2025 Dell 16 Premium and 14 Premium Overview: RIP XPS

The 2024 Dell 16 Premium and 14 Premium have arrived, and so they proceed to uphold Dell’s status for crafting high-end laptops that stability efficiency, design, and portability. Obtainable in 14-inch and 16-inch fashions, the Dell 16 Premium and 14 purpose to cater to execs, creators, and informal customers alike. I had the prospect to check the Dell 16 Premium alongside the Dell 14 Premium for the previous week or so, and after spending a while with them each, right here’s my tackle what makes these laptops shine—and the place they could stumble.

Estimated studying time: 17 minutes

This assessment is not going to be a lot totally different from final 12 months. Most of what you see on the Dell 16 Premium and 14 Premium are what we noticed in 2024. Essentially the most important adjustments, apart from the apparent retirement of the XPS branding, are beneath the hood. I’ll listing out the specs of every of those laptops, at the very least the SKUs I’ve right here for assessment, after which shifting ahead by the assessment I’ll check with the Dell 16 Premium. Simply be aware that all the pieces I say in regards to the 16 principally applies to the 14. The one distinction right here is the dimensions. Dell can be working some launch day offers; be sure you test these out on the hyperlinks beneath. Let’s get into the assessment.

The Fast Take

The XPS line of laptops was iconic and well-loved by many in not solely tech circles but additionally by normies. So I’d be remiss if I didn’t embrace the truth that calling these the Dell 16 Premium and Dell 14 Premium feels a bit mistaken. I’d have been okay had Dell opted to maintain XPS and blow away the remainder of the lineup. However I digress.

The Dell 16 Premium and Dell 14 Premium of 2025 aren’t that far off from final 12 months’s XPS equivalents. You continue to get that very same stunning design, knowledgeable craftsmanship, and wealthy function set. However now, you additionally get Arrow Lake, and that makes a distinction in efficiency and battery life. I’d suggest these laptops to XPS followers and new customers as nicely. The one space which may be annoying to some is the F row being contact and never keys.

Rating and Backside Line

Dell 16 Premium and 14 Premium

USD 3199

Nailed it

• Stellar construct high quality, very premium
• Outastanding efficiency
• Unimaginable OLED shows
• I nonetheless love this trackpad, I do know some do not however I find it irresistible
• The keyboard is absolutely nice
• Good battery life, helped by Arrow Lake
• Audio system are nonetheless glorious for a Home windows laptop computer

Wants work

• The additional glass makes it heavier than among the competitors
• 400 nits on the 4K appears low, would love that to be 500 nits
• The capacitive F row will not be everybody’s cup of tea

The brand new Dell 16 Premium and Dell 14 Premium have a few key variations from final 12 months. The obvious and principal distinction is that they’re not referred to as XPS. The opposite variations include configuration and efficiency.

These new machines at the moment are working Intel’s newest Arrow Lake processors and NVIDIA’s newest devoted GPUs. Arrow and Lunar Lake processors have confirmed to be significantly better on battery life with the brand new CPU/GPU/NPU integration, and that continues to be the case right here.

Usually, I’d advise of us to avoid wasting cash and buy final 12 months’s fashions discounted. However with the brand new efficiency boosts, you possibly can’t go mistaken with shopping for the Dell 16 Premium or the 14 now. Dell is already working specials to get the ball rolling on these new gadgets. Sure, you may miss the XPS identify, however you’re basically getting all the pieces however the identify right here.

