2024 Dell XPS laptop review: Pricey, but still the best Windows premium laptops

Dell XPS laptops have been around for a very long time. I remember when some of them were massively chunky and clunky. The company has been refining the Dell XPS lineup for a long time, and they’ve come upon a formula that seems to work for them. Dell XPS laptops turned from chunky and clunky to slim and powerful, yet heavy. Dell has made this lineup of laptops something other Windows laptop makers strive to become and for good reason, these are still the pinnacle of Windows premium laptops.

Estimated reading time: 21 minutes

But the landscape has changed a lot over the past two or three years. HP and Lenovo are both making some excellent alternatives that compete head-to-head with the Dell XPS laptops. ASUS and Razer are also churning out quality competition. But the Dell XPS is still king of the mountain and the 2024 Dell XPS line brings a few new tricks up its sleeves but also brings its fair share of frustrations. The Dell XPS 16 and 14 are still top of the heap in 2024, but the competition is heating up for this storied laptop family, and Dell should take note.

2024 Dell XPS Laptops — The Quick Take

Tech reviewers are a fickle bunch. For years, I’ve listened to many of my colleagues praising and fawning over the Dell XPS lineup and for good reason, they’re damn good. But lately, I’ve seen many of them changing their tune over sometimes small dislikes and some big design changes. Every so often, I think reviewers forget the lineage and purpose of certain brand’s model lines, and I feel that’s the case with the Dell XPS laptops for 2024.

Many are now decrying the Dell XPS for its price, weight, and new design changes. But the XPS line has always been Dells’ premium laptop that comes at a price. It has always been a bit heftier than other laptops, and that has been part of its ethos. The design changes I can understand some not being in love with, but I dig it.

So my quick take on the 2024 Dell XPS laptops is this:

• Fantastic build quality, yes they are heavier than some other options, but I don’t mind.
• Incredible display, the OLED versions are what we reviewed.
• Performance capabilities are what I would expect from an XPS, and I am happy. 4K video editing and photo editing work well.
• The speakers and sound are excellent, though still not as top-tier as MacBook Pro. But wonderful.
• I love the new design on the inside, I love the boardless trackpad and the keyboard is nice too. Though I will admit, it might take some a bit of time to get used to this keyboard. It is very unconventional and takes some getting used to.
• Battery life could use improvement, but this is subjective and Windows laptops across the board need improvements.
• Yes, it is expensive, Dell XPS have always been so. I think you get what you pay for here. But again, subjective and I know many others feel differently.

The 2024 Dell XPS laptop lineup is a solid choice, but it does have competition, much more than ever before. If you’re after the very best Windows laptop that can compete with the MacBook Pro in terms of aesthetic and build quality, this is it. But you will pay the price for it. There are other more affordable options that can perform just as well as the XPS laptops, but you’ll forfeit a superior fit & finish, build quality, and name recognition.

Specifications

The Dell XPS 16 sent to us has the following features and specifications:

• Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 155H (24MB Cache, 16 cores, up to 4.8 GHz)
• Operating System: Windows 11 Home, English, French, Spanish
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, 8 GB GDDR6, 50W
• Display: 16.3″ OLED UHD+ (3840 × 2400) Infinity Edge, Touch, Anti-Reflective and Anti-Smudge, 400-nits
• Memory: 32GB, LPDDR5X, 6400MT/s
• Storage: 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid-State Drive
• Case: Graphite
• Keyboard: Graphite Backlit English Keyboard with Fingerprint Reader
• Ports:
  • 1 headphone/microphone combo jack (3.5mm), featuring Waves Nx 3D audio with head tracking
  • 3 Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 Type-C ports with DisplayPort Alt Mode/USB4 and PowerDelivery
• Supplied dongle: 1 USB Type-C to USB Type-A and HDMI adapter
• Slots: 1 microSDXC v6.0 UHS-I/UHS-II card reader
• Dimensions & Weight:
  • Height:  0.74 in. ​(18.70 mm)
  • Width:  14.10 in. ​(358.18 mm)
  • Depth:  9.50 in. (240.05 mm)
  • Starting weight : 4.7 lbs (2.13 kg) for FHD+ display and Intel Arc graphics
  • Starting weight: 4.8 lbs (2.20 kg) for OLED display
• Touchpad: Multi-touch gesture-enabled precision touchpad with haptic function, Seamless glass touchpad with haptics
• Camera:
  • 1080p at 30 fps FHD camera
  • 360p at 15 fps IR camera
  • Dual-microphone array optimized with Waves MaxxVoice supporting VoIP
• Audio and Speakers: Quad-speaker design with 3 W main x 2 channels + 2 W Tweeter x 2 channels = 10 W total Studio quality tuning with Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Waves Nx 3D audio​.
• Wireless: Intel® Killer Wi-Fi 7 1750 (BE200) 2×2 + Bluetooth 5.4 Wireless Card
• Primary Battery: 6-Cell, 99.5Whr
• Battery Life: Up to 28 hours with FHD+
• Power: 130W Type-C Adapter
• Model Number: 9640

