Last year, Dell eliminated all of its PC brands, including the iconic XPS lineup, and replaced them with a simplified naming scheme. This was a move intended to make it easier for people to differentiate between the company’s many brands, but in reality, it made the company’s lineup even more confusing. We called it an unforced error at the time, but after seeing how much Dell’s PC market share declined in 2025, it’s fair to say the rebranding was a complete marketing disaster.
So, with its tail between its legs, Dell has returned to CES with some welcome news for its fans: the XPS Lives! And the company plans to double down on the brand like never before. Today, Dell revealed the new XPS 14 and 16 notebooks, which have a more practical design than previous models. Instead of weird capacitive buttons that disappear in sunlight, there’s a new function row with traditional keys. And while the company is sticking with its “invisible” trackpad, which sits flush with the wrist rest, there’s now a light border around the edges that lets you feel exactly where the trackpad begins and ends.
So, in short, it looks like Dell has addressed most of our recent complaints about the XPS lineup. To show its commitment to the brand, it is also replacing the previous Dell name with the XPS logo on all these new machines. This is something I never would have imagined a less humble Dale would do.
The redesign also gave Dell room to shave some weight and thickness from both machines. The XPS 14 now weighs almost three pounds, half a pound lighter than the previous generation, while the XPS 16 weighs 3.6 pounds, a whole pound lighter than before. The new cases make both machines look like Microsoft’s extra-miniature Surface Laptop, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Both systems are powered by Intel’s new Panther Lake Core Ultra Series 3 chips, and they also offer tandem OLED display options.
Dell also briefly revealed the return of a new XPS 13 later this year, which will be the company’s thinnest and lightest notebook to date. Dell says it will be cheaper than the earlier XPS.
The new XPS 14 and 16 will be available on January 6, starting at $2,050 and $2,200, respectively. A Dell representative told us that these are not entry-level configurations, so instead we can expect to see cheaper prices with lower specifications in February.
Updated 1/6/26, 12:30p: Pricing updated to reflect Dell’s new numbers. Originally, we were told they would start at $1,650 and $1,850.
Update 1/12, 3:00p: Added mention of an upcoming lower entry-level configuration eventually.
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