This brand returns from the dead: New, more lightweight Dell XPS 14 and Dell XPS 16 laptops announced
CES 2026Dell opened the year 2025 with a big announcement: All of its sub-brands for laptops were going to be discarded, apart from Alienware, and the name Dell itself would take the spotlight. Accordingly, Dell killed off even it's arguably most valuable laptop brand name, the Dell XPS series - future installments were to be called "Dell Premium".
Just a year later, Dell is reversing course, and the XPS makes its return to the land of the living. At CES 2026, Dell introduces two new models into the series: The Dell XPS 14 DA14260 and the Dell XPS 16 DA16260.
With the return to the new old name, Dell is also redesigning this premium prosumer laptop series, returning the design to a more conservative, less stylistic approach. Changes to the design include the return of physical function keys, as well as clearly marked edges for the large haptic touchpad.
Of course, as 2026 laptops, the new Dell XPS 14 and Dell XPS 16 are powered by processors of the newest generation. In this case, Intel's Panther Lake CPUs, which includes both basic 8-core versions (Intel Core Ultra 5 325, Core Ultra 7 355) and the much more powerful H class CPUs (Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, Core Ultra X9 388H), with the Core Ultra X7 and X9 including Intel's latest ARC Graphics - dedicated GPUs are not available. Up to 64 GB of soldered LPDDR5X memory are available, SSD storage ranges up to 4 TB.
These components are embedded in cases made from premium materials, like CNC Aluminum and Gorilla Glass on the palmrest. While that remains unchanged, a lower weight is a big change to this year's Dell XPS 14 and Dell XPS 16. Compared with the earlier Dell 14 Premium and Dell 16 Premium (available on Amazon), the weight drops from 1.7 to 1.4 kg (14-inch) and from 2.3 to 1.7 kg (16-inch) respectively. For the lower weight, the dGPU option is sacrificed, but also the battery capacity on the 16-inch model, which drops from 99.5 Wh to just 70 Wh. Also, there is no more microSD card slot, and the screen sizes decrease, from 14.5-inch and 16.3-inch to 14- and 16-inch. Both are offered with a choice of WUXGA IPS screens 2.8K (14-inch) and 3.2K (16-inch) tandem OLED screens. Notably, all screens support up to 120 Hz refresh rate, but the IPS screens can also lower their refresh rate to 1 Hz, bringing much appreciated power savings.
Dell XPS 14 DA14260 and Dell XPS 16 DA16260: Pricing and availability
The new Dell XPS lineup launches on January 6th in the US and Canada, with a starting price of $2,050 (XPS 14) and $2,200 (XPS 16) in the USA.
Source(s)
Dell (via a press release)
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