Making sense of Dell's laptop range to make the right choice for you

So, you've settled on a Dell laptop. But which one is best for you?

When you look at the best Windows laptops you'll always see Dell somewhere on the list. Alienware, XPS, Inspiron, Latitude, and Precision are all names you'll come across when you're hunting for the best Dell laptop. Generally speaking, the first three are the consumer brands, Latitude is for the business crowd, and the Precision lineup is for the mobile professional, designers or programmers for example, with high-end workstation components.

While the last two listed have a very definite target audience, there's a little crossover between the rest. Alienware is traditionally for gamers, XPS is for the prosumer and the premium Ultrabook market, and Inspiron is generally the more affordable laptops. But you can get XPS laptops capable of gaming, likewise from the Inspiron range, and not every Alienware laptop is the smartest buy for gamers.

All the best Dell laptops in one place

The outright best laptop isn't always the best one for you, and when you make as many as Dell, there's something out there for everyone. The key is finding the right choice, and it's fair to say that navigating the mound of machines Dell makes can be confusing and time-consuming.

If you're curious to see what the absolute best of the best are, our roundup will tell you everything you need to know. We've compared them all to make some recommendations that should help you out.

Best Dell laptops 2021

XPS 13, XPS 15, and XPS 17 — best of the best

When comparing the two top-of-the-line XPS laptops there's not really a bad choice to make. The biggest barrier to choosing either of them is the asking price, as XPS laptops always command a premium price.

If the budget allows, though, the XPS range is the place to be. The XPS 13 is one of the most well-balanced Ultrabooks around, with performance and a gorgeous display packed into a really tiny body.

If you're looking for a bit more grunt, the XPS 15 can now be had with Intel's latest processors paired with dedicated graphics from NVIDIA. The XPS 15 is certainly a better choice for photographers and videographers, or more professional applications that rely on horsepower thanks to the upgraded internals over its 13-inch sibling.

If you're looking for pen support, too, the XPS 13 also has a 2-in-1 convertible variant that has been recently updated. It's a different kind of experience overall to the regular model, but it's a perfect fit for touch and inking fans.

13-inch perfection

Dell XPS 13 9310 laptop

The smallest, most affordable XPS there is

The XPS 13 might not have as powerful hardware or as large of a display as the XPS 15 and XPS 17, but it's still a superb Ultrabook for anyone who wants to remain as mobile as possible.

From $950 at Dell

More power, bigger size

Dell XPS 15 9500 laptop

The balanced middle option

The XPS 15 is an excellent pick for anyone who needs significant performance without getting into the 17-inch laptop range.

From $1,080 at Dell

There is also now a third way, the XPS 17. Simply put, it combines everything great about the other two XPS laptops and rolls it all up in a package with a massive 17-inch display. It's one of the most compact and portable 17-inch laptops ever made, but with the added size comes more space to put more hardware.

As such, this is the most powerful XPS laptop outright. The graphics can be taken all the way up to a whopping RTX 2060 from NVIDIA, making this not only good for work but a serious gaming machine, too. Dell also sells a "creator edition" which has been tailored to meet the needs of today's creatives.

Big laptop, big performance

Dell XPS 17 9700 laptop

It's XPS, but much bigger

The XPS 17 offers a massive display with tremendous performance inside. It's big and expensive, but it'll no doubt appeal to creators and designers.

From $1,800 at Dell

Alienware and G-Series — for the gamers

When you're considering Dell from the perspective of being a PC gamer, you'll be drawn immediately here. Alienware is Dell's dedicated gaming range and when looking for the best Alienware laptop, the Alienware m15 is the one to get. It's actually the entry-level model now in Alienware's lineup since the 13-inch notebook got discontinued. But in this case, entry-level doesn't mean it lacks in any area that matters for gaming.

Whether you go for the m15 or the larger m17, you're getting a very similar design and very similar specs, just a different-sized laptop. And since these are hardly Ultrabooks, our recommendation always goes to the smaller one. In both cases, you're getting powerful H-series Intel processors, lots of RAM and storage, good-looking, high-refresh rate displays, and up to an RTX 3080 GPU from NVIDIA. Which in a laptop, is as much as you can get for gaming right now.

Gaming performance

Alienware m15 R6 15.6-inch FHD gaming laptop

From $1,242 at Dell

Smaller size but big internals

The Alienware m15 R6 has something for all gamers with great displays and frame-shredding power within.

Or if you're feeling a little more ... mad, and your budget allows, the Area 51-m is Alienware's desktop gaming PC replacement. There are some quite insane specs on offer here, but the big story is that this is an upgradeable laptop in its truest sense. It uses a desktop-class CPU, which you can upgrade, and you can upgrade the GPU, too, as well as the RAM and storage.

But, there is another way also that's a little more subtle and wallet-friendly.

What used to be the Inspiron gaming laptop lineup is now the Dell G-Series. They aren't always more affordable than an Alienware laptop, but for the budget-conscious gamer, it's a much better place to look.

Our top recommendation would be the middle of the G15 range, going for a configuration of Intel Core i7 and one of two NVIDIA GPUS, either the RTX 3050 Ti or the RTX 3060.

Budget-friendly

Dell G15 laptop

From $882 at Dell

A more wallet-friendly approach to gaming with Dell

The G15 is the one to go for if you're looking for impressive performance without breaking the bank.

Inspiron — bang for your buck

The XPS laptops are more glamorous, but the Inspirons are the meat of Dell's consumer laptop range. Ultimately what you're getting here is value, whether that's at the super-low price budget laptop end of the spectrum, or the slightly more expensive but still way short of the XPS price point. The Inspiron range is where most Dell buyers will find the right laptop for them.

Inspiron is also a great place to find a 2-in-1 laptop, especially if you like the look of the XPS 13 2-in-1 but the price tag is a bit much for you.

The drawback to all this is that the Inspiron range is massive. Fortunately, we have a full explainer on what each different sub-series within the Inspiron range is all about. Our favorite, though, is the Inspiron 14 5000 which is a sweet spot in the range for price and performance while also boasting a pretty stunning design.

The sweet spot

Dell Inspiron 14 5000 14-inch Full HD display

From $432 at Dell From $629 at Amazon

The sweet spot in Dell's Inspiron lineup

If there were a sweet spot in the lineup, it would be the 14-inch 5000 series, which has a range of great specs, attractive prices, good design, and excellent build quality.

All business — Latitude and Precision

Dedicated graphics in laptops aren't just for gamers. NVIDIA's Quadro and some AMD Radeon GPUs are designed for workstations used by folks who need hefty computational power. People such as designers, architects, programmers, even video editors can all benefit from a workstation laptop such as Dell's Precision and Latitude ranges.

So, for the average consumer, these are not, but they're a very important part of Dell's laptop portfolio.

We'd recommend the Latitude 5520 as a solid, no-nonsense business laptop that's also reasonably priced, while for fans of 2-in-1s the Surface Pro-like Latitude 7210 provides both a tablet and a laptop in one.

In both cases, you have high-end hardware capable of handling everything the modern workplace could throw at them, but also a companion for when you finish work and just want to kick back and watch a little Netflix.

Business champ

Dell Latitude 5520 laptop

From $1,159 at Dell

A great all-rounder for the workplace

This is a good-looking, well-made, high-spec laptop for the workplace that's also extremely portable and not that expensive.

Surface for work

Dell Latitude 7210 laptop

From $1,199 at Amazon

A bit like a Surface Pro but designed for business

If you're a fan of 2-in-1s but also need something designed for work, then the excellent Latitude 7210 is a great buy.