At a glanceExpert’s Score
Execs
An all-around succesful laptop computer
Lunar Lake on a price range
Strong worth
Cons
Battery life may very well be higher
Worse multithreaded efficiency than final yr’s mannequin
Contact display isn’t normal
Our Verdict
The Dell 16 Plus is a stable laptop computer with nice real-world efficiency at a very good value — particularly in the event you can catch it on sale. However Intel’s Lunar Lake chip drags down multithreaded efficiency.
Value When Reviewed
This worth will present the geolocated pricing textual content for product undefined
Finest Pricing Right this moment
Value When Reviewed$1,149
Finest Costs Right this moment:
$1,119.99
$1149.99
The Dell 16 Plus is a 16-inch laptop computer that delivers good efficiency and a stable all-around expertise at an inexpensive value. The Dell 16 Plus is a laptop computer designed for the true world — it’s well-designed, but it surely clearly gained’t flip any heads or win any awards for costly high-end touches. If you happen to’re on the lookout for a 16-inch workhorse, it’s a good selection.
That’s very true since you’re getting Intel’s newest Lunar Lake processors right here, whereas different laptops at this value vary will typically have previous-generation CPUs.
In 2025, Dell axed its XPS, Inspiron, and Latitude manufacturers. Now, it’s all consolidated the whole lot underneath a single model. The Dell 16 Plus looks like it’s the non secular successor to final yr’s Dell Inspiron 16 Plus.
Dell 16 Plus: Specs
The Dell 16 Plus is a 16-inch laptop computer with an Intel Core Extremely (Collection 2) processor — Intel’s Lunar Lake {hardware}, in different phrases. Our overview mannequin had an Intel Core Extremely 7 256V processor together with 16 GB of RAM and Intel Arc 140V graphics. Since that is Lunar Lake, you get a neural processing unit (NPU) for AI duties and Copilot+ PC options in Home windows.
Dell says this mannequin retails for $1149, however the Dell on-line retailer is promoting it for $799 as I’m wrapping up this overview. Dell has additionally identified this PC has been on deeper gross sales not too long ago, going for as little as $699 on Dell’s on-line retailer. That’s a critical worth contemplating this machine has a contemporary Intel Lunar Lake processor, whereas different laptops in that price range vary will normally have previous-generation {hardware}.
This machine can be obtainable with a wide range of different CPU configurations — from an Intel Core Extremely 5 226V processor up by an Intel Core Extremely 9 288V processor. You even have completely different RAM, storage, and show choices. Whereas our overview mannequin didn’t have a contact display, this machine can be obtainable with a contact display.
Mannequin quantity: DB16250
CPU: Intel Core Extremely 7 256V
Reminiscence: 16GB LPDDR5x RAM
Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc 140V
NPU: Intel AI Enhance (as much as 48 TOPS)
Show: 2560×1600 IPS show
Storage: 1 TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
Webcam: 1080p webcam with bodily privateness shutter
Connectivity: 2x USB Sort-C (One Thunderbolt 4, and one USB 3.2 Gen 2), 1x USB Sort-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1), 1x HDMI 2.1 out, and 1x combo audio jack
Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Biometrics: Fingerprint reader and IR digicam for Home windows Hi there
Battery capability: 64 Watt-hours
Dimensions: 14.05 x 9.87 x 0.67 inches
Weight: 4.12 kilos
MSRP: $1,149 as examined
The Dell 16 Plus is a laptop computer designed for the true world — it’s well-designed, but it surely clearly gained’t flip any heads or win any awards for costly high-end touches.
Dell 16 Plus: Design and construct high quality
IDG / Chris Hoffman
The Dell 16 Plus is properly designed and stable. It’s somewhat on the heavy aspect at 4.12 kilos, but it surely’s additionally somewhat on the bigger aspect at 16 inches, in order that is smart. The 0.67-inch thickness may be very cheap, and the laptop computer doesn’t really feel notably thick.
The chassis is produced from a mixture of supplies — aluminum on the lid and base and plastic on the palm relaxation and bezel. The plastic feels good — it has a barely matte texture.
The hinge works properly, and it opens to 180 levels so you may lie this machine flat. As you rotate the hinge open, the again of the laptop computer (the half close to the hinge) tilts up, and that angle helps you sort comfortably.
The “Ice Blue” colour scheme right here seems lots like silver to me — with a little bit of a blue sheen in the fitting lighting.
This machine has good construct high quality — there’s nothing dangerous about it. Nevertheless it doesn’t have the high-end touches (all steel, or tremendous light-weight carbon fiber or ceramic-based “ceraluminum“) that high-end, dearer machines ship.
