CES 2026: Dell Brings Back the XPS Just One Year After It Was Discontinued.
At CES last year, Dell killed the brand behind my first laptop, dropping the beloved XPS name, along with other classic brands like Inspiron and Precision. Instead, the company announced that all future (non-gaming) computers would now be called simply “Dell”—that is, Dell, Dell Pro, or Dell Pro Max. They also added other designations like Dell Plus and Dell Premium—and with all those similar-sounding adjectives, it was simply unclear what exactly you were buying. If you can tell me the difference between a Dell 14 Plus, Dell 14 Premium, and Dell 14 Pro Premium without looking at the specs, I have every respect for you.
Now, it seems, the company has realized its mistake. At CES 2026, Dell announced the return of the XPS brand and a significant simplification of everything else. Laptops simply sold under the “Dell” brand will remain, but from now on, consumers will only have three choices when purchasing a Dell laptop.
How Dell’s new laptop categories will work
Lighter consumer laptops will continue to be called simply Dell, but all premium models will now be renamed XPS, and all gaming computers will now be released under the Alienware brand, which was previously limited to more powerful models. The Dell Pro name will technically remain, but only for business customers, and Dell made no mention of Dell Pro Max, Dell Plus, or Dell Premium at this year’s CES.
“We’ve gotten a little off course,” Dell Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clark said at a meeting with reporters. “I owe you an apology. We didn’t listen to you. You were right… We can be humble and we can correct the decisions we made in the past.”
All of this should reassure confused shoppers who might have been confused not only by the naming scheme but also by the number of configuration options for each Premium, Plus, and Pro model on Dell’s website when placing an order. Even I, someone who has written reviews and recommendations for these models, had a hard time figuring out which Dell Plus model was better—the high-end Dell or the budget Dell Pro. But beyond the naming conventions, Dell also promised to bring back some beloved XPS design features and branding next year.
Download Newsletter
Shortly before the company dropped the XPS name, Dell made several design changes to the XPS that I strongly opposed, and these changes have persisted in some post-XPS models. These include using a touchpad for the function row instead of physical keys, as Apple did on some MacBook Pros between 2016 and 2020, and a touchpad that was flush with the chassis, making it difficult to tell where it began and ended. It looked impressive, but as my colleague Alan Bradley noted in his review , it was more of a “form over function” approach.
This year’s new XPS laptops return to using physical function keys, and the touchpad has subtle engravings on the sides to clearly indicate where it begins and ends. There are even a few new, but purely cosmetic, premium touches, such as a CNC-machined aluminum chassis. The new XPS models are also slightly thinner and lighter, and the company promises that “the XPS 14 is now more compact than the MacBook Air 13, taking up less desk space while providing more screen real estate.”
Overall, it seems like the theme for next year is “back to basics,” and Dell has even gone so far as to replace the Dell logo on the lid of its new XPS laptops with the XPS logo for the first time. 2025 marks the first year I haven’t included a non-gaming Dell laptop in my list of the best laptops of the year , so I’m interested to see how the company’s reinvestment in its history will look when it unveils its next product.
Dell’s new XPS 14 and XPS 16 laptops will be available in limited configurations starting January 6, while the XPS 13, which measures less than 13 mm thick, will arrive later this year. Starting configurations will be available with both LCD and OLED displays, though discrete graphics options are not currently available.
The XPS 14 will start at $1,650, while the XPS 16 will start at $1,850.