Dell 16 Premium Review: New Name, Same Design, Slightly Better Performance

Dell’s 16-inch content-creation laptop computer underwent a radical redesign final yr when the Dell XPS 16 9640 confirmed up with an invisible touchpad, a latticeless keyboard and a operate row consisting of touch-sensitive icons. This yr, Dell launched a rebranding of its laptop lines, which introduced in regards to the finish of the XPS title. 

On the high of the corporate’s client laptop computer lineup is the Dell Premium collection. Dell could have made a much bigger splash, I might think about, had it launched the brand new title with the brand new design, however the timing did not work out that approach. Staggering the rebranding and redesign would possibly assist implement the concept the brand new Premium collection is an extension of the previous XPS line.

Just like the 16-inch XPS laptop computer earlier than it, the Dell 16 Premium is a big-screen, high-powered laptop computer geared towards artistic professionals and well-heeled hobbyists. It is based mostly on an enormous, 16.3-inch 4K OLED show that is powered by the newest silicon from Intel and Nvidia. The Dell 16 Premium proved to be a step quicker than final yr’s XPS 9640, however its throttled RTX 5070 means it isn’t a super selection for pulling double responsibility, say, for graphics work by day and 3D gaming at evening. Its battery life is not almost as prolonged as its predecessor’s.

I like the appear and feel of the Dell 16 Premium, however the Asus ProArt P16 is the higher selection for a 16-inch OLED content-creation machine. The Asus has a cheaper price, lighter weight, longer battery life and comparable efficiency.

The Dell 16 Premium begins at $1,800 (on sale for $1,550) for a configuration with an Intel Core Extremely 7 255H, 16GB of RAM, built-in Intel graphics, a 512GB SSD and a non-touch 2K IPS show. Even at its discounted worth, that is an excessive amount of to pay when you will get the Acer Aspire 16 AI for simply $700.

Dell presents a lone CPU improve and three GPU upgrades for the 16 Premium. You’ll be able to bump the CPU to a Core Extremely 9 285H and select between RTX 5050, 5060 and 5070 graphics. You’ll be able to enhance the reminiscence to 32GB or 64GB, and the storage as much as a 4TB SSD. It’s also possible to improve the show to a 4K OLED panel with contact help, however in doing so, you sacrifice some in-screen brightness, going from a rated 500 nits to 400 nits.

My check system options the bottom Core Extremely 7 processor, however the highest GPU supplied is the RTX 5070, together with 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and the 4K OLED show. It additionally options Home windows 11 Professional, which provides to the invoice. The entire for my Dell 16 Premium check system is $3,260, discounted to $2,860 with Dell’s fixed sale pricing.

The identical two shade decisions from final yr’s mannequin are supplied on the 16 Premium: a creamy silver that is almost ivory in shade, which Dell calls platinum, or a matte black that Dell calls graphite. I obtained the previous.

The Dell 16 Premium begins at £1,479 in the UK and AU$3,299 in Australia.

Dell 16 Premium: New in title solely

After I first glanced finally yr’s XPS 9640, I used to be skeptical about its minimalist design with a latticeless keyboard, borderless touchpad and row of touch-sensitive operate keys. After utilizing it, nonetheless, I discovered that I loved typing on the keyboard and appreciated the vigorous haptics of the touchpad. And regardless of the shortage of outlined borders, I did not have bother staying inside the touchpad’s confines. So, I am comfortable to see each the keyboard and touchpad return on the Dell 16 Premium, however I might nonetheless commerce among the streamlined nature of the general design for a operate row of bodily keys.

There are solely two slight adjustments to this yr’s mannequin. The system weight has elevated barely, which is a transfer within the flawed course, since final yr’s XPS 9640 already tipped the scales at 5 kilos. This yr’s Dell 16 Premium weighs 5.15 kilos. It is a tank of a laptop computer. You are not prone to be touring with a 16-inch laptop computer with regularity, however the 16 Premium is actually a laptop computer you will not need to take with you. Dell’s personal Alienware 16X Aurora is even heavier at almost 5.5 kilos, however the Asus ProArt P16 is greater than a pound lighter, weighing only a hair greater than 4 kilos.

The second change is the addition of a 3rd Thunderbolt 4 port. Now, all three USB-C ports provide TB4 help. Nonetheless, there are not any USB-A or HDMI ports. Dell sells a Dell USB-C to USB-A/HDMI adapter with the laptop computer however costs an outrageous $35 for it. When you aren’t giving me a USB-A or HDMI port, then the adapter must be included within the field free of charge.

Yet one more gripe in regards to the ports: The microSD card slot is not chopping it. For a large laptop computer just like the Dell 16 Premium that is designed for graphics professionals, there’s seemingly loads of room for a full-size SD card slot that will be extra helpful for the laptop computer’s meant viewers.

You’ll be able to learn extra about my ideas on the general design in my review of the Dell XPS 9640. 

What hasn’t modified is the wonderful 4K OLED show and quad-speaker array. The OLED show seemed unbelievable, with razor-sharp textual content and pictures, and the audio system emitted among the finest laptop computer audio I’ve heard. The OLED show almost matched its 400-nit score on my checks with a Spyder X Elite colorimeter. It reached a peak brightness of 395 nits whereas additionally demonstrating good shade efficiency, protecting 100% of sRGB, 88% of AdobeRGB and 99% of P3.

Truly, I’ve one small change to report relating to the show: It presents a variable refresh price of as much as 120Hz for buttery-smooth motion. Final yr’s mannequin might function at 60Hz or 90Hz, however the price wasn’t variable.  

Earlier than you get concepts about utilizing the 120Hz panel for gaming, I have to let you know that you do not get a full-power RTX 5070 with the Dell 16 Premium. It is operating at 65 watts, and its 3D graphics efficiency trailed that of gaming programs with full 115-watt RTX 5060 GPUs, in addition to the Asus ProArt P16 that has an RTX 5070 set to 105 watts. 

In our software benchmarks, the Dell 16 Premium achieved aggressive scores, akin to these of the Asus ProArt P16 and midrange gaming laptops with comparable specs. And it proved to be quicker than final yr’s XPS 9640 all through testing.

One space the place the Dell 16 Premium took a step backward is with battery life. It lasted lower than 6 hours on our video streaming battery drain check, which is not unsurprising for a high-powered OLED laptop computer. Nonetheless, it is greater than 5 hours shorter than final yr’s XPS unit. Since you might be unlikely to lug the 16-inch, 5-pound Dell 16 Premium round with you very a lot, battery life is much less essential than it’s with a smaller, extra moveable laptop computer.

Is the Dell 16 Premium a great laptop computer?

It is a good choose for creatives searching for a big-screen OLED laptop computer, however the Asus ProArt P16 is a superb laptop computer on this class. The Dell 16 Premium is costlier and heavier than the ProArt P16 and has an RTX 5070 set to run at a decrease wattage. Until you completely love its distinctive look, you are higher off passing on the Dell 16 Premium and going with the Asus ProArt P16.