Dell 16 Premium Laptop Review: Can It Challenge Apple’s MacBook Pro Dominance?

The battle for laptop supremacy just intensified. Dell’s flagship 16-inch powerhouse, the Premium model, arrives with top-tier specs and a premium price tag, aiming squarely at Apple’s revered MacBook Pro. Sporting Intel’s latest processors, NVIDIA RTX graphics, and a stunning OLED display, it promises desktop-level performance in a sleek chassis. But does this Windows titan deliver enough to sway creatives and power users from Apple’s ecosystem? We rigorously tested the high-end configuration to find out where it excels and where it falls short in the ultra-competitive premium laptop arena. The Dell 16 Premium makes a compelling, if imperfect, case for Windows workstation dominance.

How Does the Dell 16 Premium Compare to Apple’s MacBook Pro?

This question dominates discussions among professionals choosing their next high-end laptop. The Dell 16 Premium positions itself as a direct Windows-based alternative to the 16-inch MacBook Pro, offering similar screen real estate and targeting creative professionals. Our review unit featured the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA RTX 5070 GPU, and the dazzling 4K OLED touch display (400 nits, 120Hz). Performance is undeniably robust: demanding tasks like 4K video editing and complex rendering run smoothly. Multitasking with dozens of browser tabs, design software, and spreadsheets presented no challenge. The RTX 5070 provides significant graphics horsepower, outpacing Apple’s base M4 Pro chip in GPU-intensive workflows.

However, Apple’s silicon retains key advantages. Benchmark comparisons cited by BGR (July 2024) show Apple’s M4 Pro and M4 Max chips surpass the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H in both single-core and multi-core CPU performance. Crucially, Apple’s architecture delivers this power with drastically superior energy efficiency, translating to a massive real-world difference in battery endurance – a critical factor for mobile professionals.

Design & Display: A Premium Windows Contender

The Dell 16 Premium inherits the distinctive XPS design language. Its minimalist aesthetic features a flush keyboard, a large, unmarked haptic touchpad, and capacitive function keys above the keyboard. While this clean look is divisive, the aluminum and carbon fiber build feels exceptionally solid and premium. The near edge-to-edge 16.3-inch display is a standout. The optional 4K OLED panel (as tested) offers vibrant colors, deep blacks, and smooth 120Hz motion. Touch responsiveness is excellent. While bright enough for most indoor use (400 nits), it falls short of Apple’s mini-LED screens in peak brightness for HDR content or bright outdoor environments. The 1080p webcam delivers clear, detailed video calls, outperforming many laptop cameras.

Port selection remains a point of contention: three Thunderbolt 4 ports, a headphone jack, and a microSD card slot. The omission of a full-size SD card reader and additional USB-A ports feels limiting for pro users. At 0.75 inches thick and 4.56 pounds, it’s slightly thicker than the MacBook Pro but comparable in weight.

Performance vs. Battery Life: The Critical Trade-Off

Raw performance is a key selling point. The Core Ultra 7 255H and RTX 5070 combo handles intensive creative applications and even respectable gaming. For Windows-based workflows reliant on specific NVIDIA CUDA acceleration or x86 compatibility, it’s a powerhouse. Yet, this power comes at a significant cost: battery life. During testing replicating a mixed workload (web browsing, document editing, photo editing, video calls, and some video rendering), the Dell 16 Premium struggled to last a full 8-hour workday. This starkly contrasts with the 16-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Pro/Max), which consistently achieves significantly longer endurance, often exceeding a full day on a single charge. The Dell’s power-hungry Intel CPU and NVIDIA GPU, combined with the OLED screen, demand frequent plug access.

The Dell 16 Premium stands as a formidable, beautifully crafted Windows workstation with a breathtaking OLED display and potent performance, particularly in graphics tasks. However, its demanding power consumption leading to shorter battery life and a higher price point than the base 16-inch MacBook Pro makes the choice complex. For users deeply embedded in Windows ecosystems requiring top-tier NVIDIA graphics or specific x86 software, the Dell 16 Premium is arguably the best large-screen Windows laptop available. Yet, Apple’s superior efficiency and battery life retain a decisive edge for true mobile professionals prioritizing all-day unplugged work. Evaluate your core needs – raw GPU power versus endurance – before investing.

Must Know

1. What is the battery life like on the Dell 16 Premium?
   Battery life is a significant weakness. During real-world testing with mixed productivity and creative tasks, it struggled to last a full 8-hour workday. This is primarily due to the power demands of the Intel processor, NVIDIA RTX 5070 GPU, and the OLED display. Expect to carry the charger for extended use away from an outlet.
2. How does the Dell 16 Premium’s price compare to the MacBook Pro 16?
   The high-end Dell 16 Premium configuration reviewed (Core Ultra 7, 32GB RAM, RTX 5070, 4K OLED, 1TB SSD) costs approximately $3,200. The base 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro chip starts at a lower price point ($2,499). While the Dell offers strong GPU performance, the MacBook Pro provides better CPU performance and vastly superior battery life at this price comparison.
3. Is the Dell 16 Premium good for video editing and creative work?
   Yes, it excels in creative workloads. The combination of a fast Intel Core Ultra processor, ample RAM (up to 64GB), powerful NVIDIA RTX graphics (up to 5070), and the stunning 4K OLED display makes it highly capable for video editing, 3D rendering, and graphic design, especially within Windows-specific applications leveraging NVIDIA CUDA.
4. Who should buy the Dell 16 Premium over a MacBook Pro?
   Buy the Dell 16 Premium if: You require top-tier NVIDIA GPU performance for specific Windows applications (e.g., certain 3D/CAD tools, CUDA-accelerated tasks), are committed to the Windows ecosystem, prioritize the OLED display, and don’t need extended battery life away from outlets. Choose the MacBook Pro for superior CPU efficiency, much longer battery life, macOS preference, or broader software compatibility within creative suites optimized for Apple Silicon.
5. What are the main drawbacks of the Dell 16 Premium?
   The key drawbacks are relatively short battery life compared to Apple Silicon rivals, a high price tag especially for maxed-out configurations, the lack of a full-size SD card reader (only microSD), and a port selection limited to Thunderbolt 4 (requiring dongles for many peripherals). The capacitive function keys also take some getting used to.