Insane that they removed the function keys. Apple basically did the field study for the whole notebook industry and they demonstrated, that people prefer physical buttons. Meanwhile Dell removes them...
And to make it worse than it already is, they got much less functionality, apples Touch Bar resembled more of a mini display rather than a top bar, meanwhile the dells looks like a led calculator
It was only a VERY vocal minority that cared about the MacBooks having the touchbar. It was people in tech who used them. The majority of people buying laptops don't use function keys as often. I know dozens of people with MacBooks and they don't care. It's not a work machine, it's just their home computer. The same demo Dell is going for. Tech workers don't drive sales, it's the common person. The mom and pops. The student writing papers. If it hurt their sales on the Plus for the last few years they wouldn't have committed it across the entire lineup. If it doesn't mesh with your workflow just don't buy it, I don't understand the complaints. They're literally just following what sells for them.
And to make it even worse, they could have just put these programmable glorified LED calculator buttons above the function row instead of deleting the function row for them.
@@IDiggPattyMayonnaise Either I'm not reading your comment properly, or you're confused. Apple *did* remove the touchbar from all their laptops... Also, your "dozens of people" is not a valid evidence lol. You could know a hundred people who don't use the function row, and it'll still not be an adequate sample. Considering Apple decided to remove it when they redesigned the keyboard, that's evidence enough that it was hurting their bottom line more than helping it.
No tactile home, end, insert, delete keys or function row is a dealbreaker for me. Tactile buttons are much easier to type on than touch buttons, and these are important keys if you are programmer (especially home & end to quickly go to the start or end of a line). I also really don't understand sacrificing keyboard real estate for freaking speakers when 99% of people will be using these with headphones to not disturb people around them.
The XPS 13 had a wider than usual keyboard. The XPS 14 and 16 definitely has a more normal sized keyboard, you can tell by looking at the pics. Dave said it got smaller, but technically it just became normal sized. As far as the touch function row, yeah, I agree. Always hated when Macbooks had it, still hate it now.
Really weird that they're trying to compete with Apple in this sense. This isn't even up-to-date Apple, it's their deprecated design for MacBook Pro's that even they admitted wasn't the way to go.
The design is clean, but you’re right. No function keys (even on the 16) makes no sense. Completely kills it for my architectural software needs. Bummer.
@@Ok_Mountain_8698 Especially because there are other good options running Windows. With macOS, you are pretty much stuck with Apple. With Windoes, there are many other good options that will kill this Dell XPS lineup easily.
I'm really anxious with the direction Dell is going with their flagships. I'm not an "Old everything was better" person, in fact, I always welcome aesthetic upgrades. But the new XPS designs definitely left me disappointed. The keys are now less differentiable by touch, to the point where users will have to take their eyes off the screen to check if they're hitting the right keys. Plus less ports and no function key; overall a functional downgrade.
Apple: People really hated the Touch Bar, so we removed it and added good o'l function keys. Oh, we also HDMI and SD card slot for 16" models. Consumers: This is suddenly the best thing ever! Dell: Let's regress in all forms, split the audience on the new keyboard layout, remove the function keys, and keep the microSD for the 16"! Less functionality, but hey, the screen looks cool right!
I guess if they are aiming for just a media cocsumption device, then a good screen and a good looking yet useless keyboard make sense. But if that's the case, the branding, price tag and spec are way overkill. What's with this looks good but useless trend...
@@claytongearhart7671 Love Lenovo!! especially their keyboards, I have had two laptop first was an ideapad and now a really old ThinkPad but both with great keyboards and ports.
Yes but with Microsoft Co-Pilot you can sync your brain to Windows 11 and mind control the function keys if you squint hard enough. No need for physical keys.
The old XPS 13 and especially the XPS 13 2-in-1 were outstanding devices for the time. Dell then went down a very strange path, so I now use an HP Z-Book, the edges are not quite as thin, but you have a excellent webcam - and a lot of ports.
I don't know who at Dell thought that sticking with the haptic keys was a good idea especially after the fact that consumers have been complaining about this already and even Apple acknowledged that it was a bad idea and dropped it.
They basically employ them, hard to get into this space without ending up as shill. It's why i only take just josh seriously, he's made his wealth from a traditional high paying career and buys his own laptops.
I have a Dell XPS 16 from 2018, still running well. My biggest concern is that it sounds like a rocket ship with all the fans. It's just a really loud laptop.
XPS 16 didn't exist till now (unless you count the Dell Studio XPS 16 from 2009), wdym you have an XPS 16 from 2018?? There were only XPS 13 and 15 back then.
I bought a Dell XPS 15 last December (of 2023) but didn't know about persistent issues with the XPS machines until a day or so after I bought it. Once I found out about that and then had a couple of glitches just searching the net on a browser, I took it back and bought a Lenovo Yoga which has been a great machine. I just couldn't trust Dell enough to keep it, though the XPS are really pretty machines. I will give them that.
Was literally looking at your old XPS 13 review not even 2 days ago, remembering how clean the design was. Wondered if Dell would make a 15 inch or bigger version. And now we got the new design 14 and 16. Crazyy
Putting all the trouble I've had with my XPS 15 9500 aside, the lack of physical control row is a total deal breaker for me, together with the lack of ports compared even with MacBook Pro nowadays. Beautiful machines, for sure, but doesn't hold when it comes to daily drivers. Pass for me and for many other people in the comments, I feel
Same here, Dell's quality control is nonexistent. I had the 15" 9560 back in 2017-2018 and replaced three units in five months, all of which had serious issues. I ended up asking for a refund. Never again.
I had two XPS laptops of the previous generations. They were amazing. But now... I never gonna buy a laptop without physical functional and Esc keys. Maybe it looks stylish, but it ruins ergonomics and makes blind typing impossible. Turns out the new XPSs are for enjoying the look but not for real work. That's why I moved from Dell XPS to Lenovo Carbon.
have an older XPS from 2019, and had another before that since 2015. the fact they've taken away the HDMI and USB-A (sorry) to follow Apple - only for Apple to have brough them back with the MacBook Pro like 2 years ago - is a joke. at least the screens are 120 Hz now. all previous XPS devices (correct me if I'm wrong) had only 60Hz panels, and they bumped the GPU wattage up from 40 to 60 watts.