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2025 Dell 16 Premium Specs

• Processor: Intel® Core™ Extremely 7 255H (16 Cores, as much as 5.1GHz Turbo)
• Working System: Home windows 11 Dwelling, English, French, Spanish
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5070, 12GB GDDR7, 250W
• Show: 16.3″, Contact 4K OLED, 400 nit, 48-120Hz, InfinityEdge, Low Blue Gentle
• Reminiscence: 32GB, LPDDR5X, 7467MT/s, built-in, twin channel
• Storage: 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Strong State Drive
• Case: Platinum
• Keyboard: Platinum Backlit English Keyboard with Fingerprint Reader
• Ports:
  • 1 common audio jack
  • 3 Thunderbolt™ 4 Gen 2 Kind-C® ports with DisplayPort™ 2.1 and Energy Supply
• Equipped dongle: 1 USB Kind-C to USB Kind-A and HDMI adapter
• Slots: 1 microSDXC v7.1 UHS-I/UHS-II card reader
• Dimensions & Weight:
  • Peak: 0.75 in. (19.05 mm)
  • Width: 9.40 in. (240.05 mm)
  • Depth: 14.10 in. (358.10 mm)
  • Beginning weight : 4.56 lb (2.06 kg) for computer systems with 2K LCD and UMA
  • Beginning weight: 4.65 lb (2.11 kg) for computer systems with 4K OLED show and UMA
• Touchpad: Seamless glass contact with haptics
• Digicam: 1080p at 30 fps FHD RGB-IR digital camera, dual-array microphones, ambient gentle sensor, Home windows Howdy compliant, Categorical Signal-In™, Intel Clever Collaboration
• Audio and Audio system:
  • Quad-speaker design with 3W principal x 2 channels + 2W tweeter x 2 channels = 10W whole
  • Studio-quality tuning with Waves MaxxAudio® Professional and Waves Nx® 3D audio​
  • Twin-array microphones; Dolby Atmos; IntelliGo noise discount
• Wi-fi: Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 7 1750i (BE201) 2×2 + Bluetooth 5.4 Wi-fi Card
• Main Battery: 6-Cell, 99.5Whr
• Energy: 130W Kind-C Adapter
• Mannequin Quantity: DA16250 (Dell 16 Premium)

2025 Dell 14 Premium Specs

• Processor: Intel® Core™ Extremely 7 255H (16 Cores, as much as 5.1GHz Turbo)
• Working System: Home windows 11 Dwelling, English, French, Spanish
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4050, 6 GB GDDR6, 30W
• Show: 14.5″, Contact 3.2K OLED, 400 nit, 48-120Hz, InfinityEdge, Low Blue Gentle
• Reminiscence: 32 GB, LPDDR5X, 8400 MT/s,twin channel
• Storage: 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Strong State Drive
• Case: Graphite
• Keyboard: Graphite Backlit English Keyboard with Fingerprint Reader
• Ports:
  • 1 common audio jack
  • 3 Thunderbolt™ 4 Gen 2 Kind-C® ports with DisplayPort™ 2.1 and Energy Supply
• Equipped dongle: 1 USB Kind-C to USB Kind-A and HDMI adapter
• Slots: 1 microSDXC v6.0 UHS-I/UHS-II card reader
• Dimensions & Weight:
  • Peak:  Peak: 0.71 in. (18.00 mm)
  • Width:  Width: 12.60 in. (320.00 mm)
  • Depth:  Depth: 8.50 in. (215.97 mm)
  • Beginning weight : 3.66 lb (1.66 kg) for computer systems shipped with 2K LCD
  • Beginning weight: 3.79 lb (1.72 kg) for computer systems shipped with 3.2K OLED show
• Touchpad: Seamless glass touchpad with haptics
• Digicam: 1080p at 30 fps FHD RGB-IR digital camera, dual-array microphones, ambient gentle sensor, Home windows Howdy compliant, Categorical Signal-In™, Intel Clever Collaboration
• Audio and Audio system:
  • Quad-speaker design with 3W principal x 2 channels + 2W tweeter x 2 channels = 10W whole
  • Studio-quality tuning with Waves MaxxAudio® Professional and Waves Nx® 3D audio​
  • Twin-array microphones; Dolby Atmos; IntelliGo noise discount
• Wi-fi: Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 7 1750i (BE201) 2×2 + Bluetooth 5.4 Wi-fi Card
• Main Battery: 6-Cell, 69.5Whr
• Energy: 100W Kind-C Adapter
• Mannequin Quantity: DA14250 (Dell 14 Premium)

What’s In The Field?

