 65Wh battery with out this tech. 

Dell XPS 16: Keyboard, trackpad

Foundry / Mark Knapp

With the very first XPS laptop computer to function the zero-lattice design, I had gripes. The 2026 Dell XPS 16 appears to have made enhancements, however I nonetheless discover it a keyboard that’s extra obstacle than assistant. The keys aren’t completely flat, providing a tactile contour that helps with centering. The stabilization of the keys is nice, and that’s paired with a very good tactile pop with every press. However the zero-lattice design nonetheless offers little or no tactile suggestions for when my fingers shift too far out of bounds, and I discover I wrestle to make fast corrections to my finger positioning.

The outcome: I’m met with a keyboard that would have been glorious however for Dell’s persistence in having nearly no hole between the keys. I used to be capable of attain 97 words-per-minute at 95 % accuracy, however I wrestle to go any sooner because the design of the keyboard simply doesn’t encourage confidence. After I go sooner, my accuracy tanks. At the least Dell introduced again bodily operate row keys.

As good as it’s to have an enormous, glass trackpad as easy because the XPS 16 affords right here, I don’t discover it an excessive amount of of a pleasure to make use of. Mousing round is nice, however on the subject of clicking on issues, I’m much less happy. Faucet-to-click is an choice and feels positive. However the bodily click on is just a little odd.

Dell introduced again haptic motors, which it had sadly omitted from the Dell 16 Premium final 12 months (primarily 2025’s model of an XPS 16). However even with the haptics, the bodily click on feels off. The clicking suggestions is adjustable, however at its lowest degree, I didn’t fairly really feel the response in my finger all that nicely, and it felt disconnected from how firmly (or not) I used to be urgent. It might simply take some time to get used to, however I’d form of hope for a pleasant expertise proper from the leap on a premium product like this. 

Dell XPS 16: Show, audio

Foundry / Mark Knapp

The Dell XPS 16’s show is superb. At 16 inches, it offers loads of display screen actual property, and its 3200×2000 decision ensures that it’s a lot sharp. The contact enter is responsive and doesn’t have an simply seen digitizing layer to affect readability. The panel will get decently vibrant with a measured full display screen white a bit over 400 nits and potential for brighter highlights in HDR. The Tandem OLED affords infinite distinction and a large shade gamut overlaying 100% of the DCI-P3 and sRGB shade areas. It additionally proved correct with a measured dE1976 common of 0.8 and a max of 1.52, making it viable for inventive work. The 120Hz refresh fee helps make visuals easy whereas nonetheless having the choice to dial all the way down to 20Hz for battery financial savings when displaying largely static content material.

Using bottom-firing audio system doesn’t maintain the Dell XPS 16 again a lot. Even when the underside ports are blocked, the sound comes out fairly nicely via the highest. And the sound is among the many finest I’ve heard from a laptop computer.

The XPS 16 combines twin 2W tweeters with a pair of fundamental speaker drivers that put out nice sound. There’s a fullness you nearly by no means get from a laptop computer that provides a ton of depth to music, and the stereo separation from the audio system is pronounced sufficient to offer a extra dynamic listening expertise. Even at increased volumes, the sound is clear as nicely. The audio system do drop off if you’d like actual low finish, failing to ship a lot beneath about 100Hz. However for informal listening, they’re implausible. 

Dell XPS 16: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

The webcam and microphone setup on the Dell XPS 16 is sweet. The webcam has stable readability due to its excessive decision sensor, and it does surprisingly nicely avoiding noise and peculiar publicity even in less-than-ideal lighting circumstances. That stated, the field-of-view may be very huge, so it could seize greater than you plan if used straight. With the additional decision and huge subject of view, you possibly can leverage auto-framing and cropping instruments extra successfully although.

The mics seize my voice nicely, providing a fullness many laptops don’t obtain. It does a satisfactory job isolating my voice from some extra hectic background noise, although doesn’t completely eradicate the noise. 

The Dell XPS 16 brings facial recognition for fast logins via Home windows Hey. It’s been largely dependable in my testing. Fingerprint recognition isn’t inbuilt although.

Dell XPS 16: Connectivity

The Dell XPS 16 has succesful connectivity, but it surely’s nonetheless disappointing in its selection. The system has two USB-C ports on the left facet and one on the best. All three are Thunderbolt 4, offering a great deal of bandwidth for peripherals and supporting hi-res show output and charging enter. However past these, there’s only a single 3.5mm audio jack. If it’s essential use HDMI or a USB-A tool, you’ll be a dongle or adapter. There’s no SD card help, both. It’s all of the extra a disgrace to see so few ports when Dell’s design hasn’t even prioritized ultra-slim edges.

Wi-fi connectivity is stable, at the very least. The system helps Wi-Fi 7 for quick and secure networking and Bluetooth 6.0. Each have labored fairly successfully in testing with no points.

