CES 2024: Dell's XPS laptop lineup will be very different

It won't be a huge shakeup Dell XPS series Ever, but between some of the bigger laptops and the total overhaul of the XPS portfolio, it feels like a big deal. The 13-inch Dell XPS laptop sticks around, but the touchbar-equipped XPS Plus that ran hot in our review is gone, replaced by the 14-inch XPS. The 15-inch and 17-inch laptops are replaced by the new 16-inch XPS.

Plenty of laptop makers have 14-inch and 16-inch devices—notably, Apple introduced the MacBook Pro in both sizes in 2021—but Dell's flagship XPS laptops stick to the more traditional 13-inch and 15-inch sizes.

Dell reps were dismissive when I asked them if this new range of XPS laptops was up against Apple's own laptops. But it makes sense! Dell's XPS laptops are the primary competitor to Apple's MacBook Pro, and both lines of laptops repeat each other's design, borrowing little flourishes when it makes sense. There's a reason the Dell XPS has looked like a MacBook Pro for years, and Apple's laptops have finally shrunk their enormous bezels.

Instead, I pointed out another advantage of newer and slightly larger laptops: extra internal space. In some cases, that means larger batteries, as the 14-inch XPS packs a 69.5WHr battery compared to the 55WHr battery found in the XPS 13 and last year's XPS Plus. One of our biggest gripes with the XPS Plus is how long it lasts on a charge.

More space on these laptops means more space for fans and discrete graphics, which is why the XPS 14 will have an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 option. It has up to 64GB of RAM, Intel Core Ultra 7 165H CPU and up to 4TB SSD. Those going with discrete graphics will see the spec bump for the power adapter, going from a standard 60W charger to 100W.

Unfortunately, all that power makes it heavier than the XPS Plus, which tops out at 2.77 pounds with the optional OLED display. The XPS 14 weighs 3.8 pounds with the optional OLED display.

The new XPS 13 has managed to avoid the imaging ray with this update, and if you need a solid high-end business, it will continue to be the XPS. Laptop. That means no unique graphics. Instead, you'll have to deal with Intel's new Meteor Lake processors, which have a dedicated neural processing unit to better handle AI workflows. The XPS 14 can support up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 165H CPU, plus 64GB of RAM and a 4TB SSD.

The XPS 14 is the one I'm most excited to get my hands on, and I suspect many people will want to talk about the XPS 16, which replaces both the XPS 15 and XPS 17. As I understand it, the idea is that this device gives you enough screen real estate of the 17's that you won't miss, but with less overall benefits.

It sports an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor, 64GB of RAM, a 4TB SSD and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 with 8GB of DDR6. All that extra power means a bigger battery (99.5WHr) and a larger charger (130W USB-C), and it hits 4.8 pounds with the optional 16.3-inch 4K OLED. The XPS 17 weighs 5.37 pounds with the optional OLED, and has a slightly smaller battery (97WHr). So, if you don't mind the reduced screen size, it should definitely feel like a much faster machine.

Aside from the larger Shuffle, the other new addition is small and, I suspect, what's to come from other laptop makers this CES. Windows 11 has a new dedicated Copilot key to activate Copilot. It's like the old Cortana button, but much more useful.

How much do all these laptops cost? The XPS 13 will start at $1,299 (US), the XPS 14 at $1,699 and the XPS 16 at $1,899. Dell has No It was announced when they would be available, but history would suggest the next couple of months. So, if you're still pining for that XPS 17, you'd better drop it in your cart soon.