The Dell XPS 16 (2024) is a premium Windows workstation laptop. The 16-inch model is a new addition to Dell's XPS lineup and replaces the Dell XPS 17 from 2023. This 9640 model is available with Intel Meteor Lake CPUs (Core Ultra 7 and 9) paired with integrated graphics or an NVIDIA GeForce 40-series discrete GPU, up to an RTX 4070. RAM and storage max out at 64GB and 4TB, respectively. Display options include an FHD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS or a 4k+ (3840 x 2400) OLED panel. It has a 1080p webcam, Wi-Fi 7 wireless connectivity, a fingerprint sensor, a facial recognition IR camera, and a 100Wh battery. You can get this laptop in a Platinum or Graphite color.
See our unit's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section.
Our Verdict
The Dell XPS 16 (2024) is good for school use. It feels remarkably well-built, and it isn't overly bulky for a 16-inch device, so it's fairly easy to carry around. Its Intel Meteor Lake CPUs and NVIDIA discrete GPUs provide a good amount of processing power, making it suitable for students in fields like engineering, 3D graphics, and game development. Battery life is good at around nine to ten hours of light use, and it charges over USB-C, so you don't have to carry a proprietary charger. Unfortunately, the base display option is an FHD+ panel, so you'll have to pay more to get a sharper display, and there's no USB-A or HDMI port.
- Sturdy all-aluminum build.
- Relatively portable for a 16-inch device.
- Battery lasts over nine hours of light use.
- Large 4k+ OLED display.
- CPU and discrete GPU can handle demanding workloads.
- Keyboard and touchpad design might take some time to get used to.
- No USB-A or HDMI port.
The Dell XPS 16 (2024) is good for gaming, even though it isn't designed for gaming. Its Intel CPU and NVIDIA discrete GPU can deliver a relatively smooth gaming experience at 1080p or 1440p, though you'll have to tweak the graphical settings a bit to get there, especially on models with an RTX 4050. You can choose between a 120Hz FHD+ IPS or a 90Hz 4k+ OLED panel; unfortunately, neither supports FreeSync nor G-SYNC to reduce screen tearing. There's no USB-A or HDMI port, so you'll need to use the included adapter if you want to plug in a mouse or external display. The CPU throttles a bit under load, but thankfully, not the GPU.
- Delivers smooth gameplay at 1080p
- 90Hz OLED display with fast response time.
- Fast, user-replaceable SSD.
- Doesn't get hot or loud under load.
- No VRR support.
- Soldered RAM.
- No USB-A or HDMI port.
The Dell XPS 16 (2024) is excellent for media consumption. It's relatively easy to carry around, as it isn't overly bulky for a 16-inch device, and its battery lasts over nine hours of video playback, giving you plenty of time to get through multiple movies and TV show episodes. You can get the laptop with an FHD+ IPS or a 4k+ OLED panel; the latter will provide a better viewing experience, as it looks sharper and more colorful, with deeper, inky blacks. Unfortunately, while the speakers get very loud, they rattle at times and sound harsh at higher volume levels.
- Relatively portable for a 16-inch device.
- Battery lasts over nine hours of light use.
- Large 4k+ OLED display.
- Speakers sound natural, with a decent amount of bass.
- OLED display supports touch input.
- Speakers rattle at times.
- Speakers sound harsh and sibilant at higher volume levels.
- IPS panel isn't ideal for dark room viewing due to low contrast.
The Dell XPS 16 (2024) is excellent for use as a workstation. It's available with Intel Meteor Lake CPUs and NVIDIA discrete GPUs, so you can get a good amount of processing power to handle intensive tasks like video editing, programming, and 3D animation. You can also do color work, though you'll have to spend extra to get the nicer 4k+, 100% DCI P3 OLED display, as the base display option is an FHD+ IPS that only has full sRGB coverage. Its port selection is okay; you get three USB/Thunderbolt 4s, but it only has a MicroSD card reader instead of a full-size one, and there's no HDMI or USB-A port. It doesn't get hot or loud under load, and while there's some thermal throttling, it's relatively minimal.
- OLED panel is suitable for content creation.
- CPU and discrete GPU can handle demanding workloads.
- Fast, user-replaceable SSD.
- Thunderbolt 4 support.
- Doesn't get hot or loud under load.
- Soldered RAM.
- No USB-A or HDMI port.
