Review Summary
Expert Rating
Dell recently announced a massive rebranding that will phase out its iconic laptop series like Latitude, Inspiron, and XPS in favour of a simpler naming scheme. But a few months before this shift, the brand released the Dell XPS 16 9640, a high-end workstation notebook. While this model boasts impressive specs, it is encased in a body that exudes true luxury. However, all of this comes at a hefty cost of over Rs 3.6 lakh. So, does it truly justify its exorbitant price tag? Let’s dive in to find out.
Table of Contents
Design and display
The Dell XPS 16 exemplifies a “sleeper build” design. When closed, it resembles a typical premium notebook with an all-aluminium body. But once opened (easily with one hand, thankfully), the luxury truly shines. Its keyboard deck blends metal and glass, creating a stunning combination that offers a robust and aesthetically pleasing look. The build is solid, with no noticeable flex in the body.
One standout feature of the design is the LED-lit function row keys. Above the keyboard, the glass panel houses touch-sensitive areas that provide quick access to settings like volume, brightness, and more. Pressing the Fn key reveals a second row of keys, including all the function keys (F1, F2, etc.).
Dell built the XPS 16 as a workstation. So you’re not getting a thin-and-light ultrabook profile here. I would not exactly call it chunky, but it has a total width of 18.7mm (0.74 inches). One minor issue with the design is the 2.2kg heft. While not unbearably heavy, it’s clear the design prioritizes productivity over easy mobility.
Opening up the XPS 16 reveals the use of CAMM (Compression Attached Memory Module), which is a compact RAM module that was designed to be ultra-thin, fast, and easily upgradeable. However, the module is soldered, making RAM upgrades impossible. On the brighter side, the M.2 NVMe SSD can be replaced, offering some flexibility for storage upgrades. Inside, the system is kept cool by dual fans, complemented by a massive battery that occupies much of the internal space.
Another standout feature of the XPS 16 is its InfinityEdge display. The 16.3-inch OLED panel offers UHD+ resolution (3840x2400p), a 90Hz refresh rate, 400 nits of peak brightness, 114% sRGB, and 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut. It also features an anti-reflective and anti-smudge coating and touch input support. The touch display is both accurate and responsive, adding another layer of convenience.
With its high resolution, the display delivers crystal-clear image quality and excellent viewing angles. Watching movies and TV shows is a delight, especially on its vibrant screen that offers punchy colours. For instance, watching Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance (2024) was a special treat, as the OLED display’s contrast and sharpness elevated the experience, while Robert Eggers’ black-and-white film, The Lighthouse (2019), took advantage of the display’s true black levels.
Ports and audio
The port selection on the XPS 16 leaves much to be desired. It includes three Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 Type-C ports (DisplayPort Alt Mode/USB4 & Power Delivery), one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port (DisplayPort & Power Delivery), a 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack combo, and an SD card slot.
While the inclusion of three Thunderbolt ports is commendable, the absence of an HDMI or USB Type-A port is a notable drawback. Dell attempts to compensate by including a dongle that offers one HDMI and one USB Type-A port, but this defeats the laptop’s productivity focus, especially given its size and width.
On the audio front, Dell has clearly put effort into the XPS 16’s quad-speaker system. The setup includes two 3W main speakers and two 2W tweeters, delivering a total output of 10W. While the speakers can get quite loud, sound quality diminishes at maximum volume. For the best experience, keeping the volume at around 80% is recommended. While MacBooks still have an edge in audio quality, the XPS 16’s sound system is immersive enough to enjoy movies without headphones.
Keyboard and trackpad
The keyboard is flanked by speaker grills on either side, but there’s still plenty of space for the keys. The key travel is adequately deep, and the keys themselves are silent. Typing on the XPS 16 is seamless, and the spacious layout enhances the overall experience.
