Who Is This For?
I’ve been using the XPS 16 as my primary editing machine, and it’s built for a specific type of user:
- Photographers and video editors: The 4K+ OLED with 100% DCI-P3 is the best display you’ll find in a laptop. I edit in Lightroom and DaVinci Resolve, and the colors are dead-on.
- Designers and illustrators: The touch display with pen support makes Photoshop and Illustrator work feel natural.
- Professionals who take laptops to meetings: The premium build makes a better impression than any gaming laptop. People comment on how this thing looks.
If you’re primarily gaming or need cutting-edge GPU power, the Legion Pro 5i or Strix G16 are better values. The XPS 16 is for people who care about the screen first.
Creative Workload Performance
| Workload | XPS 16 9640 | Legion Pro 5i |
|---|---|---|
| Lightroom Classic export (100 RAW) | 2m 45s | 2m 10s |
| DaVinci Resolve 4K timeline | Smooth | Smooth |
| Premiere Pro 4K H.265 export (10 min) | 8m 30s | 6m 15s |
| Photoshop large canvas (8000x6000) | Smooth | Smooth |
The RTX 4070 Laptop is capable but clearly a generation behind. For GPU-heavy exports, the gaming laptops are faster, and I felt it during long Premiere renders. But for color-critical preview work and editing, nothing touches this OLED. I’ll take the slower exports for a screen I can trust.
Display
This is the main reason I bought this laptop, and it delivers. The 16.3-inch 4K+ (3840x2400) OLED panel provides:
- 100% DCI-P3 and 100% sRGB coverage
- True blacks and infinite contrast ratio
- 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling
- Touch + pen support
Every time I open this lid, the display reminds me why I paid the premium. Dark scenes in DaVinci Resolve look accurate. Colors in Lightroom are trustworthy. It’s the best screen I’ve used on a Windows laptop.
The Bottom Line
The XPS 16 is a specialist tool, and I mean that as a compliment. If display accuracy is your top priority and you can accept a last-gen GPU, this is the best option available. The build quality and portability are bonuses. If you need maximum GPU power for the money, save some cash and get a gaming laptop with better specs. But for creative work where color accuracy matters, I’d buy the XPS 16 again.