The Dell XPS 16 (2024) is great for business use. Its sturdy build, compact design, and all-day battery life make it well-suited for those who travel a lot for work. Its Intel Meteor Lake CPU can easily handle general productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, spreadsheets, and presentations. You can also get an optional NVIDIA discrete GPU, up to an RTX 4070, which will give you enough processing power to do some video editing for your business. The overall user experience is good, though it may take some time to get used to its edge-to-edge keys and invisible touchpad. It has an excellent 1080p webcam for video calls, as well as a fingerprint sensor and facial recognition for quick logins.
- Sturdy all-aluminum build.
- Relatively portable for a 16-inch device.
- Battery lasts over nine hours of light use.
- Large 4k+ OLED display.
- Excellent 1080p webcam.
- Keyboard and touchpad design might take some time to get used to.
- No USB-A or HDMI port.
Changelog
- Updated May 07, 2025: We've updated this review to Test Bench 0.8.3, which removes the viewing angle tests and adds a GPU Total Graphics Power comparison in the GPU section. The Pen Input test in the Extra Features section has also changed, as it now shows whether the laptop supports pen input rather than the inclusion of a stylus in the box. See the changelog for more details.
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Updated Feb 17, 2025:
Added mention of the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 (2024) as an alternative with better graphical performance in the GPU section.
- Updated Sep 24, 2024: Added mention of the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (2024) as an alternative with better multi-thread performance in the Cinebench R23 section.
- Updated Aug 27, 2024: Added mention of the HP ZBook Power G11 A (2024) as an alternative with longer battery life in the Battery section.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Dell XPS 16 (model 9640) with a 4k+ OLED display, an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. The screen, CPU, GPU, memory, and storage are configurable; see the available options in the table below.
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See our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The Dell XPS 16 is a premium workstation laptop that provides a relatively good user experience overall. It feels remarkably well-built, and its battery lasts comfortably through a typical eight-hour workday of light use. However, its keyboard and touchpad design might take some time to get used to. Although it has enough processing power to handle demanding tasks like video editing and 3D modeling, its performance lags behind other thin and light gaming or workstation laptops on the market. Also, its base display option is an FHD+ panel, which, besides being inadequate for a 16.3-inch screen, feels cheap when competitors offer higher-quality displays as a base configuration.
See our recommendations for the best Windows laptops, the best workstation laptops, and the best laptops for photo editing.
The Dell XPS 16 (2024) and the Dell XPS 14 (2024) are very similar design-wise and provide a similar user experience overall. Other than size, the main differences between these two laptops are the configuration options and the amount of processing power you can get. The XPS 16 is a larger device with a superior cooling system, so it's available with a faster Core Ultra 9 CPU and higher-end NVIDIA discrete GPUs, like the RTX 4060 and 4070.
The Dell XPS 15 (2023) and the Dell XPS 16 (2024) are both premium workstation laptops that provide a good user experience overall. In terms of processing power, you can get slightly better CPU performance on the XPS 16, especially on the Core Ultra 9 models. The XPS 16's GPUs also perform better, as they run at a higher wattage. As for the design, although the XPS 16 has a newer, sleeker look, it might take more time to get used to the keyboard and touchpad.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is better than the Dell XPS 16 (2024) for most uses. The MacBook Pro 16 provides a better user experience overall, as its Mini LED has a higher peak brightness to combat glare and deliver a better HDR experience, and its keyboard and touchpad are easier to use and adapt to. It has better-sounding speakers, a wider port selection, and a significantly longer battery life. You can also get more processing power from the MacBook Pro 16. That said, the XPS 16 is a more versatile device because it's much better for gaming than the MacBook Pro. Not only are there more games that run on Windows than macOS, but you also get better graphics drivers, optimization, and features like DLSS and Frame Generation on the XPS 16.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (2024) and the Dell XPS 16 (2024) are both high-end laptops designed to handle demanding tasks. However, the Lenovo is better suited for professional workloads like 3D modeling and simulations because it's available with NVIDIA RTX Ada Generation Laptop GPUs, whereas the Dell is better suited for content creation because it's available with the more mainstream NVIDIA GeForce GPUs. As for the CPU, you'll get more performance out of the Lenovo's Intel Raptor Lake CPUs, but the Dell's Meteor Lake CPUs have a Neural Processing Unit to speed up A.I. tasks and low-power E-cores to help prolong battery life. Each laptop has its pros and cons when it comes to the user experience; the Dell has a more premium, sleeker design, but the Lenovo has a wider port selection, and its keyboard and touchpad are easier to get used to. The Lenovo also has more optional features, like cellular connectivity and NFC support.
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