I'm torn over the Dell 16 Premium's sleek design — a laptop with great performance but polarizing controls

This year, Dell changed the naming convention of its flagship laptop from Dell XPS to Dell Premium. The newest iteration's chassis and overall design are similar to last year's model, but with some internal improvements.

I've used the Dell 16 Premium regularly for a week to get a feel for its capabilities. It's an impressive laptop, but not always in ways that people will like. Honestly, this laptop had me torn on its final score because of these divisive decisions.

Here's what you should know about the Dell 16 Premium.

Why You Should Trust Me

Why You Should Trust Me

Rebecca Spear (She/Her)

I've tested dozens of laptops and spend several hours each week running tests on various devices. I know what features to look for, which include knowing when a premium laptop is worth buying and using.

Image 1 of 2

Dell has an excellent reputation as a company that produces quality devices, just as this laptop's name suggests. The thing is, that also usually means that its laptops tend to be more on the pricey side.

There are a few configurations to choose from with this laptop, but the sample I reviewed, with an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor, RTX 5070 L graphics card, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and 16-inch 4K OLED display, has an MSRP of $3,199.99 at Dell, which could undestandably make your wallet cry.

While there are definitely less expensive laptops on the market, this is the price point I'd expect to see the 16 Premium at. And actually, it's $200 cheaper than a similar configuration for the previous XPS 16, but with this year's Intel CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU options.

It's worth noting that the Dell 16 Premium is officially a Copilot+ PC as well as an AI PC due to the fact that it features one of Intel's latest AI-boosted Core Ultra processors with an NPU (neural processing unit) that reaches at least 45 TOPS (Tera Operations per Second) and has a Copilot key on the keyboard.

The 16 Premium is a future-forward device, so some design decisions choose the latest and greatest options over more common options. For example, it only has Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports with no HDMI ports or USB-A ports.

NOTE: Dell is actually holding a launch sale that reduces the Dell 16 Premium's price for a limited time to just $2,799.99 at Dell. That's $400 off, a killer deal given the laptop's specs and capabilities.

Reviewed configuration 💻

Save $400

Dell 16 Premium : was $3,199.99 now $2,799.99 at Dell

Dell's flagship 16-inch laptop offers an OLED touchscreen with an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor, an NVIDIA RTX 5070 Laptop graphics card, 32GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD. It's currently on sale for a limited time.

👉 See at: Dell.com

View Deal

Dell 16 Premium: Why I love it

Image 1 of 3

Windows Hello facial recognition and biometric login via a fingerprint reader are both supported on this laptop, and they always work effectively for me.

Design-wise, the 16 Premium looks stunning in both professional and casual environments. It feels like it is built to last with a slim yet solid chassis and smooth-moving hinge.

I cannot tell you how much I love the soft feel of the white material used around the keyboard. It's pleasant to the touch and hides fingerprint smudges far better than most other chassis materials.

Three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports (two on the left side, one on the right) make it easy to connect various accessories or charge the laptop using the most convenient side.

Unlike last year's XPS 16, this one doesn't come with a separate adapter accessory with an HDMI or USB-A port on it. That means you will need a USB-A to USB-C adapter (like this Syntech one for $9.99 at Amazon) if you have any USB-A peripherals you want to use with this laptop.

There are a few other divisive design choices that carry over from last year's XPS 16, but I'll dive into those later.

Image 1 of 7

When it comes to performance, the Dell 16 Premium worked smoothly while I used it and produced mostly excellent results in my various benchmark testing (as seen in the graphs above).

While CPU performance, overall system performance, and SSD speeds were competitive, it was disappointing to see the 16 Premium RTX 5070 L scoring below RTX 4070 L laptops in various 3DMark benchmark tests.

Of course, the Dell 16 Premium isn't really intended for gaming, so the graphics card results it produced are more than capable of keeping up with 3D rendering software and creative programs that are intended to be used on this laptop.

Still, higher graphics card performance would have been preferred for such an expensive device using current-generation GPUs.

Meanwhile, the 4K OLED touchscreen looks gorgeous and crisp. In my colorimeter testing, it produced a respectable 100% of sRGB, 88% of AdobeRGB, and 99% of P3, as well as a max brightness of 400 nits.

Image 1 of 2

This laptop does a fantastic job with cooling. My thermal camera showed that the hottest part of the laptop is the area above the keyboard, which peaked at 115 degrees F (46.5 degrees C).

Meanwhile, the laptop's fans aren't overly loud or annoying. My decibel meter only measured fan noise at a peak of 45.3dB when held near my ear and 53.6dB when the meter was held right next to the vents (similar to having a dishwasher going in the next room).

In other words, you won't be embarrassed by the sounds the laptop makes when in an office or around other people.

Dell 16 Premium: What needs to improve

Image 1 of 3

Unfortunately, battery life isn't all that great on this laptop. With the display at roughly 200 nits brightness and Windows running everyday office tasks, the Dell 16 Premium only tended to last about 4 hours and 53 minutes. That's not even long enough to keep up with a full workday unplugged.

Like last year's XPS 16, the Dell 16 Premium has divisive capacitive buttons and an invisible touchpad that my Editor-in-Chief Daniel Rubino and I are divided on. They certainly look impressive, but they might be frustrating for some people to actually use.

I wouldn't mind the capacitive buttons so much if it were just brightness and volume controls, but capacitive keys also include Esc, Prt Sc, Home, End, Insert, and the Display menu button.

To be clear, these top buttons respond reliably, but I sorely miss the physical feedback I get from regular keys when pressed down. Entering Ctrl + Alt + Delete feels strange when that last button doesn't feel like the other keys.

That all said, this is something you could potentially get used to over time.

And then there's the invisible touchpad. It's worth mentioning that this touchpad is haptic, potentially developed by Sensel. That means it has no moving parts. Instead, touch is simulated, just like on Apple MacBooks. This design results in better accuracy, creating one less failure point after repeated use.

However, that's only if you have your fingers in the right place to start with. Since there are no visual or physical indicators telling me where the touchpad stops, I often found myself tapping the wrong area, especially when trying to left or right-click.

Once again, this could be something you adjust to over time.

✅ You should buy this if ...

• You want an elegant AI laptop that offers solid performance and the latest ports
  • There's no denying that the Dell 16 Premium is a stylish laptop that runs well and offers three Thunderbolt ports. If you like having the latest and greatest technologies, this is the laptop to get.

❌ You should not buy this if ...

• You don't like the idea of capacitive buttons or an invisible touchpad
  • These divisive design choices can be off-putting to some who prefer a more traditional laptop, and the physical or visual confirmations they provide.

The Dell Premium 16 blends style and substance, offering standout CPU performance, a stunning display, and top-tier speakers all wrapped in an elegant, eye-catching design. If that all sounds appealing to you, then this laptop is definitely worth considering.

While this laptop packs a relatively powerful GPU that can handle most graphically demanding software, its graphical performance falls short of expectations compared to some of its rivals ranked as the best Windows laptops. Additionally, design choices like the hidden touchpad, capacitive buttons, and missing ports may feel more polarizing than polished.

In the end, if you’re all about having the sleekest tech in the room, the Dell 16 Premium won’t disappoint, but if you want something with a more traditional keyboard and touchpad, you might want to consider something else.

• Back to the top ⤴