CES 2025: Dell Is Rebranding and It’s Confusing
During CES 2025, Dell announced plans to divest all of its existing PC brands, including its iconic XPS line of high-end laptops. Also gone are Inspiron, Latitude, Precision and other brands. The entire line will now be divided into three categories: Dell, Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max. The clearly Apple-inspired strategy was created in hopes of simplifying the product catalog, but in the short term some confusion is warranted.
In theory, this is simple and allows you to focus on Dell rather than sub-brands. But there are two problems. The “Pro” and “Pro Max” trademarks have already been destroyed, and not just by Apple. Second, each Dell brand will have three tiers, so now you’re looking at nine different combinations just to find a new computer. It’s a mess, but we hope we can help you make sense of it when you walk into a big box store and get confused by all the new Dell terms.
Dell’s New Nine-Level Product Strategy
Let’s start with some general definitions:
-
Dell’s standard machines are ordinary computers designed for ordinary consumers. You’ll find them in big box stores, and they’re designed for school, work, and everyday play.
-
The Dell Pro line , which is primarily designed for business and designed for productivity.
-
The Dell Pro Max line is designed for maximum performance and includes higher-end computers and workstations.
Luckily, Dell’s strategy doesn’t extend to Alienware, so all of the brand’s gaming laptops and monitors are safe, at least for now.
But the rebranding doesn’t stop there: each of these three families has three different levels of products: Base , Plus and Premium .
As you’d expect, Dell’s base model range, Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max, will be entry-level machines, albeit with increasingly powerful specs to match their classification as standard, Pro or Pro Max. So far, so good.
With the Plus and Premium tiers, things get a little more complicated: the Plus tier serves as a mid-range option, while the Premium label will be reserved for the most powerful machines.
Dell says the rebranding will be a slow process and will only be phased out as new models are released and older models are discontinued, which could last until the end of 2025. How can you spot new laptops? ? Older machines had the Dell logo with a circle around it, but newer laptops just said “Dell” without the circle.
How to Find Rebranded Inspiron and XPS Laptops
Wondering which new machines will match the previous low-cost Inspiron and Inspiron Plus laptop lines? They are now called Dell (Base) and Dell Plus respectively. Yes, that means a laptop called the Dell 15, that’s all. This is weird. But these are the models most consumers will be looking for if they want a cheaper, yet still capable laptop.
If you’re looking for previous XPS models , you should now look at the Premium tiers of the Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max . For example, the new Dell Pro 13 Premium is a Copilot+ PC aimed at business users, and later this year it will ship with an industry-first Tandem OLED option.
Business users should consider Dell’s Pro Plus line , available in 13-, 14-, and 16-inch models. They feature a system BIOS that makes management easy for IT professionals, and offer USB, HDMI, and Thunderbolt port options. They can even be equipped with optional 5G modems (Plus and Premium configurations only). You’ll find cheaper business laptops in Dell’s regular Pro lineup.
The Dell Pro Max line is designed for high-performance workflows, people who work with CAD models, artificial intelligence, engineering applications and more. Dell Pro Max devices will feature Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors and support NVIDIA RTX 2000 generation Ada laptop GPUs.
If you’re really interested in seeing what the new models look like, Linus Tech Tips has a sponsored video where they walk you through the changes and a couple of important new models.
All this rebranding comes with a couple of nice changes. First of all, the USB-C ports on all machines are modular and can be replaced with a couple of screws. This is a huge success in ensuring the sustainability and longevity of laptop use, especially in business. Secondly, the top-end Dell Pro Max computers get full-size SD card slots and two Thunderbolt 5 ports.
RIP to XPS, real
Yes, this rebrand is confusing, and losing the XPS brand is actually quite sad for this tech enthusiast anyway. XPS did what Sony VAIO couldn’t : create a premium PC brand and continue to grow it. XPS was the first to develop edge-to-edge displays for laptops , long before Apple got into the game.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and according to Dell, it’s all for the greater good.
As for TL,DR, here are the details one last time:
Choose Dell and Dell Plus computers if you need basic laptops for everyday use.
The Dell Pro and Dell Pro Plus lines are where all the business laptops are (previously it was the Latitude series).
XPS laptops are Premium, so you’ll find them in Dell Pro Premium and Dell Pro Max Premium. (Typically, Dell Pro Max is a new brand for high-end computers, offering fast processors and advanced technology.)
[ Dell ]