I mean taking away HDMI is pretty good. It's crap standard that makes pc's more expensive because of excessive licensing fees, DP is better anyways. And if you need to regularly plug into something, you can just have adapter or dock there waiting. I mean in many workplaces for example you already have those for monitors and projectors. And you can always carry one in backpack or whatnot. USB a, that's bit harder to justify, personally I'm fine without it for same reasons I put out beforehand, but I wouldn't really defend removing it either since it's so prominent still. Overall, USB-C is just far more useful port for anything. It makes no sense to put some other port there since it would reduce utility of the machine. Only reason I see for having very specific ports, is if you are literally running around laptop in your hand and plugging in to various devices on move, which some probably do, but it makes zero sense to cater to that very small audience. You could get something like framework laptop where you can customize your ports.
That keyboard seems terrible. Instead of physical keys for the function keys it's got a touch bar. Not having page up, page down, home, end and printscreen is tough edit: no insert and delete key too. mega oof
Still rocking the 2020 XPS 13 as my daily driver laptop. Other than some known port issues it largely still holds up. Everything else about it is still solid. My next upgrade will likely be another XPS.
I’ve had the same one but my battery life is terrible and I’ve always had problems with overheating/fans spinning loudly even for simple tasks. Do you have any of these issues? Just curious if it’s only my unit. Probably gonna make the switch to a Macbook because of these issues tbh.
@@nipundit2719 I have a XPS 13 2020 with the exact same issues as you, loud fans overheating, battery is virtually unusable. I thought of switching to XPS 15 (very disappointed that it's not continued) or Lenovo. Seems like it'll be a Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
@@nipundit2719Strange. I own the XPS 15 9530 and even before I repasted the processors I had zero heating issues. My fans only kick in when I'm doing processor-intensive tasks. Is it just the 13 Plus models that experience such symptoms?
What a beautiful content consumption device. I'm going to get myself a framework 16 though, much more practical, better all-around and will actually last into the future.
Honestly, I still think that every manufacturer should just get rid of the 13 and 15 inch. Since we have smaller bezels now, 14 and 16 inch are basically same size as those in past. And I think these are just really good sizes overall, 13 is pretty small, while 15 is quite big so one inch more doesn't really matter and gives you bigger screen. 16 inch also allows for more cooling and space for components if you want really powerful laptop. Had this opinion after 14 inch first came out.
Okay, but consider this, 14.5 inch 16:10 It's literally perfect imo, 14 inch was too small and 15.6/16 is too big. Helps that there have been some really good 14.5 panels recently, like that cheap 2.8k oled 90/120hz in the Zenbook 14/14X.
@@torpedospurs that's neat. We got some pretty cool 14.5 inch laptops recently too, the Lenovo legion slim and the yoga pro 9i. Very cool, but honestly I have to say I'm a little disappointed with 'just' 1080p for the base model screen on both the XPS 14 and 16. Even way cheaper laptops use 1440p or even 2.8k/3.2k screens for the base model
this is a very nice looking, well machined toy. obviously it's not designed for real work of any kind because it lacks a keyboard with those esoteric keys like "home" and "end" and "delete"
Exactly. They just lost users who use those keys often (like developers or users who use Control Alt Delete) and those who may have vision problems. And I don't think they'll be back.
These no longer look like the premium products the aluminum+carbon fiber XPS's were. Capacitive function row and non-upgradable RAM are also immediate deal breakers.
Thanks for the update Dave, great video!! I am excited, but also a bit disappointed with the XPS 16 model. One of the things I always really liked about the XPS 15 models was the modularity to do upgrades down the road (RAM, 2nd SSD, Wifi Chip, etc.). It looks like the only thing you can upgrade on the XPS 16 models is the SSD (similar to XPS 13 Plus models). #Disappointing
A sign of the times as we move towards the advantages of a system on chip including many benefits. Modularity only existed because that was the only solution 40 years ago; now we have a better solution. It is similar to why we went from HD to SSDs, from floppy disks to DVD, from USBA to USBC. People always complain wanting legacy features to go on forever, but MS has finally realised this causes more problems and finally we see Windows OEMs having the guts to move on. Though I suspect Intel forced the issue to save costs and improve efficiency, performance and latency. I understand the latest fastest RAM is soldered only.
@@andyH_EnglandYou realize that xps does not have SOC, rather standard laptop processors + standard (soldered) ram modules which are used on sodimm sticks?
Just about 10 year ago, we could get 1dvd drive + 2.5" hdd in a 15" laptop..... now, even when these two big components have gone, they are not able (or not trying) to fit 2 ram slots in a 16" laptop.
@@andyH_England It's not about legacy features, it's about reparability. I still run a xps15 9550. Replaced the battery a couple times. Upgraded the ssd now that bigger sizes are cheaper. Will replace the keyboard and cover as that's showing clear signs of use by now.
@@andyH_Englandlies and lies and lies. Only reason modularity dies is the profit, nothing about speed or features. If there's a will, there's a way, CAMM proved that laptop RAM can be both modular and fast, only the matter of time until the tech matures. Those who don't want to find the way, they find reasons to not to.
I'm still using my 2016 XPS 15. Added more RAM and upgraded HD to a 1TB SSD. Had to replace the battery a few years ago. Definitely has many many more years of life left in it.
I got an XPS 15 from 2021 and love it. These new models look really great. Finally a 1080p webcam! But I really dislike the touch buttons. And I wish it had two usb c ports on both sides.
So Dell has again sacrificed function over form. They should have at least given the 16" a normal function row and trackpad. This is gonna be a nightmare to open up and do repairs as well.