The Dell XPS 14 sent to us has the following features and specifications:

• Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 155H (24MB Cache, 16 cores, up to 4.8 GHz)
• Operating System: Windows 11 Home, English, French, Spanish
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050, 6 GB GDDR6, 50W
• Display: 14.5″ 3.2K (3200 × 2000) OLED InfinityEdge touch display
• Memory: 32GB LPDDR5x Dual Channel at 7467MT/s
• Storage: 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid-State Drive
• Case: Graphite
• Keyboard: Graphite Backlit English Keyboard with Fingerprint Reader
• Ports:
  • 1 headphone/microphone combo jack (3.5mm)
  • 3 Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) with Power Delivery and DisplayPort
• Supplied dongle: 1 USB Type-C to USB Type-A and HDMI adapter
• Slots: 1 microSDXC v6.0 UHS-I/UHS-II card reader
• Dimensions & Weight:
  • Height:  Height: 0.71 in. (18.0 mm)
  • Width:  Width: 12.6 in. (320.0 mm)
  • Depth:  Depth: 8.5 in. (216.0 mm)
  • Starting weight : 3.7lb (1.68kg) for FHD+
  • Starting weight: 3.8lb (1.74kg) for OLED
• Touchpad: Multi-touch gesture-enabled precision touchpad with haptic function, Seamless glass touchpad with haptics
• Camera:
  • 1080p at 30 fps FHD RGB-IR camera
  • Dual-array microphones
• Audio and Speakers: Stereo speakers with Waves MaxxAudio Quad-speaker design with 2W Main x 2 Channel + 2W Tweeter x 2 Channel; 8W total peak output. Headphone and microphone combo featuring Waves Nx® 3D audio with head tracking. Dual array microphone with Waves MaxxVoice supporting VoIP, Microsoft Cortana capable Dolby Atmos.
• Wireless: Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 6E 1675 (AX211), 2×2, 802.11ax, Bluetooth® wireless card
• Primary Battery: 6-Cell, 69.5Whr
• Battery Life: Up to 21 hours with FHD+
• Power: 100W Type-C Adapter
• Model Number: 9440

What’s In The Box

• 2024 Dell XPS laptop
• Power Supply
• Power Cord
• Dongle
• Manuals and Documentation

Design

The new 2024 Dell XPS laptop lineup comes in three SKUs. The Dell XPS 13, Dell XPS 14, and Dell XPS 16. They’re all fairly similar in design, with varying ways to configure them. Of course, the smaller the laptop, the smaller the battery and performance ability. If you’re looking for a middle ground between performance and portability, then the 14″ is the one.

In terms of design, Dell stuck with the familiar wedge shape of the previous XPS generations with some added flair and controversial and aggressive aesthetic changes. Let’s take a look at the physical design of both of these laptops.

The bottom of the XPS 16 and 14 looks very familiar with those signature Dell rubber feet that extend almost the length of the laptop, front and back. I love this foot design because I feel it gives the laptop a much better stability factor. The Dell XPS laptop line has always had really great rubber feet for stability, but previous generations did see these easily fall off after a long period of use. Hopefully, Dell has fixed the adhesive on these.

