[CES 2026] Dell Revives XPS, Plus Upcoming Alienware Laptops & New UltraSharp Monitors Announced

Dell’s CES 2026 announcement hasn’t got the scale like ASUS or MSI does, but it’s got a big news: XPS is back alive once again. Ditched in an effort to streamline its naming – with extremely boring results – but “Dell Pro” simply doesn’t roll off the tongue like XPS does, so it’s coming back to once again represent the best of Windows-based ultrathin laptops.

(Side note: Dell also revived its Precision branding for the workstation market, perhaps for similar reasons, and same applies to some of its monitor lineup. Dell and Dell Pro branding stays as-is, however.)

XPS Is Back

The resurrected XPS brand will introduce two new models: XPS 14 and XPS 16. Both laptops use CNC-machined aluminum chassis construction and measure just 14.6 mm in thickness, where the 14-inch form factor weighs approximately 3 pounds (slightly less than 1.36kg?), while the XPS 16 weighs 3.6 pounds (1.63kg). The laptops are equipped with up to Intel Core Ultra X9 388H processor, while display options include tandem OLED panels with 1-120Hz variable refresh rate support to save battery (good for 27 hours of Netflix, Dell claims).

Dell also confirmed that a redesigned XPS 13 will launch later in 2026. It is expected to be the thinnest and lightest XPS model to date (at less than 13mm, Dell claims), which will be positioned at a lower entry price within the XPS lineup. As for the 14-inch and 16-inch models, they will be first available in Graphite color option in end of January 2026 here in Malaysia, followed by Shimmer later this year.

Alienware Hardware

Dell’s gaming subsidiary Alienware, meanwhile, has announced plans to broaden its laptop lineup with two additional categories: a thin gaming laptop measuring approximately 17mm in thickness, and a lower-cost entry model intended to expand access to the Alienware brand.

That doesn’t mean no new hardware is introduced this CES. While nothing groundbreaking, the brand is giving its existing lineup some updates: owing to its success from the QD-OLED monitor lineup, the Alienware 16 Area-51 and Alienware 16X Aurora laptops will now get new anti-glare OLED panels, featuring 620-nit HDR peak brightness, 120% DCI-P3 gamut, along with built-in panel protection features.

Both 16-inch laptops, plus the Alienware 18 Area-51, will also get Intel Core Ultra 200HX processors as new options; and on the desktop side, the Alienware Area-51 Desktop will pack AMD’s newest Ryzen 9850X3D processor to match its flagship status. All updated models under the Alienware lineup will be available sometime in Q1 2026 here in Malaysia, Dell has confirmed. No pricing information has been given at this time.

New Dell UltraSharp Monitors

Dell unveiled two UltraSharp monitors targeting professional use cases. The UltraSharp 52 Thunderbolt Hub Monitor (U5226KW) is a monitor featuring 52-inch 6K 120Hz IPS Black panel, and the first monitor to achieve TÜV Rheinland’s highest tier Low Blue Light certification. It integrates Thunderbolt 4-powered hub functionality into the monitor, so I/O comes aplenty onboard; the monitor can support four simultaneous display inputs shown side-by-side with 4-way PBP (picture-by-picture) mode, all can be controlled singularly using built-in KVM function.

The second model introduced is the UltraSharp 32 4K QD-OLED Monitor (U3226Q), said to be the first commercial QD-OLED monitor certified for DisplayHDR True Black 500 with AGLR (anti-glare low-reflectance) coating. This monitor is primarily designed for color-critical professional applications, with Delta-E <1, 99% DCI-P3 and Display P3 gamut coverage, plus an integrated colorimeter and remote color calibration capabilities.

Availability-wise, the UltraSharp 52 Thunderbolt Hub Monitor is now available in Dell website at a price of RM10,459 apiece, while the UltraSharp 32 4K QD-OLED Monitor will be available by the end of this January, with price currently TBC.

Pokdepinion: Good to learn from a naming mistake. Welcome back, XPS!