I'm personally pretty open to this design. The haptic touch function buttons are a lot less of a problem than something like the touch bar, since they don't change or freeze. I think that most people touch type on the letter keys but not those ones. Seems like a decent compromise in order to provider more room for cooling. If it was just a design decision I would think it was dumb. Probably a dealbreaker if you're using the function keys a lot as well.
As a developer at a company that uses Dell laptops, I'm really hoping we move elsewhere with these. For developers or people using professional programs like excel, proper function keys are more important than a fancy touchpad or design. I'd trade a slightly thicker laptop or slightly worse performance for a more usable design. I also do not want OLED on a professional laptop, I keep the same program open 8 hours a day, I'd take high resolution LCD any day, yet you're stuck at 1080p here unless you go for OLED. Add onto that worse ports than even the current MacBook pros, and I really cannot work out who these laptops are even aimed at.
Best laptop keyboard layout I have ever felt is on very old Asus K43 It was similar with this but with extra buttons on the right side (del, home, pgup, pgdn, end) and full sized arrow keys (up and down)
as a daily user of the XPS 13 Plus the keyboard and track pad are the worst I've used in the last 20 years. Looks like the 14 is actually worse which is something I didn't think was possible. I do appreciate that they have almost doubled the port selection from the 13 Plus though. Having only two USB-C has been killing me when I travel for work.
The lack of physical function keys is gonna get annoying, i mean you even got Apple adding it back to their MacBooks. Super Thin laptops aren't the way to go.
I agree. If they had started putting in AMD chips in the last year or 2, they would be ready to drop in new Zen 5 APUs with up to 16 CUs, which would really up the game on the 14 &13 inch models. Core Ultra chips are great, but didn't really move the needle past AMD much (the new IGP is now finally better than AMD, but not by a crazy amt). I mean, I'm not invested in the XPS line, so I think not offering AMD won't hurt Dell, but eh, would have been nice I suppose
@@tjl2836 Well it's certainly close! The efficiency of these new intel chips is in the same range as newer AMD chips. I still like AMD's laptop chips better though, they run cooler somehow
I'm really excited to see the battery life tests on the XPS 16, because of that new chip and massive battery. I think the IPS version is gonna be one of the longest lasting Windows laptops on the market!
I guess form over function and congruencey in the lineup, but even that is too much; it looks bad imo and objectively isn't as good as physical keys. Control alt delete is going to suck!
So weird how TH-camrs always recommend and talk highly of xps’s but never use them themselves (for obvious reasons). Do not buy one, the ones I tried have bad build quality and are too thin to actually be performant.
@@MeatCatCheesyBlaster it has the latest Intel chip on it. Heard and read some great reviews that it matches the apple performance. Also dell is not that bad too but yeah it's indeed a costlier one than my MacBook
It's a beautiful device but their "touch bar" is worse than even what apple made back in the day, and even that one was terrible for most of its users. Not to mention the keyboard having bad reliability and pretty subpar price to performance. A framework 16 would be a better investment instead of an xps 16.
@@heroninja1125 yes, i completely agree that exactly this device has a huge downsides, I just do not agree with the reasoning "Dell == bad", every brand has something to offer if it exists and alive.
I would buy the xps 14 if it had a similar version to the 9315, using a numeric keypad for function buttons. Too bad they used a tab bar for the xps 14. I'll wait for the 9445 to come out.
I bought the original XPS 9700 when it came out based on a bunch of reviews online and it has to be the most disappointed computer purchase I've ever made in my entire life. Despite having (at the time) awesome specs it is really sluggish in Windows (10 is bad, 11 is horrible), boot up takes forever, and the trackpad is just not good at all. It feels like Dell really don't know how to put together great hardware and software, and getting it to work together. A little bit of Apple magic here, please.
my XPS 9370 (2018 laptop) was horrible with Win 10 but as soon as I threw Ubuntu/Linux on it it was actually quite a fast machine for the limited hardware in it and extended battery life by +- 2-3 hours. Still runs just as great 6 years later.
To all those complaining abt Dell removing the function row, they had to because of cooling requirements just like with the XPS 13 Plus. Instead of giving us touch buttons, they could’ve given us Fn1 and Fn2 keys like many 65% mechanical keyboards. But let’s be realistic, they’re making these laptops for Apple like customers who want a fancy laptop but Windows.
All the downsides of the Apple Touchbar without any of the benefits.... no programmer should buy this, at least if you want an normal escape key and function keys.
yeah, not to mention the OLED display thats gonna wear out unevenly from white docs and static content. On top of it even the base 11c m3pro smokes the living hell out of this core 9 185h
@@josephle2381 The macbook touch bar was good for some users, but really bad for others especially developers. In the case of the touch row in the dell laptops its way less functional then the macbook touch bar but still has no tactile button presses. Most of the really cool and intuitive usages of the apple macbook touchbar do not exist in dells touch row. So at best its a gimmick.
Dell consumer products have always been terrible like this especially as of lately. Right now they are basically making a worse version of an apple laptop. You know, cause apple axed the touch bar macbooks because nobody liked it, but heres dell making a worse touch bar with even less functionality. And of course keyboard reliability issues. Except unlike the macbook pros these dell xps laptops are going to stink with battery life. If you are getting a laptop like this especially a 16 inch just get a framework if you like windows and linux or a macbook pro 16 if you like macOS (I personally would advise towards a framework as it will last longer)
I really don't like the keyboard layout at first glance. Non T arrow keys suck. They are impossible to get used to for me. A lot of wasted space everywhere. Non staggered bottom row is also not good since the keys are square which already compromises the touch feel. Immediately there are some small nitpicks such as the seams around the speaker edges. The entire F row being touch is also just not really something i would prefer. Non symmetrical bezel layout sucks but it is what it is. Micro SD is another nitpick. Overall, not where I would go with the design. It's a regression in some areas which you never want to see. Definitely still think apple did a much better job updating their pro line, bringing back the F row and keeping to a normal keyboard layout. I think dell is gonna learn, once again, that there's no reason to fix what's not broken. Time will tell.
