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  The 2024 XPS laptop lineup: 13-inch, 14-inch, and 16-inch. [credit: Scharon Harding ]

Dell’s XPS laptop lineup has long been my go-to for an easy laptop recommendation. With an accessible starting price, a good amount of display options, and an ultrathin build, it was often a fitting choice for the average consumer seeking something with a premium feel and some clout. With the 2024 laptop lineup announced today, the XPS no longer feels like an obvious recommendation.

Dell has reimagined the XPS laptop lineup in the image of what used to be called the Dell XPS 13 Plus . When it launched in 2022, the XPS 13 Plus was a 13.4-inch XPS laptop that was pricier than its non-Plus alternative. The XPS 13 Plus and its 2023 predecessor took extreme design measures, including a capacitive touch function row, unique keyboard, and borderless haptic touchpad to squeeze more power out of its processor.

Those polarizing features are now mandatory in an XPS laptop. The new XPS 13, 14, and 16 look like the XPS 13 Plus. But Dell is no longer calling that design the "Plus." It's now just the standard design of a standard XPS laptop.

Enlarge / Dell's XPS 15 9520 is nearly identical to the last-gen 9510, albeit with improved processor performance. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

Even as an iterative update to an existing computer, Dell's XPS 15 9520 is pretty mild. It's super-iterative. The only thing that separates it from the XPS 15 9510 we reviewed last year is that it swaps the 11th-generation Intel processors for 12th-gen versions. Everything else, from the design to the screen to the GPU, is the same (unless you count changing the foreshortened Windows 10-era rectangle logo on the Windows key to a square Windows 11-era logo).

So we won't spend much time redescribing things about this laptop that we have already mentioned. Weighing just a bit over four pounds, this is still a computer made for people who want more power than a 13- or 14-inch laptop can provide, but who still care enough about size and weight that they don't want to graduate to a full-size desktop or a bulky gaming laptop.

It still has a nice slim-bezel screen, a huge trackpad, a comfortable keyboard with firm-but-not-too-firm keys and a pleasing amount of travel, and Thunderbolt and USB-C ports for accessories and charging (plus a single SD card reader and a headphone jack). A fingerprint reader, face-scanning Windows Hello-compatible IR camera, and a 720p webcam and speakers (serviceable-but-middling in both cases) round out the basic amenities.

Enlarge / Dell XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition in its graphite color. (credit: Dell)

Dell is extending its love for Linux to the Dell XPS 13 Plus. The Developer Edition of the laptop has been Ubuntu 22.04 LTS-certified, Canonical announced today. That means the laptop will be sold starting in August with the latest version of Ubuntu, and owners of the XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition can download Ubuntu 22.04 LTS today (even if they bought it with Windows 11 ) for guaranteed performance.

The XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition is the first 22.04 LTS-certified laptop, joining only some Raspberry Pi devices in certification . However, Dell has been certifying some of its XPS laptops, as well as other machines, for Ubuntu for generations. HP and Lenovo also have Ubuntu-certified systems.

Of course, Ubuntu certification means all the components will "work as expected," as Canonical's announcement today put it. Further, Ubuntu LTS certification means the device will have support for at least 10 years. Ubuntu's release cycle page states that LTS (long-term support) releases include 10 years of "Base Package" maintenance and security updates.