Dell XPS 16 or 14? Here’s how to decide which to purchase

Dell XPS 16 or 14.. Dell reduced the size of the XPS 17 to a new 16-inch model and the XPS 15 to a new 14-inch laptop, upending its XPS laptop portfolio. Simultaneously, it used design ideas from the XPS 13 Plus, which is now just the XPS 13, to produce ultramodern and sometimes contentious new devices.

With differing power levels inside, the XPS 14 and XPS 16 provide lower dimensions than their predecessors. As always, the decision between the two is totally based on how you want to use your laptop. Which of these two seemingly identical devices is thus the best fit for you?

Specs and configurations

Although the XPS 14 starts at a somewhat cheaper price, both laptops are high-end models. An Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, integrated Intel Arc graphics, and a 14.5-inch Full HD+ IPS display would set you back $1,700. From there, you can customize your setup to spend as much as $3,699 on a 14.5-inch 3.2K OLED panel, 64GB of RAM, a 4TB SSD, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050.

With a Core Ultra 7 155H, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, Intel Arc graphics, and a 16.3-inch FHD+ IPS display, the XPS 16 begins at $200 more. If you go all out, a 16.3-inch 4K+ OLED screen, a 4TB SSD, 64GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU will set you back $4,399 extra. Both the somewhat faster Core Ultra 7 165H and the much faster Core Ultra 9 185H, which will soon be available for the XPS 16, are presently unavailable from Dell and will likely result in a price increase.

At the lower end, these two laptops are almost equal, but as prices rise, the XPS 16 becomes much more powerful. The bigger laptop will provide better value if you’re willing to pay $3,500 or more for it.

Design

While keeping some of the XPS range, the XPS 13 Plus (now just called the XPS 13) included some notable design modifications. Notwithstanding their progressively larger size, the XPS 14 and 16 surprisingly equal it in consistency. The metal lid and chassis body of all three laptops have the same finishes—Graphite, a dark gray, or Platinum, a silver—while the corners are shielded by anodized chrome. They have the same appearance as earlier XPS models.

But when you open them up, everything is different. The traditional island keyboards with glass or carbon fiber palm rests are no longer in use. Function keys have been replaced with LED buttons, zero-lattice keyboards, and glass palm rests with concealed haptic touchpads. All of these modifications have sparked debate among both average laptop purchasers and XPS enthusiasts. However, there’s no denying that the updated appearance is really chic and stunning.

It’s interesting to note that, in comparing the XPS 14 and XPS 16, the palm rest and speaker grills on the bigger model both enlarge, yet the keyboard remains the same size. However, at a distance, they are the same.We have only evaluated the XPS 14, and in keeping with the brand, the build quality was superb. We anticipate that the XPS 16 will function similarly. Both computers are remarkably compact considering their display sizes since they have the thinnest display bezels available on laptops today. Of course, the 14-inch model weighs one pound less and is little thicker at 0.71 inches as opposed to 0.77 inches. If you search around, you can get lighter and thinner laptops in every size, but Dell is attempting to provide a combination of compact chassis and strong performance.

You’ll need to get accustomed to the huge keycaps and zero key spacing on both laptops’ keyboards. They will probably feel the same overall since they are the same size. In our evaluation, we thought the keyboard was excellent; but, depending on your requirements, you may not miss the numeric keyboard on the 16-inch model. The most contentious feature of the keyboard is the row of LED buttons at the top, which appear especially strange on the bigger model when there is plenty space for real keys. Since these buttons lack haptics, you’ll need to check to see whether they’re reacting.

Once you were used to not being able to distinguish between the touchpad’s beginning and conclusion, the concealed haptic touchpad on the XPS 14 performed well. On the XPS 14, it was sufficiently big that you wouldn’t likely find yourself swiping on the palm rest, and the palm rejection was superb. We anticipate that the XPS 16 will perform similarly, if perhaps better, due to its greater size.