Dell 16 Plus: Keyboard and trackpad
IDG / Chris Hoffman
The Dell 16 Plus has a very good keyboard. The important thing journey feels good and there’s a crisp “clicky” motion after I press down on them. It’s responsive and nothing feels mushy. There’s additionally a white keyboard backlight you need to use.
The inclusion of a full-size quantity pad on the proper aspect of this 16-inch laptop computer keyboard at all times feels somewhat divisive. On the one hand, many individuals select 16-inch laptops to allow them to have a full-size keyboard with a quantity pad, and that enter methodology is especially helpful for sure workflows — in the event you spend numerous time utilizing spreadsheets or in any other case coming into numbers. Alternatively, some folks aren’t followers of the quantity pad and should choose a laptop computer with out one. Personally, I prefer to see a quantity pad on a 16-inch laptop computer the place there’s room for one.
The touchpad is good and huge, and it feels responsive. I do assume a pleasant glass-surface touchpad feels smoother to glide your finger over — this can be a plastic floor — but it surely’s a big and responsive touchpad.
The mannequin we obtained doesn’t have a touchscreen, so maintain that in thoughts — if you need that, you’ll must seek out a Dell 16 Plus mannequin that does have one or select a special laptop computer. I do choose having a contact display — simply as an possibility — however I do know many individuals don’t care.
Dell 16 Plus: Show and audio system
IDG / Chris Hoffman
The Dell 16 Plus we reviewed has a 16-inch 2560×1600 IPS show with an anti-glare coating and as much as 300 nits of brightness together with a 120Hz refresh price. That’s a very good decision and I used to be happy to see a higher-than-60Hz refresh price right here.
The anti-glare coating works fairly properly, and it helps make up for the marginally dim show. Nevertheless it’s completely readable inside. Even with harsh daylight, the anti-glare coating does a very good job and ensures you don’t have to crank up the brightness simply to see the display.
The show seems wonderful — it’s a wonderfully serviceable show. Nevertheless it’s an entry-level show. For this overview, Dell additionally offered me with a Dell 16 Plus mannequin with a higher-end show so I might evaluate the choices. Particularly, they loaned me a mannequin with a touchscreen and a mini-LED show with 600 nits of minimal brightness — mannequin quantity DB16250. This mannequin seems nice: The colours have been noticeably extra vivid, and it was noticeable even on the default desktop background. Nonetheless, that’s a pricier show, and it additionally has a shiny coating that produces extra reflections.
The Dell 16 Plus has a dual-speaker setup that produces clear, clear audio with a reasonably loud most quantity. I don’t hear any distortion on the most quantity, so this can be a good speaker setup. It isn’t a high-end speaker configuration, naturally: I check all of the laptops I overview with each Steely Dan’s Aja and Daft Punk’s Get Fortunate. The instrument separation in Aja wasn’t as crisp as you’d hear on the sort of audio system audiophiles love, and the punchy bass in Get Fortunate was missing. However that’s normal for laptop computer audio system, and these are stable audio system for the worth vary. I at all times need to pair a very good pair of headphones or exterior audio system with my laptops.
Dell 16 Plus: Webcam, microphone, biometrics
IDG / Chris Hoffman
The Dell 16 Plus has a 1080p webcam with a bodily webcam shutter, and that’s at all times an amazing privateness characteristic to see! The webcam itself is evident sufficient — there’s extra visible noise than I’d anticipate to see on the sort of high-end webcam you typically see on enterprise laptops, but it surely’s greater than adequate for on-line conferences and video calls.
Dell says the dual-array microphone setup right here has AI noise discount. In follow, the microphone sounds unexpectedly good, with clear audio and stable noise cancellation of PC followers whirring away in my workplace.
The Dell 16 Plus mannequin we reviewed has each a fingerprint reader on the top-right nook of the keyboard and an IR digicam for facial recognition. Accessing each varieties of biometrics is especially spectacular at this value vary.
Dell 16 Plus: Connectivity
IDG / Chris Hoffman
The Dell 16 Plus’s connectivity is first rate however somewhat missing. On the fitting aspect, this machine has a combo audio jack together with a USB Sort-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1) port.
On the left aspect, it has an HDMI 2.1 out port together with two USB Sort-C ports — one among them helps Thunderbolt 4 and one helps USB 3.2 Gen 2speeds. Whereas the ports are clearly labeled and it’s good to have Thunderbolt 4 as an possibility, it will be good in the event that they have been each Thunderbolt 4 ports.
This machine prices through USB-C. Since that’s the case, you’ll at all times must plug the charger right into a port on the left aspect. That’s somewhat annoying. You’d have extra flexibility if Dell had put a USB Sort-C port on all sides.
