Review Dell 16 Premium (DA16250)
Dell 16 Premium (DA16250)
Intel Core Ultra 7 255H · NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop (60W) · 32GB LPDDR5x-8400 (soldered) · 1TB SSD · 16.3″ 4K OLED 120Hz Touch · 2.341 kg
Premium 16.3″ multimedia laptop with stunning 4K OLED touchscreen, faster 120Hz refresh, and Thunderbolt 4. However, 60W RTX 5070 is underwhelming, controversial keyboard/clickpad, CPU throttling, and soldered RAM. Great for professionals who value design – Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 offers better GPU performance.
Display – 4K OLED 120Hz Touch, 100% DCI-P3 (PWM at 491 Hz)
Panel: Samsung 163DU02 – 16.3″ 3840×2400 OLED, glossy, touch, 120 Hz.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Brightness | ~386 nits – decent |
| Contrast | ∞:1 – perfect blacks |
| sRGB coverage | 100% |
| DCI-P3 | 99.7% |
| Response times | 0.88 ms (B/W) · 0.61 ms (grey) – excellent |
| PWM | 491 Hz – may affect sensitive users |
| Finish | Glossy – reflective |
| Refresh | 120 Hz – upgrade from 90 Hz |
- Stunning OLED colours and contrast
- 120 Hz refresh rate – smoother than XPS 16
- PWM at 491 Hz – may affect some users
- Excellent colour coverage – 99.7% DCI-P3
OLED display is excellent – a key upgrade over the XPS 16.
Keyboard & Touchpad – Mixed bag, same as XPS 16
- Controversial keyboard – shallow travel, odd layout
- Clickpad – haptic feedback, can be divisive
- Backlit keys
Keyboard and clickpad are divisive – try before buying.
Ports & Connectivity – Thunderbolt 4, microSD
- Left: 2× Thunderbolt 4
- Right: microSD, Thunderbolt 4, 3.5mm audio
- All 3 USB-C ports are Thunderbolt 4 – upgrade over XPS 16
- Wi-Fi 7 (Intel BE201) – fast
- microSD reader – not full-size SD
Ports are excellent – all Thunderbolt 4.
Serviceability – Soldered RAM, single SSD
Bottom cover: screws. RAM soldered, single M.2 2280.
| Component | Replaceable? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SSD | ✅ Yes | M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 – single slot |
| RAM | ❌ No | Soldered LPDDR5x – 32GB fixed |
| Wi-Fi | ❌ No | Soldered |
| Battery | ⚠️ Limited | 99.5 Wh – internal |
| CPU/GPU | ❌ No | Soldered BGA |
RAM is soldered – choose configuration carefully.
Storage – Fast PCIe 4.0 SSD
- Drive: Kioxia BG6 KBG6AZNV1T02 – 1 TB, PCIe 4.0
- Seq. read: ~5,719 MB/s – stable
- Single M.2 slot – no expansion
Storage is fast, but single slot.
Memory – Soldered LPDDR5x-8400
- 32 GB LPDDR5x-8400 (soldered) – tested
- No SO-DIMM slots – not upgradeable
- Fast 8400 MT/s – benefits performance
RAM is soldered – choose 32 GB at purchase.
Processor – Core Ultra 7 255H (Arrow Lake-H)
- Model: Intel Core Ultra 7 255H – 16c/16t (6× P-core, 8× E-core, 2× LP E-core)
- Boost: 5.1 GHz P-core · 4.4 GHz E-core
- TDP: 116 W PL2 / 67 W PL1 (sustained)
- Cinebench R23 Multi: ~21,826 pts – ~20% faster than XPS 16
- Throttles under sustained load – drops ~15% over time
CPU performance is excellent, but throttles under sustained load.
Graphics – 60W RTX 5070, underwhelming
- Model: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop – 8 GB GDDR7
- TGP: 60 W – much lower than gaming laptops
- 3DMark Time Spy: ~11,192 pts – ~20% slower than average RTX 5070
- Cyberpunk 2077 FHD Ultra ~81.5 fps
- Performance closer to RTX 5060
3DMark Performance – Power Profiles
| Mode | Graphics Score | Physics Score | Combined Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | 28759 | 37491 | 11209 |
| Balanced | 27915 (-3%) | 35948 (-4%) | 9874 (-12%) |
| Battery | 25880 (-10%) | 32601 (-13%) | 11046 (-1%) |
60W RTX 5070 is underwhelming – Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 offers better GPU performance.
Battery – ~11 hours, good
- Capacity: 99.5 Wh
- WiFi surfing (150 nits): ~11 hours – similar to XPS 16
- Good battery life for the size
Battery life is solid – unchanged from XPS 16.
Chassis – Premium, iconic design
- Materials: Aluminium – premium
- Weight: 2.341 kg – reasonable for 16″
- Sharp, recognizable design
- New Dell logo without circle
Chassis is premium – iconic XPS design continues.
Disassembly & Upgradeability Summary
| Component | Replaceable? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SSD | ✅ Yes | M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 – single slot |
| RAM | ❌ No | Soldered |
| Wi-Fi | ❌ No | Soldered |
| Battery | ⚠️ Yes | 99.5 Wh – replaceable |
| CPU/GPU | ❌ No | Soldered |
RAM is soldered – choose configuration carefully.
Procurement & Reseller Recommendations
CPU
Core Ultra 7 255H – ~20% faster than XPS 16.
GPU
60W RTX 5070 – underwhelming compared to gaming laptops.
RAM
Soldered – choose 32 GB at purchase.
SSD
Single M.2 2280 – no expansion.
Display
4K OLED 120Hz – stunning.
Value
Great for professionals who value design – Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 offers better GPU.
Key Selling Points vs. Competitors
Strengths
- Stunning 4K OLED touchscreen
- 120 Hz refresh rate
- All Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Premium design and build
- Strong CPU performance
Weaknesses
- 60W RTX 5070 is underwhelming
- Controversial keyboard/clickpad
- CPU throttling
- Soldered RAM
- High price
Pro tip for resellers: The Dell 16 Premium is a premium multimedia laptop with some trade-offs.
• Highlight OLED display, Thunderbolt 4, and CPU performance – these are its strongest points.
• 60W RTX 5070 is underwhelming – not for serious gaming.
• Keyboard and clickpad are divisive – recommend trying before buying.
• RAM is soldered – upsell the 32 GB SKU.
• Great for professionals who value design – but Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 offers better GPU performance.
• Highlight OLED display, Thunderbolt 4, and CPU performance – these are its strongest points.
• 60W RTX 5070 is underwhelming – not for serious gaming.
• Keyboard and clickpad are divisive – recommend trying before buying.
• RAM is soldered – upsell the 32 GB SKU.
• Great for professionals who value design – but Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 offers better GPU performance.