Dell Reveals New Line of Laptops

Highlights

• Dell announces new XPS laptops at CES 2024, including the XPS 16, XPS 14, and XPS 13 with updated design elements for simplicity and productivity.
• The Dell XPS 16 is the most powerful in the lineup, featuring a larger screen, higher performance, and improved specifications compared to older models.
• The integration of AI acceleration and the Copilot key showcases Dell’s focus on work and productivity, while still offering respectable performance for gaming and access to Microsoft’s AI features.

Hardware maker Dell has announced a new line of XPS laptops set for release in 2024. The new laptops, three in all, will make for a complete overhaul of its XPS series, and cover a range of size and hardware configurations.

Dell announced its new XPS laptop PC series at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The three new laptops all run Microsoft Windows 11 are distinguished by screen size, and are called the XPS 16, XPS 14, and XPS 13. The new XPS 13 is a revamped version of the Dell XPS 13 Plus, which was unveiled at CES 2022 and serves as the inspiration for the rest of the lineup. They’ll all feature new design elements focused on “simplicity at the core” and on eliminating distractions in favor of productivity.

In a blog post outlining the lineup, Dell detailed more of the updated XPS laptops’ key features. All three models (the XPS 13, XPS 14, and XPS 16) are made of machined aluminum, come in two colors (Graphite and Platinum) and have Gorilla Glass 3 screens. They also have a touch function row above the keyboard, granting easy access to both the function keys and media keys.

New Dell XPS Specifications

Dell XPS 16

The new Dell XPS 16 is the most powerful of the bunch, with a larger screen area and higher performance. It’s intended to replace Dell’s older XPS 15 and 17 models.

• Display: 16.3-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200) non-touch display or 16.3-inch 4K+ (3840 x 2400) OLED touch display
• CPU: Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (16-core, 24MB Cache, up to 5.1 GHz)
• RAM: 16GB to 64GB
• Storage: 512GB to 4TB SSD
• Graphics: Intel Arc graphics up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070
• Battery: 99.5Whr
• Camera: FHD 1080p webcam
• Weight: 4.8 lbs / 2.2 kg (for OLED display)
• Starting Price: $1,899 USD

Dell XPS 14

The Dell XPS 14 strikes more of a balance between power and portability, weighing significantly less than the XPS 16 in exchange for a bit less oomph when multitasking.

• Display: 14.5-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200) non-touch display or 14.5-inch 4K+ (3840 x 2400) OLED touch display
• CPU: Up to Intel Core Ultra 7 165H (16-core, 24MB Cache, up to 5.0 GHz)
• RAM: 16GB to 64GB
• Storage: 512GB to 4TB SSD
• Graphics: Intel Arc graphics up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050
• Battery: 69.5Whr
• Camera: FHD 1080p webcam
• Weight: 3.8 lbs / 1.74 kg (for OLED display)
• Starting Price: $1,699 USD

Dell XPS 13

The Dell XPS 13 is a revamped, renamed update of 2022’s Dell XPS 13 Plus, which helped inspire the new line. With its smaller dimensions, Dell struck for lightness and portability over pure power.

• Display: 13.5-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200) non-touch display or 14.5-inch 3K+ (2880 x 1800) OLED touch display
• CPU: Up to Intel Core Ultra 7 165H (16-core, 24MB Cache, up to 5.0 GHz)
• RAM: 16GB to 64GB
• Storage: 512GB to 4TB SSD
• Graphics: Intel Arc graphics
• Battery: 55Whr
• Camera: FHD 1080p webcam
• Weight: 2.6 lbs / 1.17 kg (for OLED display)
• Starting Price: $1,299 USD

Another notable feature added to the new Dell XPS series is integrated “AI acceleration.” The lineup’s Intel Core Ultra processors have a dedicated processing unit to handle AI-enabled work. The new laptops’ keyboards also include a Microsoft “Copilot key” that will activate Windows 11’s integrated Copilot AI assistant service. Microsoft recently announced that it would introduce the Copilot key to Windows keyboards, making it the first new addition to standard keyboards since 1994.

Though clearly positioned more for work and productivity than for the specialty gaming market, Dell’s new XPS line seems well-suited to gaming all the same. While the new models also won’t match specialty gaming-focused laptops for having the highest possible performance ceiling, users can still get respectable performance with even upcoming major PC releases with the right spec choices. In fact, even the new XPS 13, which is definitely not focused on gaming, seems like it’ll perform handily with popular “low-spec” PC titles and the wealth of new games on services like Xbox Game Pass.

Additionally, the integration of a built-in Copilot key also seems to be heralding a new phase in Microsoft’s attempt to get as many Windows users as possible into the habit of using its AI features. Whether this attempt will be successful in giving PC users a new essential feature, or if it will end up like Cortana, the Halo-inspired virtual assistant that was dumped in a recent Windows 11 update, remains to be seen.