@@Riga89 As not a pro but someone that relies on F and arrow keys to program on the go i would instantly write this machine off for the cumbersome keyboard alone. That's really a stark regression imo. This is something apple for the longest time were prioritizing above all else. Jobs knew to never cut corners here and boy did they ever on this new laptop. Design for designs sake. Give me usability and a clean design. They already have the benefit of an m.2 slot to win over a lot of folks. Why overcomplicate it like this?
Man I wish I had the money for one of these XPS laptops... Dell's still at it after all these years, they are the best (non gaming) windows laptops imo
I absolutely love the XPS design language but I also can't get around the fact, that it's a bit annoying that one can't see where the trackpad begins and ends 😅
I'm in IT, and I've always hated these XPS because of how easily our execs break them, but they love how they look. It took years of convincing, but they're all finally on X1 Carbons. There have been no issues since.
When Dave explained the move to remove physical keys for the function row, he said Dell justified it by saying that the space was needed for more space for airflow, now it is just for aesthetic purposes.
Honestly they should just sell non 2in 1 version of "Latitude 9440" in XPS lineup. It still keeps modern sleek design of xps 13 plus but has addressed some of the main issues , it has a tactile fn row , hdmi port , thermals are bit more reasonable. Only problem is it costs wayy too much for it is ( 2000-2800 USD) and lacks a faster cpu .
They should increase the thickness until it can fit regular function button, people looking for thin and light laptop way more sensitive on weight rather than thickness unless it is ridiculously thick like gaming laptop
Dave really enjoyed. Soon as I see your videos have to check it out. Appreciated you keeping me updated on what is happening. Thanks so much for sharing. ✌️
XPS 14 + XPS 16
= XPS 30
Dave now becoming our math and science professor especially with that hair style.
XPS AIO 👀
Dad Joke's
I would love the XPS 16 😢
Ew white mode laptop
Missing the function keys is a killer for me, they didn't learn from Apple's mistake it seems
just change it in software
@@exansis is your suggestion seriously to remap the numbers to function keys??
@@exansis he points the touch version of functions keys hows it can be changed through software
Exactly, "form over function"😡
i agree, has to have physical keys for me and my job
Insane that they removed the function keys. Apple basically did the field study for the whole notebook industry and they demonstrated, that people prefer physical buttons. Meanwhile Dell removes them...
if you're gonna copy Apple's homework, don't copy a test they've already failed
And to make it worse than it already is, they got much less functionality, apples Touch Bar resembled more of a mini display rather than a top bar, meanwhile the dells looks like a led calculator
It was only a VERY vocal minority that cared about the MacBooks having the touchbar. It was people in tech who used them. The majority of people buying laptops don't use function keys as often. I know dozens of people with MacBooks and they don't care. It's not a work machine, it's just their home computer. The same demo Dell is going for. Tech workers don't drive sales, it's the common person. The mom and pops. The student writing papers. If it hurt their sales on the Plus for the last few years they wouldn't have committed it across the entire lineup. If it doesn't mesh with your workflow just don't buy it, I don't understand the complaints. They're literally just following what sells for them.
And to make it even worse, they could have just put these programmable glorified LED calculator buttons above the function row instead of deleting the function row for them.
@@IDiggPattyMayonnaise Either I'm not reading your comment properly, or you're confused. Apple *did* remove the touchbar from all their laptops...
Also, your "dozens of people" is not a valid evidence lol. You could know a hundred people who don't use the function row, and it'll still not be an adequate sample. Considering Apple decided to remove it when they redesigned the keyboard, that's evidence enough that it was hurting their bottom line more than helping it.
No tactile home, end, insert, delete keys or function row is a dealbreaker for me. Tactile buttons are much easier to type on than touch buttons, and these are important keys if you are programmer (especially home & end to quickly go to the start or end of a line). I also really don't understand sacrificing keyboard real estate for freaking speakers when 99% of people will be using these with headphones to not disturb people around them.
what he said. sorry dell you screwed up.
The XPS 13 had a wider than usual keyboard. The XPS 14 and 16 definitely has a more normal sized keyboard, you can tell by looking at the pics. Dave said it got smaller, but technically it just became normal sized. As far as the touch function row, yeah, I agree. Always hated when Macbooks had it, still hate it now.
Since they try to compete with mac, they are going for all the features that mac offers should be present here right.
Really weird that they're trying to compete with Apple in this sense. This isn't even up-to-date Apple, it's their deprecated design for MacBook Pro's that even they admitted wasn't the way to go.
The design is clean, but you’re right. No function keys (even on the 16) makes no sense. Completely kills it for my architectural software needs. Bummer.
wow I never though I would see the day in which apple included more ports in their laptops than dell....
Yeah. That gave me a WTF moment. Looks like Dell's XPS laptops won't be getting my recommendation this year...
It has the same port layout for 5 years at this point, not new at all.
Don't care, Not a deal breaker for me and am starting to save for it now
@@mikelay5360 good for you! I've given up on windows after almost 30 yrs owning every single brand
@@mikelay5360 Okay then, enjoy a thermal throttling poor quality control fashion statement...
A haptic top row would be an instant deal breaker for me, the escape key particularly.
Same here, I completely agree.
Same here. It is no possible to work on CAD without esc key at least...
@@Ok_Mountain_8698 Especially because there are other good options running Windows. With macOS, you are pretty much stuck with Apple. With Windoes, there are many other good options that will kill this Dell XPS lineup easily.
You could 'repurpose' the CAPS lock as Esc I guess..
@@nikolaikrustev1159 But why should you have to?
I'm really anxious with the direction Dell is going with their flagships. I'm not an "Old everything was better" person, in fact, I always welcome aesthetic upgrades. But the new XPS designs definitely left me disappointed. The keys are now less differentiable by touch, to the point where users will have to take their eyes off the screen to check if they're hitting the right keys. Plus less ports and no function key; overall a functional downgrade.
you never get used to keys like those, I've had a laptop with no space between the keys for more than 3y and I still havent gotten used to it
Apple: People really hated the Touch Bar, so we removed it and added good o'l function keys. Oh, we also HDMI and SD card slot for 16" models.
