After killing off the beloved XPS brand just one year ago, Dell announced at CES 2026 in Las Vegas that XPS is officially back — and the new machines are completely redesigned from scratch.
During a press conference, the company’s COO openly acknowledged that discarding the XPS name was a mistake, with sales numbers falling short of expectations after the confusing rebrand to “Dell Premium” earlier this year.
The announcement reveals that this revival isn’t just about branding — Dell rebuilt these laptops entirely, addressing years of user complaints while delivering some decent specs. The new XPS 14 and 16 models launched with starting prices of $1,649.99 and $1,849.99 respectively, featuring Intel’s latest Core Ultra Series 3 processors and battery life of up to 40 hours.
Design revolution
Dell didn’t just slap the XPS name back on old hardware — they completely reimagined what these laptops should be. The most dramatic change? Physical function keys are finally back, replacing the widely-hated capacitive touch bar that frustrated users since 2022. Beyond that breakthrough, Dell eliminated the invisible touchpad design, adding subtle etching lines, so users can actually see where the touch-sensitive area begins and ends.
The engineering improvements are equally impressive. Both models measure just 14.6 mm thick — that’s 0.58 inches — making them thinner than recent MacBook Pro models while somehow packing more power. The XPS 14 weighs three pounds (1.36 kg), half a pound lighter than its predecessor, while the 16-inch model dropped nearly a full pound to 3.6 pounds (1.63 kg). The 14-inch model takes up less desk space than Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air, thanks to slimmed bezels and efficient space utilization.
Performance and portable power
Intel’s Core Ultra Series 3 processors power these machines, with options ranging from Core Ultra 5 to the flagship Core Ultra X9 running at speeds up to 5.1 GHz. In a surprising shift, Dell chose to rely entirely on Intel Arc graphics, ditching discrete GPUs in favor of integrated solutions that deliver 50% better graphics performance than previous generations.
Dell introduced the first laptop panel with variable refresh rates from 1-120Hz, allowing the screen to drop to just 1Hz during static content to extend battery life. Display options include 14-inch 2K non-touch and 2.8K OLED touch screens for the smaller model, while the 16-inch version offers 2K non-touch and 3.2K OLED touch configurations. Memory configurations scale from 16 GB to 64 GB LPDDR5x, with storage options reaching up to 4TB PCIe 4 SSD capacity.
The future of premium laptops
This reversal signals more than just Dell admitting mistakes — it represents a fundamental shift in how tech companies might approach branding and user feedback. Dell’s unprecedented willingness to openly acknowledge that their complicated rebrand “didn’t do what it was supposed to do” shows corporate transparency in the industry. Behind the scenes, sales numbers weren’t meeting expectations, leading to the decision to revive XPS.
The sustainability angle transforms this comeback into something bigger. Dell wove in modular USB-C ports, easier-to-remove keyboards, recycled steel hinges, and recycled cobalt and copper in the batteries, with both laptops meeting the new EPEAT 2.0 standard.
Additional configurations will launch in February with entry-level options under $2,000, while a new XPS 13 arriving later this year promises to be less than 13 mm thick — potentially the thinnest XPS ever made.
Keep up with all CES 2026 announcements in our live blog here.