Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
It took a few years , butDell finally update the design of its two big XPS laptops . The XPS 15 give way to theXPS 14 , while the XPS 17 was replaced by theXPS 16 . The latter gained the ultramodern look of the XPS 13 Plus , stark with a glass palm remainder , a hidden tactual touchpad , and a row of lead function keys .
It ’s a significant update but places the XPS 16 in direct competition with theApple MacBook Pro 16 . That ’s an first-class match-up with proven public presentation and battery life and an elegant plan that ’s solid , if a lot more bourgeois .
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Specs and configurations
The XPS 16 start at $ 1,699 for a Core Ultra 7 155H , 16 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , Intel Arc graphics , and a 16.3 - inch FHD+ IPS display . Upgrades are costly , such as the $ 1,150 ascent to a Core Ultra 9 185H and the $ 800 upgrade to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU . Max the machine out and you ’ll drop $ 4,549 for a Core Ultra 9 , 64 GB of RAM , a 4 TB SSD , the RTX 4070 , and a 16.3 - inch 4K+ OLED exhibit .
The MacBook Pro 16 starts at a more expensive $ 2,499 for an M3 Pro chipset , 18 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , and a 16.2 - column inch Mini - LED show . Pick up its most sinewy form with an M3 Max 16/40 , 128 GB of RAM , and an 8 TB SSD , and you ’ll drop a walloping $ 7,199 .
Design
The MacBook Pro 16 retains the new pattern introduced in 2021 , with straight edge and a rounded yet blockish esthetic that somehow still manages to get across as exquisite . The Space Gray color dodge was dropped in favor of a gorgeous new Space Black , while the same Silver colour is still available . Inside , the MacBook has a traditional black keyboard flanked by turgid speaker grills to go with a traditional ribbon rest and separate touchpad .
The XPS 16 look a heap like other manikin on the exterior , with a silver chapeau and bottom physique and anodized chrome accents across the sides . open up it up and you ’ll notice an ultramodern look utter with a glass laurel wreath rest and hidden touchpad , a keyboard with zero key spatial arrangement that also sports large speaker grills to each side , and extend touch key in place of physical function keys .
While the XPS 16 ’s inside are modern , the new excogitation features make less sense on such an expansive laptop computer . Many users will favor the MacBook Pro 16 ’s more traditional and arguably functional components . The XPS 16 retains the midget display bezel that are hallmarks of the XPS brand , while the MacBook Pro ’s are nearly as small , but Apple used an equally controversial mountain pass to fit everything in .
The XPS and MacBook trade name have both been extremely solid in terms of their soma qualities , and each machine follows courtship . Both offer an first-class build that ’s as strong as you could bribe .
The MacBook ’s Magic Keyboard is perhaps the best available on a laptop today , with large keycaps , a spacious layout , and the snappy switches around . The XPS 16 ’s zero - lattice keyboard take some getting used to , but its switches are also very beneficial — just a footstep behind Apple ’s .
The MacBook Pro 16 ’s Force Touch touchpad is also the best we ’ve used , with a declamatory , responsive open and quick , rude tactual key clicks . The Force Click part also adds wanton access to extra functionality with a slightly “ firm ” press . The XPS 16 ’s shroud haptic touchpad is also very good , although we had to change by reversal the haptic feedback level up a couple or notch . Again , it ’s in effect but Apple wins .
The XPS 16 retains the minimal connectivity of the XPS 17 , albeit with one less Thunderbolt 4 port and dropping a full - sizing South Dakota card reader for a microSD reader . The MacBook Pro 16 offers as many Thunderbolt 4 port wine but add an HDMI port and a full - size SD wag lector . The XPS 16 has the most cutting - edge wireless connectivity , however .
Both laptops have 1080p webcam , while the XPS 16 add an infrared reader for facial recognition . The MacBook has Apple ’s Touch ID build into the power button , while the XPS also offers a fingermark reader in the same fix . Dell include user front sensing engineering that can put the XPS 16 to sleep when a substance abuser walk aside , wake it back up , and log back in when the drug user returns . That functionality unite other area where the XPS 16 uses the Neural Processing Unit ( NPU ) built into Intel’sMeteor Lakechipset , such as various performance tuning capabilities . The MacBook Pro 16 has none of these features .
Performance
We try out the XPS 16 with the 28 - James Watt Intel Core Ultra 7 155H with 16 essence and 22 threads and the RTX 4070 . In apps like Adobe ’s Premiere Pro that can use a distinct GPU , the XPS 16 will benefit from the dissolute GPU .
Meanwhile , the MacBook Pro 16 offers the ultrafast M3 Max chipset with up to 16 mainframe and 40 GPU cores . This form scored one of the highest laptop computer answer we ’ve realise in the Pugetbench Premiere Pro benchmark that run in a live version of Premiere Pro .
In our bench mark suite , the XPS 16 was very profligate but no lucifer for the MacBook Pro 16 for demanding productivity user and God Almighty . Gamers , though , will find better execution and a immensely wider array of games .
Display
The MacBook Pro 16 has an first-class 16.2 - inch Mini - lead video display run at 3456 x 2234 and up to 120Hz . It ’s bright , offers splendid gloss and deep dividing line , and the undecomposed gamey - dynamic - range ( HDR ) operation we ’ve seen in a laptop computer .
Dell offers two display options with the XPS 16 , a 16.3 - column inch FHD+ ( 1920 x 1200 ) IPS presentation at up to 120Hz and a 4K+ ( 3840 x 2400 ) 120Hz OLED panel . The OLED display that we test offers slightly wider ( 90 % AdobeRGB versus 89 % ) and more accurate colors ( DeltaE of 0.59 versus 1.22 ) than Apple ’s Mini - extend video display with as deep direct contrast , but it is n’t nearly as bright . The MacBook ’s display commit out 640 nit in SDR and up to 1,600 nit in HDR versus the XPS 16 ’s 432 nits , so its HDR quality is significantly in effect . The XPS 16 ’s IPS instrument panel will offer good barrage fire sprightliness than its OLED pick but wo n’t be in the same class regarding overall quality .
Notably , the XPS 16 ’s high - closing video display option is mite - enable , while Apple still does n’t offer a trace display .
Portability
The XPS 16 and MacBook Pro 16 are likewise sized and weigh the same , while the MacBook is thinner . Both are large laptop computer , though , that you ’ll notice as you hale them around .
However , battery life matter , and the MacBook Pro 16 is a standout performing artist . It lasted 19 hours in our entanglement shop psychometric test and 27 hour ( ! ) in our video looping trial run , and in real - world use , it survive well into a second day of jolly demand study . Even when performing demanding tasks like video editing , the MacBook can last a meaningful portion of a full working day .
The XPS 16 lasted just 5.5 hour in both web browsing and video , meaning it wo n’t last much past lunchtime even with typical workflows . The MacBook Pro 16 will last most of a full day even go demanding tasks , and it ’s a different course entirely in its battery living .
The MacBook Pro 16 remains a challenging matchup
The XPS 16 is a well - establish , if controversially design , laptop with solid performance and an excellent high - ray OLED presentation option . It ’s a very competitive large - filmdom Windows laptop .
But the MacBook Pro 16 is so fast and hold out so long on one tutelage while bid an splendid keyboard , touchpad , and mini - top display that it retain its top - place conclusion among 16 - inch laptop computer . Most people are good off spending their money here with Apple . If you ’re attached to Windows for one reasonableness or another , however , theXPS 16 remains a solid alternative .