Dell XPS 16: Efficiency

The 2026 Dell XPS 16 shifts away from being a efficiency powerhouse just like the Dell 16 Premium, which went a bit thicker and heavier to include discrete graphics. With an Intel Core Extremely X7 358H, it’s actually promising succesful speeds, and the Intel Arc B390 is a critical step up for built-in graphics even when they don’t fairly meet the degrees provided by low-tier discrete graphics. However Dell is extra centered on effectivity right here, and that exhibits within the default energy plan which opts for Home windows’ Balanced mode even when plugged in.

The XPS 16 nonetheless affords succesful efficiency for on a regular basis computing. In PCMark 10’s holistic check, the XPS 16 proves amply able to most typical workplace duties. Its rating of over 9,000 is superb and retains up with even heavy-hitting gaming laptops. Computer systems at this degree aren’t prone to let common customers down, however PCMark 10 doesn’t delve too deep into heavier compute hundreds.

Cinebench is extra demanding on the CPU and higher highlights how a lot the Dell XPS 16 is able to in heavy workloads. Right here, Dell’s prioritization of effectivity holds it again towards a few of its competitors.

It constantly falls behind the Acer Swift 16 AI working on the identical processor and by sizable margins. It may additionally wrestle to indicate up prior-gen Intel Core Extremely 9 285H processors as discovered within the Acer Swift Go 16 and Lenovo Yoga Professional 9 16IAH10. Even Dell’s earlier Dell 16 Premium got here forward with its Intel Core Extremely 7 255H processor. The XPS 16 can regain some floor if converted to a Efficiency energy plan, leaping as much as 944 factors in Cinebench 24, but it surely nonetheless lags behind some opponents and hardly outdoes smaller machines just like the MSI Status Flip 14 AI+, which equally jumps to 942 factors on this check when utilizing Home windows’ Efficiency energy plan.

A part of what seems to be holding the XPS 16 again is thermals. It prefers to remain cool and quiet fairly than function at full tilt, and that may see it decelerate in heavy workloads. Our Handbrake check has computer systems encode a big 4K video, which takes time and builds up warmth within the course of. Programs that deal with that warmth higher can keep away from throttling.

The XPS 16 seems to just accept throttling and thus takes over 16 minutes to finish the check even the place the Lenovo Yoga Professional 9 16IAH10 and Dell 16 Premium may full it in nearer to 11 minutes on older {hardware} with the identical quantity of cores. Dell’s cooling seems to carry out higher than a smaller laptop computer just like the MSI Status Flip 14 AI+ although, as the 2 computer systems carried out equally in shorter exams however had been miles aside right here. 

The Dell XPS 16’s inclusion of Intel Arc B390 graphics is a bonus in some respects, but additionally a step again in different methods. We will see clear uplift towards earlier Intel Arc graphics as within the Acer Swift Go 16. Dell even exhibits a transparent edge towards the MSI Status Flip 14 AI+, which operated at slower speeds (at the very least till each degree out in Efficiency mode). Nonetheless, when the XPS 16 is put subsequent to the Lenovo Yoga Professional 9 16IAH10 with an RTX 5050 or the sooner Dell 16 Premium with an RTX 5070, the distinction is obvious. As nice as Arc B390 is for built-in graphics, it doesn’t sustain with latest discrete graphics for uncooked efficiency. 

Dell XPS 16: Battery life

With so many benchmarks exhibiting the XPS 16 lagging behind due to its emphasis on effectivity, we needed to anticipate robust leads to battery life, and the XPS 15 didn’t disappoint. In our battery check, which runs the laptop computer in Airplane mode with the show set to 250 nits of brightness and working a full display screen video, the XPS 16 ran on for a powerful 20 hours and 35 minutes. 

That’s a powerful outcome for a laptop computer with such a big display screen, and it suggests there’s some additional effectivity to the Tandem OLED panel and its variable refresh fee. The Acer Swift 16 AI had an analogous OLED panel measurement with decrease decision and used an analogous battery capability, however fell two hours in need of the XPS 16. This provides the XPS 16 a bonus over the laptops that had in any other case been topping it in efficiency, besides the MSI Status Flip 14 AI+, which leverages a smaller, lower-res display screen and (surprisingly) a much bigger battery to run 67 % longer, topping 34 hours.

In on a regular basis use, the XPS readily lasted via the workday with cost to spare even whereas preserving the brightness dialed as much as that 250-nit degree. That stated, it wasn’t getting 20 hours of workplace use. 

Dell XPS 16: Conclusion

The Dell XPS 16 has just a few issues going for it. Its show and audio are glorious, and when paired with its design, it’s actually a pleasure of a laptop computer to behold. However that’s the place the enjoyable ends.

Although the XPS 16 is highly effective, it’s not impressively so and infrequently fails to outpace contemporaries and even prior fashions. Its choosing built-in graphics helps avoid wasting weight and enhance effectivity, however comes with a transparent hit to graphics efficiency over discrete choices. All this makes for a efficiency profile higher suited to extra normal workplace and productiveness use instances, however the {hardware} itself simply doesn’t really feel so nice to make use of and lacks useful utility objects like a quantity pad, USB-A, and HDMI ports. Finally, the XPS 16 sticks to its heritage as half high quality laptop computer and half standing image.