Dell XPS 16 laptops may finally use AMD CPUs for the first time in 18 years — major leak reveals Dell's 2027 roadmap

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The Dell leak keeps on giving.

Dell XPS 16 (9640) and XPS 14 (9440)
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

According to a massive leak discovered yesterday, Dell is considering AMD silicon for its flagship XPS 16 laptop, which will be released in 2027. This would mark the first AMD chip in an XPS laptop or desktop computer in over 18 years when a Phenom II shipped in the budget XPS 625 in 2009. 

Dell's leak occurred when VideoCardz discovered confidential documents inadvertently uploaded to a public download website. The presentation includes Dell's roadmap for its XPS line for the next 3+ years, revealing its upcoming XPS 13 Plus's performance with Snapdragon X along with the mobile roadmaps of Qualcomm, Intel, and Nvidia. In the release plans is a refresh for the XPS 16 to arrive in 2027, nicknamed "Performante." Unlike the earlier laptops, which have specific chip architectures planned for use, Dell is considering using Intel, Qualcomm, and/or AMD's chips for Performante in 2027. 

Thankfully for AMD, the leaks did not spoil its processor roadmap. Intel will use the previously leaked Nova Lake processor by 2027, and Qualcomm will be between Snapdragon X's second and third generations for Performante's release. 2027 outpaces even the most ambitious AMD roadmap leaks, besides the likelihood that AMD will release Zen 6 by this point. 

Whether one, two, or all three of the chipmakers are chosen for Performante, the power will be deserving of the XPS 16 namesake. Its goal of an 80W TDP is closest to today's XPS 17 (9730), which draws 90 TDP and packs an RTX 4070. We gave the XPS 17 four stars in our review, due mainly to its incredible power, so Dell has its work cut out for it in attempting to craft a machine that will likely beat this performance and draw less power.

AMD's joining the XPS stable would be a significant victory for the chipmaker, which has been challenging Intel in the desktop market for a while, but its gains haven't been as pronounced in the mobile arena. Second place is not a foregone conclusion for AMD, either; Qualcomm will fight hard against AMD in mobile processing in the coming years, with its Snapdragon X series coming to mobile very soon carrying high expectations. 

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Dallin Grimm
Dallin Grimm
Contributing Writer

Dallin Grimm is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. He has been building and breaking computers since 2017, serving as the resident youngster at Tom's. From APUs to RGB, Dallin has a handle on all the latest tech news. 

6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • thisisaname
    Dell going to use AMD I'm sure I've heard that one before.
    Sounds like a negotiating ploy to get Intel to cut them a discount.
    Reply
  • Sleepy_Hollowed
    thisisaname said:
    Dell going to use AMD I'm sure I've heard that one before.
    Sounds like a negotiating ploy to get Intel to cut them a discount.
    You could not be more correct.
    Reply
  • dalek1234
    Sleepy_Hollowed said:
    You could not be more correct.
    That sound like a plausible tactic, but one which I think will backfire.

    Given AMD's current laptop offerings, and the upcoming Strix Point and the insanely good Strix Halo, going Intel-only seems not-very-smart. AMD is faster, cheaper, and uses less power. Intel is just riding the mind-share wave now. But that mind-share is shifting towards AMD. I think the Feds should raid Dell's headquarters. Somebody at Dell is smoking illegal substances.
    Reply
  • artk2219
    thisisaname said:
    Dell going to use AMD I'm sure I've heard that one before.
    Sounds like a negotiating ploy to get Intel to cut them a discount.
    They did have a couple of business products with the original release of Zen, the Latitude 5495 and Optiplex 5055. They didn't list them on their website, and you could only get them if you asked your Dell rep directly about them. They then cancelled the product lines due to "lack of sales", surprising right?
    Reply
  • blkspade
    thisisaname said:
    Dell going to use AMD I'm sure I've heard that one before.
    Sounds like a negotiating ploy to get Intel to cut them a discount.
    No they clearly already have a deal with Intel, but they are trying to make it not as obvious. Dell's website only has AMD cpus in their lower tier consumer products, and you still have to specifically filter for AMD. They offer them in a way that if someone suggests similar collusion as before, they can say "no we sell them, see". AMD has been a premium choice for several generations now, but putting them on the roadmap for 2027 is really just the window for which Intel hopes to recover. They are offering Qualcomm as an XPS option immediately for example.

    Another example is that VMWare was owned by Dell when AMD Epyc CPUs were released, with double the core counts, better performance and lower cost, than Xeons. Basically overnight the VMware licensing model changed to a per-core model that would make using Epyc way more expensive.
    Reply
  • spongiemaster
    thisisaname said:
    Dell going to use AMD I'm sure I've heard that one before.
    Sounds like a negotiating ploy to get Intel to cut them a discount.
    You can buy Dell laptops with AMD cpu's today from their website. Dell offering AMD is nothing new, putting AMD in XPS systems is the new revelation.
    Reply