Upgrading Your Windows Laptop? This Dell Checks All the Right Boxes for Me

I’ve been eager to test the latest Dell 16 Premium, primarily because it’s the successor to the Dell XPS 16, a laptop I reviewed in early 2024 and one of my favorite devices tested for ZDNET. While the name has changed, this is a similar machine with crucial upgrades in all the right areas. However, it does share some of the same drawbacks.

Key Takeaways

• The Dell 16 Premium starts at $1,700
• This premium laptop excels at handling heavy workloads, especially graphic design, thanks to its top-tier hardware
• It shares some issues with its predecessor, including a tendency to run warm and limited battery life

Familiar Design Elements

At first glance, the Dell 16 Premium looks nearly identical to the XPS. The zero-lattice keyboard returns triumphantly, stretching almost edge to edge. Each key offers a pleasant springiness, delivering a fast yet comfortable typing experience. Above the keyboard sits an LED capacitive touch panel housing the Function and Media keys, a signature element of the XPS series design.

Since it’s a glass panel, the Function keys don’t provide physical feedback, which is perfectly acceptable. Most users don’t interact with Function keys as frequently as the QWERTY keyboard, so the lack of haptic feedback isn’t problematic.

The Dell 16 Premium features an invisible trackpad at the bottom that blends seamlessly with the rest of the chassis. While you can’t see it, you can definitely feel the haptic feedback. The trackpad occupies a significant portion of the wrist rest area.

The only noticeable difference between this model and the XPS 16 is the weight. My review unit weighs 4.65 pounds, compared to the older device’s five-pound weight. This small change makes a meaningful difference when carrying the laptop between locations.

Stunning 4K Display

The Dell 16 Premium features a wonderfully vibrant 4K OLED touchscreen, delivering ultra-sharp picture clarity. Since the display covers the entire DCI-P3 color gamut, visuals practically leap off the screen. On-screen animations are incredibly smooth, thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate.

The fast refresh rate benefits more than just gamers—it’s essential for video editing, allowing accurate footage portrayal, and equally crucial for animations. What truly impressed me about the physical design is the InfinityEdge construction. Essentially, this means the bezels surrounding the glass are thin, providing ample space for the display to showcase its impressive specifications.

Powerful Performance

My review unit contained an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card, and 32GB of memory—a configuration that allows it to excel as a graphic design machine. During my testing period, I edited photos, created a mobile website layout on Figma, and generated 3D models using the rendering app 3D Render.

Dell’s machine performed admirably across all three tasks. Photo editing was smooth, and I generated AI stickers in mere seconds. With 3D Render, the laptop handled various particle effects—from flames to showers—without missing a beat. The only downside was heat generation. The bottom of the Dell Premium 16 warms up quickly under heavy workloads.

Similar results occurred during my 50-tab browser test. It easily managed multiple YouTube live streams in 4K, looping GIFs, and numerous Amazon listings, but heated up rapidly.

Benchmark Comparison

Below is a comparison of benchmarking results from the Dell Premium 16 against two contemporaries: the Alienware 18 Area 51m and the HP EliteBook Ultra G1i. While the Alienware is primarily a gaming machine, it also functions effectively for graphic design.

The Dell model sits in the middle performance-wise. I prefer the 16 Premium because its performance is solid and it’s more affordable.

Gaming Capability

The Dell 16 Premium can function as a gaming laptop, but I wouldn’t recommend it for that purpose. As mentioned, it gets hot, and the cooling system isn’t as robust as dedicated gaming laptops. Operating under high temperatures for extended periods can cause long-term damage.

That said, the games I tested ran adequately, though I noticed graphical glitches and dropped frame rates while playing “Monster Hunter Wilds” and “Cyberpunk 2077.”

Battery Life Concerns

Unfortunately, battery life is underwhelming. It lasted only about five hours on a single charge—even with Energy Saver active. The saving grace is fast recharge times. Plugging in the power brick for 30 minutes recharges the battery to approximately 50%.

Buying Recommendation

Prices for the Dell 16 Premium start at $1,700 for the base model. The configuration of my review unit isn’t available as a standard build; you’ll need to customize it yourself using the “Customize Now” button, which costs $3,000.

If you want a graphic design laptop with extra power, consider the Alienware 18 Area-51. Its Stealth Mode feature disables RGB lighting, allowing the gaming laptop to fit into office settings. Be mindful of its battery life, which also isn’t great. Personally, I would choose Dell’s laptop. Its performance is rock solid, and it’s more affordable than the base Alienware 18, which costs $3,200.

Technical Specifications