If you’re shopping for a laptop in 2023, you have a torrent of options to choose from, be it a thin mobile companion or a hefty, rugged notebook, with a vast range of options in between. Sometimes the easiest thing to do is to narrow down your options based on what you know. And sometimes that’s a brand you’ve long used and trusted.
If you’re familiar with Dell, you probably have some opinion regarding how reliable the company’s products are, how its customer service works, and the general quality of the user experience that those products and services deliver. If you’re brand-loyal, it’s a reasonable way to whittle down your options, while still helping you zero in on a great product. Picking a brand you trust does half the deciding for you.
Whether you’re after a fast laptop for crunching numbers at work or a laptop for staying productive at home or on the go, there’s a good chance that Dell has a model you’ve considered buying. The company has solid machines at all levels of the market. Read on for a breakdown of our current top-tested Dell laptops in a variety of user categories, followed by a guide to Dell’s various laptop lines. (There’s a bunch!)
The Best Dell Laptop Deals This Week*
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus (7620)
Best Overall Mainstream Dell Laptop
Bottom Line:
Dell’s latest Inspiron 16 Plus isn’t a perfect desktop replacement, but it offers robust features at a reasonable price, with solid performance from its 12th Generation Intel H-series CPU and Nvidia RTX graphics.
PROS
- Strong all-around performance for the price
- GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU can handle routine graphics tasks
- 1080p webcam
- Long battery life
CONS
- Dull design compared to more premium-feeling competitors
- Middling display quality
- No touch screen or OLED option
Dell Inspiron 15 3000 (3511)
Best Dell Laptop for the Very Tightest Budgets
Bottom Line:
The Dell Inspiron 15 3000 (3511) excels as a budget laptop that can handle day-to-day tasks and some very light gaming, and it even comes with Windows 11—all for under $400.
PROS
- Comes with Windows 11
- Large 15-inch full HD display
- Solid build
- Affordable
CONS
- No USB Type-C ports
- Low maximum screen brightness
- Weak speakers
Dell XPS 13 (9315)
Best High-End Dell Ultraportable
Bottom Line:
The latest Dell XPS 13 maintains its classy ultraportable design, but going ever thinner brings some significant drawbacks, leaving this edition short of our typically lofty expectations.
PROS
- Super-thin and light design with premium metal build
- Efficient and quiet new “Alder Lake” CPUs
- Sharp edge-to-edge 13.4-inch display
CONS
- Unimpressive performance
- No headphone jack (adapter included)
- Mediocre 720p webcam
- No OLED screen option
Dell Latitude 9430 2-in-1
Best High-End Dell Convertible
Bottom Line:
It’s over three pounds and nearly 3,000 bucks, but Dell’s Latitude 9430 2-in-1 is a first-class business convertible.
PROS
- Bright, colorful touch screen
- Solid array of ports
- Available 4G or 5G LTE cellular connectivity
- Long battery life
- Above-average webcam and sound
CONS
- Rather expensive
- No OLED screen choice
- A few ounces overweight
Dell XPS 15 OLED (9520)
Best High-End Dell Desktop Replacement
Bottom Line:
With the latest Intel processors and a stunning OLED touch screen, the latest Dell XPS 15 is as good as desktop replacement laptops get.
PROS
- Lightning performance with Intel 12th Gen CPUs
- Gorgeous 3.5K OLED touch display
- All-day battery life
- Comfortable keyboard and spacious touchpad
- SD card slot
CONS
- USB-C ports require adapters for many uses
- GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU isn’t a powerhouse
- 720p webcam is a little disappointing
Dell XPS 17 (9720)
Best High-End Dell Desktop Replacement With a Giant Display
Bottom Line:
The updated 2022 Dell XPS 17 adds Intel’s latest 12th Gen “Alder Lake” CPUs to its winning design, amping up this already impressive laptop. It remains one of our top picks among 17-inchers.
