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Dell Finally Listens: The XPS Brand Makes Its Triumphant Return
Sometimes companies make decisions that leave everyone wondering what they were thinking. Dell did exactly that just over a year ago when it killed off the legendary XPS brand in favor of names like "Premium," "Plus," "Pro," and "Pro Max." Yeah, those names sound like forgotten iPad tiers. Now, at CES 2026, Dell's Chief Operating Officer came out onstage essentially admitting they'd lost their way. The company's bringing back XPS, and honestly? It feels like the tech equivalent of a prodigal son returning home.
But this isn't just nostalgia talking. The new XPS 14 and XPS 16 laptops represent something genuinely significant in the premium Windows laptop space. These aren't iterative updates—they're Dell's thinnest designs ever, with thought-out features that show the company actually listened to what people hated about last year's models. The addition of physical function keys, a trackpad that's finally properly bounded, and actual flagship processors suggest Dell's serious about reclaiming its premium laptop throne.
What makes this comeback story more interesting than typical corporate reversals is what it reveals about how design-by-committee sometimes fails spectacularly. A year ago, removing the XPS name felt like the safe play—abstract, brand-agnostic, fitting into some global naming scheme. But names carry weight. They carry history. XPS spent years earning the reputation of being the Windows answer to MacBook Pro. That's not easy to replicate with "Pro Max." So Dell's back with the name that actually means something.
The new models are launching in select configurations on January 6th, 2026, with starting prices of
The Design Philosophy: Thinner Doesn't Mean Compromised
Dell's always pushed the boundaries of how thin a laptop can actually be while remaining functional. The new XPS 14 and 16 continue that tradition, with the company claiming these are the thinnest models they've ever produced. We're talking 3 pounds for the 14-inch and 3.65 pounds for the 16-inch—light enough that you'll actually notice the difference carrying it around an airport.
What's genuinely impressive is that Dell didn't sacrifice practicality to hit those numbers. The aluminum chassis feels premium without being fragile. During early hands-on time, the build quality felt every bit the flagship it's positioned as. No creaking, no flex, just solid construction that justifies the price point.
But here's where it gets interesting: the design language actually evolved. Instead of the seamless trackpad that looked cool but created an identity crisis (where does the trackpad even start?), the new XPS models feature subtle glass etching lines around the trackpad edges. It's a small detail that solves a real usability problem. You know exactly where to aim your finger. It's the kind of observation you only make after shipping a product and watching users try to figure it out.
The keyboard situation tells you something about Dell's design thinking too. The "latticeless" keyboard that debuted last year? Still here on the 14 and 16. That's the design choice that drove people genuinely crazy—shallow key travel, vague feedback, the whole experience of typing on it felt mushy. Dell could have changed it, but apparently they're committed to that aesthetic even if it costs them some user satisfaction. However, the upcoming XPS 13 will reportedly switch back to traditional chiclet keys, which feels like an admission that maybe the latticeless thing wasn't universally beloved.
Color options include graphite (available at launch) and a champagne-like "shimmer" color coming later in the year. The graphite looks genuinely sophisticated—it's not the generic silver you see everywhere. And the shimmer option suggests Dell learned something about offering variety after years of mostly monochrome options.
The port situation gets practical too: three USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 ports provide flexibility without cluttering the chassis. Ten-watt speakers might sound modest on paper, but in an ultraportable form factor, that's actually respectable for internal audio.
Dell XPS 14 is priced at
Display Technology: Two Paths to Excellence
Dell's offering two distinct display strategies with these new models, and it's worth understanding the trade-offs because they're not as straightforward as "more expensive = better."
The base configuration comes with a 1920 x 1200 IPS display. Before you dismiss IPS as inferior, understand what's actually happening here. This resolution provides plenty of real estate for productivity work. The pixel density is sufficient for crisp text. And here's the clever part: these displays support variable refresh rates ranging from 1 Hz all the way up to 120 Hz. What does that mean practically? When you're reading an email or looking at a static document, the display drops to 1 Hz, which dramatically reduces power consumption. When you're working in creative software or scrolling through content, it jumps up to 120 Hz for smooth responsiveness. On a battery-powered device, this variable refresh technology is probably more impactful than raw brightness specs.
Optional OLED configurations push things further with the tandem OLED technology—essentially two OLED layers working together. For the 14-inch, you're looking at 2880 x 1800 resolution. The 16-inch goes to 3200 x 2000. These displays are noticeably thinner than traditional OLED panels, which is crucial when you're trying to hit sub-15mm thickness targets. The brightness and color accuracy are exceptional, and OLED's infinite contrast ratio is genuinely transformative for creative work.
