Dell admits it ‘got off course,’ brings back XPS laptop lineup with two new models

Dell XPS 13 will be coming later this year. (Image Source: Dell)

A year after Dell did away with the iconic XPS and Inspiron branding in favour of a simplified Dell / Dell Pro / Dell Max naming scheme, the PC maker said at CES 2026 that it is bringing back the XPS name. At an event in New York, Dell COO and Vice Chairman, Jeff Clarke, who started overseeing the company’s PC business unit just four months ago, reportedly told the media that they “got a bit off course” and that customers were “right on branding.”

The company also unveiled the new Dell XPS 14 and Dell XPS 16, two new premium laptops that are lighter and faster than the Dell 14 Premium and 16 Premium.

Powered by Intel’s newly unveiled Core Ultra Series 3 processors, the Dell XPS 14 and XPS 16 come with built-in Intel Arc graphics with 12 Xe cores and also have Copilot+ PC certification. In a post, Dell said that it has made improvements to the cooling system, which helps not only with performance but also offers better battery life.

The XPS 14 and XPS 16 measure just 14.6mm thick, making them more compact than the new MacBook Air 13. While the XPS 14 weighs just three pounds, the XPS 16 comes in at 3.6 pounds. Both models have a 2K LCD screen with a variable refresh rate from 1 to 120Hz, but interested customers can also opt for the tandem OLED version.

Dell said it will expand its XPS lineup with a new XPS 13, which will be the most affordable model in the range, while also being lighter and thinner than the existing variants. Limited configurations of the Dell XPS 14 and XPS 16, which are priced at $2,049 and $2,199 are available for purchase. Dell says additional configurations that are priced under $2,000 will go on sale sometime in February.