Dell Premium 16 Premium 16.3" Platinum Review

This is a stunning desktop replacement for screen-obsessed creators, but it's heavy and has questionable reliability. For most people, a MacBook Pro or a smaller ProArt laptop is a smarter buy.

This Dell Premium laptop is a beast of a machine, but it's a beast with a very specific purpose. The one thing to know is that it's built for creators who need a massive, gorgeous screen and desktop-level power in a laptop form, and they're willing to sacrifice portability and maybe some reliability to get it. It's not a sleek ultrabook you'll toss in your bag every day; it's a workstation that can move from desk to desk.

The performance is exactly what you'd expect from the specs: it's fast. The Intel Core Ultra 7 and RTX 5050 combo handles demanding creative apps without much fuss. What surprised us was how the GPU, sitting in the 80th percentile, feels perfectly matched to the CPU's 82nd percentile ranking. There's no bottleneck here, which makes for a smooth, balanced experience for video editing and 3D work. It's a well-tuned machine for its core task.

At $2700, it's a tough sell. You're paying for that incredible screen and a lot of power, but you're also accepting mediocre reliability and terrible portability. If the screen is your absolute top priority, it might be worth it. Otherwise, there are more balanced options.

The most direct competitor is the 14" MacBook Pro with the M4 Max. It'll likely be more efficient, have better battery life, and Apple's reliability is typically top-notch, but you lose the touchscreen and that massive 16" OLED. The ASUS ProArt PX13 is another interesting one: it's a Copilot+ PC with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 and an RTX 4050, but in a much more compact 13" form. It trades raw screen size and some GPU power for portability and AI features. You have to decide if you want a desktop replacement (this Dell) or a more mobile creative tool.

If you're looking for a laptop to actually use on the go, this isn't it. It's a desktop anchor. Go get a 14" MacBook Pro or the ASUS ProArt PX13 instead. Also, if reliability is a top concern for you, our data suggests you should look elsewhere.

We can only recommend this Dell Premium to a very specific user: a professional creator who works primarily at a desk, whose workflow is absolutely dependent on a large, color-accurate OLED touchscreen, and who needs the power to drive it. For anyone else—students, casual editors, people who travel—the compromises in size and potential reliability are too big. Look at the MacBook Pro or a more compact Windows creator laptop instead.