Dell Dell 16" Pro 16 Laptop Review

The Dell Pro 16 is a big-screen laptop that tries to be a jack of all trades. It's got a 16-inch display, a 12-core Intel CPU, and 16GB of RAM, all wrapped up in a Windows 11 Pro package. But those specs don't tell the whole story. This machine lands squarely in the middle of the pack on almost every benchmark, which makes it a tough sell unless you really need that screen size.

The Intel 235U 12-core CPU is fine for everyday tasks, but it's in the 45th percentile. That means it's slower than more than half the laptops out there. The integrated Intel Graphics are predictably weak, scoring a 14.8/100 for gaming. It's fine for streaming video, but that's about it. The 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD are decent, but again, they're just average, ranking in the 50th and 46th percentiles.

At $1333, this is a hard laptop to recommend. You're paying for a big screen and a Pro version of Windows, but the core performance parts are all mediocre. The CPU, GPU, and storage are all ranked in the bottom half. For this price, you should expect better than 45th percentile performance.

Look at the Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 6. It's smaller, but it's likely built better and might have better performance for a similar price. If you want a big screen for entertainment, the ASUS Zenbook Duo offers a dual-screen setup that's far more interesting. And if raw power is your goal, gaming laptops like the MSI Vector 16 HX will run circles around this Dell's integrated graphics for not much more money. The Dell just doesn't win in any category.

Only buy this if you absolutely need a 16-inch Windows 11 Pro laptop right now and can't look at anything else. For everyone else, there are better, faster, or more feature-packed options at this price point. It's not a bad machine, but it's an easy one to skip.