Dell XPS 13, 14, and 16 get Intel Core Ultra, lose function rows and physical touchpads

Dell is completely revamping its flagship XPS laptop line, including a new XPS 13, as well as two new sizes: the XPS 14 and XPS 16. They're coming with the latest Intel Core Ultra processors, and the larger two options will also support discrete Nvidia graphics.

But here's the rub: The entire lineup is taking the critically mixed design of the XPS 13 Plus, which means no function keys — just a "capacitive touch function row," and a haptic touchpad with no defined borders. In fact, the XPS 13 Plus is gone. This lineup is all just regular XPS, taking over that design.

The new XPS 14 and XPS 16 effectively replace the XPS 15 and XPS 17, following a pattern we've seen among many productivity laptops at 16:10 screens have become more popular. The XPS 15, however, will stick around for a bit in its old chassis without any updates, as Dell tells me it's one of the most popular models.

The new XPS 13 will start at a Core Ultra 5 125H and run up to the Ultra 7 165H, while the XPS 14 will eschew the Ultra 5 for just one of two Ultra 7 chips. The XPS 16 will start with Core Ultra 7 and run up to the Core Ultra 9 185H.

For graphics, the XPS 13 will be sticking with Intel's integrated Arc solution, while the XPS 14 will offer Arc or Nvidia RTX 4050. The bigger XPS 16 will have options ranging from an RTX 4050 to an RTX 4070. RAM speeds appear to be tied to the graphics option. The RAM on all three sizes is soldered down, which Dell partly justifies with a top speed of 7647 MT/s. But on the XPS 14 and 16, you only get that with the top-end GPU, which presumably means some of the most expensive configurations. 

The XPS 14 and 16 will have a better port situation than the 13-inch model. While the XPS 13 is limited to just two Thunderbolt 4 ports, the bigger models are more varied. Those each come with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, a microSD card reader, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack – only people who like larger screens need wired headphones, apparently. Some of the notebooks, the XPS 13 and 16, are slated to get Wi-Fi 7 support.

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While the XPS 13 design hasn't changed much, there is one noticeable difference when you look at the keyboard: a key dedicated to Windows Copilot (this replaces the right control key on the previous XPS 13 Plus). This same key has made its way to both the XPS 14 and 16, as well. We haven't seen a dedicated Copilot key on any other Windows 11 laptops yet, but it's striking to see a hardware company dedicate a key to the feature, putting it on par with the Start menu. That's a pretty big bet.

On the XPS 16, you get the same keyboard as on the 13, flanked by speakers on the sides. On the XPS 14, the non-letter keys are all just slightly smaller to fit the top-firing speakers.

I'm a bit skeptical of the new machines. While I ultimately got used to the touchpad on the XPS 13 Plus, I wish Dell would have at least drawn some borders around it, which would do wonders for accessibility. But the function row is still, frankly, a weird choice, especially as you get into larger laptops with more ports that are ostensibly for professionals. Those professional and creative users need buttons. The capacitive function row still requires looking down at your keyboard, and occasionally pressing the Fn button to switch between pre-programmed purposes.

Dell's marketing materials suggest that bringing the XPS 13 Plus design to the full lineup means making thin, light devices. The XPS 14 is 0.71 inches thick and starts at 3.7 pounds, while the XPS 16 is 0.74 inches thick and starts at 4.7 pounds (and that's with integrated graphics).

That's not to say there are no benefits. The CNC aluminum build feels solid, and I do appreciate the significant RAM and storage options (up to 4TB SSD and up to 64GB of RAM). And Dell's InfinityEdge displays, while not unrivaled, are still often among the most eye-popping in the industry — those thin bezels can still wow.

That being said, we hope to spend real time with these machines to see how the design has evolved throughout the XPS lineup when they launch early this year.

All three laptops are set to launch in "Q1 2024," with the XPS 13 starting at $1,299.99 (I hope to see a $999.99 version eventually), the XPS 14 beginning at $1,699.99, and the XPS 16 beginning at a pricey $1,899.99.