Dell only launched its XPS 14 and XPS 16 last month, but you can already purchase the Ultrabooks at a discount. Dell TechFest slashes up to $510 off the XPS 16 and up to $310 off the XPS 16. The laptops feature futuristic designs first seen in the XPS 13, Intel Core Ultra CPUs with neural processing units (NPUs), and gorgeous displays with nearly invisible bezels.
The biggest discount on the XPS 14 cuts the price of a rather high-end model. If you love the design of the XPS 14 but want a more affordable PC, a $200 discount brings the starting price of the XPS 14 to $1,499. Similarly, the entry-level XPS 16 is discounted by $200, bringing its price to $1,699.
Dell XPS 14 review highlights
Dell XPS 14 earned a nearly perfect 4.5/5 in our review. The laptop earned praise for its CPU, GPU, and NPU, its “class-leading 3.2K OLED display,” and its “incredible design.” The PC’s quad-speakers, webcam, and My Dell software also earned it high marks. The only major drawbacks of the XPS14 are its price, controversial design, and the fact that its battery life is “fine.” Those aren’t many negatives, especially when you consider that the laptop is on sale and that many like the futuristic design of the XPS 14.
As bezels shrink and companies get better at packing internal components into laptops, the laptop landscape shifts. A 14-inch laptop like the XPS 14 has a body that’s about the same size as a 13-inch laptop from a few years ago. But despite that compact frame, the XPS 14 has some features that were exclusive to 15-inch laptops in the recent past.
“It’s also one of the best 14-inch laptops I have ever used simply because of how much is packed into what would have been a 13-inch laptop just a few years ago,” said our Editor in Chief Daniel Rubino in his Dell XPS 14 review.
The design of the XPS 14, which shares a general design with the XPS 13 and XPS 16, has proven controversial. The radical redesign of the XPS 13 has now expanded to much of Dell’s XPS lineup, including a zero-lattice keyboard, a haptic trackpad, and a row of haptic function keys. Rubino encourages people to try the XPS 14 before writing it off due to its futuristic design.
“If you’re unsure about Dell’s design choices and how they impact your workflow, I encourage you to try one out,” said Rubino. “Far too many people who have never used a modern XPS laptop have strong opinions about its functionality, but from my experience, they are often wrong. Of course, whether you like the design is a separate issue.”
Dell XPS 16 vs Dell XPS 14
The XPS 16 shares many design elements with its smaller sibling, including a zero-lattice keyboard, haptic trackpad, and row of haptic function keys. But the XPS 16 beats out the XPS 14 on the spec sheet with some standout features.
CPU options for the XPS 16 max out at an Intel Core Ultra 9 (185H), which is higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 (155H) that tops out the XPS 14 spec sheet. The XPS 16 also has higher GPU options, ranging up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070.
While the XPS 14 has a gorgeous display, the best screen you can get on the XPS 14 is a 3.2K OLED touch panel. The XPS 16, in contrast, comes with up to a UHD+ (3,840 x 2400) touch screen.
The most obvious difference between the XPS 16 and the XPS 14 is the size of the former. Dell packs a ton into the XPS 16, which has a body the size of older 15-inch laptops but approaches the benefits of recent 17-inch laptops.
The XPS 14 and XPS 16 both compete with the best Windows laptops. Choosing between them ultimately comes down to how much power you need in a laptop, your budget, and how big of a PC you want.
