When Dell revealed last year that it would phase out its well-known laptop brands in favor of a simplified “Pro, Plus, and Premium” naming system, the reaction from consumers was largely one of confusion. Longtime users questioned why the company would retire the XPS name, a lineup that had built a strong reputation and a clear identity in the premium laptop space.
It didn’t take long for Dell to reassess that decision. Just a year later, the company has confirmed the return of the XPS brand, unveiling the new Dell XPS 14 and XPS 16 models, with a 13-inch version scheduled to arrive later in the year. The move signals a renewed focus on the brand equity that made XPS a household name among high-end Windows laptops.
Speaking at a press conference in New York, Dell Technologies COO Jeff Clarke openly admitted that retiring the XPS branding was a misstep. He explained that the previous rebranding effort failed to achieve its primary goal of simplifying the company’s product lineup and instead created more confusion among customers.
Clarke added that Dell’s internal performance metrics following the branding change did not meet expectations. As a result, the company decided to reverse course and restore the XPS lineup as its flagship offering, with the return beginning in the third quarter of 2025 and carrying into 2026.