Dell’s branding reversal brings back iconic XPS laptops

Last year, Dell’s big CES announcement was a major rebrand that re-categorised its (formerly) numerous product lines. 

Gone were the household names like Latitude, Precision, XPS, or Inspiron from Dell, as the US company consolidated all of them into a simplified buzzword tier list.

For about a year, your Dell laptop started from its Base model, followed by Dell Plus, Premium, and Pro Max, which are further combined depending on your notebook needs.

Dell XPS, the comeback kid

As it turns out, Pro-Max-Premiumtising did not work as well as Dell had hoped. For CES 2026, Dell announced it will reverse its rebranding decision and reintroduce one of its most iconic consumer laptop series, the XPS. 

Specifically, Dell XPS laptops are returning to serve the high-end “prosumer” category. According to Dell, XPS has become too iconic a brand name across its lineup, ingraining itself with both non-Dell and Dell laptop fans and even affecting users’ retail and online search behaviour.

It’s not hard to see why, given that XPS has been a household name since 1993 and was created to break into the high-end consumer market.

The rebranding wasn’t an own goal entirely: the other names (Base, Plus, Pro, Pro Max) helped reduce the number of Dell laptop brands, and they will continue to serve all other Dell users in a slightly different format (see table image above). Folks looking for an entry-level or mid-range Dell or Dell Plus notebook for school or casual use, as well as those seeking a corporate-forward Pro variant that XPS users don’t really need.

As if aware of its own branding stumble, the reintroduced laptops will feature a prominent XPS logo on the case, juxtaposed with an otherwise sleek ultraportable form factor and look.

XPS 14 and XPS 16

The reintroduced Dell XPS will come in two main configurations: XPS 14 and XPS 16. Both numbers refer to screen sizes in inches, and the device features a redesigned unibody style.

Dell added that its 14-inch XPS has a smaller physical footprint than a 13-inch MacBook Air despite having more display real estate. This is on top of the 2026 XPS laptops offering 1-120Hz variable refresh rates, with a choice between 2K LCD and Tandem OLED panels.

Inside, these XPS laptops feature the latest Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors, plus onboard Intel Arc graphics with 12 Xe cores, delivering up to 57% (XPS 14) and 78% (XPS 16) faster AI performance than before.

To ensure good thermals, Dell also equipped the XPS with its largest-ever fans for airflow, and the notebooks are only 14.6mm thin despite packing all that power and hardware (yes, including an 8MP, 4K-resolution webcam).

Also, Dell claimed the new notebooks have insanely long battery lives, with the XPS 14 clocking 27 hours and XPS 16 going up to 40+ hours of local/offline video playback.

The XPS 14 starts at S$1,649.99 (~S$2,123.46) while the XPS 16 starts at US$1,849.99 (~S$2,380.85). We will update with local pricing and availability when Dell brings them to Singapore.

XPS 13, its thinnest yet

Arriving slightly later than the larger versions is Dell’s most affordable and compact variant, the XPS 13.

Dell did not share very much about XPS 13, other than it being even thinner than its other two variants with just 13mm height, and that it’s the budget-friendly alternative to an otherwise premium XPS lineup.

The XPS 13 will be available “later this year”. More to follow after CES 2026.