• Dell 16 Premium or 14 Premium
• Energy Provide
• Energy Cable
• Manuals and Documentation

Unboxing Video

Design

The Dell 16 Premium continues the model’s custom of glossy, minimalist design that its XPS predecessor was identified for. Its CNC-machined aluminum chassis feels sturdy and glossy within the hand, as traditional. The slim profile and near-borderless InfinityEdge show give it a contemporary, premium aesthetic that’s tough to beat and scale back the footprint of the laptops. The keyboard deck is now product of glass, as is the highest row above the keyboard. This does add some weight to the Dell 16 Premium, packing just a few further ounces over the competitors.

The hinge mechanism is easy, permitting for one-handed opening, and the laptop computer feels sturdy sufficient to face up to each day commutes. These laptops are principally the identical design, look, and really feel as final 12 months’s XPS lineup. Some individuals could not just like the port choice, and a few could not just like the trackpad and F row. Nevertheless it’s a really handsome laptop computer to me, albeit heavier than among the competitors.

I’m not going to rehash the design part because it’s principally the identical beast we’re from final 12 months. Total, the outside design harkens again to the previous guard XPS, whereas the inside displays the extra trendy styling of final 12 months’s XPS with a slick and streamlined look. I find it irresistible; not everybody will.

Show

Each the Dell 16 Premium and 14 Premium include OLED shows. The XPS 16 homes a 16.3″ contact 4K OLED, 400 nit, 48-120 Hz, InfinityEdge, Low Blue Gentle. The 14 Premium has a 14.5″ Contact 3.2K OLED, 400 nit, 48-120 Hz, InfinityEdge, and Low Blue Gentle.

These laptops are the corporate’s flagship client laptops, and it’s not a shock they get the perfect shows Dell has in inventory. There are different show choices, which will help scale back the price of these Dell Premium laptops, however the OLED is simply too spectacular to not say sure to. However if you’d like the IPS panel with a 2K decision and 500 nits of brightness, you possibly can go for it.

As a result of these are each OLED shows, the brightness maxes out at 400 nits. This was good for utilizing outdoor, however I’m a fan of very vivid screens, and I used to be eager for 500 nits. One of many handicaps of OLEDs is the height brightness; they’ve gotten higher, and these Dell laptop computer shows are unbelievable. I simply wished extra brightness; the identical was true of final 12 months’s fashions.

Colours are vibrant and punchy, whereas blacks are deep and inky. The whites are clear and crisp, making textual content pop off the show. The 4K and three.2K shows are nice for photographers and videographers who need these pixels for modifying. They’re additionally spectacular to look at motion pictures on. Should you do a whole lot of leisure consumption in your laptop computer, then the upper decision shows may make sense for you too. Though you need to know, these larger resolutions will eat extra battery.

Dell 16 Premium and 14 Premium even have Dolby Imaginative and prescient. Dolby Imaginative and prescient delivers ultra-vivid shade, sharp distinction, and wealthy particulars. Unlocking the complete potential of HDR know-how by dynamically optimizing the picture high quality primarily based in your service, gadget, and platform to ship mesmerizing visuals each time. You expertise deeper blacks and whiter whites.

Total, the OLED shows on the Dell 16 Premium and 14 laptop computer lineup for 2025 are unbelievable! They’re very colourful and vibrant. I’d have given a few of that up for a brighter show, however that’s simply me.

Software program

Home windows 11 Dwelling got here pre-installed on each of those laptops. There’s not a lot to say about Home windows 11; it really works nicely, and Microsoft is doing a good job of retaining it related. I’ve been impressed at how Home windows 11 has been saved up to date with the most recent safety patches and updates.

Sadly, many laptops include an enormous quantity of bloatware; the earlier era of the Dell XPS laptop computer lineup was nice, and so are this 12 months’s Dell 16 Premium and 14. There are just a few pre-installed annoyances, and the primary annoyance is at all times McAfee. I’ve complained about McAfee and Norton prior to now; I gained’t go into that once more. I feel laptop computer makers have to give up putting in bloatware antivirus applications.