PROS
- Maintains earlier version’s slim, classy design
- Beautiful 4K touch-display option
- Strong overall performance with new 12th Gen Intel CPU
- Graphics options up to GeForce RTX 3060
- Four Thunderbolt 4 ports
CONS
- Pricey as configured
- No OLED screen option
- Subpar 720p webcam is disappointing for the price
- USB-C ports only
Alienware x14
Best Thin Dell Gaming Laptop
Bottom Line:
The brand-new Alienware x14 joins the upper echelon of 14-inch gaming laptops, delivering a sound gaming experience and fast overall performance in a super-portable design.
PROS
- Impressively fast Core i7 “Alder Lake” processor
- RTX 3060 unit delivers a consistent 60fps-plus gaming experience
- Compact design
- Long-lasting battery
- Wide range of connectivity, including three USB-C ports
CONS
- Expensive
- 14-inch screen size may be too small for some hardcore gamers
Alienware m17 R5
Best Hardcore Dell Gaming Laptop
Bottom Line:
The Alienware m17 R5 is a powerhouse gaming laptop with the latest and greatest components and configuration options, keeping the brand’s unique aesthetic while hitting new performance highs.
PROS
- Standout style
- Sky-high frame rates from our all-AMD test unit
- Display options include 480Hz full HD and 120Hz 4K panels
- Many configuration choices including Nvidia GPUs and satisfying Cherry MX mechanical keyboard
- Impressive battery life
CONS
- Bulky and heavy
- Intel 12th Gen CPUs outpace our Ryzen chip in processing tasks
- Full Speed mode is awfully loud with little performance gain
Dell Chromebook 11 (3100)
Best Dell Laptop for Young Children
Bottom Line:
Designed to withstand the rigors of daily life in the classroom, at home, and in between, the Dell Chromebook 11 hits a trifecta: rugged, affordable, and great for kids.
PROS
- Compact
- Sturdy, kid-friendly design
- Spill-resistant keyboard
- Optional LTE
- Plenty of USB ports
- Reasonably priced accidental damage coverage
CONS
- Poor Wi-Fi signal reception
- Display limited to 1,366 by 768 resolution
- No SD card reader
- Clumsy touchpad
Dell Latitude 7420
Best Dell Enterprise Fleet Laptop
Bottom Line:
Highly customizable and sporting an attractive carbon-fiber chassis, the Dell Latitude 7420 is our new favorite ultraportable for businesses.
PROS
- Excellent performance from 11th Generation Intel Core i7
- Long battery life
- Eminently configurable
- Corporate chic styling with aluminum or carbon fiber
- Optional LTE
- Three-year warranty
CONS
- Expensive as configured
- Heavier and pricier than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
- Occasional fan noise
Dell Precision 5560
Best Dell Mobile Workstation
Bottom Line:
The workstation sibling of the celebrated Dell XPS 15, the Precision 5560 is a slim, splendid-screened laptop that can handle all but the toughest professional apps.
PROS
- Quite thin and light for a mobile workstation
- Handsome high-res 16:10 touch screen
- Stiff aluminum and magnesium build
- Thunderbolt 4 ports, SD card slot included
- Excellent multithreaded performance for a thin workstation
CONS
- Expensive
- Short on ports (USB-A and HDMI dongle included)
- No OLED screen option
Dell Latitude 7220 Rugged Extreme Tablet
Best Rugged Dell Laptop/Tablet
Bottom Line:
Dell’s Latitude 7220 Rugged Extreme Tablet lives up to its name by laughing at drops, splashes, and temperatures that would blow the average slate to smithereens. It’s ideal for first responders and factory floors.
PROS
- Supremely sturdy construction.
- Extra-bright display.
- Comfortable keyboard cover.
- Hot-swappable, long-life batteries.
CONS
- Expensive and heavy.
- No HDMI or Thunderbolt 3 port.
- Glove-compatible touch screen and touchpad require extra pressure compared to civilian systems.
