For years, the Dell XPS series has been synonymous with premium laptops that combine beautiful design, powerful performance, and innovative features. Essentially, the 2024 version of the XPS 16 is going to be the 9640 model in the series, really setting new frontiers with the processing power and display technology. The in-depth review will look into how good this ultrabook does its things to help you decide whether the XPS 16 9640 is an ultimate creative companion or just yet another powerhouse with some compromises.
The new Dell XPS 16 9650 keeps its signature XPS look but features a more refined, minimalist aesthetic made of premium materials. A platinum CNC-machined aluminum chassis screams classiness, while subtle details like the thin profile of 0.93 inches and surprisingly light 4.8-pound design belie the fact that this has a 16-inch display. This somehow makes it rather portable for a laptop in this category—now you can carry your creative workflow on the go. The build quality is, without question, magnificent.
The chassis seems rigid with no creaks or flex, while the hinge allows for easy and confident operation, with the display firmly held at any angle. One minor caveat here is that the platinum color option reveals a lot of fingerprints. If you're into pristine aesthetics, then you may want to opt for the darker graphite color scheme or get a cleaning cloth.
The XPS 16 dazzles with its brilliant 16-inch OLED display. A number of resolution variants are in store, the cream of which is a 4K+ 3840 x 2400 that provides ultra-sharp clarity and details. Even the OLED itself is a major upgrade to some of the prior versions, with a great contrast ratio, vivid colors spanning a broad gamut, and deep black levels that are inky. This makes the XPS 16 ideal for creative professionals working on photos, videos, or anything requiring precise color rendition.
Dell has further included HDR in the display to enhance the viewing experience, letting one see more vivid and detailed highlights and darker shadows on your screen while using HDR content. From editing a high-resolution picture to playing the latest movie, this display will indeed give you an immersive and delightful visual experience.
The XPS 16 does not fear heavy loads either. Optionally, it is powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, running with 16 cores, boosting up to 4.8 GHz. That will mean fluent execution and instant reaction to the most CPU-intensive tasks a user might have, be it video editing, 3D rendering, or complex data analysis.
NVIDIA Geforce RTX 40 series graphics cards means hard-core performance. The new breed of GPUs has made a really big jump in performance over their predecessors, so you can expect to run even the most graphically demanding games at high settings. A Catch here, though is that some reviewers pointed out that the RTX 4060 low-end configuration is going to struggle with the highest settings in the most modern titles. Provided that gaming performance is the top priority for you, it's sensible to have either an RTX 4070 or an RTX 4080.
The thermal implications of such power need not be dismissed. While the XPS 16 will not let anything down on performance, it can still present a problem in thermal management at heavy loads. Some reviewers mentioned that the laptop might run rather warm with the more powerful RTX 4070 and 4080. These fans also spin up rather audibly during demanding tasks, though some have found the noise level to be acceptable.
Dell offers different thermal profiles within the My Dell app, which biases the system toward performance or quieter operation. It's a nice touch for this level of customization.
The XPS 16 comes fitted with an expansive keyboard, backlit at that, with good travel to boot. While it is comfortable to type on for short bursts, some of the reviewers have stated that the key layout does seem a bit crammed—specifically when one has been used to larger keyboards—and the spacing between keys may be a tad tight, with one being likely to make more typos at first.
The precision touchpad, on the other hand, is a clear winner. It is huge, responsive, and provides great navigation. Multi-touch gestures run very smoothly and precisely, thus giving one a clear overtake when working with several apps at once.
The port selection of the XPS 16 is pretty strong as well. You get the usual Thunderbolt 4 ports, a headphone jack, and an optional microSD card slot. Thunderbolt 4 actually does what you would expect—that is, everything from connecting to all kinds of high-speed peripherals and external displays to high-performance docking stations.
One of the downsides and letdowns of the XPS 16 is the fact that it lacks a dedicated HDMI port. That will be quite a surprising omission on a laptop that creative professionals are going to use very frequently—connecting to external monitors or projectors. While Thunderbolt 4 can support HDMI displays using an adapter, this unnecessarily complicates workflow and increases the possibility of compatibility problems in connections.
The 99.5Wh battery keeps up a decent enough battery life for the power-hungry laptop—you can easily get upwards of 8-10 hours on a single charge doing light productivity tasks. This should be well enough to see most through a whole day in the office or for casual browsing on the go.
Under heavy loads, the battery predictably plunges critically with video editing, gaming, or running complex simulations. Still, the more intensive power users—who really push the XPS 16 frequently—are likely to be keeping the charger handy.
The upgradability of the XPS 16 is next to nil, which is par for the course for thin and light laptops. Yes, you can get inside and upgrade RAM and an SSD, but other elements—the CPU and GPU—Canonical soldered onto the motherboard. This effectively means you're locked into your configuration from the time of purchase.
This design allows for a sleek design and improves thermals by avoiding unneeded components; however, to those who like to future-proof things or maybe want additional processing power in the future, this limited upgradability could very well be a deal-breaker.
The Dell XPS 16 9640 runs at a heavy price, befitting a premium notebook with such high specifications. The base model that comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, RTX 4050 graphics, 16GB RAM, and 512 GB SSD, on the other hand, will cost you approximately US$3,500 . The more you step up in display resolutions, graphic cards, and RAM and storage configuration, the more the price goes through the roof.
The topmost version, which comes with a 4K+ OLED display, RTX 4080 graphics, 64GB of RAM, and 8TB of storage, can easily touch the prices of US$6,000 and higher.
The Dell XPS 16 9640 is quite undeniably one of the more powerful and versatile laptops, fitting for professional creative people and demanding users. Supporting one of the most beautiful OLED displays, the system is further backed up with great performance and a very sleek design.
Fitted with the latest Intel processors and optioned-out NVIDIA RTX 40 series graphics, this should handle any task smoothly. But its thermal management could raise some brows, and its upgradability is limited. The lack of a dedicated HDMI port for this beefy GPU might also be somewhat inconvenient for some users.
What are the base prices of the Dell XPS 16 9640?
It will feature an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, RTX 4050 graphics, be equipped with 16GB RAM, and sport 512GB SSD storage for a starting price hovering around $3,500 USD. The amount increases considerably higher for specifications.
Is the Dell XPS 16 9640 a good gaming laptop?
Yes, with the RTX 4070 or RTX 4080 graphics options, at least. An RTX 4060 option might just enable one to use settings of medium to high in the most demanding new titles.
Does the Dell XPS 16 9640 suit the creative professional well?
Yes, that is where the XPS 16 really shines—this high-resolution nice OLED display showing great color accuracy with its strong performance. It would be almost perfect for tasks that involve the edition of photos and videos or the rendering of 3D images.