That CoPilot key continues to be right here as nicely. That is to invoke Microsoft Copilot, which is the corporate’s AI assistant. It really works; it does what it’s designed to do. However I’m nonetheless not impressed with AI or LLMs, and I feel there are probably a whole lot of privateness points with LLMs and AI software program.

Total, Home windows 11 is great; there are just a few bloatware items however not a ton, and McAfee actually must go. Similar with Norton.

Efficiency

The Dell 16 Premium and 14 Premium differ probably the most from final 12 months’s XPS lineup in efficiency. Listed below are just a few key areas Dell says these new laptops carry out higher than the outgoing XPS laptops.

• As much as 18% quicker for each day work
• As much as 12% quicker efficiency in light-weight 3D and inventive apps
• As much as 18% higher graphics efficiency in superior ray-tracing and visible results with the RTX 5060.
• As much as 13% quicker at demanding duties like video modifying and picture batch processing
• As much as 2.36x increase in AI throughput—powering quicker results, smarter masking, and enhanced picture refinement

Each Dell Premium laptop computer methods dealt with 4K video modifying in DaVinci Resolve, picture modifying with Affinity Picture, and graphics in Affinity Designer like a champ. No hiccups, though issues can get a bit heat should you’re actually pushing the system; that is regular for any system you throw heavy applications at. I’ve by no means had a problem with thermal throttling on any Dell XPS system and didn’t have any subject on the successor to these.

Net searching, e-mail, and media consumption have been all glorious, no complaints, and that show simply makes media content material so fairly! Total, as traditional, these methods carried out outstandingly nicely for what I take advantage of them for. I’ll be sincere, apart from battery life, I didn’t see an enormous efficiency achieve in on a regular basis use within the issues that I, personally, do. That shall be totally different for everybody. Listed below are just a few extra key efficiency options Dell is touting on the Dell 16 Premium and 14.

• Sooner efficiency:
  • Intel® Core Extremely Sequence 2: Takes cell efficiency, graphics, and AI-powered experiences* to all-new ranges. Intel® Core Extremely processors (Sequence 2).
  • Three highly effective AI engines—CPU, GPU, and NPU: Devoted AI accelerators present clever efficiency throughout gaming, creation, and streaming. apps the place AI capabilities are potential.
  • NVIDIA® GeForceRTX 50 Sequence: Powered by NVIDIA® Blackwell, GeForce RTX 50 Sequence Laptop computer GPUs deliver game-changing AI capabilities to avid gamers and creators. Multiply efficiency with NVIDIA DLSS 4 and generate photographs at unprecedented pace.
  • Wi-Fi 7: Delivers seamless buffering and lag-free on-line experiences with 4.8x quicker throughput, decrease latency, and higher capability. Future time: Stand up to 27 hours of Netflix streaming on 2K LCD or as much as 9 hours with 4K OLED.
• Thermal Innovation:
  • Revolutionary thermal design: allows highly effective efficiency in a skinny and lightweight design whereas retaining your laptop computer cool and quiet.
  • Most airflow, minimal noise: Our followers redefine cooling efficiency with Liquid Crystal Polymer blades and a novel housing form that reinforces airflow and cooling effectivity.
  • Enhanced thermal conductivity: Strategically positioned graphite sheets dissipate warmth by quickly transferring warmth/heat air/thermal power away from delicate elements. This stabilizes the system, prevents throttling, and ensures easy, dependable efficiency.
  • Fast warmth dissipation: The superior Vapor Chamber effectively dissipates warmth away from crucial elements, stopping scorching spots and retaining your laptop computer cooler for peak, long-lasting efficiency.

Audio system/Sound

Dell XPS laptop computer audio system have at all times been actually nice, and so they enhance yearly. Just like the digital camera, the Dell 16 Premium and 14 Premium get equivalent {hardware} right here. Not like final 12 months. Final 12 months’s XPS line had totally different audio system for the 14 and 16. However right here, you get.