The bottom also showcases the XPS logo in a minimal and subtle manner. There are vents on the left, right, and out the rear of the laptops. This is standard fare for XPS, and I always felt the Dell XPS lineup performed well in the cooling department. The back panel is also easily removed by extracting the screws that hold it in place. Though there’s not much to upgrade in these laptops. Seems everyone is moving on to soldered on everything.

There’s not much to say about the spines of these laptops, they are angled and look nice, adding to the wedge look. The front lip of both the Dell XPS laptops, however, this, I do have a few words about. That front lip is flush and clean all the way across, and has no cut out to slip a nail under to open the laptop. I don’t like this. I wish they hadn’t gotten rid of the little notch that helps open the lid.

You can manage to get a fingernail in between the deck and the display and pry up to open, but it is awkward and clunky. I found myself using both hands to open these laptops up. Not a dealbreaker, but I wonder what Dell was thinking by removing that notch.

Along the right side of the XPS 16 there is a microSD card slot, USB-C/Thunderbolt port, and headphone jack. Along the left side of the XPS 16 there are two USB-C/Thunderbolt ports. You get the same port configuration on the XPS 14 and there is a dongle included that gives you an HDMI port and USB-A port, though you must sacrifice a USB-C to use it.

Opening either one of these 2024 Dell XPS laptops will reveal the spectacular OLED display option in our units. More on that in the next section. As usual, the XPS laptops have an Infinity Edge display, which means the bezels are razor-thin. Which makes this 16:10 aspect ratio laptop look like a 16:9 next to other laptops because the other laptops have larger bezels. That’s not a bad thing, it’s impressive.

Moving down to the keyboard and deck, this is where the meat of the design changes have occurred. The first thing you notice is that it appears as if there is no trackpad. The new glass trackpad has been placed in such a seamless way that it just looks like all deck. I love this design and I told everyone when the Dell XPS 13 came out with this design, it is coming to the bigger Dell XPS laptops. And here we are.

The speakers remain up firing and to the left and right of the keyboard, I still love this design. The next big change is the capacitive function and controls bar. This has been controversial because Apple tried something similar with the Touch bar and it failed. While I think it looks nice and it gives the design a clean, minimal feel, I would have preferred physical buttons. The chances of those light up capacitive buttons failing is higher than if they were physical buttons. I think, taking the risk of crippling keys that are essential if something goes wrong with your PC, was a bad choice.

Finally, the keyboard. A lot of hate is being hurled at this keyboard. I admit, it is different. It’s certainly not a mechanical keyboard, nor is it a traditional chiclet keyboard. The Dell XPS laptops now have a modified chiclet type keyboard.

The keys on this keyboard are very flat, but they do have a subtle concave to them to help with feel. I think the majority of users are going to have a learning curve to get past with this keyboard. Not a steep learning curve, but you will find yourself hitting the wrong keys because it is harder to type by feel on these XPS laptops. That said, I love this keyboard. It’s quiet, looks slick, and after just a few runs, I got used to it.

Overall, the design of the 2024 Dell XPS laptops has been mostly left the same, on the outside. The inside is a different story. The new trackpad, keyboard, and function row might shock some users but I think these units look so nice, that people will still want to buy them.

Display

Both of the 2024 Dell XPS 16 and 14 came with OLED displays. The XPS 16 houses a 16.3″ OLED UHD+ (3840 × 2400) Infinity Edge, Touch, Anti-Reflective and Anti-Smudge, 400-nit panel. The XPS 14 houses a 14.5″ 3.2K (3200 × 2000) OLED InfinityEdge touch display, which we are assuming is also 400-nits.

The Dell XPS laptop is the company’s flagship laptop and it’s not a surprise they get the best displays Dell has in stock. There are other display options, which can help reduce the cost of the Dell XPS laptop, but the OLED is just too impressive not to say no to. Last year, we reviewed one XPS with an OLED and the other with an IPS, so we could compare. This year, we get both OLEDs.

