The laptop market is vast and varied, but there are only a few brands that are as popular as Dell. One of the most well-known companies in the space, Dell has consistently made some of the best laptops you can buy, and it's really no surprise. Whether it's the premium XPS line, the more budget-friendly Inspiron family, or the business-oriented Latitude series, all of the company's lineups are almost instantly recognizable names. There's also Alienware, Dell's gaming brand, which is also one of the most popular in its segment.

Dell mostly focuses on laptops running Windows 11, and all the laptops on this list ship with it out of the box, so you're already on the latest version of Windows. The company does make some Chromebooks, too, however.

Our top Dell laptops in 2023

Dell's XPS lineup has always been the pinnacle of its consumer laptops, and the XPS 13 Plus is the pinnacle of that. It's the most powerful laptop in the XPS 13 series yet, plus it has a stunning futuristic design and a great display.

Starting on the inside, the laptop comes with Intel's 12th-generation Core P-series processors, with up to 14 cores and 20 threads. It's a very fast laptop, including Intel Iris Xe graphics for light GPU workloads. You also get up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, so it's a powerful combination through and through.

Like previous models, it comes with a 13.4-inch panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio, meaning it's taller and gives you more surface area than a typical 16:9 display. The base configuration comes in Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) resolution, but it's the upgrade to a 3.5K (3465 x 2160) OLED panel that's truly special, since it's both super sharp and vibrant thanks to OLED technology. There's also an Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400) IPS option. A big downside of this laptop is the webcam, which is still a 720p sensor. Dell separated the RGB sensor from the Windows Hello IR camera, so quality is a bit better, but it's still behind most premium brands.

Design is the area where the Dell XPS 13 Plus really shines. Dell made the trackpad invisible and seamless with the chassis, stretched the keyboard to the edges of the laptop, and turned the function row into virtual buttons. All of this adds up to a laptop that looks extremely sleek and modern. The Dell XPS 13 comes in at just 15.26mm of thickness and weighs 2.76 pounds, so it's very portable, too.

This modern design also comes with a limited supply of ports, unfortunately. All you get are two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and Dell includes adapters for USB Type-A and a 3.5mm headphone jack. You still have options, but this is not the most convenient port setup, though it's something you see across the entire XPS family.

It's not perfect, but the Dell XPS 13 Plus is a phenomenal laptop and the best in the company's lineup. If you want to feel like you're on the bleeding edge of tech, this is the laptop for you.

If you want something more portable, then the new Dell XPS 13 is the one for you. This is a major refresh of the XPS 13 laptop, and it's smaller than ever, in addition to packing new processors.

Those processors come form Intel's 12th-generation U9 series, though they've been boosted to use 12W by default, instead of 9W. Previous models had 15W processors, though, so this is a step down in a way. Still, you can go up to an Intel Core i7-1250U with 10 cores and 12 threads, so performance is still great and it still has Iris Xe graphics built-in. You can configure the laptop with up to 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, so you still get a very premium experience overall in terms of performance.

Similar to the Plus model, the Dell XPS 13 has a 13.4-inch panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio, just like previous iterations. It also starts with a Full HD+ configuration without touch support, though you can choose to add it. You no longer have the higher-end options for an OLED panel or 4K resolution, so this is a more mainstream laptop now. The webcam is similar to the XPS 13 Plus, too, being a 720p sensor that's now separated from the IR sensor used for Windows Hello.

Design-wise, the 2022 Dell XPS 13 changes a lot from its predecessors, ditching the silver shell and white or black interiors. This model comes in two colors: Sky, a very soft shade of blue; and Umber, a very dark shade of red. It's also just 13.9mm thin, and it weighs 2.59 pounds, so it's super portable.

Ports, however, suffer a similar fate to the XPS 13 Plus, meaning you only get two Thunderbolt 4 ports. There's not even a headphone jack, though you do get adapters in the box for it, as well as USB Type-A. Still, this isn't the most impressive setup.

Despite the disappointing set of ports, the Dell XPS 13 continues to be one of the best laptops in Dell's lineup, and it's still easy to recommend.

Dell has begun refreshing some of its laptops for 2023, and the Dell Latitude 7440 is one of the first. This is a high-end business laptop with a lot of configuration options and it gets a lot right.

For starters, it comes with 13th-gen Intel processors, with options for either U-series or P-series models. The former will yield better battery life, while the latter group gives you better performance, with up to 14 cores and 20 threads in the Core i7-1370P. All models will do great for day-to-day use, though, and you get up to 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD for storage to round things out.

The 14-inch, 16:10 display has a ton of configuration options, from a standard Full HD+ panel without touch to a Quad HD+ panel with touch support, with different brightness options available, too. There are even some 2-in-1 configurations, which let you use the laptop as a tablet, though these are limited to Full HD+ resolution. These display options are also tied to certain webcam configurations, but you're always getting at least a Full HD (1080p) webcam, whereas previous models started with a 720p camera, and you can go up to a 5MP sensor for even better quality. Most models also include Windows Hello facial recognition.

