Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Dell ’s XPS 15 had long been on our list of thebest 15 - inch laptops , and for good reason . It was firm , lean and abstemious , and extremely well built . Dell changed things up with its heir , theXPS 16 , which incorporated a big presentation and several ultramodern features . But when compared to a new harvest of 16 - inch laptops , it has n’t been quite as much of a standout .
One recently updated competitor is theLenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 , which also offer up a solid build , flying components , and an excellent display . It ’s not as slickly designed , though . Can it dethrone the Dell ’s big - screen XPS ?
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Specs and configurations
The XPS 16 has several configurable option , starting with a $ 1,599 basic model with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chipset , 16 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , Intel Arc integrate art , and a 16.3 - column inch FHD+ IPS display . Upgrading from there can be expensive . act to a Core Ultra 9 185H adds $ 750 and adding the fastest GPU costs $ 800 . Those changes also bring other upgrades , though , as add the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 also increase RAM to 32 Gbit . I reviewed the XPS with the Core Ultra 7 155H , 32 GB of RAM , a 1 TB SSD , the RTX 4070 , and the 4K+ OLED display . It cost $ 2,799 . The most expensive configuration is $ 3,949 , with a Core Ultra 9 185H , 64 GB of RAM , a 4 TB SSD , the RTX 4070 , and the 4K+ OLED display .
The Yoga Pro 9i 16 is less expensive , but also ca n’t be configured as powerfully as the XPS 16 , at least on paper . The base simulation with a Core Ultra 7 155H , 16 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , an RTX 4050 , and a 3.2 K IPS display be $ 1,482 . I review it with the Core Ultra 9 185H , 32 GB of RAM , a 1 TB SSD , an RTX 4060 , and a 3.2 K mini - lead show , the price of which is $ 2,043 .
When configure identically with the Lenovo ’s high - end model , the XPS 16 costs around $ 700 more . As we ’ll see , the Yoga Pro 9i 16 ply sound carrying out for considerably less money .
Design
The XPS 16 incorporate various design features from the much smallerXPS 13 Plusthat are also shared with theXPS 14 . Those include a zero - lattice keyboard , a hidden haptic touchpad , and a run-in of LED spot part keys that replace their physical counterparts . These features have been controversial , peculiarly the routine keys , and they ’re of questionable note value on such a large laptop computer with sight of distance . They do give the XPS 16 a unparalleled and ultramodern coming into court on the interior , while the outside looks similar to XPS laptop computer of the past .
The Yoga Pro 9i 16 is a more traditionally design political machine . It has the usual island keyboard and touchpad and an overall innovation that is n’t meant to support out . In some manner , that make it a more comfortable laptop computer for many user . To begin with , the keyboard has a typical layout with plenty of primal spacing even with the numeric keypad ( an anachronism ) , which offsets the mechanical touchpad a second .
The keyboard ’s switches are as light and snappish as the XPS 16 ’s , with a bit more depth . The Yoga ’s large mechanical touchpad is good enough , but not as accurate as the XPS 16 ’s fantabulous tactual touchpad — once you get used to its obscure nature . And the Yoga ’s forcible map keys are a better solution than the XPS 16 ’s non - tactual contribute sense of touch single-valued function key that serve no real purpose .
Both laptop computer are build passing well , with all - aluminum chassis and hat . The Yoga Pro 9i 16 is slightly larger even with a small video display due to the XPS 16 ’s much thin presentation bezels that also conduce to the more modernistic appearance . The two laptops are close enough in thickness and weighting .
Connectivity and webcams
The Yoga Pro 9i 16 has a much more various set of ports , include both Thunderbolt 4 and bequest connections . It also enjoys a full - sizing SD poster reader compared to the XPS 16 ’s microSD version . That makes it a slew more useful for creators . The XPS 16 has more up - to - date wireless connectivity .
The Yoga also has a high-pitched - resolution webcam , and both have neural processing units ( NPUs ) in their Meteor Lake chipsets that support Microsoft ’s Studio Effects software system and not a great deal else . Both have infrared tv camera for Windows 11 Hello facial realization , and the XPS 16 also has a fingerprint lector plant in the power button . notice that the Yoga Pro 9i 16 apply a reverse pass to hold its webcam and other electronics , which gives you something to snaffle on to when afford the lid .
Performance
I reviewed the XPS 16 with the 28 - James Watt Core Ultra 7 155H chipset that has 16 essence ( six Performance , eight Efficient , two Low Power Efficient ) and 22 threads , and I reexamine the Yoga Pro 9i 16 with the 45 - watt Core Ultra 9 185H with the same number of cores and threads and a high force rating . The XPS 16 was outfit with the faster ( on paper ) RTX 4070 equate to the Yoga Pro 9i 16 ’s RTX 4060 .
However , Dell circumscribe the XPS 16 ’s full index to 80 watts , which must be split between the C.P.U. and the GPU . The Yoga Pro 9i 16 gets 130 W total , which gives its CPU and GPU a lot more power . That showed up in our benchmark , where the Yoga was significantly faster . Most important , the Yoga was fast in the PugetBench Premiere Pro benchmark that runs in a live version of Adobe ’s Premiere Pro . It was also faster in game , often by a considerable margin .
This is one character where high specification do n’t read to higher operation . Even when configured with the faster CPU , the XPS 16 is n’t likely to be faster because it ca n’t provide enough mightiness to make a dispute . The Yoga Pro 9i 16 make much good use of its components and is faster for productiveness users , God Almighty , and gamers .
Display and audio
The XPS 16 is available with two showing options , FHD+ ( 1920 x 1200 ) IPS go at 60Hz and a 4K+ ( 3840 x 2400 ) OLED run at 90Hz . The Yoga Pro 9i 16 also has two display options , 3.2 K ( 3200 x 2000 ) IPS and 3.2 K miniskirt - head , both running at 165Hz .
I try out each laptop with its mellow - end display . Both are excellent , and offer different benefits depending on your needs . Both have standardized color , but the Yoga Pro 9i 16 ’s mini - lead display is a set bright and has a high refresh rate , while the XPS 16 ’s OLED board has much cryptic dividing line .
Both displays will lick well for productiveness users , Almighty , and gamers . Each laptop can be configured with a lower - baron IPS panel for better battery life .
The Yoga Pro 9i 16 has six talker , two up - kindling tweeters , and four side - fire woofer . The XPS 16 has four speakers , with just two side - firing woofers . In my examination , the Yoga ’s audio was louder , clearer , and had more basso , giving it the win .
Battery life
Both laptops are big and comparatively heavy , mean you ’ll feel both in a rucksack . Neither is more portable than the other .
The XPS 16 has a larger battery than the Yoga Pro 9i 16 and a theoretically higher - power exhibit in my testing . Neither laptop computer had telling stamp battery liveliness , with the XPS 16 managing 5.5 hour in both our WWW - browse test and video - looping psychometric test compared to the Yoga Pro 9i 16 ’s six hours and 9.5 hours , respectively .
Both laptops will last just a yoke of 60 minutes doing any kind of demanding piece of work .
The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 is a less expensive and faster option
The XPS 16 broke some new ground in terms of its design , but not all of those New feature of speech lend to a more useful laptop . It ’s reasonably flying and extremely well built , and its OLED show is first-class . But it ’s also quite expensive .
The Yoga Pro 9i 16 costs a lot less while being meaningfully faster , and it also has an first-class human body quality and very undecomposed display . It ’s a safer choice that offer few compromises in a more compelling overall software package .
