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Dell, one of the most trusted American laptop manufacturers, has been delivering reliable PCs since its founding in 1987. And PCMag has been testing and reviewing laptops since before Michael Dell began building and selling computers. (We've benchmarked and rated thousands of laptops since our founding in 1982.) Our analysts have collective decades of experience and expertise in evaluating laptops. For each model, we use rigorous, repeatable tests and assess raw performance, build and display quality, ease of use, special features, and overall value. Our current best Dell laptop for most people is the Inspiron 16 Plus (7630), for its robust processing power and a sharp 120Hz display relative to its price. Read on for all the details on that model and more vetted recommendations from the Texas PC giant, plus a detailed buying guide and a handy spec comparison.
Our Top Tested Picks
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus (7630)
Dell Inspiron 15 (3525)
Dell XPS 16 (9640)
Dell XPS 14 (9440)
Alienware x14 R2
Alienware m16 R2
Alienware m18 R2
Dell Latitude 7350 Detachable
Dell Latitude 9440 2-in-1
Dell Precision 5690
The Best Dell Laptop Deals This Week*
- Dell Inspiron 15 3535 Ryzen 7 1TB SSD 16GB RAM Laptop — $479.99 (List Price $699.99)
- Dell Inspiron 16 5640 Intel 7 1TB SSD 16GB RAM 2.5K Laptop — $699.99 (List Price $999.99)
- Dell G15 Ryzen 7 RTX 4060 512GB SSD 16GB RAM 15.6" Laptop — $899.99 (List Price $1,099.99)
- Dell Inspiron 16 7640 Intel Ultra 7 1TB SSD 2.5K 2-in-1 Laptop — $999.99 (List Price $1,349.99)
- Dell XPS 13 9340 Intel Ultra 7 1TB SSD 32GB RAM Laptop — $1,399.00 (List Price $1,699)
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
Best Dell Laptop for Most People
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus (7630)
- Plenty of CPU and GPU power
- Medium-high-resolution 120Hz display
- Half a pound overweight
- IPS screen can't match OLED rivals' vivid color
- Mediocre keyboard
Depending on Dell's ever-changing discounts, the Inspiron 16 Plus can be a tempting desktop replacement with above-average performance, though its screen isn't stellar.
Best Dell Laptop for the Tightest Budgets
Dell Inspiron 15 (3525)
- Plenty of ports
- Decent price-to-performance ratio
- 120Hz display refresh rate
- Overall outclassed battery and display
- No keyboard backlighting
- Plain design
The Dell Inspiron 15 (3525) is as simple as budget laptops come. While this version addresses several shortcomings of the previous generation, you could find better elsewhere if you're not committed to Dell.
Best Dell Desktop Replacement Laptop
Dell XPS 16 (9640)
- Sleek, slim aesthetic and inputs
- Brilliant 4K OLED touch screen
- High performance from Intel Core Ultra 7 and GeForce RTX 4070
- Impressive battery life
- Expensive
- Not all design changes are improvements
- USB-C ports only (though USB-A and HDMI adapter provided)
A slick new look and cutting-edge components make Dell's XPS 16 a dream for Windows-bound creative pros and power users—as long as they have the cash for its premium features and build quality.
Best Dell Ultraportable
Dell XPS 14 (9440)
- Slick touchpad and LED function row
- Long battery life
- Available GeForce RTX 4050 GPU
- Ample memory and storage options
- Effective webcam
- Pricey for the spec loadout
- Heavy for its size
- Uncomfortable keyboard
- HDMI and USB-A relegated to (admittedly cute) dongle
Dell's XPS 14 is one of today's classiest compact laptops, bolstered by an optional Nvidia GeForce GPU, lengthy battery staying power, and a sharp webcam—but it's neither the lightest nor most affordable in its class.
Best Compact Dell Gaming Laptop
Alienware x14 R2
- Impressive super-slim build
- Brisk gaming and processing speeds as configured
- Appealing starting and configuration prices
- Long battery life
- Wide range of ports for a small laptop
- QHD+ screen resolution challenges the GeForce RTX 4060 at max settings
- Ports being all on the back edge can be awkward
A near-flawless compact gaming laptop, the Alienware x14 R2 packs a super-slim metal design, a powerful pairing of CPU and GPU, and a long-lasting battery, all at an accessible price.