What's interesting is Dell's not positioning this as a simple "IPS = budget, OLED = premium" situation. Both display options come with the same variable refresh capability. The choice is really about whether you need superior contrast and color accuracy, or whether responsiveness and battery life are your priorities.
The XPS 14 starts at
Processing Power: Intel Panther Lake and Future Options
The processors inside these machines represent where the laptop industry is heading in 2025-2026, and it's worth paying attention because it affects everything from responsiveness to battery life to what kinds of AI features are actually practical.
At launch, the XPS 14 and 16 come with Intel's Core Ultra 5 325 processor as the base option. This sits in the mid-range of Intel's new Panther Lake lineup—still incredibly capable for professional work, still handling everything from software development to creative applications without breaking a sweat. Think of this as the "for 90% of users" configuration.
But the interesting part is what's coming. Dell's promising configurations up to the Core Ultra X9 388H, available later in the year. This is Intel's flagship processor for this generation, representing the pinnacle of mobile performance. The jump from Core Ultra 5 to Core Ultra X9 isn't subtle—you're looking at significantly more cores, higher performance levels, and better handling of multi-threaded workloads. If you're running virtual machines, compiling code, or doing anything that taxes the processor, that X9 is where you want to be.
What's notably absent? Discrete GPUs. Neither model offers NVIDIA or AMD discrete graphics. In years past, that would be a significant limitation. But modern integrated graphics have evolved enough that for most professional workflows, they're adequate. Video editing? Totally doable. 3D modeling? Getting there. Game-heavy workloads? Still going to want discrete graphics. But for the target market—professionals, creators, power users who aren't specifically graphics-focused—the integrated solution works.
Ram and storage come in standard configurations with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and a 512GB SSD as the baseline. These are respectable specs that can be configured higher for users with more demanding needs.
Battery Life and Power Management: Where Thinness Actually Matters
Here's the paradox of ultra-thin laptops: they're harder to make work well because you have less space for battery. Dell solved this through clever power management rather than just throwing bigger cells at the problem.
Each model comes with a 70 Whr battery—reasonable capacity given the size constraints. That's not massive, but when paired with variable refresh displays and efficient processors, it gets interesting. The claimed battery life is legitimately competitive with the MacBook Air, which is Dell's implicit benchmark here.
But the real battery magic isn't just hardware—it's the software and display integration. That variable refresh display dropping to 1 Hz when displaying static content? That's saving power constantly. The newer Intel processors are more efficient than previous generations. And Dell's power management firmware in these machines is apparently more aggressive about putting components to sleep.
Real-world battery performance depends heavily on your usage pattern. If you're constantly rendering video or maxing out the processor, you're looking at maybe 6-8 hours. If you're doing typical office work—emails, documents, light browsing—you could stretch that to 12+ hours. The variable refresh technology definitely helps here because so much of knowledge work involves looking at static content.
The 70 Whr capacity is enough that the XPS doesn't need to take up much space with charging infrastructure, which is why these designs can be so thin. Portability was always the XPS pitch, and a thin, light laptop that gets a full work day on battery is genuinely valuable.
The Dell XPS 14 is more expensive but offers better upgrade flexibility and processor performance, while the MacBook Air 14 excels in battery life. (Estimated data)
Keyboard and Input: Where Dell's Taking Risks
The latticeless keyboard situation deserves its own discussion because it's genuinely divisive. Last year's XPS models introduced this all-glass keyboard design with no distinct spacing between keys. It looked futuristic. It looked sleek. And many users absolutely hated it.
The problem wasn't cosmetic—it was tactile. Typing on a flat, uniform surface without clear key boundaries creates this weird cognitive friction. Your fingers aren't sure where one key ends and another begins. The key travel is shallow. There's minimal feedback. For someone spending eight hours a day typing, this is the difference between a tool that disappears and a tool that constantly reminds you it exists.
Dell kept this design on the new XPS 14 and 16. That's a choice. You can read it as confidence that they've refined the implementation. You can read it as stubbornness. Either way, if you're coming from a traditional laptop keyboard, this will feel strange at first. Whether it bothers you will depend entirely on your typing style and preferences.
