Dell Has Destroyed the XPS - Dell XPS 16 (2024)
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Get your Hydrodip Skins from dbrand today at shortlinus.com Dell... what's going on, bud? Alex usually begs me to cover XPS laptops, but lately, he's felt like the XPS lineup has lost its way. With rising price tags, middling entry specs, and questionable design changes, has Dell destroyed the XPS? Buy a Dell XPS 16 Laptop: geni.us Buy an ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 Gaming Laptop: geni.us Buy a Razor Blade 14 Gaming Laptop: geni.us Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group. Want us to unbox something? Make a suggestion at lmg.gg ► GET MERCH: lttstore.com ► GET EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ON FLOATPLANE: lmg.gg ► SPONSORS, AFFILIATES, AND PARTNERS: lmg.gg ► PRODUCTS WE USE ON THE SHORTCIRCUIT SET: lmg.gg FOLLOW US ELSEWHERE --------------------------------------------------- Twitter: twitter.com Instagram: @shortcircuityt TikTok: @linustech Facebook: @ShortCircuitYT CHAPTERS --------------------------------------------------- 0:00 The XPS 16 is... different 0:21 Unboxing and weight 2:37 Ports 3:46 Sponsor - brand 4:37 Display impression and LABS test results 6:52 Keyboard and trackpad impressions 9:35 Specs 10:49 LABS performance test results and gaming impressions 12:38 Speaker impressions 14:15 Webcam impressions 14:51 Teardown and LABS battery test results 16:59 Pricing and overall thoughts 18:25 Outro
Dell Has Destroyed the XPS - Dell XPS 16 (2024) dives into the latest Dell XPS 16 with a candid unboxing and first-impressions perspective. The host begins by comparing the XPS 16 to the older XPS 15 and the competing Asus Zephyrus G16, highlighting the heft due to a glass heavy design and arguing that Dell has moved away from the carbon fiber and magnesium construction that used to keep weight down. He notes that ports are mostly USB-C based, with a microSD reader that remains a point of contention for photographers who prefer full-size SD cards, and he laments the lack of a dedicated function row in favor of a capacitive strip, which he finds less practical in real-world use. While admiring the OLED touchscreen panel’s color accuracy and bright HDR performance, the host raises concerns about the digitizer overlay and perceived dirtiness on subpixels, a problem later addressed with a software update. The discussion then shifts to performance, where the XPS 16’s 4070 GPU variant is compared to a 4080 option on the G16, showing the 4080 significantly better in gaming benchmarks at 4K-like settings, and the laptop’s cooling approach with a vapor chamber is evaluated in light of overall thermals and acoustic behavior. The reviewer also tests battery life, noting excellent endurance for a high-end OLED machine, and shares a teardowns that reveal a soldered RAM and limited upgradability, along with user-replaceable but not ideal double-sided SSD maintenance. The video closes with a mixed verdict on value, pointing out the steep entry price and the premium for OLED, concluding that while the XPS 16 brings strong display quality and some clever design ideas, it falls short in raw performance-value balance for its class. Overall, the host expresses disappointment in the XPS 16’s price-to-performance ratio and questions Dell’s design decisions, despite acknowledging the improvements in webcam quality and battery efficiency. The video ends with a call to consider alternatives like the MacBook Pro or competing gaming laptops for those prioritizing performance and value over form-factor quirks.
Topics · technology · laptops · hardware · product_review · gaming
Questions answered
- What is the main trade-off Dell makes with the XPS 16 design that the reviewer highlights?
- The reviewer highlights that the XPS 16 uses a heavy glass-heavy chassis and a capacitive function-row redesign that sacrifices portability and practical usability for cooling and aesthetics.
- How does the XPS 16's gaming performance compare to the Asus Zephyrus G16?
- In the tested configurations, the Asus Zephyrus G16 with an RTX 4080 significantly outperforms the XPS 16 with an RTX 4070 in raw gaming benchmarks, especially at higher resolutions.
- What are the upgradability limitations mentioned for the XPS 16?
- RAM is soldered and not upgradable, and while the storage is accessible with a double-sided SSD, it may require replacing a thermal pad for easy maintenance.
- Is the OLED display on the XPS 16 considered a strong point or a weakness?
- The OLED display is considered a strong point for color accuracy and HDR brightness, though initially there were concerns about a digitizer overlay affecting subpixel clarity.