Consumers: This is suddenly the best thing ever!
Dell: Let's regress in all forms, split the audience on the new keyboard layout, remove the function keys, and keep the microSD for the 16"! Less functionality, but hey, the screen looks cool right!
It is really sad to see that none of these expensive & powerful devices (except 🍎 ) have HDMI, absolute madness
I guess if they are aiming for just a media cocsumption device, then a good screen and a good looking yet useless keyboard make sense. But if that's the case, the branding, price tag and spec are way overkill. What's with this looks good but useless trend...
@@Hassansyed369 The ThinkPad X1 Carbon does, but it's not as "pretty" as these other devices.
@@claytongearhart7671 Love Lenovo!! especially their keyboards, I have had two laptop first was an ideapad and now a really old ThinkPad but both with great keyboards and ports.
Yes but with Microsoft Co-Pilot you can sync your brain to Windows 11 and mind control the function keys if you squint hard enough. No need for physical keys.
The old XPS 13 and especially the XPS 13 2-in-1 were outstanding devices for the time. Dell then went down a very strange path, so I now use an HP Z-Book, the edges are not quite as thin, but you have a excellent webcam - and a lot of ports.
The keyboard is such a dealbreaker, i tried it on the 13 plus
I don't know who at Dell thought that sticking with the haptic keys was a good idea especially after the fact that consumers have been complaining about this already and even Apple acknowledged that it was a bad idea and dropped it.
It's strange how there never are anything bad about these products from famous tech reviewers. They either like something or love something.
They basically employ them, hard to get into this space without ending up as shill. It's why i only take just josh seriously, he's made his wealth from a traditional high paying career and buys his own laptops.
Dave 2D used to be good and hes just now a shill.
But this is not real review - he said it's demo preproduction unit...
@@Yunghamz I'm also waiting for Just Josh’s review. His reviews are a class apart.
@@morsikpl so the production unit will have a functional keyboard?
I have a Dell XPS 16 from 2018, still running well. My biggest concern is that it sounds like a rocket ship with all the fans. It's just a really loud laptop.
Wouldn't recommend buying a new laptop until PCs are released with Qualcomm's newest ARM chip (rumored to be ready this year).
@@Rapunzel879 yeah coz windows on arm is totally ready and very stable and compatible with all apps 😂
XPS 16 didn't exist till now (unless you count the Dell Studio XPS 16 from 2009), wdym you have an XPS 16 from 2018?? There were only XPS 13 and 15 back then.
I've got the 9570 from back 2019, but man I really am struggling with the performance, also with some heasty thermal issues.
99.9 of all the laptops are like a jet engine when cranked. One of the primary reasons I stopped doing intensive work on laptops.
I bought a Dell XPS 15 last December (of 2023) but didn't know about persistent issues with the XPS machines until a day or so after I bought it. Once I found out about that and then had a couple of glitches just searching the net on a browser, I took it back and bought a Lenovo Yoga which has been a great machine. I just couldn't trust Dell enough to keep it, though the XPS are really pretty machines. I will give them that.
Was literally looking at your old XPS 13 review not even 2 days ago, remembering how clean the design was. Wondered if Dell would make a 15 inch or bigger version. And now we got the new design 14 and 16. Crazyy
Putting all the trouble I've had with my XPS 15 9500 aside, the lack of physical control row is a total deal breaker for me, together with the lack of ports compared even with MacBook Pro nowadays. Beautiful machines, for sure, but doesn't hold when it comes to daily drivers. Pass for me and for many other people in the comments, I feel
Same here, Dell's quality control is nonexistent. I had the 15" 9560 back in 2017-2018 and replaced three units in five months, all of which had serious issues. I ended up asking for a refund. Never again.
I had two XPS laptops of the previous generations. They were amazing. But now... I never gonna buy a laptop without physical functional and Esc keys. Maybe it looks stylish, but it ruins ergonomics and makes blind typing impossible. Turns out the new XPSs are for enjoying the look but not for real work. That's why I moved from Dell XPS to Lenovo Carbon.
have an older XPS from 2019, and had another before that since 2015. the fact they've taken away the HDMI and USB-A (sorry) to follow Apple - only for Apple to have brough them back with the MacBook Pro like 2 years ago - is a joke. at least the screens are 120 Hz now. all previous XPS devices (correct me if I'm wrong) had only 60Hz panels, and they bumped the GPU wattage up from 40 to 60 watts.
I mean taking away HDMI is pretty good. It's crap standard that makes pc's more expensive because of excessive licensing fees, DP is better anyways. And if you need to regularly plug into something, you can just have adapter or dock there waiting. I mean in many workplaces for example you already have those for monitors and projectors. And you can always carry one in backpack or whatnot.
USB a, that's bit harder to justify, personally I'm fine without it for same reasons I put out beforehand, but I wouldn't really defend removing it either since it's so prominent still. Overall, USB-C is just far more useful port for anything. It makes no sense to put some other port there since it would reduce utility of the machine. Only reason I see for having very specific ports, is if you are literally running around laptop in your hand and plugging in to various devices on move, which some probably do, but it makes zero sense to cater to that very small audience. You could get something like framework laptop where you can customize your ports.
Dropping the full size SD slot is brutal, man
this guy has made being clean his personality trait
That keyboard seems terrible. Instead of physical keys for the function keys it's got a touch bar. Not having page up, page down, home, end and printscreen is tough
edit: no insert and delete key too. mega oof
Still rocking the 2020 XPS 13 as my daily driver laptop. Other than some known port issues it largely still holds up. Everything else about it is still solid. My next upgrade will likely be another XPS.
I'd look elsewhere. This year, they've seemed to copy 2016 - 2019 Apple, not a good look.
I’ve had the same one but my battery life is terrible and I’ve always had problems with overheating/fans spinning loudly even for simple tasks. Do you have any of these issues? Just curious if it’s only my unit. Probably gonna make the switch to a Macbook because of these issues tbh.