Best Mainstream Dell Gaming Laptop
Alienware m16 R2
- Strong gaming, productivity performance, thanks to RTX 4070 and Core Ultra 7
- Reasonable starting price and good value as configured
- Sleek metal build is trim for a 16-incher
- Superior keyboard, plenty of ports
- Long battery life
- QHD+ screen resolution strains hardware in demanding titles
- Only two configurations, though they're well priced
A more compact redesign rules out Nvidia's top-of-the-line RTX 4080 and 4090, but Alienware's m16 R2 delivers rock-solid gaming with a premium feel at a good price.
Best Giant-Screen Dell Gaming Laptop
Alienware m18 R2
- Blistering processing and gaming performance
- Relatively approachable starting price
- QHD+ 165Hz display with FHD+ 480Hz option
- Optional mechanical Cherry MX keyboard
- Expensive as tested
- Heavy, even for its size
- Screen could be brighter
The Alienware m18 R2 is just a modest upgrade over the first generation, with Intel’s latest 14th Gen HX chips joining Nvidia's GeForce best, but it's still a sleek, super-fast gaming machine with premium flair.
Best Dell Windows Tablet
Dell Latitude 7350 Detachable
- Full-workday battery life
- Powerful, laptop-like performance
- Wi-Fi 7 and Intel vPro
- Built with recycled materials
- Three-year warranty
- Expensive, and essential accessories are still extra
- So-so cameras
The premium-built, business-focused Latitude 7350 Detachable 2-in-1 impresses with competitive performance, long battery life, the latest features, and a hefty warranty.
Best Dell Enterprise Fleet Laptop
Dell Latitude 9440 2-in-1
- Slick frameless keyboard and extra large, feature-filled touchpad
- Excellent performance and battery life
- Plenty of available business features, including 5G WWAN
- Pretty display with above-average color and brightness
- Thunderbolt 4 ports only
- Uncomfortable hard-edged palm rest
- Pricey
- Only one screen choice
The Dell Latitude 9440 2-in-1 is a well-made business laptop with innovative features and some smart design touches, but it's only so-so as a convertible.
Best Dell Mobile Workstation
Dell Precision 5690
- Stunning 4K OLED touch screen
- Blazing performance for its size
- Elegant build with snappy keyboard
- Not quite as fast or expandable as heavier rivals
- No USB-A ports or webcam shutter
- Mega expensive, as most mobile workstations are
If you don't need many terabytes of storage or ECC memory, Dell's Precision 5690 is a mighty mobile workstation that stays under a briefcase-friendly five pounds.
What Are the Differences Among Dell's Laptop Lines?
When looking for the best Dell laptop, you'll want to concentrate on which of its six main laptop families best meets your needs. The ones to familiarize yourself with are Inspiron, XPS, Alienware, G Series, Latitude, and Precision. Apart from the two gaming-oriented ones, you'll find clamshell and 2-in-1 convertible entries in all these families.
Inspiron: The Mainstream Choice
For use in the home or school, Dell's Inspiron brand comprises consumer laptops of every stripe: power machines, inexpensive "just enough" machines, big displays, and ultra-compacts. Whether editing photos or managing your home finances, Inspiron's copious options fit screen size and budget needs for most buyers. These machines are mostly Windows models; if you want something less expensive for simple tasks and browsing online, consider Dell's Chromebooks, which put basic functionality into an affordable package that works great for kids and students.
Dell used to break its Inspiron line into three gradations or levels: 3000, 5000, and 7000 series. As you went up that stack, you tended to see more premium features and higher relative pricing. The number between the word "Inspiron" and the series number was typically the laptop's screen size; an Inspiron 13 5000, for example, would be a 13-inch-screened laptop with middle-field characteristics.
However, today, Dell names its Inspiron systems according to their rough screen sizes, which now include 14-inch and 16-inch Inspiron laptop varieties. This creates more significant ambiguity around what each laptop is capable of; you'll want to look at detailed reviews with testing results to get an idea of relative potency.
Want to ensure you're saving the most cash possible, even on one of the best Dell laptops? Check out our article with 15 money-saving tips for buying laptops.
XPS: The Power-User Class
Successive guises of the Dell XPS 13 were our "near-perfect" mainstream and power laptops for several years. Refresh after refresh, Dell keeps tuning to keep this hardy machine on top. XPS signifies a premium-design, fully decked-out machine that bridges demanding consumers and business users on both the desktop and laptop sides of the fence. Dell's line of power tools is equally at home in a home office, coffee shop, conference room, or high-stakes business meeting.
