Dell’s 16 Plus (starts at $1,149.99, as tested) is a compelling midrange 16-inch laptop for home users and college students. This laptop's true appeal hangs on the value proposition of this test configuration, with an up-and-down price we saw drop as low as just $749.99 during our review. That's hard to beat at its discounted rate, replete with CoPilot+ features, a vibrant and fast screen (2,560 by 1,600 pixels, 120Hz), and all-day battery life. While the touchpad is a bit stiff and the laptop is heavier than some models of its screen size, these flaws aren’t deal-breakers. Overall, the 16 Plus is better-balanced than the Acer Swift 16 AI and holds its own against the 15-inch, M4-based Apple MacBook Air. For mainstream buyers seeking a capable 16-inch system, the key is timing—Dell’s ever-spinning carousel of deals can turn this safe bet into a standout value, earning it our Editors' Choice award for midrange desktop replacements.

Configurations: Go Base Model for the Best Value

The Dell 16 Plus delivers its most substantial value in Dell's entry-level configuration, which includes a Core Ultra 7 256V system-on-a-chip or SoC (eight cores, at up to 4.8GHz turbo speeds), Intel Arc 140V graphics, 16GB of memory, and a 1TB solid-state drive. You also get that 1600p/120Hz IPS screen along with Windows 11, Wi-Fi 7, and a one-year warranty.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Dell’s higher-spec models are pricier, sometimes dramatically so. Upgrading to a Core Ultra 7 258V with 32GB of RAM, with no other changes, raises the list price to $1,449.99. (This model was last seen at $1,100 when publishing.) However, adding a Core Ultra 9 288V and a 2TB SSD jumps the price to $1,599.99, putting it in an entirely different league, though that config was, likewise, seen for as low as $1,299.99. In addition, models with a 90Hz mini LED touch display appeared and then disappeared from Dell's site during our review period.

Again, Dell’s frequent price shifts can dramatically alter each configuration's value, so timing matters. Note that the memory is not upgradable after the fact, something true of all laptops with Core Ultra 2 V-series CPUs, which have their memory built into the SoC.

For comparison, the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air starts at $1,199.99 with just 256GB of storage, while the Acer Swift 16 AI was listed at $1,249.99 at Best Buy, though it had dropped to $849.99 when we reviewed it. Likewise, we've seen the 15-inch Air for as little as $999.

Design and Features: A Touch of Heft, But Well-Made

Dell’s Ice Blue aluminum design strikes a modern tone with its soft-rounded corners, slim display bezels, and light gray backlit keyboard. The Inspiron branding of the past is gone, pared down to a faint Dell logo on the lid, and nowhere else. This minimalist approach is refined, though perhaps too plain. I'd like to see Dell revisit the varied lid colors of previous Inspiron models, which could impart more personality.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

The metal construction feels sturdy and gives a reassuring sense of quality. Although the chassis exhibits mild flex, it’s within the norm for a mainstream laptop. Dell adds a layer of durability, testing its display hinges for 20,000 open-and-close cycles and rating the laptop for short-term operation in temperatures up to 149 degrees F.

Weighing 4.12 pounds, this Dell is noticeably heavier than the 3.37-pound Acer Swift 16 AI and the 3.3-pound 15-inch MacBook Air. This difference is enough to list as a drawback, though practically speaking, laptops in the 15-to-16-inch range aren’t considered ultraportable, anyway, making that extra weight less of a downside than it would be on a smaller, more travel-focused laptop.

Having reviewed the Acer, I can confidently say that the Dell feels sturdier, with less chassis flex and a tougher metal build. Measuring 0.67 by 14.1 by 10 inches, it’s thicker than both the Acer and the 15-inch MacBook Air, but its overall footprint is about as trim as its 16-inch, 16:10 screen permits.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Dell’s port selection covers but doesn't exceed the essentials for a mainstream laptop. You'll find an HDMI 2.1 monitor output, a Thunderbolt 4 port (USB Type-C), and a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 connection on the left edge. The power adapter plugs into either USB-C port, leaving one free for peripherals. Meanwhile, on the right, you'll notice a USB 3.2 Type-A port and an audio combo jack. Internally, the 16 Plus features an Intel BE201 wireless card that supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 standards.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

The 16 Plus includes a fingerprint reader integrated into the power button and an infrared webcam for Windows Hello for biometric, password-free logins. The webcam records in crisp, low-noise image quality, courtesy of its 1080p sensor, and it includes a sliding privacy shutter for security.

Display, Inputs, and Audio: A Purely Everyday Laptop

Dell has crafted a reliable everyday machine out of the 16 Plus. The laptop's standard 1600p screen is its standout feature, displaying superior detail and sharpness to the full HD panels often found in this price bracket. Its anti-glare coating minimizes reflections, and the 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth, responsive scrolling. Touch controls aren't supported here. That's exclusive to the mini LED option, which is brighter and more colorful. This IPS panel nevertheless produces vibrant visuals; green forests and deep blue water stood out in the nature documentaries I sampled. Modest brightness may be its only shortcoming; I occasionally wish for an extra notch or two while using the laptop.