• Quad-speaker design with 3W principal x 2 channels + 2W tweeter x 2 channels = 10W whole
• Studio-quality tuning with Waves MaxxAudio® Professional and Waves Nx® 3D audio​
• Twin-array microphones; Dolby Atmos; IntelliGo noise discount

Watching motion pictures and listening to music is gratifying, however as earlier than, the low-end isn’t at all times as spectacular as I’d prefer it to be, so bass efficiency might be a combined bag. The mids and highs are good, and the general sound is greater than acceptable. In order for you theater-quality sound, I imagine you’ll want higher audio system, however these are unbelievable for what they’re and they’re in all probability the perfect audio system on any Home windows laptop computer. Nothing has been in a position to beat Apple’s audio system on the MacBook Professional. Although I wouldn’t name these theater sound both.

Dell does declare louder sound and deeper bass, and that’s true when in comparison with its earlier fashions. As a result of these audio system are more than likely the perfect on a Home windows laptop computer, I rated them extremely.

There’s additionally a headphone jack on each the Dell 16 Premium and 14; this could make video editors joyful. Total, the sound is means above common for a Home windows laptop computer, and we at all times love the top-mounted audio system.

Digicam

This 12 months, the Dell 16 Premium and 14 Premium get the identical webcam. Final 12 months, the 2 XPS fashions had barely totally different cameras. However now, it’s the identical 1080p at 30 fps FHD RGB-IR digital camera, dual-array microphones, ambient gentle sensor, Home windows Howdy compliant, Categorical Signal-In, and Intel Clever Collaboration digital camera in each. Nothing to complain about right here; these cameras are unbelievable, and I’m joyful Dell is studying.

Battery Life

Battery life is healthier than the earlier 12 months’s Meteor Lake XPS variations. The Dell 16 Premium and Dell 14 Premium at the moment are on Intel Arrow Lake processors, and which means higher efficiency and effectivity.

I had no subject getting a full day of battery (after which some) on the Dell 16 Premium and 14 Premium. This was whereas doing my primary computing duties, no video or picture modifying. There was some streaming from YouTube and YouTube Music within the background. Battery life does see an influence when you begin intensifying the workflow. Including in video and picture modifying will drain your battery a lot quicker. However that is true for any laptop computer. Total, Arrow Lake has carried out quite a bit to assist enhance battery life on not simply these laptops but additionally many others that run Arrow Lake inside.

Worth/Worth

Pricing on the Dell 16 Premium and the 14 Premium will fluctuate wildly from one configuration to a different. Plus, Dell is working a ton of introductory gross sales proper now. So I’m not quoting out costs right here, although the Dell 16 Premium I’ve right here does value out round USD 3199. So be sure you hit the hyperlinks beneath to search out out what offers Dell is cooking up. I’ll say, these are well worth the cash, particularly for these customers who’re in search of the XPS expertise. The one factor lacking is the XPS identify.

Wrap-Up

The brand new Dell 16 Premium and Dell 14 Premium have a few key variations from final 12 months. The obvious and principal distinction is that they’re not referred to as XPS. The opposite variations include configuration and efficiency.

These new machines at the moment are working Intel’s newest Arrow Lake processors and NVIDIA’s newest devoted GPUs. Arrow and Lunar Lake processors have confirmed to be significantly better on battery life with the brand new CPU/GPU/NPU integration, and that continues to be the case right here.

Usually, I’d advise of us to avoid wasting cash and buy final 12 months’s fashions discounted. However with the brand new efficiency boosts, you possibly can’t go mistaken with shopping for the Dell 16 Premium or the 14 now. Dell is already working specials to get the ball rolling on these new gadgets. Sure, you may miss the XPS identify, however you’re basically getting all the pieces however the identify right here.

The Dell 16 Premium and Dell 14 Premium of 2025 aren’t that far off from final 12 months’s XPS equivalents. You continue to get that very same stunning design, knowledgeable craftsmanship, and wealthy function set. However now, you additionally get Arrow Lake, and that makes a distinction in efficiency and battery life. I’d suggest these laptops to XPS followers and new customers as nicely. The one space which may be annoying to some is the F row being contact and never keys.