The good news? The upcoming XPS 13 is switching back to a traditional chiclet-style keyboard. Dell's design head explained this is "more cost efficient to execute," which is honest at least. That suggests they're targeting a lower price point with the 13, so the shift makes sense from a cost and positioning perspective.
The trackpad evolution is more universally positive. Those glass etching boundary lines solve a genuine problem. On older XPS models without clear trackpad boundaries, you'd sometimes be clicking on the aluminum bezel instead of the trackpad. The etching makes the boundaries unmistakable without adding bulk or changing the industrial design.
The Strategic Reversal: Why XPS Mattered
Understanding Dell's decision to kill XPS last year requires context about how the laptop industry thinks about branding. Global product families, standardized naming schemes, consistency across regions—these make sense from a supply chain and marketing perspective. But they also create marketing disasters when the names are terrible.
Premium, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max don't conjure anything. They don't tell a story. They're descriptors, not identities. XPS, by contrast, stands for "Extreme Performance System." It's aspirational. It's specific. It's the name that actually meant something in the Windows laptop world.
When Dell killed the XPS brand, they essentially fired their most valuable marketing asset. The MacBook Air has a name. The ThinkPad has a name. The XPS had a name, and suddenly it didn't. That was the real mistake—not that XPS necessarily needed revolutionary products every generation, but that removing the brand name meant abandoning the accumulated goodwill.
The reversal signals something important about how Dell thinks going forward. It suggests the company's willing to admit when a strategy isn't working and course-correct. That's actually rare in large corporations, where changing direction often feels like admitting failure.
Jeff Clarke, Dell's COO, came out onstage acknowledging the misstep: "We've been a bit off-course in our PC business." That's refreshingly direct for a corporate executive. Whether the new XPS products are actually better is separate from whether the brand decision was correct. The brand decision clearly was wrong, and Dell's acknowledging it.
The Dell XPS 14 starts at
Competitive Context: Where XPS Fits in 2025
The premium laptop space in 2025 is genuinely competitive. This isn't like five years ago when high-end Windows laptops were scattered and inconsistent. Apple's MacBook Air and Pro have the design playbook down to an art form. And various competitors—ASUS with their Zenbook line, Lenovo with their ThinkPad lineup—are all pushing into premium territory.
Dell's advantage with XPS was always that it tried to beat Apple at their own game but for Windows. That meant industrial design that was competitive with MacBook Pro, screen technology that was often better than Apple's, and build quality that matched or exceeded the premium. The new XPS 14 and 16 continue that strategy.
The weight and thickness metrics are genuinely competitive with MacBook Air, which is impressive given that Dell's machines are running Intel chips rather than Apple's custom silicon. That custom silicon advantage (Apple's M-series) is real for performance and battery life, but it's not so overwhelming that a well-engineered Intel machine can't compete.
Pricing is where the market dynamics get interesting. The XPS 14 at
The XPS 13: A Teaser for What's Coming
Dell's being deliberately mysterious about the new XPS 13, which arrives later in 2026. What they're claiming: it will be "the thinnest and lightest XPS laptop ever," with a thickness under 13mm. For context, the current MacBook Air 13-inch is 11.3mm. The new XPS 14 and 16 are 14.62mm with OLED. Getting under 13mm is genuinely ambitious.
That thickness number matters because it represents fundamental engineering. Getting a laptop thinner than 13mm means redesigning everything—internal component arrangement, cooling, battery placement, port configuration. It's not just shaving millimeters off the exterior; it's rearchitecting the interior.
The chiclet keyboard switch makes sense for the 13. Flat, non-mechanical keyboards take up less space. Latticeless designs require more material for structural support. The traditional chiclet approach—proven, simple, compact—fits the ultra-thin target better.
Dell's hinting at a lower price point for the 13, which would position it differently from the 14 and 16. This creates product segmentation: the 13 as the ultra-portable/budget option, the 14 as the sweet-spot professional machine, and the 16 for anyone who needs the extra screen real estate. That's smart positioning.
What we don't know yet: processor specs, display options, actual battery capacity. Dell's keeping those cards close. Betting that the "under 13mm" claim alone is enough to generate excitement. And honestly? For the ultra-portable crowd, it probably is.
The Core Ultra X9 388H offers significantly higher performance than the Core Ultra 5 325, ideal for demanding workloads. (Estimated data)
Operating System Options: Windows and Ubuntu
Dell's positioning Ubuntu as an option for the XPS 14, with availability coming later in 2026. This is significant because it signals confidence in the hardware's compatibility with Linux while also acknowledging that some professional users—particularly developers and data scientists—prefer Linux environments.
