At CES 2025, Dell officially abandons its existing PC brands and switches to terms that will be understandable to ordinary people: Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max. It seems clear, doesn’t it? Dell systems are purely consumer products, while the Dell Pro line is aimed at business users. Dell Pro Max, naturally, are ultra-powerful workstations designed for the most demanding users.
The rebranding makes sense. Why would consumers want to know the difference between a Latitude and an Inspiron laptop? But it’s also disappointing news for fans of the XPS line, as it’s officially dead. The use of the terms “Pro” and “Pro Max” is also associated with Apple hardware rather than Dell products, so it’s not exactly a strong position to be in.
At the rebranding briefing in December, I asked CEO Michael Dell a simple question: “What does Dell have to gain by copying Apple?” Needless to say, he didn’t look happy. He and the other executives were quick to point out that the term “Pro” had been used in the industry for years. I shouted back: “I have an iPhone 15 Pro Max in my pocket!” Every tech company copies to some extent, but we all have eyes and ears. It’s not hard to see who Dell is imitating in its rebranding.
While simplicity seems to have been the ultimate goal, like many other PC makers, Dell couldn’t help but get confused. Each new PC line has sub-tiers: Base, Plus, and Premium. The XPS line will now live under the name “Dell Premium”, while other buyers will have to figure out the difference between “Dell Pro Plus” and “Dell Pro Premium” systems.
Even more confusing is the situation with Dell Pro Max systems, where you can also choose between Plus and Premium variants. Doesn’t Pro Max already mean “best”? Naming logic completely breaks down for desktop computers. Just try to read the names Dell Pro Max Micro and Dell Pro Max Mini without your brain self-destructing.
Surprisingly, Dell hasn’t released any truly revolutionary new hardware to celebrate its new naming scheme. The Dell Pro Premium 13 and 14 laptops look pretty sleek for business machines, but they still remind me more of Apple hardware than anything distinctly Dell.
At 2.36 pounds, the Dell Pro Premium 13 is certainly one of the lightest commercial systems I’ve ever seen, so that’s a small victory. The company claims it has a battery life of 21.2 hours and offers 82% faster graphics rendering than Dell’s last premium system aimed at enterprises. The larger Pro Premium 14 will also be the first commercial laptop to feature a tandem OLED screen, which is more energy efficient and brighter than conventional OLED.
From a consumer perspective, the Dell 14 and 16 Plus (as well as their 2-in-1 versions) look like typical regular Dell laptops. The Dell Premium systems, formerly the XPS, look exactly the same as last year.
Dell doesn’t have the same brand loyalty as Apple, so I doubt many loyal customers will miss the company’s old PC brands. But it’s definitely a sad day for fans of XPS, a brand that started with Dell’s premium desktops in the 90s.
The Dell Pro 13 and 14 Premium will be available today (unfortunately, we still don’t know the pricing details), and the Dell 14 and 16 Plus will go on sale on February 18 for prices starting at $999. Dell Pro Max 14 and 16 will go on sale in March, and we are still waiting for pricing information.