All in all, this can be a restricted port choice for a 16-inch laptop computer. It’s not onerous to think about that many individuals would need extra ports — for instance, a second USB Sort-A port or perhaps a microSD card reader. You may at all times get a dongle or dock, however remember that you’ll have to in the event you want numerous peripherals.
Due to Lunar Lake, this machine is future-proof with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 assist, which is nice to see.
Dell 16 Plus: Efficiency
The Dell 16 Plus offered good efficiency in desktop productiveness apps — Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Phrase, Slack, and all the standard apps I discover myself utilizing all day. Lunar Lake techniques ship good efficiency in real-world desktop utilization.
As at all times, although we ran the Dell 16 Plus by our normal benchmarks to see the way it performs.
IDG / Chris Hoffman
First, we run PCMark 10 to get an concept of total system efficiency. With an total PCMark 10 rating of seven,229, the Dell 16 Plus delivered stable efficiency — decrease solely than techniques with sooner CPUs.
IDG / Chris Hoffman
Subsequent, we run Cinebench R20. It is a closely multithreaded benchmark that focuses on total CPU efficiency. Because it’s closely multithreaded, CPUs with extra cores have an enormous benefit. That’s what we noticed right here — techniques with Lunar Lake CPUs are available in behind. Sadly, that is considerably decrease multithreaded efficiency than final yr’s Dell Inspiron 16 Plus with its Meteor Lake CPU.
IDG / Chris Hoffman
We additionally run an encode with Handbrake. That is one other closely multithreaded benchmark, but it surely runs over an prolonged interval. This calls for the laptop computer’s cooling kick in, and lots of laptops will throttle and decelerate underneath load. Which may be what occurred right here — the encode course of took 1,773 seconds (almost half-hour) to finish the encode course of. It lags behind different Lunar Lake-powered techniques we’ve examined.
IDG / Chris Hoffman
Subsequent, we run a graphical benchmark. This isn’t a gaming laptop computer, but it surely’s nonetheless good to verify how the GPU performs. We run 3Dmark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU efficiency. With a rating of three,978, the Intel Arc 140V graphics right here delivered wonderful graphics efficiency for built-in graphics.
Total, the Dell 16 Plus delivered completely usable desktop productiveness efficiency due to Lunar Lake. However Lunar Lake’s massive draw back — low multithreaded efficiency in heavy multithreaded workloads — is on full show right here. This machine appears to be a bit behind different Lunar Lake-powered techniques, and it’s far behind final yr’s mannequin on this benchmark.
Dell 16 Plus: Battery life
The Dell 16 Plus has a 64 Watt-hour battery, which is on the smaller aspect for a 16-inch laptop computer. Nonetheless, since this machine packs power-efficient Lunar Lake {hardware}, we’d anticipate to see it ship some critical battery life.
IDG / Chris Hoffman
To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Metal on repeat on Home windows 11 with airplane mode enabled till the laptop computer suspends itself. We set the display to 250 nits of brightness for our battery benchmarks. It is a best-case situation for any laptop computer since native video playback is so environment friendly, and actual battery life in day-to-day use is at all times going to be lower than this.
The Dell 16 Plus lasted 856 minutes, or simply over 14 hours. That’s on the decrease aspect for a Lunar Lake-powered machine, but it surely’s possible that the mix of a smaller battery and maybe a show that’s sucking extra energy is contributing to that — it’s powerful to say. Whilst you’ll get decrease battery life than this in the true world, I don’t assume this can be a critical challenge — a 16-inch laptop computer that’s over 4 kilos feels designed for use at a desk numerous the time. You will get loads of time away from an outlet.
Dell 16 Plus: Conclusion
I just like the Dell 16 Plus lots. However with regards to worth, the worth is an enormous issue: At $1,149 retail, I’m lots much less excited than the $799 or much less value I see proper now! It’s not simply concerning the internals: Choices like together with each a fingerprint reader and an IR digicam present Dell going above and past what it must at this value vary.
Wanting over the benchmarks, I wasn’t as thrilled as I anticipated to be: Lunar Lake is all about battery life enhancements, however the base Dell 16 Plus makes use of that effectivity improve to drop the battery measurement. I reviewed final yr’s Dell Inspiron 16 Plus with Meteor Lake, which was packing a bigger 90 Watt-hour battery, and that machine delivered longer battery life together with stronger multithreaded efficiency. (In fact, final yr’s mannequin is heavier and this new Lunar Lake-powered system has higher graphics efficiency.)
It’s true that this technique does have an NPU for Copilot+ PC AI options, however Microsoft hasn’t made these essential improve but. I want Intel’s Lunar Lake was extra of a no brainer improve.
Nonetheless, this can be a stable PC. At a sale value of $799 or so, none of those issues really feel like they matter.