Ubuntu 24.04 is a stable, long-term support release that's genuinely suitable for professional work. Developers using the NVIDIA CUDA toolkit, data scientists working with TensorFlow, or anyone doing systems work might prefer having a Linux-native experience rather than using WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) on Windows.
What's interesting is that Dell's not making this the primary offering—it's a secondary option available later. This suggests the company's primary market is still Windows-focused, but they're not ignoring the Linux segment entirely.
The hardware itself—the processors, display, trackpad, all of it—should work flawlessly with Ubuntu. Dell's not offering an obscure distro or anything experimental; they're backing a well-supported, mainstream Linux distribution. That matters because it means actual corporate support and stability.
For most professional users, the Windows vs. Ubuntu choice comes down to software requirements rather than hardware performance. If you're using Adobe Creative Suite, Avid Media Composer, or proprietary industry software, you need Windows. If you're comfortable with open-source alternatives or working primarily in terminals and text editors, Linux is fine. Dell's right to offer both options.
What This Means for the Laptop Industry
Dell's XPS resurrection tells us something about where the premium laptop market is heading. The industry's learning that thin and light are table stakes at this price point, but they're not sufficient by themselves. You also need usable keyboards, clear trackpad boundaries, function keys that work the way people expect, and thoughtful power management.
The latticeless keyboard on the 14 and 16 remains a wildcard—it could be a design direction the industry abandons, or it could be something that users adapt to and eventually prefer. But the fact that the 13 is switching back to traditional keys suggests even Dell's not fully confident in the latticeless approach.
What's also notable is the performance vs. efficiency tradeoff. A few years ago, the premium laptop industry was obsessed with getting maximum performance into the thinnest possible form factor. Now there's more recognition that for most users, adequate performance coupled with excellent battery life is more valuable than peak performance with mediocre battery life. The variable refresh displays and newer Intel chips reflect that maturity.
Brand identity matters more in the laptop space than some people realize. The XPS name carries meaning. So does MacBook, ThinkPad, and Zenbook. Creating a premium laptop and giving it a generic name is like launching a luxury car brand without a memorable name. It works occasionally, but usually it doesn't.
Estimated data shows increasing processor efficiency and OLED adoption, with decreasing device thickness from 2024 to 2027.
Pricing Strategy and Target Market
The $2,049 starting price for the XPS 14 places it in a specific market segment: professionals and power users who work from multiple locations and value portability. This isn't budget-conscious territory. This is "I need a tool for professional work and I'm willing to pay for quality" territory.
Who's the XPS buyer? Freelance designers and developers who need portability without sacrificing power. Remote workers who alternate between offices and home. Creative professionals who want something lighter than a 16-inch MacBook Pro but more powerful than an iPad. Consultants and analysts who present from laptops. This is a real market segment, and it's large enough to justify a premium price.
The configuration strategy is smart too. Sell a capable base model at
Dell's not trying to compete on price with budget laptop makers. They're not even trying to undercut MacBook directly. They're positioning XPS as an alternative for Windows users who value design and build quality as much as performance. That's a defensible position if the product delivers.
Hands-On First Impressions: What Early Testing Revealed
During early preview events before the CES announcement, journalists got limited hands-on time with the XPS 14 and 16. What emerged from those sessions:
The all-aluminum build felt genuinely premium—no creaking, no flex, no signs of cost-cutting. This is important because it justifies the price point. Cheap materials compromise the entire value proposition.
The thinness is noticeably different from previous generation XPS models. Whether that's practical matters depends on your use case. If you're constantly moving between locations, the weight and thinness translate directly to reduced fatigue. If you stay in one place, it's less noticeable.
The trackpad experience improved significantly with those glass etching boundary lines. This is a small detail that makes a disproportionate difference to daily usability.
The latticeless keyboard remained polarizing. Some testers found the flat keys comfortable once acclimated. Others found them unacceptable after years of traditional keyboards. This is genuinely a "try before you buy" situation.
The speakers are respectable for a thin laptop—a significant improvement over many ultrabooks, though obviously not competing with external speakers or headphones for audio quality.
These are first impressions from controlled, limited testing. Real-world durability, long-term battery behavior, thermal performance under sustained load—these take weeks of actual use to properly evaluate. But the initial reactions suggest the XPS 14 and 16 are genuinely well-engineered machines.
