Dell 16 Plus Hands-on
Under Dell’s latest rebrand, what once would have been known as an Inspiron 16 is now dubbed the Dell 16 Plus. But Plus or Inspiron, what it lacks in flashy design, it makes up for in long battery life, and a big, vibrant display.
The Plus' Intel Core Ultra 7 processor delivers solid performance able to handle most productivity tasks, as well as streaming a movie or two or browsing the web. And thanks to its integrated Intel Arc Graphics, the 16 Plus can even do some light gaming. It also has a NPU if you want to get a little deeper into AI-supported features.
The config currently at Micro Center is even more powerful than the one I tested, with a faster Core Ultra 7 258V CPU (vs. the 256V) and 32GB of RAM, vs. the 16GB version I had.
Design and features
This perfectly serviceable aluminum laptop design isn't going to turn heads one way or another. With its cloud gray chassis, it’s the type of system that looks at home anywhere: an office, a coffee shop, an airport. It’s the design of a competent journeyman.
Dell removed the circle that once enshrined its logo, choosing instead to let it stand alone in the center of the lid, catching the light ever so gently, creating a gentle contrast to the rest of the lid. Opening the 16 Plus, you get a full-size, backlit keyboard complete with a number pad nestled into a slight recess above a large trackpad.
The island-style keys on the keyboard are large with generous spacing. Typing is a comfortable experience complete with a gentle clicking of keys. My only issue is that the backspace and enter keys are a tad small for my tastes. Still, Dell managed to squeeze in a set of arrow keys alongside the now ubiquitous Microsoft Copilot button. And for an added layer of security, the power button doubles as a fingerprint reader.
The 16 Plus has a small but useful set of ports, with a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port and a headset jack on the right. Along the left side there's a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, a Thunderbolt 4 port, and an HDMI 2.1 port.
Weighing in at 4.1 pounds, the 14.1 x 9.9 x 0.7-inch 16 Plus is relatively light for a system this size. I had no problem stowing it in my bookbag and navigating the New York City subway system and streets.
Photo: Sherri Smith
Display and audio
When it comes to screens, I’m of the mind that bigger’s always better. So the Dell’s 16-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 display is a welcome sight despite the chunky bezels that could have been thinner (especially since Dell is the company that introduced the barely-there InfinityEdge bezels on the XPS line).
Still, I was pleasantly surprised by how vibrant the colors were, considering that this is an anti-glare, matte display. But as I streamed the action-packed movie “G20,” I couldn’t take my eyes off of Viola Davis kicking ass in her satin ruby red dress or Anthony Starr's icy blue eyes oozing menace. At 300 nits, the panel isn’t the brightest out there, but it was fine using the laptop outdoors as long as it wasn’t in direct sunlight. And if you’re looking to do some light gaming, you’ll be pleased to know the display has a smooth refresh rate of 120Hz.
But keep in mind this isn't a party in a box when it comes to audio. The laptop’s outfitted with bottom-firing speakers, which aren't the best for music or games, with little low-end to speak of. In my ears-on testing with songs as diverse as George Benson’s “Give Me The Night” and Doechii’s “Death Roll," the soundstage gets crowded on max volume, leading to distortion and tinniness. However, if you’re hopping into a video call the speakers and mics are fine as the other attendees reported clear audio.
Performance
I have to give it to the 16 Plus’ Intel Core Ultra 7 processor. It can do its fair share of heavy lifting on the productivity front. I didn’t see any slowdown even when I had my usual 70 Google Chrome tabs open (Google Docs, Sheets, Presentations, social media, news and entertainment websites) while I was doing a batch photo resizing.
The laptop’s fans stayed relatively quiet as I started playing Hades II, even when I jacked up the performance profile to Best Performance. Speaking Hades II, as I mentioned previously, the 16 Plus’ integrated Intel Arc Graphics can handle some light gaming. Just don’t go trying to play anything too demanding like Cyberpunk 2077 or Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Battery life
Where the 16 Plus really shines is its battery life. I ran the PCMark Modern Office battery test on the system, which runs a continuous script of video conferencing, social media, web browsing, and spreadsheets until the system powers down. With the screen brightness set to 50%, the notebook lasted 12 hours and 31 minutes. I also clocked the notebook starting at 100% battery during my regular work day, which isn’t too far off from the synthetic test, give or take some music and video streaming. The laptop managed to hang on for 9 hours and 48 minutes.
Copilot+ and AI
These days, if it’s a PC, it’s got Microsoft Copilot, the company’s on-board AI which has several helpful features. The built-in NPU bumps the 16 Plus up to a Copilot+ system. But let’s talk features. If you’re in need of some real-time transcription or translation services, there’s Live Captions. I took Cocreator for a spin in an attempt to create a logo for a new website. A few text prompts later, and I got some viable candidates. And of course, there’s the usual AI stuff like the chatbot.
Microsoft is also finally rolling out Recall, a feature that captures everything that appears on your screen every few seconds. You can then scroll through your past activities including apps, websites and documents via these snapshots. In order to preserve your privacy, Recall is tied into Windows Hello for biometric security, and of course, you can choose to opt out of it entirely.
Is the Dell 16 Plus worth it?
There were so many times when I was writing this review where I almost called the 16 Plus an Inspiron. Naming conventions aside, the Dell Plus 16 is priced for mid-tier budgets and it performs as such. It’s not flashy, but it delivers solid performance with a large vivid display and can last well beyond your normal work hours, even if I would like better audio and a few more ports.
Still, if you’re looking for a reliable workhorse that goes relatively easy on your wallets, you can’t go wrong with the Dell 16 Plus. And yes, like every PC that's come out over the last couple of years, Microsoft Copilot is baked in for the AI aficionados.
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Sherri L. Smith is a tech and games journalist with a passion for reporting on and reviewing the latest and greatest the tech world has to offer with a lot of flair and just a little snark. Over the course of her 15-year career, Sherri has reviewed everything from laptops to mobile hotspots to VR headsets and $10K smartphones. She also holds the distinction of being the first Black woman editor in chief of a major tech publication, serving as Laptop Mag’s EIC for three years.