@@nipundit2719 I have a XPS 13 2020 with the exact same issues as you, loud fans overheating, battery is virtually unusable. I thought of switching to XPS 15 (very disappointed that it's not continued) or Lenovo. Seems like it'll be a Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
@@nipundit2719Strange. I own the XPS 15 9530 and even before I repasted the processors I had zero heating issues. My fans only kick in when I'm doing processor-intensive tasks. Is it just the 13 Plus models that experience such symptoms?
I love how i am not in the market for a laptop at all but i am watching Dave's vid no matter what and i understand everything 😂
What a beautiful content consumption device. I'm going to get myself a framework 16 though, much more practical, better all-around and will actually last into the future.
I'm getting a Framework Laptop 16 too, but those Dell XPS laptops just look ugly, as if they were prototypes...
@cameronbosch1213 This has to be the most nonsensical comment of today, you are getting one of the ugliest laptops (framework) and you call XPS ugly?
@MrMalam1234 Then by that logic you're saying all laptops are ugly.
I love how form over function they are for the sake of being stand out looking.
Honestly, I still think that every manufacturer should just get rid of the 13 and 15 inch. Since we have smaller bezels now, 14 and 16 inch are basically same size as those in past. And I think these are just really good sizes overall, 13 is pretty small, while 15 is quite big so one inch more doesn't really matter and gives you bigger screen. 16 inch also allows for more cooling and space for components if you want really powerful laptop. Had this opinion after 14 inch first came out.
An XPS 14 is ALL I WANTED for YEARS, 13 was too smol and 15 was too beeg, I love 14" laptops to pieces :D
Okay, but consider this, 14.5 inch 16:10
It's literally perfect imo, 14 inch was too small and 15.6/16 is too big.
Helps that there have been some really good 14.5 panels recently, like that cheap 2.8k oled 90/120hz in the Zenbook 14/14X.
I have a Yoga 14". I picked up a 17.3" gaming laptop (which doesn't feel big at all). I love the real estate on the my new laptop.
femboy attitude. men the f up and get a 16. Real men dont notice the weight difference!
@@notfunny3397 The XPS 14 does indeed use a 14.5 inch 16x10 display.
@@torpedospurs that's neat.
We got some pretty cool 14.5 inch laptops recently too, the Lenovo legion slim and the yoga pro 9i.
Very cool, but honestly I have to say I'm a little disappointed with 'just' 1080p for the base model screen on both the XPS 14 and 16.
Even way cheaper laptops use 1440p or even 2.8k/3.2k screens for the base model
this is a very nice looking, well machined toy. obviously it's not designed for real work of any kind because it lacks a keyboard with those esoteric keys like "home" and "end" and "delete"
Exactly. They just lost users who use those keys often (like developers or users who use Control Alt Delete) and those who may have vision problems. And I don't think they'll be back.
These no longer look like the premium products the aluminum+carbon fiber XPS's were. Capacitive function row and non-upgradable RAM are also immediate deal breakers.
can we just appreciate the simple naming... well done dell 👌
Thanks for the update Dave, great video!! I am excited, but also a bit disappointed with the XPS 16 model. One of the things I always really liked about the XPS 15 models was the modularity to do upgrades down the road (RAM, 2nd SSD, Wifi Chip, etc.). It looks like the only thing you can upgrade on the XPS 16 models is the SSD (similar to XPS 13 Plus models). #Disappointing
A sign of the times as we move towards the advantages of a system on chip including many benefits. Modularity only existed because that was the only solution 40 years ago; now we have a better solution. It is similar to why we went from HD to SSDs, from floppy disks to DVD, from USBA to USBC. People always complain wanting legacy features to go on forever, but MS has finally realised this causes more problems and finally we see Windows OEMs having the guts to move on. Though I suspect Intel forced the issue to save costs and improve efficiency, performance and latency. I understand the latest fastest RAM is soldered only.
@@andyH_EnglandYou realize that xps does not have SOC, rather standard laptop processors + standard (soldered) ram modules which are used on sodimm sticks?
Just about 10 year ago, we could get 1dvd drive + 2.5" hdd in a 15" laptop..... now, even when these two big components have gone, they are not able (or not trying) to fit 2 ram slots in a 16" laptop.
@@andyH_England It's not about legacy features, it's about reparability. I still run a xps15 9550. Replaced the battery a couple times. Upgraded the ssd now that bigger sizes are cheaper. Will replace the keyboard and cover as that's showing clear signs of use by now.
@@andyH_Englandlies and lies and lies. Only reason modularity dies is the profit, nothing about speed or features. If there's a will, there's a way, CAMM proved that laptop RAM can be both modular and fast, only the matter of time until the tech matures. Those who don't want to find the way, they find reasons to not to.
I'm still using my 2016 XPS 15. Added more RAM and upgraded HD to a 1TB SSD. Had to replace the battery a few years ago. Definitely has many many more years of life left in it.
I got an XPS 15 from 2021 and love it.
These new models look really great. Finally a 1080p webcam!
But I really dislike the touch buttons. And I wish it had two usb c ports on both sides.
it does have USB-C ports on both sides...
@@ianism3 I'm talking about TWO usb c ports on both sides
no escape key? they just lost the entire market of developers.
They have it. Above mechanical keyboard. they are in top touch pad. You can see 1:09
@@utopiakj i meant there is no physical escape key, just the strange one in the touch pad.
@@swtuber Oh, ok I see. I agree with that. it sucks.
XPS 13 was plagged with bugs, overheating for no reason, trackpad suddenly freezing, touch bar issues. I hope this new models perform better.
Lol, yes, but this is Dell, so don't hold your breath waiting for them to address those issues.
That xps 14 is my dream laptop fr
I would like to thank you, again, that you are still one of the TH-cam creators who releases his work in 60 FPS. Awesome!
This keyboard and its function raw, it’s dealbreaker
I like that 14, very nicely designed.
I haven't seen a video of Dave for so long, I was pleasantly surprised with the hair!!! Looks super good on you.
