I've used Dell's new XPS 16 for a week, and it's the Windows laptop to beat in 2026

pros and cons

Pros

• Stunning OLED screen
• Top-tier hardware
• 4K webcam

Cons

• Few ports available
• Price tin rapidly get expensive.

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I've been anxious to get my hands connected Dell's 2026 XPS lineup. If you don't know, the bid concisely disappeared past twelvemonth during a rebranding effort that replaced the devices with the "Plus" and "Premium" lines. Customer effect wasn't the astir positive. Fans wanted the aged bid and its defining features back. For 2026, Dell delivered. 

Also: The champion Windows laptops of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed

I volition admit that I was a small jealous erstwhile my workfellow and ZDNET exertion Kyle Kucharski got archetypal dibs erstwhile helium reviewed the XPS 14 last month. Now I yet person my crook with the Dell XPS 16 -- and it whitethorn beryllium my favourite laptop of 2026. This isn't conscionable a instrumentality to form; it's an evolution. Dell refined galore aspects of its flagship device, making it a beardown lawsuit for 1 of the champion computers of the year.

Premium design

I'm a large instrumentality of the laptop's aesthetics. The Graphite decorativeness wrapping the full chassis gives Dell's instrumentality a smooth, refined look. I simply emotion the color. It does prime up immoderate fingerprints, but thing excessively atrocious oregon ace distracting.

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One happening you'll announcement successful the representation is however bladed this laptop is. The institution states the XPS 16 weighs 3.65 pounds and is 14.6mm (0.57 inches) thick, making it casual to gaffe into a backpack with plentifulness of country to spare. According to Dell, the instrumentality is made chiefly of CNC-machined aluminum, and the show retired of Gorilla Glass 3. 

These materials springiness the laptop a sturdy signifier factor. I didn't spell retired of my mode to trial its durability, though I tin corroborate it feels coagulated capable to grip the occasional drop.

The biggest drawback is the larboard selection. You lone get 3 Thunderbolt 4 ports and a headphone jack; thing more.

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET

Like erstwhile models, the XPS 16 sports a level keyboard that sits flush with the wrist rest. The keys are a spot mushy. Certainly not the worst I've ever felt, but not connected the aforesaid level arsenic keyboards with 1.5mm question distance. One notable alteration is the removal of the touch-sensitive relation row, replaced by accepted carnal keys. 

I didn't caput the interaction enactment from before; however, I bash deliberation the carnal keys are a bully instrumentality and should entreaty to much people.

In the older XPS series, the trackpad was wholly invisible. There were nary ocular indicators. This time, the trackpad is outlined by faint stripes successful a antithetic shadiness of black. You tin spot them successful the representation above. In use, it's excellent: responsive, smooth, and spacious.

Multimedia powerhouse

Above the keyboard sits a stunning 16-inch 3.2K OLED touchscreen. It is easy 1 of the highlights of the XPS 16. The sheet delivers rich, close colors with fantabulous sharpness, making it a large prime for contented creators. Its ultra-thin bezels assistance make an immersive experience. The finer details successful objects basal retired clearly. I could spot idiosyncratic strands of my hairsbreadth connected the surface portion utilizing the webcam.

Also: I utilized an M.2 PCIe enclosure for information storage, and it made record transfers truthful overmuch faster

Speaking of which, supra the show sits an 8MP camera susceptible of capturing sharp, vibrant 4K video. Image prime is top-notch acknowledgment to HDR support. Backing each this up is simply a almighty quad-speaker strategy comprising dual 3W main speakers and dual 2W tweeters, tuned with Waves MaxxAudio Pro. 

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET

There isn't a dedicated subwoofer, but the laptop doesn't request one. The main speakers present capable bass. Nothing feels missing. Whether you're listening to spoken word, music, oregon YouTube videos, audio prime is clear, loud, and well-balanced.

Performance

For the review, I tested the top-end prebuilt configuration presently disposable from Dell. It housed an Intel Core Ultra X7 358H processor, 32GB of RAM, an integrated Intel Arc graphics card, and a 1TB SSD. That's a strong, well-rounded setup. It's susceptible of handling video editing, photograph work, and coding projects without immoderate trouble. In day-to-day use, the instrumentality delivers fast, reliable show that feels adjacent to a top-tier desktop PC.

The array supra compares respective benchmark scores with those of different flagship laptops, specified arsenic Samsung's Galaxy Book6 Ultra and the M5 MacBook Air. You'll announcement that the XPS 16 beats astir of the different laptops successful earthy processing power, indicating its top-notch performance. It is beaten by Apple's machine, though not by much.

Also: I recovered a 'DISM' bid that reclaims Windows 11 strategy retention - but you'll person to usage it wisely

In the Cinebench tests, Dell's instrumentality falls importantly down the Galaxy Book6 Ultra and the ThinkPad P1. It's worthy noting that those 2 laptops location dedicated Nvidia graphics cards. So, naturally, they volition beryllium better. Still, a Cinebench 2026 people of 4,065 for an integrated Intel Arc GPU is beauteous good. These numbers amusement that the XPS 16 tin grip dense originative workloads rather well. Plus, it's importantly cheaper.

Before I spell into the pricing, I privation to rapidly notation the battery.

My reappraisal portion lasted astir 14 hours connected a azygous charge, which is coagulated for a laptop successful its show class. You tin get done an full workday connected this machine. If artillery beingness is simply a apical precedence for you, the basal exemplary whitethorn beryllium the amended option. Dell claims the lower-end exemplary tin past up to 31 hours earlier tapping out.

ZDNET's buying advice

Pricing for the Dell XPS 16 starts astatine $1,900. The basal configuration includes an Intel Core Ultra 7 325 processor, integrated graphics, 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 16-inch 2K display. My reappraisal portion has 2 unsocial offers attached. 

The $2,350 mentation includes a transcript of Battlefield 6, the endurance crippled Everwind, and entree to some Adobe Premiere Pro and the Creative Cloud Photography Plan. The $2,460 Dell XPS 16 includes the aforesaid software, positive 1 twelvemonth of Adobe Express Premium, McAfee+ Premium, and Dell Care Premium.

I'd urge the XPS 16 to anyone looking for a premium Windows 11 machine, particularly if you're a contented creator who wants a reliable workstation connected the go.