Because these are both OLED displays, the brightness max’s out at 400-nits. This was good for using outdoors but I am a fan of very bright screens and I was longing for 500-nits. One of the handicaps of OLEDs is the peak brightness, they have gotten better and these Dell XPS laptop displays are fantastic. I just wanted more brightness, it’s not a dealbreaker, but more of a personal preference for me.

Colors are vibrant and punchy, while blacks are deep and inky. The Whites are clean and crisp, making text pop off the display. The 4K and 3.5K displays are great for photographers and videographers who want those pixels for editing. They are also spectacular to watch movies on. If you do a lot of entertainment consumption on your laptop, then the higher resolution displays might make sense for you too. Although you should know, these higher resolutions will eat more battery.

The 4K+ display on the Dell XPS laptop lineup delivers 278 PPI and 100% DCI-P3 color, along with an up to 120Hz variable refresh rate. And you also get Dolby Vision. Dolby Vision delivers ultra-vivid color, sharp contrast and rich details. Unlocking the full potential of HDR technology by dynamically optimizing the image quality based on your service, device, and platform to deliver mesmerizing visuals every time. You experience deeper blacks and whiter whites.

Overall, the OLED displays on the Dell XPS laptop lineup for 2024 are fantastic! They are very colorful and vibrant. I would have given some of that up for a brighter display, but that is just me.

Software/Ecosystem

Windows 11 Pro came pre-installed on both of these laptops. There’s not much to say about Windows 11, it works well, and Microsoft is doing a decent job of keeping it relevant. I have been impressed at how Windows 11 has been kept updated with the latest security patches and updates.

Sadly, many laptops come with a huge amount of bloatware; the previous generation of the Dell XPS laptop lineup were great, and so are this year’s. There are a few pre-installed annoyances, and the main annoyance is always McAfee. I’ve complained about McAfee and Norton in the past; I won’t go into that again. I think laptop makers need to quit installing bloatware antivirus programs.

There is also a new Copilot key to the right of the alt key on the right-hand side of the keyboard. This is to invoke Microsoft Copilot, which is the company’s AI assistant. It works, it does what it’s designed to do. But I am still not impressed with AI or LLM’s and I think there are likely a lot of privacy issues with LLM’s and AI software.

Overall, Windows 11 is excellent; there are a few bloatware pieces but not a ton, and McAfee really needs to go. Same with Norton.

Performance

The 2024 Dell XPS laptop lineup, as usual, gets the best of the best in terms of performance and parts. Peep the specifications list above for our configurations, and here is what Dell says about the performance under the hood.

• Up to 80W of Sustained Performance XPS 16: Powered by up to Intel Core Ultra 9 processors, plus NVIDIA RTX graphics, the XPS 16 is our most powerful new XPS laptop. Delivering up to 45% more performance than the previous XPS 15, it is also up to 1.7x more powerful than the new XPS 14.
• NVIDIA RTX 40-series graphics: Edit videos and export them faster. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series Laptop GPUs power laptops designed for gamers and creators, providing more horsepower when you are editing images, video and playing high-resolution video, like Netflix in 4K, so you don’t experience lags. Available with up to RTX 4070.
• Lightning-fast memory and storage: Superfast LPDDR5x memory is 55% faster than before. That means more data can get through faster, so you aren’t slowed down and can multitask with ease. Storage up to 4TB* that’s also superfast, allows you to store all your files on your laptop and take them with you and access them quickly.
• Further With AI, Faster on RTX: Supercharge your content creation with over 100 AI-enabled and RTX accelerated creative apps—including the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, Blender, and more. The XPS 16 is an NVIDIA Studio-validated system, which is purpose-built for creators, tested and validated to deliver fast and fluid performance across the most challenging creator workflows.
• Wi-Fi 7 Ready: 4.8x faster throughput, lower latency and greater capacity than Wi-Fi 6. No more struggling with constant buffering, lag, or congestion. Share files in seconds vs. minutes.

Dell is also pushing its new thermal performance improvements this year, like it did last year. The 2024 Dell XPS laptop lineup is bringing more thermal improvements, which is an effort to address some users’ complaints about old models’ thermal performance.

