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Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 Review: The Mini-LED Display Shines but There's Little Else to Get Excited About

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CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

7.3 / 10

SCORE Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 $1,450 at Dell Pros Bright, striking mini-LED display

Strong productivity performance

Sturdy chassis Cons Poor battery life

Subpar speakers

Mushy keyboard

At the beginning of 2025, Dell introduced a sweeping rebrand to its laptop product stack in an attempt to simplify its offerings. One of the results of the rebrand was the midrange Dell Inspiron 16 Plus getting renamed simply as the Dell 16 Plus, positioned beneath the high-end Premium models but above Dell's entry-level "base" machines.

In the case of the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 convertible, the rebrand isn't purely superficial. It comes with some changes to the Inspiron design, many of which are improvements, although there are a handful of steps in the wrong direction. The addition of a full-size number pad is an excellent use of the real estate afforded in a 16-inch laptop, for example, but it means the speakers have been inverted to fire downward, negatively affecting sound quality. On the plus side, the weight and thickness are reduced, but the Dell 16 Plus is still heavy for its size. And while it includes a vibrant mini-LED display, you pay a penalty in battery life for it.

The overall result is a machine that feels in many ways like a reboot, with some clever design choices alongside several that need at least another generation of refinement. Given its price and some of its limitations, it doesn't measure up to similar midrange options like the Lenovo Yoga 7 14 Gen 9, our top pick for the best two-in-one laptop. The higher-end HP Spectre x360 16 remains our favorite big-screen two-in-one and is regularly on sale.

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