The Dell XPS 17 is the largest laptop from the well-known Ultrabook lineup, and right now you can get that massive laptop at a sizeable discount, but the deal isn't long for this world. The XPS 17 is up to $700 off for Dell TechFest, which ends on April 1, 2024. Some deals end before the event as well. That deal saves you hundreds of dollars on a powerful PC that's "perfect as a work laptop, family laptop, or a station for creative project," according to our XPS 17 review.
With Dell TechFest in full swing, many of the best Dell XPS deals are live, so if you're looking for a smaller laptop or a different device, make sure to browse all of Dell's discounts.
Dell XPS 17 review highlights
The Dell XPS 17 earned a 4/5 in our review. The laptop's slim design, performance, 4K touchscreen, and four Thunderbolt 4 ports earned it praise. The laptop did, however, receive criticism for its 720p camera, lack of USB-A or HDMI ports, and lack of an OLED option.
"Dell has repeatedly demonstrated that it knows how to make a laptop look powerful but in an understated sort of way, and that's once more the case with the classy XPS 17 (9730)," said our Rebecca Spear.
"It has the same overall look and chassis as the previous year's model, which is unsurprising since Dell tends to use the same design for several years before moving on to a new one. This design, in particular, has been used since mid-2020."
While the XPS 17 does have some limitations, Spear was overall high on the laptop. "Dell's XPS 17 (9730) is a powerful laptop thanks to its strong processors and fast reading and writing speeds," said Spear. "It's up to almost any task making it perfect as a work laptop, family laptop, or a station for creative projects. Thanks to the powerful GPU, it also has decent graphical abilities to handle all of your hobbies and gaming desires to a good extent."
XPS 17 vs XPS 16
Dell introduced two new XPS laptop sizes earlier this year, the XPS 14 and XPS 16. The latter features a 16.3-inch display, which is awfully close in size to the 17-inch screen of the XPS 17. While the screen sizes of the two laptops are similar, their overall designs, feature sets, and internals are quite different.
The XPS 17 has the classic XPS design that many are familiar with. Dell shipped iterative improvements to the XPS 17 each year, resulting in a refined design with thin bezels, a large trackpad, and a traditional keyboard. In many ways, the XPS 17 is the pinnacle of classic XPS design.
In contrast, the XPS 16 has the modern XPS design seen in the XPS 13 Plus, new XPS 13, and XPS 14. That design includes a zero-lattice keyboard, an invisible haptic trackpad, and a row of haptic function keys. I personally prefer the modern design over the classic one, and it seems Dell agrees. The company sold the XPS 13 Plus alongside the classic XPS 13 for a while before shifting all XPS 13 laptops to the new design. There's a good chance we'll see a similar shift with other XPS sizes.
The newer XPS 16 also has an option for an OLED display. The XPS 17 is not available with an OLED screen, which is unfortunate.
Internals also differ between the XPS 17 and XPS 16. The XPS 17 runs on a 13th Gen Intel Core processor, with the discounted model above having a Core i7-13700H. The XPS 16 runs on a newer Intel Core Ultra 7 processor. Both laptops are available with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40-Series GPUs.
Both the XPS 17 and XPS 16 are impressive laptops. The $700 discount on the XPS 17 makes it an attractive option, especially if you like the classic design of the XPS family of laptops. If you need the latest and greatest specs and love the modern design of the XPS 16, you'll also be happy.