The Broader Story: Corporate Humility
What's worth noting about Dell's XPS revival is that it represents a large corporation acknowledging a strategic mistake and course-correcting. That's actually rare. Most companies, once committed to a direction, find ways to justify it even when the evidence suggests they should change course.
Jeff Clarke coming out onstage and admitting Dell was "off-course" wasn't corporate theater—it was acknowledgment that something didn't work. Whether that translates into future decision-making remains to be seen, but it's notable.
The XPS comeback also signals that industrial design and brand identity still matter in the laptop market. You can't just shuffle features around and expect users to accept a rebranding. The accumulation of reputation—the reason XPS became synonymous with premium Windows laptops—is real value that Dell was destroying by renaming the product.
There's also something to be said for just giving products names that mean something rather than generic descriptors. "XPS" tells a story. "Pro Max" is a label. The story is worth something in the marketplace.
Looking Ahead: What's Next for XPS
The 2026 lineup represents Dell's commitment to refreshing the XPS line regularly. The new XPS 13 coming later in the year suggests a yearly refresh cycle, which is standard for the industry but important to plan for if you're considering a purchase.
Future processor generations will continue improving efficiency. Intel's Panther Lake is 2025-2026 focused. By 2027, there will be newer chips with better performance and battery life. If you buy an XPS 14 in January 2026, you're roughly a year ahead of the next major processor refresh. That's normal for laptops—you don't wait for the next generation unless you're specifically trying to time the market.
Display technology evolution will likely continue bringing OLED prices down, making high-refresh variable-rate OLED more standard across configurations. The gap between IPS and OLED will probably narrow as competitive pressure increases.
The ultra-thin direction—the XPS 13 under 13mm—suggests Dell's willing to keep pushing engineering boundaries. Whether that's actually beneficial depends on whether there's demand for sub-13mm thickness. Some users will care deeply; others won't notice.
What seems unlikely is Dell abandoning the XPS brand again. The market's spoken, and the brand's value is too significant to ignore.
FAQ
What exactly is the Dell XPS brand?
XPS stands for "Extreme Performance System" and represents Dell's premium laptop line aimed at professionals and power users. The brand was introduced in 2012 and became known for offering design and build quality comparable to Apple's MacBook Pro but running Windows. Dell discontinued the XPS name in 2025 but reintroduced it in 2026 after recognizing that removing the brand was a strategic mistake.
How does the new XPS 14 compare to the MacBook Air 14?
Both are ultra-portable 14-inch machines targeting professionals. The XPS 14 starts at
What are the key improvements in the new XPS 14 and 16 compared to last year's models?
The new models bring back the XPS brand name, add physical function keys (removed on previous models), include trackpad boundary etching for better usability, achieve thinner profiles, improve battery life through variable refresh displays, and feature Intel's latest Panther Lake processors. The latticeless keyboard from last year remains, which some users hated and others accepted. Overall, these changes address the most common complaints about the previous generation.
Should I wait for the XPS 13 or buy the XPS 14 now?
It depends on your needs. The XPS 14 is available now and offers excellent performance and portability. The XPS 13 arriving later in 2026 will be thinner and lighter with traditional chiclet keys, suggesting it targets maximum portability. If you need the smallest and lightest option and can wait several more months, wait for the 13. If you want maximum performance and screen real estate, the 14 is ready today. The 13 will likely cost less but offer less processing power than the 14.
Is the latticeless keyboard a dealbreaker?
That depends entirely on your keyboard preferences and typing style. Some users find the flat, uniform surface comfortable and appreciate the aesthetic. Others find it uncomfortable after years with traditional mechanical keyboards. The only way to know is to type on it in person before committing. Dell's switching the XPS 13 back to traditional chiclet keys, which suggests they acknowledge the latticeless design is divisive.
What's the difference between the IPS and OLED display options?
The base IPS display offers 1920 x 1200 resolution, is sufficient for productivity work, and supports variable refresh from 1 Hz to 120 Hz for good battery life. The optional tandem OLED displays offer superior contrast, color accuracy, and brightness (2880 x 1800 for 14-inch, 3200 x 2000 for 16-inch), making them ideal for color-critical creative work. Both support variable refresh. The OLED upgrade costs several hundred dollars and makes the laptop slightly thinner. For most professional work, the IPS display is adequate; for color-critical work, OLED is worth the premium.
Can I run Linux on the new XPS laptops?