Opening the lid—easily done one-handed—slightly elevates the laptop's rear, angling the keyboard for a more ergonomic typing posture. The keys provide a comfortable typing experience, though their tactile response feels indistinct; the light actuation force makes it difficult to tell exactly when a key press starts to register. Still, the soft landing at the end of each keystroke works well for prolonged use. I clocked a personal best of 129 words per minute with perfect accuracy on the Monkeytype test. Dual-level white backlighting contrasts well with the gray keycaps, and the number pad, including calculator shortcuts along the top row, adds practicality. The only true layout deficiency is the mismatched sizes of the arrow keys, which caused me to make a few unintended keystrokes in my trials.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

The touchpad leaves me underwhelmed. It checks a few boxes, providing generous surface area for broad gestures and a smooth, anti-glare finish, but its physical click action demands more force than expected, making it awkward to use. I find tapping to click the more comfortable workaround.

Dell’s downward-firing speakers, positioned underneath each side of the chassis, project decent sound quality if the laptop rests on a solid surface, not your lap. The audio has a fullness and bass response that belies the speaker size. Volume output is modest, roughly on par with a small Bluetooth speaker, so don’t expect to throw a party. Oddly, the Dolby Access app, required for Atmos equalizers, isn’t preinstalled. (I had to manually download it from the Windows Store.) Once I enabled the Balanced setting, the sound gained a more even tonal quality.

Beyond the included Windows 11 apps, Dell installs minimal software. Dell Optimizer provides power profiles and display settings, while the Dell SupportAssist app provides support access and system updates. The laptop comes with an industry-standard one-year warranty.

Performance Testing: A Thoroughly Decent CoPilot+ PC

We compared the Dell 16 Plus with several like-minded competitors in our benchmark testing. The Acer Swift 16 AI ($1,199.99 as tested) is its closest matchup, using the same CPU, followed by the Asus ZenBook S 16 ($1,699.99 as tested) featuring a more powerful AMD Ryzen AI HX chip. I also included the M4-based 15-inch Apple MacBook Air ($1,399 as tested) and the Snapdragon X Elite-based Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 ($1,749.99 as tested). While those last two are pricier than our Dell, they can be price competitive against its upper configurations, and at least the MacBook Air is often on sale for less.

Productivity and Content Creation Tests

Our primary overall benchmark, UL's PCMark 10, tests a system in productivity apps ranging from web browsing to word processing and spreadsheet work. Its Full System Drive subtest measures a PC's storage throughput. 

Three more tests are CPU-centric or processor-intensive: Maxon's Cinebench 2024 uses that company's Cinema 4D engine to render a complex scene; Primate Labs' Geekbench 6.3 Pro simulates popular apps ranging from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine learning; and we see how long it takes the video transcoder HandBrake 1.8 to convert a 12-minute clip from 4K to 1080p resolution. 

Finally, workstation maker Puget Systems' PugetBench for Creators rates a PC's image editing prowess with a variety of automated operations in Adobe Photoshop 25.

PCMark runs only on the x86 Windows laptops, excluding the MacBook and Samsung. The Dell held its own in the primary test, coming close to the Acer’s score but landing behind the Asus. Its storage test score left much to be desired, though I didn’t notice any slowness starting the system or loading files in everyday use.

On the CPU benchmarks, the Dell placed last in this lot, if at times only by a whisker. Despite sharing the same Core Ultra 7 256V chip as the Acer, it significantly underperformed in the long-running Cinebench and HandBrake tests, hinting that Dell may have throttled its maximum output. It did slightly recover in Geekbench 6, but neither Dell nor Acer could keep up with the rest of the field, all powered by CPUs in a different performance league.

On the upside, Dell’s cooling system seems well-engineered. The fans remained unobtrusive throughout testing, and the chassis remained consistently comfortable (if not cool) to the touch. While the 16 Plus placed last in most of these performance tests, most of its competitors were a bit pricier, and its scores alone prove enough speed for mainstream buyers.

Graphics Tests

We challenge each reviewed system’s graphics with a quintet of animations or gaming simulations from UL's 3DMark test suite. The first pair, Wild Life (1440p) and Wild Life Extreme (4K), uses the Vulkan graphics API to measure GPU speeds. The second, Steel Nomad's regular (4K) and Light (1440p), focuses on APIs more commonly used for game development to assess gaming geometry and particle effects. A fifth test, Solar Bay, emphasizes ray-tracing performance.

Graphics performance shows a relatively even playing field. While the Dell still trailed the Acer, the gap was narrower than in the CPU tests. The MacBook led the pack, but none of these models is a gaming laptop. Also, with that in mind, don't expect to accomplish much more than light GPU-accelerated media editing with the Dell 16 Plus.

Battery Life and Display Tests

We test each laptop's battery life by playing a locally stored 720p video file (the open-source Blender movie Tears of Steel) with display brightness at 50% and audio volume at 100%. We make sure the battery is fully charged before the test, with Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting turned off.

Also, to gauge display performance, we use a Datacolor SpyderX Elite monitor calibration sensor and its Windows software to measure a laptop screen's color saturation—what percentage of the sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3 color gamuts or palettes the display can show—and its 50% and peak brightness in nits (candelas per square meter).

While Dell’s display didn’t match the vibrancy of the OLED panels found in the Acer, Asus, and Samsung models, it still delivered a sharp picture and respectable color coverage, if not exceptional brightness.

Also, while the 16 Plus' battery life isn’t class-leading, its 167-nit brightness at our 50% testing setting is impressive, particularly compared with the Asus and Samsung. Lasting more than 15 hours in our testing, the Dell 16 Plus is well-suited for unplugged all-day use at school or home.