Dell Relaunches XPS Laptops After Silly Rebranding

Last year, Dell has removed all its PC brandsincluding the iconic XPS range, and replaced them with a simplified naming scheme. This was a move intended to make it easier for people to discern between the company’s many brands, but in reality it only made the company’s lineup even more confusing. We called it an unforced error at the time, but after seeing how much Dell’s PC market share fell over the course of 2025, it’s fair to say that the rebranding was an absolute marketing disaster.

So, with its tail between its legs, Dell delivered good news to its fans at CES: XPS lives! And the company plans to double down on the brand like it’s never done before. Today, Dell revealed the new XPS 14 and 16 laptops, which feature a more practical design than previous models. There’s a new row of functions with traditional keys, instead of the weird capacitive buttons that have disappeared in the sun. And while the company is sticking with its “invisible” trackpad, which sits flush along the wrist rest, there’s now a slight border around the edges that lets you feel exactly where the trackpad starts and ends.

In short, Dell seems to have resolved most of our recent complaints about the XPS line. To signify its commitment to the brand, it also sports the XPS logo on all these new machines, replacing the old Dell name. This is something I could never have imagined Dell doing with less humility.

The redesign also allowed Dell to reduce the weight and thickness of both machines. The XPS 14 now weighs about three pounds, half a pound less than the previous generation, while the XPS 16 weighs 3.6 pounds, a pound less than before. The new cases make both machines look a lot more like Microsoft’s extra-subtle Surface Laptop, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Both systems are powered by the new Intel Panther Lake Core Ultra Series 3 chips and also offer OLED display options in tandem.

Dell also briefly teased the return of a new XPS 13 later this year, which is expected to become the company’s thinnest and lightest laptop ever. Dell says it will be cheaper than the XPS in the past.

The new XPS 14 and 16 will be available on January 6, starting at $2,050 and $2,200, respectively. A Dell rep tells us these aren’t entry-level configurations, but we can expect to see cheaper prices with lower specs in February.

Updated 01/06/26, 12:30 p.m.: Price updated to reflect Dell’s new numbers. We were originally told they would start at $1,650 and $1,850.

Updated 01/12, 3:00 p.m.: Added mention of upcoming lower entry-level configurations.