Dell brings the sleek (and controversial) XPS 13 design to 14 and 16-inch models

[Daniel Sims]

Something to look forward to: Dell took the unusual step of replacing the XPS 13 laptop's function keys with a touch-sensitive row two years ago. Now, the company has unified the design across the entire XPS laptop lineup. The new models Dell plans to present at CES unsurprisingly also feature Intel Core Ultra processors, which introduce NPUs to enhance AI workloads.

Dell's latest XPS laptops confirm that the company is sticking with its decision to replace the function key row with a flat LED bar. In addition to a new successor to the 13-inch model that introduced the new design, 14-inch and 16-inch variants will soon be available, suggesting Dell is ditching the XPS 15.

The updated design also replaces the traditional trackpad with an invisible, borderless "haptic ForcePad' that reproduces the clicking sensation with haptics. The new XPS 14 and 16 also gain the 13's tight keyboard spacing, allowing for larger keys. However, the larger models still include headphone jacks, unlike the XPS 13.

Display options include OLED touch panels, variable refresh rates up to 120Hz, Dolby Vision, and up to 4K resolution. While the XPS 13 is still limited to integrated graphics and the 14-inch laptop maxes out at the entry-level RTX 4050, the XPS 16 can pack in an RTX 4070.

	Dell XPS 13	Dell XPS 14	Dell XPS 16
CPU	Up to a 5.0GHz Intel Core Ultra 7 165H	Up to a 5.0GHz Intel Core Ultra 7 165H	Up to a 5.1GHz Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
GPU	Intel Arc integrated graphics	Intel Arc integrated graphics or a 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050	Up to an 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070
RAM	Up to 64GB LPDDR5x at 7467 MT/s	Up to 64GB LPDDR5x at 7467 MT/s	Up to 64GB LPDDR5x at 7467 MT/s, 6400 MT/s with Integrated graphics
Storage	Up to 2TB PCIe 4 SSD (4TB available after launch)	Up to 4TB PCIe 4 SSD	Up to 4TB PCIe 4 SSD
Connectivity	2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) with DisplayPort 2.1, Wi-Fi 7	3x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) with DisplayPort 2.1, an SD card reader, headphone jack, 1 USB-C to USB-A 3.0 and HDMI 2.0 adapter, Wi-Fi 6E	3x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) with DisplayPort 2.1, an SDXC card reader, headphone jack, 1 USB-C to USB-A 3.0 and HDMI 2.0 adapter, Wi-Fi 7
Display	Up to 13.4-inch 3K (2880x1800) OLED touchscreen with Dolby Vision. 60Hz at 3K, 120Hz at QHD+ and FHD+	Up to 14.5-inch 3.2K (3200 x 2000) 120Hz OLED touchscreen with Dolby Vision	Up to 16.3-inch 4K+ (3840 x 2400) OLED touchscreen with Dolby Vision, 90Hz at 4K, 120Hz at FHD+
Power	55Whr integrated battery	69.5Whr integrated battery	99.5Whr integrated battery
Starting Price	$1,299	$1,699	$1,899

The new XPS systems transition to Meteor Lake processors and include AI acceleration hardware similar to other recently revealed laptops. Dell also added the new Copilot key to summon Microsoft's new AI-powered assistant. Rumors indicate that future versions of Windows emerging later this year will leverage AI hardware to enhance Copilot further.

Dell hasn't revealed exact release dates for the new lineup, but it will undoubtedly have more information to share at CES next week.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/101411-dell-brings-xps-13-ultra-sleek-design-14.html

 

[Superconductor]

Fail

 

[Mr Majestyk]

Fail

Epic fail.

Dell XPS range has gone down hill enormously since 2016.

 

[takaozo]

Not like the first models were anywhere good. Remember the touchpad (LX321) or the nostral camera?

 

[3ogdy]

Esc, del, ins and volume and brightness control as touch buttons?

Who needed studies to work at DELL and come up with that decision? So, now we're removing often used buttons from the keyboard for the sake of... a bigger touchpad?

 

[RedBlu]

Didn't they already learn their lesson from Apple's Touchbar debacle?

People despise the lack of tactile feedback on a "sightless" device. This is also why people hate touchscreen controls in cars.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Esc, del, ins and volume and brightness control as touch buttons?

Who needed studies to work at DELL and come up with that decision? So, now we're removing often used buttons from the keyboard for the sake of... a bigger touchpad?

The XPS appeals to the "fashionable" starbucks enjoyers who need to spend thousands for the latest trends. Nobody who does actual work buys this garbage.

 

[takaozo]

The XPS appeals to the "fashionable" starbucks enjoyers who need to spend thousands for the latest trends. Nobody who does actual work buys this garbage.

Count corporate fashion also
You would be suprised how many XPS 13 are in my company. If you have a Premier contract prices are 20-30% lower than Dell shop.

 

[OortCloud]

No proper arrow keys even on the larger models (and probably awfully mapped pageup/down/home/end keys) - instant nope.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Count corporate fashion also
You would be suprised how many XPS 13 are in my company. If you have a Premier contract prices are 20-30% lower than Dell shop.

Oh yes, they exist. And you can tell which companies have an internal IT repair team based on if they buy latitudes or XPSs.

 

[takaozo]

Oh yes, they exist. And you can tell which companies have an internal IT repair team based on if they buy latitudes or XPSs.

There is no internal repair team once you buy Dell, a tech guy from Dell it's there in next business day for laptops and for servers in 4 hours (spare part included with 4HR mission critical waranty, not cheap but worth it).
Trust me after 15 years with Dell Premier

 

[Theinsanegamer]

There is no internal repair team once you buy Dell, a tech guy from Dell it's there in next business day for laptops and for servers in 4 hours (spare part included with 4HR mission critical waranty, not cheap but worth it).
Trust me after 15 years with Dell Premier

This is hilariously incorrect. We have been a Dell shop for 20+ years and all of our hardware repairs are done in house. We are all Dell certified, any issues dell overnights us parts no questions asked.

Like I said, you can tell which ones have internal IT and which ones dont. We'd never trust those baboons at Dell to repair anything properly, when we can do it in 15 minutes with a part. And we only buy latitudes, no XPS trash.

 

[takaozo]

This is hilariously incorrect. We have been a Dell shop for 20+ years and all of our hardware repairs are done in house. We are all Dell certified, any issues dell overnights us parts no questions asked.

Like I said, you can tell which ones have internal IT and which ones dont. We'd never trust those baboons at Dell to repair anything properly, when we can do it in 15 minutes with a part. And we only buy latitudes, no XPS trash.

When you have a single building with hundreds or more maybe makes sense to keep a local Dell authorized team. But when you have them spread accros country Dell NBD makes sense.