With Dell scrapping its XPS lineup, there's now room for more flagship laptops, and its new Premium notebooks are here to fill that void.
Dell unveiled its new line of high-end laptops for work and play: the Dell 14 and 16 Premium. Holding on to its XPS roots, the 14- and 16-inch notebooks are designed to deliver optimal performance for students, creators and even gamers in a compact design.
With what they boast under the hood, I can see how this is the case. Expect the latest Intel Core Ultra 200H processors, up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, a whopping 27 hours of battery life and glorious 4K OLED displays.
The Dell XPS 13 has topped our list of best laptops all year round, and that's because it nailed its design, performance and battery life. With the company's new offering of flagship notebooks, it's looking like we may see a shift in our top spot for the best Windows laptops.
Both Dell Premium laptops are now available, with prices starting at $1,649. You can expect more models to come down the line as the Dell 16 Premium with Intel Arc graphics, RTX 5070 and RTX 5050 are set to be on shelves soon, too.
Let's get into the details.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Dell 14 Premium | Dell 16 Premium |
Price | From $1,649 | From $2,699 |
Display | 14.5-inch 3.2K (3200 x 2000) OLED touch display, 120Hz / 2K (1920 x 1200) LCD non-touch display, 120Hz | 16.3-inch 4K (3840 x 2400) OLED touch display, 120Hz / 2K (1920 x 1200) LCD non-touch display, 120Hz |
CPU | Up to Intel Core Ultra 7 265H | Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 285H |
GPU | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 |
Memory | Up to 64GB DDR5x | Up to 64GB DDR5x |
Storage | Up to 4TB PCIe 4 SSD | Up to 4TB PCIe 4 SSD |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
Size | 12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 inches | 14.1 x 9.4 x 0.74 inches |
Weight | 3.6 pounds (2K model), 3.79 pounds (3.2K model) | 4.5 pounds (2K model), 4.65 pounds (4K model) |
Colors | Graphite, Platinum | Graphite, Platinum |
Premium in name and form
Dell has always impressed with its top-tier laptops, and this Premium lineup looks to be no different, considering the similarities it shares with its previous XPS siblings.
The 14 and 16 Premium both come with InfinityEdge (bezel-less) displays and come with a thin, lightweight form factor, being just 0.7 inches thin and weighing as little as 3.6 pounds (the 16 Premium is at 4.5 pounds). The 14 Premium isn't quite as thin or lightweight as the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4, but at least the 16 Premium is lighter than the 16-inch MacBook Pro M4.
It's the displays that are set to be a key highlight, at least on paper. With two options available on its model, you can either get a 2K (1920 x 1200) LCD non-touch display, which we praised on the Dell XPS 13, or upgrade to dazzling OLED panels. There's a 14.4-inch 3.2K (3200 x 2000) OLED touch display or a 16.3-inch 4K (3840 x 2400) OLED touch panel. Oh, and they all rock a 120Hz refresh rate.
That will come in handy with the other specs it boasts. The Intel Core Ultra 200H chips will bring speedy performance (a claimed 33% bump) to blaze through multitasking, while the option for an RTX 50-series GPU means these laptops will power through gaming, creative apps, video editing and more.
The Dell 14 Premium only comes with either Intel Arc graphics or an RTX 4050, mind you, but as a laptop for college students, it should still run circles around work. The Dell 16 Premium will feature RTX 5070, RTX 5060 or RTX 5050 GPUs, and considering the performance gains thanks to Nvidia's DLSS 4 tech, this machine will be primed for entry-level gaming, too.
Plus, these laptops aim to stay cool and quiet under pressure, with Dell's Liquid Crystal Polymer fan blades onboard to boost airflow. That, along with the 20 hours of battery life the 14 Premium is boasting, and up to 27 hours for the 16 Premium, makes for an exciting lineup of flagship laptops.
While its design is familiar, that still means there are no function row keys or a visible touchpad, though, which can take some getting used to. But at least there are now 3x Thunderbolt 4 ports, a MicroSD card reader and a 3.5mm audio jack, unlike the XPS 13, and that's always a welcome sight.
We'll have to see how these laptops run, but the Dell 14 and 16 Premium are already looking to be flagships to look out for. While we wait to get some hands-on time with them, check out what Lenovo and Google and cooking up with its new advanced Chromebook.
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