One area where both laptops fall short of expectations is connectivity. More ports may be found on larger computers, however Dell chose to focus entirely on Thunderbolt 4. Both are similarly constrained when it comes to supporting legacy devices since they only have three, one of which powers the laptop. Additionally disappointing is the microSD card reader, particularly on the XPS 16, which is probably what the developers wanted. Dongles are necessary for both computers, to put it simply. It is surprising that the XPS 16 has Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 7 capabilities, while the XPS 14 is still a generation behind.

Both webcams include 1080p versions with infrared cameras enabling Windows 11 Hello face recognition, and their power buttons are incorporated with fingerprint readers.

Achievement

The Intel Core Ultra CPUs, which are part of the Meteor Lake chipset and bring additional low-power CPU cores, a specialized Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for on-chip AI capabilities, and updated Intel Arc integrated graphics power the XPS 14 and 16. The Core Ultra 7 155H (up to 4.8GHz) or 165H (up to 5.0GHz) processors, both 28-watt units with 16 cores (six Performance, eight Efficient, and two Low Power Efficient) and 22 threads, are the options that both laptops theoretically provide. Eventually, the Core Ultra 9 185H, a 45-watt CPU with the same number of cores and a somewhat higher 5.1GHz Max Turbo clock, will surpass that in the XPS 16.

Furthermore, both computers may be customized with Intel Arc integrated graphics, which are positioned in between the entry-level Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU and the older Intel Iris Xe graphics. While the XPS 16 supports up to the RTX 4070, the XPS 14 may also be configured with the RTX 4050.

The XPS 14 offers exceptional work performance in our evaluation, although with restricted speeds for gamers and producers due to its low-end GPU. When using creative software that can use the faster RTX 4070, such as Adobe Premiere Pro, the XPS 16 should provide much quicker performance. It will have to wait till we evaluate the bigger computer before we can provide benchmark comparisons.

Both visual and auditory

A option between higher-resolution and more power-hungry OLED panels and lower-resolution and lower-power IPS screens is provided by the XPS 14 and XPS 16. The XPS 16 has 16.3-inch 16:10 panels in either Full HD+ IPS or 4K+ (3840 x 2400) OLED, while the XPS 14 utilizes a 14.5-inch 16:10 screen size in either Full HD (1920 x 1200) IPS or 3.2K (3200 x 2000) OLED. With up to 120Hz processing speed, all of these options provide a flawless Windows 11 and gaming experience.

After reviewing the OLED option on the XPS 14, we discovered that it offered a pretty broad color gamut, with an AdobeRGB gamut of 85% (most OLEDs are closer to 100%). Additionally, the color accuracy was outstanding, with a Delta-E of only 0.5 (1.0 or less is unnoticeable to the human eye). The typical OLED inky blacks were clearly visible, and the brightness of 374 nits was passable but not exceptional. Once again, we’ll have to wait for our XPS 16 review to evaluate its OLED display. The XPS 14’s version will be crisper at the same resolution, while both IPS display alternatives are probably excellent but not amazing.

The XPS 14’s quad speaker setup produced mediocre audio quality with a lackluster bass and general fuzziness. A similar arrangement will also be available on the XPS 16.

Mobility

While neither laptop is very light or compact, the XPS 14 is much more portable than the XPS 16. The latter is cumbersome to transport, however more so than many other 16-inch computers.

The XPS 14’s battery life allowed for an average of 8.5 hours of online surfing. About four or five hours of standard productivity activities were used in real life. Compared to the XPS 14, which has a battery capacity of 69.5 watt-hours, the XPS 16 has a much bigger battery of 99.5 watt-hours. However, the OLED display on the XPS 16 is also greater resolution. Though it may seem repetitive, our XPS 16 review will come with a comparison of battery life.

Pick your performance and size wisely.

There are so many similarities between the XPS 14 and XPS 16 that it’s difficult to conclude which is superior. Even though there is still more testing to be done, we are very certain that the fully equipped XPS 16 will be much quicker and feature a great huge, high-resolution 4K+ OLED display.

However, not everyone need the quickest performance, and the XPS 14 has a lot of mobility benefits. It costs $200 cheaper as well. Therefore, the choice between these laptops is solely based on your preference for portability or speed.

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