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Dell must have known early last year that it was Rename your laptop The efforts were not successful because after only one year, the XPS name returned.
At CES last year, Dell overhauled its laptop brand and ditched many of its familiar names, including XPS and Inspiron. Now, just 12 months later, the computer maker has pivoted and brought back the XPS name. (If there are any Inspiron fans out there, you’ll be sad to know that the Inspiron name is still retired.)
Dell’s mainstream consumer laptops will still carry the Dell name, but its premium models will once again fall under the XPS name. To restart the XPS line, Dell announced Two models today in Consumer Electronics Show 2026: XPS 14 and XPS 16. This will be followed by the smaller and cheaper XPS 13 later this year.
Watch this: The Dell XPS is back! Hands-on with the redesigned XPS 14 and XPS 16 laptops
While the XPS was away
Dell replaced the XPS 14 and 16 with Dell 14 Premium and 16 premium, While it boasted an elegant appearance, it was shockingly heavy. And I wasn’t the only one who made fun of the function row consisting of touch-sensitive icons instead of actual physical keys, you know, which you can press and receive tactile confirmation that you’ve pressed a key to perform an action.
These Dell Premium models also feature polarizing design elements, including a meshless keyboard and borderless trackpad. I didn’t miss the space between the keys and I liked typing on the keyboard more than I thought I would. I liked the touchpad’s lively, customizable click response and it rarely lost track of its edges.
Really, my biggest complaints with the Dell 14 Premium and 16 Premium were their heavy heft and the lack of physical keys in the function row.
The XPS name is back, and Dell has put it on the lid of the XPS 14 and XPS 16 to prove it.
Back XPS
The XPS 14 and 16 introduce a new design that feels simple and streamlined — and should thankfully lead to less shoulder pain. The new XPS laptops are noticeably lighter than their predecessors. The XPS 14 weighs about 3 pounds, which should be much easier to carry than the 3.8-pound Dell 14 Premium. The XPS 16 weighs either 3.65 or 3.75 pounds (depending on your choice of display), making it lighter than even the smaller 14 Premium laptop and a world away from the tank that was the Dell 16 Premium, which weighed more than 5 pounds.
The meshless keyboard remains there, but Dell has added thin, etched lines on either side of the touchpad to let you know where the palm rest ends and begins.
Variable refresh rates are the big news with display options, whether you opt for a 2K IPS LCD panel, 2.8K OLED on the XPS 14, or 3.2K OLED on the XPS 16. The IPS display can change the refresh rate between 1Hz for longer battery life and 120Hz for smoother motion. Dell says these are the first laptops to have an IPS LCD screen. Meanwhile, OLED displays can move between 20Hz and 120Hz.
The Dell XPS 14 and XPS 16 are thinner and lighter than their predecessors.
The XPS 14 and 16 are based on Intel’s latest Core Ultra Series 3 processors, from the Core Ultra 5 325 to the Core Ultra X9 388H. Before you get too excited about using either of them for serious content creation tasks, you should know that neither of them offers any discrete graphics upgrades. You’re stuck with Intel Arc graphics, but this latest version of Intel’s integrated GPU features 12 Xe cores that Dell says deliver up to 50% faster graphics performance.
Dell also says the new XPS laptops offer a new type of laptop battery with 900ED (Energy Density) battery cells that can store more power in a smaller, lighter package. Dell notes that the XPS 14 is smaller than the 13-inch MacBook Air and claims that the XPS 16 is the world’s smallest 16-inch laptop. As for battery claims, Dell says you’ll get up to 27 hours of streaming video and 43 hours of local video playback with the 2K IPS display.
In addition to long battery life, the XPS 14 and 16 are built to last. The keyboards are removable and have modular USB ports for easy repairs and upgrades.
The Dell XPS 16 has a similar streamlined design to the model it replaces, but the touchpad is no longer invisible thanks to finely etched borders.
XPS 14 and 16 prices
The XPS 14 and 16 will be available starting tomorrow, January 6. You’ll find a pair of launch configurations: the XPS 14 for $2,050 and the XPS 16 for $2,200. Lower-cost models of each are scheduled to be released in February.
Dell also announced that it will be expanding the XPS line later this year with the XPS 13. Dell has yet to share any details about the