Return of the XPS: Dell resurrects iconic brand at CES after customer demand

Dell's XPS brand of laptops is back by popular demand, less than a year after the company shelved the name in favour of more AI-focused monikers.

Jeff Clarke, chief operating officer at Dell Technologies, revealed three new models of XPS were coming back, with the brand taking a central position in the company's laptop offerings. As such, the XPS will be restored as a consumer-focused brand, rather than the commercial one it was originally.

As for why, Clarke said that "branding matters" and that the company had "listened" to its customers, essentially, bringing the XPS brand back from the dead by popular demand.

At CES 2025, almost a year to the day, Dell announced it was killing off the XPS brand, along with Latitude, Inspiron, and Precision. In their place came the 'Pro' and 'Pro Max' models – a move that was designed to simplify shopping, giving customers an easier way to differentiate between entry and premium tier laptops.

The all-new XPS will come in 14in, 16in, and 13in – a model that wasn't a thing 90 days prior to the announcement, according to Clarke. Though it does match the 2024 lineup of 13in, 14in, and 17in models.

Both the 14in and 16in models have Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors and built-in Intel Arc graphics with 12 Xe cores. Dell suggests that the XPS 14 and XPS 16 can deliver up to 57% and 78% faster AI performance than previous XPS models.

They include a completely redesigned thermal system to support the claimed performance with fans Dell describes as both its "largest and thinnest yet". As a whole, both the 14in and 16in models are its thinnest, measuring just 14.6mm.

What does this mean for AI PCs?

AI PCs have become ubiquitous over the last two years, fueled by the demand for on-device generative AI tools and the higher spec requirements of Windows 11. CES 2026 has still seen a raft of AI-focused laptops, but there is slightly less emphasis on the AI capabilities.

It isn't the end of AI PCs, as such, but Dell's decision to bring back the XPS is perhaps an admission that the general public is starting to get fed up with the terminology and the naming conventions.

Although it could also be seen as Dell rolling out the greatest hits, especially as it is so very different from what its competitors have launched at CES.

There was no mention of the Pro and Pro Max brands and very little mention of AI in its presentation. HP, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer, however, all came to CES 2026 with AI-named products, such as the HP EliteBoard AI mini PC and the Acer Swift 14 AI.