The design of the Latitude 7440 is fairly basic, being a silver chassis with nothing all too flashy. The highlight is the Ultralight model, which comes in at just 2.33 pounds of weight, while the aluminum version weighs 2.93 pounds and the 2-in-1 model goes up to 3.37 pounds.

This basic design makes way for a fantastic port setup, however. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, USB Type-A, HDMI, a headphone jack, and an optional Smart Card reader. There's also the option for LTE or 5G cellular connectivity so you can say online wherever you go without using unsecured Wi-Fi networks.

Like most business laptops, the Latitude 7440 is a bit pricy, but it's a fantastic laptop with great performance and connectivity, plus a lot of configuration options, ideal for enterprise users.

Gaming is a huge subset of the laptop market, and the Alienware m16 is one of the best laptops you can buy if you're a gamer. It's a successor to the Alienware m15, with even more power and a better display.

Performance-wise, we're looking at 13th-generation Intel Core processors up to a Core i9-13900HX, with a whopping 24 cores and 32 threads for incredible performance in just about any task. That's backed up by up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, which is the cream of the crop of laptop GPUs. If that's not crazy enough, you can get up to 64GB of RAM and an 8TB SSD for storage.

Unlike previous Alienware laptops, the m16 finally switches to a 16:10 aspect ratio for the display, making it more suited for productivity rather than just gaming. It's a larger 16-inch panel compared to the Alienware m15, and it starts with a Full HD+ 165Hz configuration, with options to go up to a Full HD+ 480Hz panel or a Quad HD+ 240Hz panel, both of which also cover 100% of DCI-P3. What's more, the laptop even has a 1080p webcam with optional Windows Hello support, a long-overdue upgrade for Alienware laptops.

Being such a powerful laptop, the Alienware m16 isn't light, with the weight going up to 7.17 pounds depending on the configuration. It's also over 25mm thick. The laptop looks great, though, with a subdued black chassis accented by AlienFX RGB lighting on the back, including the option for per-key RGB lighting on the keyboard.

Gaming laptops often have excellent connectivity, and it's no different here. Two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB Type-A ports, HDMI, mini-DisplayPort, RJ45 Ethernet, an SD card reader, and a headphone jack make for a stellar port setup that can accommodate all your peripherals and external displays.

Alienware laptops don't come cheap, but if you want the cream of the crop of gaming laptops, the m16 is impossible to overlook.

The XPS lineup is all about cramming tons of performance into a compact package, and the XPS 17 embodies that perfectly, especially with the latest 2023 model.

This new iteration comes with an Intel Core i9-13900H processor with 14 cores and 20 threads, and that's paired with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, so you get fantastic performance for content creation and even gaming, if you want to. The GPU options are much more powerful this year, which does make this significantly more expensive than the 2022 model. It can also be configured with a whopping 64GB of RAM and an 8TB SSD, so you have a top-tier experience across the board.

The display hasn't really changed, so it's still a fantastic 17-inch panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The base model is Full HD+, but if you opt for the top-tier 4K panel, you also get 100% coverage of Adobe RGB, which makes this a perfect laptop for content creation. With the additional horsepower this year, it becomes a beast for video editors and more. Sadly, the webcam is also unchanged, so it's a 720p camera with Windows Hello facial recognition support.

With the beastly specs packed into this year's model, it's impressive that the Dell XPS 17 is still under 20mm thick, especially when the overall size is already so compact thanks to the tiny bezels around the display. The 2023 model did get heavier, though, now starting at 5.1 pounds, but that's not bad for a 17-inch laptop.

As for ports, you have four Thunderbolt ports, with an adapter for USB Type-A and HDMI included in the box so you can still easily connect legacy peripherals and non-Thunderbolt monitors. This is what we've come to expect from the Dell XPS series, so it's not surprising at all.

The 2023 Dell XPS 17 is very expensive, but it delivers terrific performance and a great display for creative professionals.You can also look to the 2022 model of the XPS 17 if you don't need all that power.

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is the device to go for if you're looking for a laptop that can change into a tablet for extra versatility and portability. This year's model makes big changes, but it's still great.

Performance-wise, the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 comes with 12th-generation Intel Core U9-series processors, so performance isn't the main focus, but they use very little power. You can go up to a 10-core Intel Core i7-1250U, which includes integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics. Otherwise, you can get up to 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

The display is a 13-inch IPS panel and it comes in a 3:2 aspect ratio and 2880 x 1920 resolution, similar to Microsoft's Surface Pro. It supports touch and pen input, and you can get an XPS Stylus along with it, which attaches magnetically to the side of the tablet. Above that display, there's a 5MP camera that supports Windows Hello facial recognition, and it's the best webcam on an XPS laptop right now. You also get a second camera on the back, this one being an 11MP sensor with support for 4K video.