• Personalized performance: Easily adjust and customize your laptop’s performance settings between four different modes: optimized, performance, cool and quiet modes, so your laptop runs how you want it. You can tune to your specific situation.
• Easy setup and sharing of accessories: Optimized mode enables the best balance of performance and thermals. In ultra-performance mode, your system may run warmer, and fans may be louder. Cool mode will limit temperature or decrease fan noise, which may impact system performance.

Both Dell XPS laptop systems handled 4K video editing in DaVinci Resolve, photo editing with Affinity Photo, and graphics in Affinity Designer like a champ. No hiccups, although things can get a bit warm if you’re really pushing the system; this is normal for any system you throw heavy programs at. I have never had an issue with thermal throttling on any XPS system, but I understand others have and it was good for Dell to address it.

Web browsing, email, media consumption were all excellent, no complaints and that display just makes media content so pretty! Overall, as usual, these systems performed outstandingly well, for what I use them for.

Speakers/Sound

Dell XPS laptop speakers have always been really great and they improve every year. The XPS 16 gets a Quad-speaker design with 3 W main x 2 channels + 2 W Tweeter x 2 channels = 10 W total Studio quality tuning with Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Waves Nx 3D audio​. While the Dell XPS 14 gets Stereo speakers with Waves MaxxAudio Quad-speaker design with 2W Main x 2 Channel + 2W Tweeter x 2 Channel; 8W total peak output. They are top-mounted, which I always think is the best place to put laptop speakers.

Watching movies and listening to music is enjoyable, but as before, the low-end isn’t always outstanding, so bass performance could be mixed. The mids and highs are good, and the overall sound is more than acceptable. If you want theater-quality sound, I believe you’ll need better speakers, but these are fantastic for what they are and they are probably the best speakers on any Windows laptop. Nothing has been able to beat Apple’s speakers on the MacBook Pro.

Dell does claim louder sound and deeper bass, and that is true when compared to its previous models. Because these speakers are most likely the best on a Windows laptop, I rated them highly.

There is also a headphone jack on both the XPS 16 and XPS 14, this should make video editors happy. Overall, the sound is way above average for a Windows laptop, and we always love the top-mounted speakers.

Camera

Holy resolution Batman! The Dell XPS laptop series finally has a 1080p webcam! Here’s what the XPS 16 gets:

• 1080p at 30 fps FHD camera
• 360p at 15 fps IR camera
• Dual-microphone array optimized with Waves MaxxVoice supporting VoIP

And the XPS 14 gets the following:

• 1080p at 30 fps FHD RGB-IR camera
• Dual-array microphones

We have been harping on Dell for the past few years to upgrade the webcams on the Dell XPS laptop lineup because it was time. But we were disappointed the past few years with the 720p cam. This new camera is miles better than what we had before and it is incredible to see Dell finally doing the right thing. Well done Dell!

Photo Gallery 2024 Dell XPS Laptops

Battery Life

I had no issue getting a full day of battery on the Dell XPS 16 and Dell XPS 14. This was while doing my basic computing tasks, no video or photo editing. There was some streaming from YouTube and Apple Music in the background. Battery life goes down once you start intensifying the workflow. Adding in video and photo editing will drain your battery much faster. But this is true for any laptop. Overall, I’m fine with the battery life here; it competes with other laptops on the market. But hey, we could always use more battery power!

Price/Value

Prices vary depending on how you outfit the 2024 Dell XPS lineup. Our units were pretty well-packed with the best of the best. Expect to pay a pretty penny if you choose to outfit these laptops with all the goodies. The prices are really no surprise. These are Dell’s flagship laptops and they are built to reflect that price. These laptops are well worth the price and should last you several years. There are more affordable alternatives, but you will sacrifice a superior fit & finish, build quality, and name recognition, if that’s important to you.

Wrap Up

The 2024 Dell XPS laptop lineup is still the best premium Windows laptop line you can buy. Their design and build quality are at the top.

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Last Updated on June 1, 2024.