Im looking forward to the new Zephyrus G/M series but this is hella slick ngl
Oh, wow, touch area so clear, the both side of speaker so luxury and look the screen so amazing. I really interested about this laptop.
So Dell has again sacrificed function over form. They should have at least given the 16" a normal function row and trackpad. This is gonna be a nightmare to open up and do repairs as well.
With just one SSD slot and the battery to maintain, that's going to be so true!
I'm loving the aquarium on the backround, hope you can make a short showing it off! those plants are looking redddd and healthy!!
I'm personally pretty open to this design. The haptic touch function buttons are a lot less of a problem than something like the touch bar, since they don't change or freeze. I think that most people touch type on the letter keys but not those ones. Seems like a decent compromise in order to provider more room for cooling. If it was just a design decision I would think it was dumb. Probably a dealbreaker if you're using the function keys a lot as well.
Apple really made a great computer with the M1 Pro and newer models. So so good and functional. I really can’t see myself switching to any other PC
As a developer at a company that uses Dell laptops, I'm really hoping we move elsewhere with these. For developers or people using professional programs like excel, proper function keys are more important than a fancy touchpad or design. I'd trade a slightly thicker laptop or slightly worse performance for a more usable design.
I also do not want OLED on a professional laptop, I keep the same program open 8 hours a day, I'd take high resolution LCD any day, yet you're stuck at 1080p here unless you go for OLED.
Add onto that worse ports than even the current MacBook pros, and I really cannot work out who these laptops are even aimed at.
With a bezel like that no other manufacturer has an excuse to use a notch on a high end laptop
Best laptop keyboard layout I have ever felt is on very old Asus K43
It was similar with this but with extra buttons on the right side (del, home, pgup, pgdn, end) and full sized arrow keys (up and down)
Dell also had something similar in the XPS 15 L502x, very nice layout indeed.
as a daily user of the XPS 13 Plus the keyboard and track pad are the worst I've used in the last 20 years.
Looks like the 14 is actually worse which is something I didn't think was possible.
I do appreciate that they have almost doubled the port selection from the 13 Plus though. Having only two USB-C has been killing me when I travel for work.
Apparently none of them have upgradeble ram?😫😭
lmao ridiculous
😂😂😂
And only 1 SSD instead of 2.
The lack of physical function keys is gonna get annoying, i mean you even got Apple adding it back to their MacBooks. Super Thin laptops aren't the way to go.
So clean that I guess I would miss it when choosing my next notebook
2:32 to say the webcam is noticeably better is an understatement 😂. Anyways with Android 14 update I can now use my Pixel phone as webcam.
Man. These 5min videos are killing me. This is more like an advertisement without a skip button.
I would have loved to see Dell put a full sized SD slot inside the Laptop, otherwise I think they look absolutely stunning!
I was gonna wait for this instead of buying the Blade 18. Glad I didn't wait.
We really need a AMD version of XPS.
No longer necessary with these new Intel Chips
@basnijland they run cool?
@@basnijlandit is absolutely necessary. The igpu might be equal but cpu efficiency is still not AMD’s level
I agree. If they had started putting in AMD chips in the last year or 2, they would be ready to drop in new Zen 5 APUs with up to 16 CUs, which would really up the game on the 14 &13 inch models. Core Ultra chips are great, but didn't really move the needle past AMD much (the new IGP is now finally better than AMD, but not by a crazy amt).
I mean, I'm not invested in the XPS line, so I think not offering AMD won't hurt Dell, but eh, would have been nice I suppose
@@tjl2836 Well it's certainly close! The efficiency of these new intel chips is in the same range as newer AMD chips. I still like AMD's laptop chips better though, they run cooler somehow
I love how the trackpad is maximalized as a shared experience among tech user. Like a big space bar.
I'm really excited to see the battery life tests on the XPS 16, because of that new chip and massive battery. I think the IPS version is gonna be one of the longest lasting Windows laptops on the market!
Doubt it. The MSI Prestige 16 also has Meteor Lake and a 99.9 whr battery. My guess is that it will last longer.
Yes, very clean, very high performance laptops Dave, now let's see the temperature
they used size as an excuse as to why they didnt have physical function buttons on the 13, what's the excuse now they've made it bigger?
"Sorry we are retarded" is their excuse
I guess form over function and congruencey in the lineup, but even that is too much; it looks bad imo and objectively isn't as good as physical keys. Control alt delete is going to suck!
Finally! I can now buy the older models at a decent price!
Too clean. That keyboard without the function keys row is a fail.
Just here to admire the new haircut of Dave , looking amazing by the way
So weird how TH-camrs always recommend and talk highly of xps’s but never use them themselves (for obvious reasons). Do not buy one, the ones I tried have bad build quality and are too thin to actually be performant.
I'll be honest, nothing get's my juices flowing quite like a new Dave2D video.
That's one beautiful looking laptop. It's even better looking than my macbook.
Unfortunately it's a Dell
@@MeatCatCheesyBlaster it has the latest Intel chip on it. Heard and read some great reviews that it matches the apple performance. Also dell is not that bad too but yeah it's indeed a costlier one than my MacBook
@@MeatCatCheesyBlaster what is this? Brandshaming? Brandcism? Well, with no doubt I can say that this is stupidity.
It's a beautiful device but their "touch bar" is worse than even what apple made back in the day, and even that one was terrible for most of its users. Not to mention the keyboard having bad reliability and pretty subpar price to performance. A framework 16 would be a better investment instead of an xps 16.
@@heroninja1125 yes, i completely agree that exactly this device has a huge downsides, I just do not agree with the reasoning "Dell == bad", every brand has something to offer if it exists and alive.
I would buy the xps 14 if it had a similar version to the 9315, using a numeric keypad for function buttons. Too bad they used a tab bar for the xps 14. I'll wait for the 9445 to come out.
I bought the original XPS 9700 when it came out based on a bunch of reviews online and it has to be the most disappointed computer purchase I've ever made in my entire life. Despite having (at the time) awesome specs it is really sluggish in Windows (10 is bad, 11 is horrible), boot up takes forever, and the trackpad is just not good at all.
