Dell XPS 17 (Original Model) Review in 2026 – Still an Ultimate MacBook Pro Replacement??

Updated for 2026: This review revisits the original Dell XPS 17 (9700 series), first released in 2020, to see how it holds up today.

In May of 2020, Dell caught us along with their competitor brands completely off-guard by revealing their Dell XPS 17 lineup as well as refreshing the existing Dell XPS 13 and Dell XPS 15 (both of which we have reviewed). Prior to 2020, Dell had only been offering the Dell XPS 13 and Dell XPS 15 with the same old design from 2016.

It had become an established trend for laptop makers to create thin and light ultrabooks with larger displays, as seen with Apple releasing their 16-inch MacBook Pro (the 2019 model), offering desktop-class performance in a thin and light ultrabook. This strategy has been very successful for most manufacturers so far.

What makes the original Dell XPS 17 different from the rest in the competition? Can this Dell XPS 17 replace your desktop, even in 2026? In this refreshed review, we’re going to find out.

The Detailed Dell XPS 17 (2020 Model) Review

Our Short Review of Dell XPS 17

• Price in Amazon (for the original model, expect refurbished or used units around $800-$1200 as of 2026)
• Price in Dell Website (for current generation models; the original 9700 series is no longer sold new)
• Price in eBay (for refurbished or used units of the original model)

 

But in our thought, if you are someone professional who needs a thin and light ultrabook with a big display for productivity works and multitasking or someone who wants a MacBook Pro 16-level performance and build quality in a Windows ultrabook and budget is not an issue, then the Dell XPS 17 (original model) was a compelling choice at its release. Even in 2026, a well-maintained unit can still be a capable machine for many tasks.

Dell XPS 17 (2020 Model): Design

The original Dell XPS 17 was a laptop we had never seen before. There were very few laptops in the market featuring a 17-inch display because of their weight and portability issues, apart from a few gaming laptops. But, you could forget about carrying them (better to carry a desktop instead!).

On the other hand, the original Dell XPS 17 gave you a 17-inch laptop in a package that has a smaller footprint than even most 15-inch laptops of its time. Dell achieved this by making the display almost bezel-less, which they call the “InfinityEdge” display.

The dimension of this device measures 14.74 in x 9.76 in x 0.77 in and weighs only 4.65 lbs for the lower-spec model and 5.53 pounds for the higher-spec one.

The device has a stunning look with unibody chassis made from a single block of Aluminium with CNC machining, giving it more strength and rigidity. You can open the lid with one finger like the XPS 13 and XPS 15. Upon opening the lid, you will be greeted with a nice black carbon fiber finished keyboard deck and a gigantic trackpad.

Looking on the right you have a headphone jack, SD card reader, and two USB-C ports. Going on the left you have two more USB-C ports. All USB-C ports feature Thunderbolt 3 (note that newer XPS models feature Thunderbolt 4 or even Thunderbolt 5). We were a little disappointed to see no HDMI or USB-A ports; Dell probably ditched them to make it more aesthetic and make it inline with XPS 13 and XPS 15.

But in the box, you will find a USB-C to USB-A and HDMI dongle for those who need it. For security, you have a fingerprint scanner embedded in the power button and an IR webcam featuring Windows Hello face recognition system.

Dell XPS 17 (2020 Model): Specs

Upon its original release in 2020, the Dell XPS 17 (9700 series) was positioned as Dell’s flagship offering. So, of course, it came with a premium price tag.

This initial pricing of $1,499 (reduced from an announced $1,599) was for the base model in 2020. As of 2026, you can find refurbished units of this specific model for around $800-$1200, while current-generation XPS 17 models start significantly higher.

Even though that’s not cheap by any means, what you were getting was a top-notch 17-inch laptop in a 15-inch shell with the then-latest Intel 10th Gen processors and all the goodness of the XPS lineup.

However, if you wanted to step up your game, you might have spent a little more in order to get a dedicated GPU like the GeForce GTX 1650 or the GeForce RTX 2060 (GPUs that were powerful for their time but are now entry-level or superseded by newer generations like the RTX 40-series), also the more powerful Core i7 or Core i9 offering.

