Dell · 2024
Dell XPS 16 9640
A 4K OLED 16 inch with a 60W RTX 4070, priced like a workstation. On Linux the IPU6 camera and cs35l56 speakers both need work; the ArchWiki page exists for a reason. Mainstream buyers should look at the XPS 16 only on Windows.
Compiled from public sources and community data, not hands-on tested. What that means.
Best on arch. Confidence: medium
Scores
Specs
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H |
|---|---|
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop (60W) |
| RAM | 16 GB (soldered) |
| Storage | 512 GB |
| Screen | 16.3" 3840x2400 @ 90Hz |
| Weight | 2.31 kg |
| Battery (real) | ~13.5 h |
Linux compatibility
- arch Poor support
- Wi-Fi
- works
- Bluetooth
- works
- Fingerprint
- works
- Webcam
- broken
- Audio
- needs tweak
- Suspend
- needs tweak
- ubuntu-lts Poor support
- Wi-Fi
- works
- Bluetooth
- works
- Fingerprint
- works
- Webcam
- broken
- Audio
- needs tweak
- Suspend
- needs tweak
arch: The ArchWiki page lists the two known traps: the IPU6 camera needs the out-of-tree stack and stays flaky, and the cs35l56 SoundWire amps need the codec firmware before the speakers work. NVIDIA RTX 4070 runs on the proprietary driver with PRIME offload. ArchWiki: Dell XPS 16 9640 →
ubuntu-lts: Camera is the same IPU6 dead end as the smaller XPS 14. Speakers go quiet without the cs35l56 firmware and patched UCM profile. The 4K OLED panel is the reason to want this machine, and it is gorgeous, but the Linux story is rough.