Coverage: 2026 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Dell Technologies Inc. made a rare move in the PC industry at CES 2026—publicly admitting a mistake and reversing last year's brand restructuring decision. The company's Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Clarke, candidly stated that last year's cancellation of the iconic XPS brand in favor of a simplified "Dell/Dell Pro/Dell Pro Max" naming system was a failed attempt, admitting the company "underperformed" and "did not listen to its users."

This unusual act of self-criticism has drawn widespread attention in the tech sector, as large corporations seldom admit strategic errors so bluntly. The XPS brand has been a benchmark in the Windows laptop market over the past decade, representing superior design, premium engineering, and top-tier performance, and its sudden disappearance disappointed a vast number of loyal users. The newly revived XPS series includes a redesigned XPS 14 and XPS 16, alongside an XPS 13 scheduled for release later this year. The new models feature comprehensive improvements, with a slim profile of just 14.6 millimeters; the XPS 14 weighs approximately 3 pounds (over half a pound lighter than its predecessor), and the XPS 16 weighs about 3.65 pounds (more than a pound lighter than the previous generation).

Dell has eliminated the widely criticized capacitive touch function keys, reverting to physical keys, and has enhanced the trackpad design. Most notably, there is a leap in battery life—the new models claim to offer up to 27 hours of usage, with local video playback exceeding 40 hours, a figure that even surpasses most ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X laptops and MacBooks. Both new products will be equipped with Intel's latest Core Ultra X7 processors, Intel Arc graphics, and can be configured with up to 64GB of RAM and 4TB of solid-state storage.

The XPS 14 and XPS 16 will go on sale first in the United States and Canada on January 6, with starting prices of $1,649.99 and $1,849.99 respectively. More entry-level configurations and versions for global markets are set to launch in February. Dell plans to initiate a large-scale marketing campaign in February to re-promote the XPS brand, aiming to win back consumers who remained loyal to the XPS name. At a media briefing in December, Clarke stated that the company observed sustained search interest for XPS even after the brand was discontinued, adding, "I hope this demonstrates our ability to correct mistakes and remain humble." This brand resurrection represents an exceptionally rare public admission of error and strategic reversal in the PC industry, particularly noteworthy for a market giant with annual shipments of 280 million units.