Yes. Dell is offering Ubuntu 24.04 as an option for the XPS 14, available later in 2026. The hardware is fully compatible with Linux, so you could also install other distributions if preferred. Ubuntu is the most commonly used Linux distribution for laptops and is supported by Dell for the XPS. This option appeals primarily to developers and technical professionals who prefer Linux for their work environment.
How long will the battery last on real-world use?
With the base IPS display and moderate workload (emails, documents, web browsing), you can expect 10-12+ hours of battery life. With intensive workloads (video rendering, compilation, graphics work), expect 6-8 hours. The variable refresh display helps battery longevity by dropping to 1 Hz when displaying static content. This is competitive with MacBook Air but depends heavily on your specific usage patterns and which processor/display configuration you choose.
Is the $2,049 starting price worth it for the XPS 14?
That depends on your requirements and budget. If you need portability, build quality, and performance for professional work, the XPS 14 delivers real value. If you're primarily using the laptop for basic productivity (web, email, documents), a much cheaper laptop would suffice. The premium pricing reflects the materials, engineering, design, and brand reputation rather than raw performance. Compare it directly to MacBook Air, ASUS Zenbook Pro, and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 to see if the XPS offers better value for your specific needs.
When will the XPS 13 actually be available and what will it cost?
Dell hasn't announced a specific release date or pricing for the XPS 13 beyond saying it's coming "later in 2026" with a sub-13mm thickness. Based on typical product cycles and positioning hints, expect availability sometime in the second half of 2026 at a price point lower than the XPS 14 (probably starting around
What does it mean that Dell killed XPS and is now bringing it back?
It signals that Dell overestimated the value of having a unified, global naming scheme across product families. Removing XPS meant losing a brand name that had accumulated significant reputation and meaning in the marketplace. The generic Premium/Plus/Pro/Pro Max names didn't resonate with customers. Bringing back XPS acknowledges this mistake. For consumers, it's good news—it means Dell is willing to listen to market feedback and adjust strategy accordingly, even if it means admitting a previous decision was wrong.
Conclusion: A Fresh Start for Premium Windows Computing
Dell's decision to resurrect the XPS brand and deliver genuinely thoughtful hardware improvements represents more than just a marketing reversal. It's an acknowledgment that in premium markets, reputation and identity matter. XPS spent years building a reputation as the Windows laptop for professionals and creative workers. That accumulated goodwill is real value.
The new XPS 14 and XPS 16 machines appear to be solid engineering efforts. They're genuinely thin and light without sacrificing usability. The addition of trackpad boundary etching and physical function keys addresses real complaints. The variable refresh displays show thoughtful power management. The build quality from initial testing feels premium.
There are compromises—the latticeless keyboard remains divisive, discrete graphics are absent, and the starting price of $2,049 puts these firmly in premium territory. But compromises exist in all consumer electronics. The question is whether the overall package justifies the price and positioning, and early signs suggest it does.
The looming XPS 13 with sub-13mm thickness and traditional keyboard suggests Dell's learned broader lessons about product strategy. Sometimes thinner is cool but doesn't make sense. Sometimes traditional designs win out. Sometimes listening to user feedback matters more than pushing design boundaries just to push them.
For Windows users in the market for a premium portable machine, the XPS 14 launching January 6th, 2026 is worth seriously considering. It's not going to dethrone the MacBook Air as the default choice for creative professionals. But it's a credible alternative that's been thoughtfully engineered for the specific needs of Windows users who value portability, build quality, and design.
Dell's back in the premium laptop business with a brand that actually means something. That's good news for everyone because it means real competition, and competition drives innovation. Whether you ultimately choose XPS, MacBook, ThinkPad, or something else, the market's better because Dell brought XPS back.
Key Takeaways
- Dell reversed its decision to kill the XPS brand, bringing back the iconic name with genuinely improved hardware that addresses previous complaints
- New XPS 14 (2,199.99) are Dell's thinnest models yet with trackpad boundary etching, function keys, and Intel Panther Lake processors
- Optional tandem OLED displays offer superior color accuracy while variable refresh technology (1Hz-120Hz) dramatically improves battery life for static content viewing
- The controversial latticeless keyboard returns on the 14 and 16, but the upcoming XPS 13 (sub-13mm thickness) will switch back to traditional chiclet keys targeting a lower price point
- Ubuntu 24.04 option coming later in 2026 signals Dell's recognition that developers and technical professionals value Linux native support on premium hardware
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