Here are all the Specs in a glance (for the 2020 model):

Dell XPS 17 (2020 Model): Display

The original 17-inch displays offered a 93.7% screen-to-body ratio, which was among the highest we had seen so far. Dell also claimed it to be the smallest 17-inch laptop in the world at its launch. You had the option for a 1920×1200 resolution IPS and an optional 4K screen.

But we suggested the 4K screen with a touch screen because it would provide you with much more screen real estate, helping you with multitasking and internet browsing. The display is also big enough to take advantage of a higher resolution panel.

The displays offer a 1600:1 contrast ratio with 100% sRGB, 100% Adobe RGB, and 94% DCI-P3 color gamut. From productivity to media consumption to internet browsing, this display will offer a great experience in all categories, even in 2026.

Dell XPS 17 (2020 Model): Audio

Dell offered the same speaker setup as their new XPS 15 (at the time), but in our test, we found them a little better than its smaller siblings. This could be because of the bigger size of the chassis and the cavity in it, but still is not on par with the MacBook Pro speakers (Apple seems to nail some sides that other companies can’t even come close).

The speaker is an 8W quad upward-firing system with two 2.5W woofers and two 1.5W tweeters. In our opinion, this was one of the best you could find in any Windows ultrabook of its generation.

Dell XPS 17 (2020 Model): Keyboard and Trackpad

Dell offered the same keyboard and trackpad for XPS 15 and XPS 17. Dell had improved the keyboard, now offering 9.7% larger keycaps and 1.3mm key travel. The keyboard is a pleasure to type on with nice key-separation and good feedback. If you are someone who needs to type frequently, you will enjoy this keyboard very much. The backlight is also good to type in the dark.

The trackpad is a gigantic (62% larger than the previous model) one, measuring 5.9×3.5 inches. It’s a glass trackpad with Windows precision drivers and Windows 11 gesture support (and still compatible with Windows 10). The tracking is smooth and accurate, the palm rejection is excellent, and the buttons are also very nice.

Dell XPS 17 (2020 Model): Performance

This model provides 10th Gen Intel H series CPUs (which were powerful at the time but are now several generations behind current offerings) and for GPU, up to an RTX 2060. With this much spec in a small chassis, Dell needed to come up with some unique thermal design. The XPS 17 features a big Vapor Chamber which can move heat way more efficiently than other solutions we had seen so far.

With this thermal design, you can still do many productivity tasks if you get a specced-up model, without worrying about thermal throttling or heating issues. You can even do moderate gaming on this device, though Dell doesn’t market it as a gaming laptop (the 2026 successor may be worth considering for demanding modern games).

Dell XPS 17 (2020 Model): Battery life

For battery, you have two options: 56WHr for the base model and 97WHr for the dedicated GPU model. The 56Whr version comes with a 90W USB-C adapter and the 97Whr version comes with a 130W USB-C adapter. Battery life in our test has been good with approximately 8hrs of battery life (your mileage may vary). But the XPS 13 (original model) had a much better battery life if that was what you were after.

Dell XPS 17 (2020 Model): Upgradability

The original Dell XPS 17 offers good upgradability with 2 RAM slots and 2 M.2 NVMe slots. But unfortunately, the Killer Wi-Fi card is baked on the motherboard.

Final Thoughts

Dell offered a whole new kind of laptop with its original XPS 17. We hadn’t seen any laptops so far offering such a power-to-size ratio. If you are a creative or professional and wanted a desktop replacement without cutting corners in portability, then the Dell XPS 17 (2020 model) was absolutely for you. Even in 2026, a well-configured unit can still handle demanding tasks, though newer models offer significant performance gains.

The only downside was that it was expensive at launch. Our suggestion was to upgrade the model to higher specs with at least a six-core processor, a dedicated GPU, and 16GB of RAM to make it more cost-effective and future-proof. If you couldn’t afford the cost, then the XPS 15 came out as a better choice.

While the 16-inch MacBook Pro (referring to the 2019 model with 9th-gen Intel CPUs, which started around $2,399) was a strong competitor at the time, current MacBook Pro models offer significantly more advanced Apple Silicon processors and different pricing. The Dell XPS 17 (2020 model) offered a compelling Windows alternative at its launch, and its design principles continue to influence the lineup in 2026.

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