The XPS series of laptops has grown into an icon for Dell, so the company’s decision to retire it in favour of a simplified Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max lineup last year came as a baffling move. It will also be a short-lived one, as the portfolio is set to return in revamped form factors and welcome another new member at a later time.
Announced at CES 2026 (and revealed in a pre-briefing event held in New York City), the XPS 14 and XPS 16 are touted as the slimmest models to date, each measuring 14.6mm thin. The former weighs 1.36kg, down from 1.68kg, while its bigger sibling tips the scales at 1.65kg (versus 2.15kg previously), and both feature a chassis crafted from CNC aluminium and Gorilla Glass 3. Additionally, modular USB-C ports will be available on an XPS device for the first time, making repairs easier.
Display-wise, the laptops offer two configurations: OLED or 2K LCD. The XPS 14 and XPS 16 ship with a 2.8K (2,880 x 1,800) and 3.2K (3,200 x 2,000) OLED touch panel, respectively, as well as a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 500 nits. It’s not standard OLED tech, either – Dell has incorporated its tandem OLED and InfinityEdge capabilities here.
In terms of hardware, the lineup is powered by Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors and built-in Intel Arc GPUs featuring 12 Xe cores, alongside an Intel AI Boost NPU. According to Dell, users can expect up to 57 percent and 78 percent faster AI performance, respectively, with more than 50 percent improvement in graphics performance compared to the previous generation. The XPS 14 and XPS 16 can be upgraded to 64GB of RAM and 4TB of storage, from the base configuration of 16GB or 32GB (depending on the processor) and 512GB.
Other notable features include a 70Wh battery that delivers up to 27 to 40 hours of video playback (or so Dell claims), a redesigned thermal system for enhanced airflow delivery, access to Copilot+ right out of the box, a 10W quad-speaker system, and an 8MP webcam with 1080p resolution. A second Shimmer colour option is slated to launch later in the year, along with a refreshed XPS 13, described as the “thinnest and lightest XPS laptop”.
The XPS 14 and XPS 16 will retail from US$1,649 and US$1,849, respectively. No pricing was announced for the XPS 13, but Dell says it will be the “most accessible XPS price point yet.”
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