It feels like Dell really don't know how to put together great hardware and software, and getting it to work together. A little bit of Apple magic here, please.
my XPS 9370 (2018 laptop) was horrible with Win 10 but as soon as I threw Ubuntu/Linux on it it was actually quite a fast machine for the limited hardware in it and extended battery life by +- 2-3 hours.
Still runs just as great 6 years later.
To all those complaining abt Dell removing the function row, they had to because of cooling requirements just like with the XPS 13 Plus.
Instead of giving us touch buttons, they could’ve given us Fn1 and Fn2 keys like many 65% mechanical keyboards. But let’s be realistic, they’re making these laptops for Apple like customers who want a fancy laptop but Windows.
All the downsides of the Apple Touchbar without any of the benefits.... no programmer should buy this, at least if you want an normal escape key and function keys.
The MacBook Touch Bar and the xps touch function row isn’t even that bad
yeah, not to mention the OLED display thats gonna wear out unevenly from white docs and static content. On top of it even the base 11c m3pro smokes the living hell out of this core 9 185h
@@josephle2381 The macbook touch bar was good for some users, but really bad for others especially developers. In the case of the touch row in the dell laptops its way less functional then the macbook touch bar but still has no tactile button presses. Most of the really cool and intuitive usages of the apple macbook touchbar do not exist in dells touch row. So at best its a gimmick.
Oh my I've been out for a while, you have a different vibe! Love it!
Dell is about to charge an arm and a leg for a product that’s going to be hot, loud, and exhibit more QC issues than a car without an engine
Yep. Pretty much every XPS in recent history has shipped as a hot dumpster fire.
Dell consumer products have always been terrible like this especially as of lately. Right now they are basically making a worse version of an apple laptop. You know, cause apple axed the touch bar macbooks because nobody liked it, but heres dell making a worse touch bar with even less functionality. And of course keyboard reliability issues. Except unlike the macbook pros these dell xps laptops are going to stink with battery life. If you are getting a laptop like this especially a 16 inch just get a framework if you like windows and linux or a macbook pro 16 if you like macOS (I personally would advise towards a framework as it will last longer)
Ahhhh the magic of squeezing a gpu into such a tiny space that it thermal throttles while also sounding like a jet engine… truly magical.
I really don't like the keyboard layout at first glance. Non T arrow keys suck. They are impossible to get used to for me. A lot of wasted space everywhere. Non staggered bottom row is also not good since the keys are square which already compromises the touch feel. Immediately there are some small nitpicks such as the seams around the speaker edges. The entire F row being touch is also just not really something i would prefer. Non symmetrical bezel layout sucks but it is what it is. Micro SD is another nitpick. Overall, not where I would go with the design. It's a regression in some areas which you never want to see. Definitely still think apple did a much better job updating their pro line, bringing back the F row and keeping to a normal keyboard layout. I think dell is gonna learn, once again, that there's no reason to fix what's not broken. Time will tell.
They'll learn once they see their sales go down like crazy. This went from being the best designed Windows laptop to one of the worst one ever existed
@@Riga89 As not a pro but someone that relies on F and arrow keys to program on the go i would instantly write this machine off for the cumbersome keyboard alone. That's really a stark regression imo. This is something apple for the longest time were prioritizing above all else. Jobs knew to never cut corners here and boy did they ever on this new laptop. Design for designs sake. Give me usability and a clean design. They already have the benefit of an m.2 slot to win over a lot of folks. Why overcomplicate it like this?
Man I wish I had the money for one of these XPS laptops... Dell's still at it after all these years, they are the best (non gaming) windows laptops imo
I absolutely love the XPS design language but I also can't get around the fact, that it's a bit annoying that one can't see where the trackpad begins and ends 😅
I'm in IT, and I've always hated these XPS because of how easily our execs break them, but they love how they look. It took years of convincing, but they're all finally on X1 Carbons. There have been no issues since.
On an off-note, Dave you are looking younger and younger with every video.
As always, best laptop reviewer on TH-cam.
When Dave explained the move to remove physical keys for the function row, he said Dell justified it by saying that the space was needed for more space for airflow, now it is just for aesthetic purposes.
Love my 13 plus, had it over a year now
Honestly they should just sell non 2in 1 version of "Latitude 9440" in XPS lineup. It still keeps modern sleek design of xps 13 plus but has addressed some of the main issues , it has a tactile fn row , hdmi port , thermals are bit more reasonable. Only problem is it costs wayy too much for it is ( 2000-2800 USD) and lacks a faster cpu .
They should increase the thickness until it can fit regular function button, people looking for thin and light laptop way more sensitive on weight rather than thickness unless it is ridiculously thick like gaming laptop
16" looks so beautiful, I'll buy it!
WOW DAVE, I HAVE NOT SEEN YOUR VIDEOS FOR A WHILE AND NOW YOU HAVE A MUCH LONGER HAIR, it looks cool, cheers Dave!
Every Windows laptop review should include a hinge test.
Dave really enjoyed. Soon as I see your videos have to check it out. Appreciated you keeping me updated on what is happening. Thanks so much for sharing. ✌️
FINALLY!! XPS 14 COMEBACK TO LIFE 🔥🔥🔥
this is breathtakingly beautiful. aesthetically the best IMO
I love these new machines design. I can’t wait to get the black XPS 16!
This is what I have been waiting for for 3 years
the most beautiful laptop design i have ever seen😍😍
This is actually pretty clean looking.
This is the laptop I've been waitinf since xps 13 plua
That slate model is slick looking. I might finally upgrade my 9570, which is still a great computer, but the 1050ti is starting to show its age.
Just found out ram is soldered and they upcharge like crazy. I'm out
I’ve been waiting for a 14 inch xps finally I’m buying that as soon as it’s available
cant get over daves mad scientists hair
I can't resist clicking on your video mainly because there's no stupid noisy background music. Clean you, clean video ❤
Stunning looks. Dark mode is insane.
SDXC Card slot missing. People have stopped using SD card now.