XPS-class laptops also sometimes serve as guinea pigs for introducing futuristic features, such as in the XPS 13 Plus, which ditched a physical touchpad in favor of a haptic feedback mechanism integrated into the palm rest. Traditionally, you didn't find much variety in the XPS laptop line regarding screen size or stratification, just configurable versions of the 13-inch-screened XPS 13 and 15-inch XPS 15 as both clamshells and swiveling-screen 2-in-1s. The XPS 17, the biggest model, has a 17-inch screen and is only available in a clamshell form factor.
This changed with the introduction of 14-inch and 16-inch Dell XPS laptop models featuring Intel's Core Ultra AI-equipped processors. For now, all of the existing odd-number screen sizes (13, 15, 17) are sold alongside these new even-number sizes (14 and 16 inches), but some may be phased out.
Alienware and G Series: Full-Spectrum Gaming
If gaming is more your style, Dell's Alienware brand delivers if you're on the market for a serious, blinged-out gaming cruiser. The latest components combine with premium construction and design, earning Alienware a well-deserved reputation as an aspirational brand among PC gamers. The Alienware machines tend to be big, brawny models with heavy graphics, firepower, and prices to match. However, the brand known for its classic Area-51m bruiser has made forays into some leaner machines with its m16 and m18 series models and the even leaner Alienware X series, which goes down to 14-inch screens.
Dell also sells gaming laptops under its G Series brand, introduced in 2018. Before this new sub-brand's introduction, this aggressively priced, lower-end line was part of the Inspiron family. Dell split it out as its own animal, and now the G Series is aimed at mainstream and budget-constrained gamers. It has more modest designs than the Alienware models and component load-outs that are humbler but still workable for the latest games.
The G Series models hover above and below the $1,000 mark, while the Alienware models start north of that. The G Series models are gradated into G3, G5, and G7 classes, with the higher numbers indicating higher-grade builds and feature sets.
Latitude: The Umbrella for Business Machines
Then we have the business machines. Dell's Latitude brand is the mainstay for its business laptops, competing with options from Lenovo (the ThinkPad T series) and HP (the various EliteBook lines). Latitude offers options for workers in the office or out in the field, with a mix of thin-yet-powerful laptops and durable systems that can take a beating.
Like the Inspirons used to, the Latitudes make use of a 3000, 5000, and 7000 nomenclature, plus a top-of-the-line 9000 series. The second number in the four-digit model number signifies the screen size. So a Dell Latitude 7390 is in second from the top of the four lines, with a 13.3-inch screen; a Latitude 9500 would be a top-grade machine with a 15.6-inch screen.
Beyond the "simply" durable units, the Latitude line also includes a few costly, highly ruggedized models designed for use in hostile environments: doused in water, clipped onto an ATV, exposed to cold and wind, etc. These are branded under the Latitude Rugged Extreme moniker.
Precision: Workstation Laptops for Demanding Professionals
Mobile workstations are a breed of machines that share some traits with business models. Still, they stand apart for their Independent Software Vendor (ISV) certifications and, in some cases, specialized CPU and GPU options and support for precise error-correcting-code (ECC) memory. ISV certifications give users of demanding professional business apps (in areas such as scientific computing, architecture, and engineering) assurances that the workstation will run up to snuff with a given application. Companies such as Adobe, Autodesk, Avid, Dassault Systemés, and Siemens tend to be the ISVs involved.
Dell's line of mobile workstations is its Precision line, which comprises laptop and desktop models. On the laptop side, Precision uses the same 3000, 5000, and 7000 series lingo as the Latitudes, with the screen size indicated within the model number.
A workstation might make use of consumer- or business-grade Intel CPUs. Still, the mark of a high-end workstation is the presence of a mobile Intel Xeon CPU and a dedicated workstation-grade graphics processor from Nvidia (RTX A-series, formerly Quadro) or AMD (Radeon Pro, much less common). The latter contrasts consumer-GPU counterparts (GeForce RTX and Radeon RX, respectively) and are designed specifically for the heavy-duty calculations that ISV-class applications require.
Ready to Buy the Best Dell Laptop for You?
You'll find plenty of solid Dell systems, but don't be overwhelmed by the options. We've combed through our many reviews and singled out the best Dell systems in multiple categories in the lists and summaries above. For more (Dell and non-Dell) options, check out our best laptops overall (updated constantly), and our lists of the best Chromebooks, the best budget laptops, and the best gaming laptops.