Buying Guide: The Best Dell Laptops for 2023
When you’re looking at Dell’s laptop product line, you’ll want to concentrate on which of its six main families of laptop best meets your needs. The ones to familiarize yourself with are Inspiron, XPS, Alienware, G Series, Latitude, and Precision. You’ll find both clamshell and 2-in-1 convertible entries in all of these families apart from the two gaming-oriented ones.
Stay tuned for a number of new gaming laptops from Dell, particularly the Alienware x16 and Alienware m18 mobile gaming machines, later in 2023. Naturally, we intend to review each one.
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 you’re editing photos or managing your home finances, Inspiron’s copious options fit both screen-size and budget needs for most buyers. These machines are mostly Windows models; if you want something a little 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.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
Dell breaks its Inspiron line into three gradations or levels: 3000, 5000, and 7000 series. As you go up that stack, you tend to see more premium features, and higher relative pricing. The number between the word “Inspiron” and the series number is typically the screen size of the laptop; an Inspiron 13 5000, for example, would be a 13-inch-screened laptop with middle-field characteristics.
XPS: The Power-User Class
The various guises of the Dell XPS 13 have been our “near-perfect” mainstream and power laptops for some time now. Refresh after refresh, Dell keeps tuning to keep this hardy machine on top. XPS signifies, on both the desktop and laptop side of the fence, a premium-design, fully decked-out machine that bridges demanding consumers and business users. It’s Dell’s line of power tools that are equally at home in a home office, a coffee shop, a conference room, or a high-stakes business meeting.
(Credit: Zlata Ivleva)
XPS-class laptops also sometimes serve as guinea pigs for introducing futuristic features, such as the new XPS 13 Plus, which ditches a physical touchpad in favor of a haptic feedback mechanism integrated into the palm rest. These experiments aside, you won’t find a lot of variety in the XPS laptop line in terms of 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.
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, though the brand known for its classic Area-51m bruiser has made forays into some leaner machines with its m15 and m17 series models and the even leaner Alienware X-Series.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
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, with more modest designs than the Alienwares and component loadouts that are humbler but still workable for the latest games.
(Credit: Zlata Ivleva)
The G Series models hover above and below the $1,000 mark, while the Alienwares start north of that. Models in the G Series are gradated like the Inspirons, into G3, G5, and G7 classes, with the higher numbers indicating higher-grade builds and feature sets.
Latitude: The Umbrella for Business Machines
Then there’s business. 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 in the field, with a mix of thin-yet-powerful laptops and durable systems that can take a beating.
Like the Inspirons and the G Series, the Latitudes make use of the same 3000, 5000, and 7000 nomenclature, with the addition of 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 the 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.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
Beyond the “simply” durable units, the Latitude line is also home to a few costly, highly ruggedized models that are designed to be used in hostile environments: doused in water, clipped onto an ATV, exposed to cold and wind, and the like. 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, but they stand apart for their Independent Software Vendor (ISV) certifications and, in some cases, specialized CPU and GPU options and support for highly 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.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
Dell’s line of mobile workstations is its Precision line, which comprises both laptop and desktop models. On the laptop side, Precision makes use of the same 3000, 5000, and 7000 series lingo as the other lines, with the screen size indicated within the model number.
A workstation might make use of consumer- or business-grade Intel CPUs, but 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 are in contrast to their consumer-GPU counterparts (GeForce GTX/RTX and Radeon RX, respectively) and are designed specifically for the kind of heavy-duty calculations that ISV-class applications require. Dell also offers a few 2-in-1 models in the Precision line; convertible workstations are far less common than their consumer counterparts.
So, What Is the Best Dell Laptop to Buy?
There are plenty of solid Dell systems to choose from, 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. For more (Dell and non-Dell) options, check out our favorite laptops overall (updated constantly), as well as our lists of the best Chromebooks, the best budget laptops, and the best gaming laptops.
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