This model of the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 ditches the convertible form factor of years past and, instead, it's a tablet that lets you attach the XPS Folio keyboard, so you can use it as a laptop. Since it's a tablet, the device itself is a mere 7.4mm thin, and it weighs just 1.6 pounds, though adding the keyboard and stylus will add to that weight. It's sleek, too, with flat edges and a clean design overall.

This thin design comes at the expense of ports. There are exactly two Thunderbolt ports on this tablet, though you do get adapters for USB Type-A and a headphone jack. You can also get the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 with 5G support, though this model is thicker and heavier, plus it uses glass for the rear panel.

Despite the lackluster ports, the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is still a great device if you want a 2-in-1 laptop.

Not everyone has a ton of money to spend on a new laptop, and if you want something that delivers a great experience without breaking the bank, the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is the one to go for.

Performance-wise, the Dell Inspiron 14 2i-in-1 comes with either 12th-gen Intel Core or AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors, and both will give you great performance for day-to-day tasks. Intel processors may be slightly faster, but they tend to be more expensive, and like we said, either option is great for the majority of users. In addition to that, up to 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD make for a great experience overall.

The display is a 14-inch panel and thankfully, Dell is using a taller 16:10 aspect ratio, which is still somewhat uncommon for this price range. With Full HD+ resolution, this is a great display for basic school work and day-to-day use, though the colors and brightness aren't mind-blowing. It's not a laptop for color-sensitive work. The laptop does come with a 1080p webcam, which is great to see at this price point. There's no Windows Hello facial recognition, but the laptop has a fingerprint reader to compensate.

The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 comes in either silver (for the Intel model) or Pebble Green (for the AMD version) and it looks fairly subdued overall, though the Pebble Green model is a bit more unique. The laptop also has an interesting design choice with the wrist rest, which is made of glass. This lets the touchpad blend in a bit more seamlessly, which looks very interesting.

As for ports, the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 offers two USB Type-C ports with DisplayPort and power delivery, USB Type-A, HDMI, a headphone jack, and an SD card reader. It covers the basics, though it lacks Thunderbolt support in both Intel and AMD models.

This isn't the most premium of Dell's laptops, but if you're buying a laptop for college or work, this is a fantastic choice, and it won't disappoint with its performance.

If your work requires the absolute best performance money can buy, the Dell Precision 7680 is a mobile workstation that leaves almost nothing to be desired. Spectacular performance and a wide range of configuration options make this a phenomenal workstation for specialized workloads

Performance is the main focus here, starting with 13th-generation Intel Core processors up to a Core i9-13900HX, with 24 cores and 32 threads for incredible performance. That's paired with up to an Nvidia RTX 5000 Ada Generation GPU, the best workstation GPU for laptops right now. Combine that with up to 128GB of RAM and a 4TB SSD, and you have a machine that can do just about anything you could ever want it to.

The display is a 16-inch panel and it comes in the 16:10 aspect ratio, which is part of the reason we're recommending this model. The base configuration is a Full HD+ panel, but you can go up to a stunning 4K OLED display that's both sharp and incredibly vibrant. It's fantastic for color-sensitive work. Atop the display, there's a Full HD webcam with optional Windows Hello facial recognition.

All this power makes for a big laptop, so the Dell Precision 7680 weighs at least 5.75 pounds for the base model, though it can go much higher. It's also 24.7mm thick at its thickest point in the base model, or 27.45mm thick with the performance base.

Being a big laptop thankfully means there's a lot of space for ports, too. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one regular USB Type-C port, two USB Type-A ports, HDMI, Ethernet, a headphone jack, and an SD card reader by default. You can also add a Smart Card reader, NFC support, and a fingerprint reader, if you need them.

If you choose higher-end configurations, the Dell Precision 7680 is incredibly expensive, but it's hard to beat if you want top-tier performance.

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Those are our choices for the best Dell laptops you can buy today. The Dell XPS 13 Plus takes our best overall pick thanks to its blend of portability, a premium ultra-modern design, and performance, packing everything you'd want out of a 13-inch ultrabook into a chassis that looks like it came from the future. We would like to see a refresh of this model soon, but the 2022 version still offers plenty of performance and It has one of the best displays on any laptop, so it's an easy recommendation. Intel's newest processors aren't a huge upgrade anyway, so you're not missing out on much.

If you don't have that kind of money to spend, the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is a great option for users with a tighter budget. It still delivers very good performance for day-to-day use, and it also has a displays that's great for productivity and office work in general. You can often find it for under $700, and at that price, it's easy to recommend.