Dell XPS 15 and XPS 17: Dell’s MacBook Pro contenders get Tiger Lake-H chips

The updates to the Dell XPS 15 and XPS 17 make them the most powerful XPS models to date

Dell XPS 15 2021
(Image credit: Dell)

Dell has delivered some serious upgrades to its larger XPS models today, including the very latest 11th gen Intel chips, 4K touch displays and OLED options. After the Dell XPS 13 had a makeover earlier in the year, it’s now the turn of the 15 and 17-inch models to shine.

Previous versions have ranked among the best laptops on the planet and with these updates I expect them to continue that trend.

Both the Dell XPS 15 and XPS 17 feature the 11th gen Tiger Lake-H Intel processors up to i9 versions (11900H on the XPS 15 and 11980HK on the XPS 17) and graphics pushed up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX3060 (RTX3050 in the XPS 15). 

Dell XPS 15 2021

Dell XPS 15

(Image credit: Dell)

The Dell XPS 15 follows the XPS 13 by offering both a 4K UHD+ (3840x2400) and a 3.5k (3456x2160) OLED touchscreen display. While I still haven’t seen the XPS 13 screen in person, the deeper blacks should make the OLED an impressive display, so this larger option on the XPS 15 is likely to be jaw-dropping.

The Dell XPS 17 sticks with its impressive 4K UHD+ (3840x2400) touch display option on top of the standard FHD+ (1920x1200) display. Storage options have been upgraded to allow for up to 4TB (through 4 SSDs), and the four Thunderbolt ports are all Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C).

The XPS 15 starts from $1249.99 and the XPS 17 starts from $1449.99 in the US. Availability will be confirmed shortly.

Dell XPS 17 2021

Alienware XPS 17

(Image credit: Dell)
Mat Gallagher

As T3's Editor-in-Chief, Mat Gallagher has his finger on the pulse for the latest advances in technology. He has written about technology since 2003 and after stints in Beijing, Hong Kong and Chicago is now based in the UK. He’s a true lover of gadgets, but especially anything that involves cameras, Apple, electric cars, musical instruments or travel.