Dell 16" Black

The Dell 16-inch packs an impressive Ryzen 7 250 CPU, 16GB of DDR5, and a 1TB SSD into a $789 package. The 16:10 touchscreen is a nice bonus at this price. Battery life is the biggest compromise, with a small 41Wh cell that won't last long away from an outlet. It's a fantastic value for desk-bound productivity, but gamers and frequent travelers should look elsewhere.

The Ryzen 7 250 is the star of the show here. With 8 cores, 16 threads, and a boost clock up to 5.1GHz, it punches above its weight class. In our database, it sits in the 84th percentile for CPU performance, which puts it ahead of plenty of more expensive laptops. Day-to-day stuff like launching apps, handling dozens of browser tabs, and working in Office feels snappy. The 16GB of DDR5 running at 5600MHz helps too, though it's worth noting that RAM performance is middle of the pack at the 62nd percentile. It's fine, but not class-leading.

The integrated Radeon graphics are where things get more modest. At the 70th percentile, they're solid for an iGPU, but this isn't a gaming laptop. You can play older titles and esports games like League of Legends or CS2 at lower settings, but don't expect to run Cyberpunk 2077 smoothly. The 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD is a nice inclusion, landing in the 81st percentile for storage. Load times are quick, and 1TB is generous at this price point. The weakest link by far is AI and LLM performance, which sits at a disappointing 29.7 out of 100. If you're planning to run local AI models, this isn't the machine for you.

The elephant in the room is the Apple MacBook Pro M5 Pro, which absolutely demolishes this Dell in performance, battery life, and build quality. But it also costs three to four times as much. If you're cross-shopping these, you already know they're in different leagues. A more realistic competitor is the Lenovo Legion 5i 83F00008US, which offers dedicated graphics and better gaming performance, though you'll pay more for it. The HP OMEN Transcend 14-fb1023dx is another step up for gamers, with a higher refresh rate display and better GPU, but again, the price climbs.

On the more portable side, the MSI Prestige PRE13EVOA2088 and ASUS ProArt PX13 are thinner, lighter, and have better screens for creative work. They're also significantly more expensive. The Dell's main advantage is raw bang for the buck. You're trading portability and GPU power for a big screen and a capable CPU at a price that's hard to beat. If you don't need a dedicated GPU and you're okay with the weight, this Dell undercuts all of them.

At $789, this Dell is aggressively priced for what you get. The combination of an 8-core Ryzen 7, 16GB of DDR5, and a 1TB SSD is rare under $800. Most competitors in this range either skimp on storage with a 512GB drive or drop down to 8GB of RAM. The 16:10 touchscreen is another feature that's uncommon at this price, and it makes the laptop feel more premium than the price suggests.

That said, the value proposition shifts depending on your needs. If you're a creator or developer, our scoring puts this at around 60-65 out of 100, which is decent but not exceptional. The integrated graphics and limited battery hold it back for demanding workflows. But for general productivity, student work, and home office use, this is a lot of computer for the money. Just factor in that you'll likely be near an outlet most of the time.

Dell's latest 16-inch laptop is one of those machines that makes you do a double-take when you see the price tag. For $789, you're getting a Ryzen 7 250 with 8 cores, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, a 1TB NVMe SSD, and a 16:10 touchscreen. That's a spec sheet that would've cost you twice as much a couple years ago. It's clearly aimed at students, home office warriors, and anyone who wants a big screen for spreadsheets and streaming without selling a kidney.

What's interesting here is the processor. The Ryzen 7 250 is a new chip that Dell's marketing claims beats the Intel i7-13650HX, and looking at our database, the CPU performance lands in the 84th percentile for laptops. That's well above average, and it means this thing will chew through everyday multitasking, light photo editing, and even some casual gaming without breaking a sweat. The integrated AMD Radeon graphics aren't going to set any records, but they're a step up from basic Intel UHD graphics you'd find in cheaper machines.

But there's a trade-off, and it's a familiar one with budget-friendly 16-inch laptops. The 41Wh battery is tiny for a screen this size, and the whole package weighs 4.72 pounds. It's not exactly a road warrior. If you're mostly using this plugged in at a desk, the weight and battery life won't matter much. If you're a student running between classes all day, you'll want to keep the charger handy.

Gamers and creative professionals should give this one a pass. The integrated Radeon graphics are the main limitation, and our gaming score of 60.6 reflects that. If you want to play modern titles or do GPU-accelerated work like video editing or 3D rendering, you'll want something with a dedicated GPU. The Lenovo Legion 5i or HP OMEN Transcend are better fits, though they cost more.

Frequent travelers and commuters should also think twice. At 4.72 pounds and with a 41Wh battery, this isn't a laptop you'll want to carry around all day. The compact score sits in the bottom 17th percentile, which is rough. If portability matters, look at the MSI Prestige or ASUS ProArt PX13 instead. They're lighter, thinner, and have much better battery life, though you'll pay a premium for that convenience.

For students and home office users, this Dell is an easy recommendation. The big 16:10 touchscreen is great for productivity, the keyboard is comfortable for long typing sessions, and the Ryzen 7 processor will keep things running smoothly for years. At $789, it's one of the better values we've seen for a general-purpose laptop with these specs. Just keep the charger in your bag if you're heading out for the day.

If you're a creator or gamer, look elsewhere. The integrated Radeon graphics are the bottleneck here, and our creator score of 64.8 reflects that. You'd be better served by something with a dedicated GPU, even if it means spending a couple hundred more. And if portability matters, the 4.72-pound weight and small battery make this a tough sell for frequent travelers. This is a desk-bound workhorse, not a road warrior.