Dell's 2026 Inspiron Plus 16 Pairs a Core Ultra 5-225U with a Divisive Display
Dell has listed its 2026 Inspiron Plus 16 — also branded as the Dell Pro 16 — on JD.com in China, and the specs are generating chatter for an unusual reason. The laptop runs Intel’s latest Core Ultra 5-225U, but the screen is what’s getting people talking, and not in a good way.
The Ultra 5-225U, part of Intel’s Arrow Lake-U family, sits at the heart of four configurations spanning 16GB + 512GB up to 32GB + 2TB. Pricing starts at ¥7,004 (roughly $965), with a Chinese government electronics subsidy knocking it down to ¥5,698 (about $785). For a 16-inch productivity machine weighing 1.94 kg with a numeric keypad, the chassis and port selection check the boxes.
The display is the wrinkle. Dell chose a 1920x1200 60Hz IPS panel rated at 300 nits and just 45% NTSC color gamut. That’s roughly the color coverage of a budget office monitor from a decade ago. At a pre-subsidy price over $900, the choice stands out — and comments across Chinese tech forums reflect that.
The port array tells a more generous story. The left side carries one HDMI 2.1, one Thunderbolt 4, one USB-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The right side adds two USB-A ports and an RJ45 Ethernet jack — a welcome inclusion for anyone who prefers a wired connection.
The laptop is available now on JD.com. Whether the same spec reaches other markets is unclear — though a 45% NTSC panel would face tougher scrutiny in regions where 100% sRGB has become the baseline expectation for machines in this bracket.