Below the keyboard is a trackpad that is integrated into the glass panel. While there are no visible markings to indicate its position, it is center-aligned. The trackpad is decently sized, provides accurate input, and offers haptic feedback for left and right clicks.
Performance
As a premium workstation, the Dell XPS 16 is equipped with cutting-edge hardware. It features Intel’s Core Ultra 9 185H processor paired with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. This combination provides ample power for productivity tasks, creative work, and even gaming. Notably, the CPU is designed for AI workloads thanks to its Neural Processing Unit (NPU). There’s even a dedicated Copilot key to launch Microsoft Windows’ AI assistant.
The laptop includes 32GB LPDDR5X RAM (6400MT/s) and a 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD for storage. While the memory capacity is generous, the storage could be larger given the laptop’s high price. The storage module can be replaced, but the RAM is soldered on.
To assess performance, we ran a series of benchmarks and compared the XPS 16 to the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (AMD Ryzen AI 9 370 HX) and ASUS Zenbook Duo (Intel Core Ultra 9 185H). In CPU-bound tests like PCMark, Cinebench, and GeekBench, the XPS 16 delivered comparable results, but the ROG Zephyrus G16 pulled ahead in most cases.
Interestingly, even the Intel Core Ultra 9-equipped variant of the Zephyrus G16 outperformed the XPS 16, primarily due to its higher power draw. Against the thinner Zenbook S 16, the XPS 16 had a clear lead in benchmarks like Time Spy, and Fire Strike, owing to its dedicated RTX 4060 GPU.
While the XPS 16 isn’t primarily built for gaming, it’s capable of running most competitive titles and is suitable for casual gamers. At native UHD+ resolution, it delivered 117 fps in Valorant (Max settings), 32 fps in GTA 5 (Highest preset), and 53 fps in Forza Horizon 5 (DLSS auto, Ray Tracing High). However, it struggled with more demanding titles like Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 at high settings with Ray Tracing enabled. Dropping the resolution to 1080p improved performance considerably.
During gaming, temperatures stayed below 80°C for most titles, but intensive games like Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 pushed the CPU past 90°C, occasionally hitting 100°C. So prolonged gaming at max settings isn’t recommended.
Battery
Despite its power-hungry hardware, the Dell XPS 16 9640 manages to impress with its excellent battery life. During regular use, the integrated graphics efficiently take over to extend endurance.
In the PCMark 10 Battery Life test, the laptop lasted an impressive 13 hours and 40 minutes. This outstanding performance can be attributed to Intel’s new Core Ultra processor, Intel Evo iGPU, and the sizable 6-cell 99.5Whr battery pack.
Verdict
The Dell XPS 16 9640 is a luxurious and highly capable workstation that delivers robust performance, a stunning display, and a luxurious design. It is well-suited for productivity and creative tasks, offering the power and features that professionals demand. However, its lack of certain essential ports and limited portability somewhat detract from its appeal.
With a price tag of around Rs 3.7 lakh, the XPS 16 is undoubtedly an expensive investment. While it excels in most areas, the cost makes it a tough sell, especially when compared to other laptops offering similar performance at lower prices.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (AMD – Rs 1,94,990/ Intel – Rs 3,39,990) is a great example that delivers high performance for gaming and creative tasks but lags behind in battery life (9Hr 46min) & design (all-metal gaming-themed body). On the other hand, the Zenbook S 16 (Rs 1,49,990) provides premium thin-and-light portability with excellent battery life (16Hr 27Min), though it lacks a dedicated GPU.
That said, there aren’t many options that combine high performance, 4K+ OLED touch display, long-lasting battery life, and a luxury design into one package. So, if you prioritize these qualities and can stomach the price, the XPS 16 may be the right choice for you.
Editor’s rating: 8.5 / 10
Pros:
- High-quality build
- Solid battery life
- Dedicated GPU
- Stunning 4K+ OLED display with touch support
- Great speaker setup
Cons:
- Expensive
- Weighs over 2kgs
- High temps during demanding tasks