After retiring the iconic XPS name last year, Dell has reversed course at CES 2026, reintroducing the premium lineup with new ultra-thin laptops as it seeks to revive consumer interest amid a prolonged slowdown in the global PC market.
Dell Technologies has brought back its well-known XPS laptop brand, signalling a strategic rethink as the company looks to strengthen its position in the high-end consumer PC segment. The revival was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 in Las Vegas, where Dell unveiled the new XPS 14 and XPS 16—its thinnest laptops to date—and confirmed plans to introduce a lighter XPS 13 later this year.
The move marks a notable reversal for Dell, which last year retired the XPS branding in favour of a simplified portfolio under “Dell,” “Dell Pro,” and “Dell Pro Max.” Company executives acknowledged that the change did not resonate with customers or partners as intended.
Return to a familiar premium identity
Speaking at a media briefing, Dell Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke admitted the company misjudged the importance of the XPS brand. Launched in the 1990s, XPS played a key role in helping Dell expand beyond its traditional enterprise focus into the consumer market. Its return reflects Dell’s effort to reclaim mindshare in the premium laptop category, where competition from rivals such as HP and Lenovo has intensified.
Limited configurations of the XPS 14 and XPS 16 will go on sale in the US and Canada starting this week, with prices beginning at $2,049.99 and $2,199.99, respectively. Both models are powered by Intel’s Core Ultra Series 3 processors with integrated Arc graphics, offering significantly improved AI and graphics performance compared with earlier generations.
AI ambitions meet market realities
Dell’s renewed push comes as the broader PC industry grapples with weak demand and rising component costs. While the new XPS systems emphasise on-device AI capabilities, Clarke noted that AI features have yet to drive the surge in upgrades many manufacturers had anticipated.
At the same time, analysts have warned that increasing memory prices could lead to higher PC costs industry-wide. Dell has not yet detailed how it plans to manage these pressures.
As part of its revised strategy, Dell is simplifying product tiers, positioning mainstream and entry-level devices under the Dell brand, premium consumer systems under XPS, and high-performance gaming machines under Alienware.
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