It’s not often you hear any brand admit its mistakes, but Dell has just rolled back a major decision to rebrand its XPS range. At the Pre-CES showcase in New York, Jeff Clarke, Dell’s Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, said, “You were right on branding.”
Last year, Dell named its XPS lineup as Dell Premium, leaving a sea of confusion with models such as the Dell Pro Max Premium and Dell Pro Premium. Not even the computer journalists were sure which was the better model.
The new lineup is much simpler. Consumer laptops will fall into two categories: either a Dell or a Dell XPS model for the higher-spec offerings. All gaming laptops will fall under Alienware, and all commercial models will be Dell Pro – with Pro Precision, Pro Rugged, Pro Essential and Pro Education being subbrands.
The XPS range isn’t just back, though; it’s getting a full relaunch, with new branding and some very appealing new models. The new XPS 14 and XPS 16 have an XPS logo on the lid and a return to physical function buttons. It has also defined the touchpad, making it easier to find where it starts and finishes.
“It’s more than just the name, it’s the spirit of what XPS embodies,” says Clarke. Starting this January, XPS will feature our best devices, that iconic design… focused battery life and more mobile than ever.”
Displays on the new models include tandem OLED and 2K options, with variable refresh rates from 120Hz down to just 1Hz, to preserve battery life. That battery now boasts up to 27 hours of streaming or over 40 hours of local movie watching (i.e. not over WiFi). They’re thinner and lighter too, at just 14.6mm thick and weighing 3lbs (1.36kg) for the XPS 14 and 3.6lbs (1.63kg) for the XPS 16.
There’s also a third model that was still in early prototype state at the December showcase but is coming later in 2026. The Dell XPS 13 is the thinnest and lightest XPS model they have ever produced. This doesn’t have the same keyboard and trackpad design, plus details are still to be confirmed on the exact spec, but like the rest of the XPS lineup, this is expected to offer strong performance and battery life.
One question mark over these new super-thin XPS models is the use of integrated graphics, rather than a dedicated GPU. This, Dell claims, is essential to offer the slim form and the battery life. It will be interesting to see how good the new Intel graphics are on these models, and also how much these machines retail for.
Dell also hinted that separate models that do feature dedicated graphics cards could be on the way later in the year.
There’s also a reversal on the way Dell computers will be sold in Europe, with a return to retail stores. This includes a mix of brick-and-mortar stores as well as online retailers. Of course, you will still be able to buy them direct from Dell.com but it will be one of many options once more.
