Description
The Dell 16 laptop with Linux Mint Cinnamon
The Dell 16 is the bigger, better equipped machine in the range. A 16 inch screen at 2K, a backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader, a proper webcam and Wi-Fi 6E, running Linux Mint Cinnamon instead of Windows. Nothing on it reports back to Microsoft or Apple, there is no account to create before you can use it, and there is nothing further to pay once it is yours.
What you get over the Dell 15
Plenty of people land here after looking at the Dell 15. Here is what the extra actually buys.
A bigger and sharper screen. 16 inches at 1920 x 1200 rather than 15.6 inches at 1920 x 1080. The 16:10 shape gives you more height, which means more of a document, a spreadsheet or a web page on screen without scrolling. It is also brighter at 300 nits, and carries Dell’s ComfortView blue light reduction for long sessions.
A backlit keyboard. Full size, with the numeric keypad. Usable in a dim room, which the Dell 15 is not.
A fingerprint reader. Built into the power button. It works under Linux Mint, and your manual walks you through switching it on in about two minutes.
A better camera and microphone. A 1080p webcam with a dual microphone array, against a basic 720p camera on the Dell 15. If you spend time on video calls, this is the difference people on the other end notice.
Faster wireless. Wi-Fi 6E rather than Wi-Fi 6, which means access to the 6GHz band and a lot less congestion in a busy house or office.
A more capable USB-C port. It carries DisplayPort 1.4, so a single cable will drive an external monitor at full resolution, which the HDMI port on this machine will not do. It also carries Power Delivery, so with a monitor or dock that supplies power back down the cable, the same cable can keep the laptop charged. With an ordinary monitor cable, you keep using the supplied charger.
The two options
Both are the same laptop with the same screen, keyboard, ports and wireless. The difference is the processor, the graphics and the storage.
The Intel Core 5. Ten cores and twelve threads, up to 5.0 GHz, with 16GB of DDR5 memory and a 512GB solid state drive. Comfortable for browsing, email, documents and spreadsheets, video calls, photos, music and streaming, with plenty of room to have a lot of it open at once.
The Intel Core 7. The same ten cores and twelve threads, but running to 5.4 GHz, with a larger share of graphics hardware behind it and twice the storage at 1TB. The higher speed means each job finishes sooner and the stronger graphics show up in anything visual, from a second monitor to photo work. The one to take if this is your main machine, if you keep a lot of tabs and applications open, or if you want more room for photos and video.
Choose your configuration below and your price appears.
What it does
Everything you bought a computer for. Browsing, email, documents and spreadsheets, video calls, photos, music and streaming. LibreOffice is on it and opens the Word and Excel files you already have. Linux Mint Cinnamon has a taskbar, a menu and a desktop, so if you are coming from Windows it will feel familiar within an hour. If you are coming from a Mac you will find your feet just as quickly.
There is nothing to renew. No Microsoft 365 subscription, no antivirus licence, no trial counting down in the corner.
What you receive
- A brand new Dell 16 running Linux Mint Cinnamon
- A privacy respecting browser and everyday apps already on it
- Automatic updates already switched on, with no Microsoft account and no Google sign in
- A manual written for this computer, including how to set up the fingerprint reader
- Email support from FreedomTech
- 12 month Dell hardware warranty, with onsite service following remote diagnosis
Technical specifications
| Category | Intel Core 5 | Intel Core 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core 5-120U (10 cores, 12 threads, up to 5.0 GHz) | Intel Core 7-150U (10 cores, 12 threads, up to 5.4 GHz) |
| Graphics | Intel Graphics, 80 execution units | Intel Graphics, 96 execution units |
| Storage | 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD | 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD |
| Memory | 16GB DDR5, 5200 MT/s, single module with the second slot free | |
| Display | 16″ 2K (1920×1200), 16:10, IPS, anti-glare, 300 nits, ComfortView, non-touch | |
| Operating System | Linux Mint Cinnamon | |
| Wireless | Realtek RTL8852CE Wi-Fi 6E, 2×2 802.11ax, plus Bluetooth | |
| Keyboard | Backlit, full size with numeric keypad, carbon black | |
| Fingerprint reader | Built into the power button, works under Linux Mint, setup covered in the manual | |
| Camera | 1080p webcam with dual microphone array | |
| Audio | Two tuned speakers | |
| Ports | 1× USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 with Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4, 2× USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 1.4 (1080p maximum), SD card reader, audio jack, power | |
| Battery | 4 cell, 54Wh, 65W adapter | |
| Colour | Platinum silver | |
| Weight | 1.98 kg | |
| Security | Wedge lock slot | |
| Warranty | 12 month Dell hardware warranty, onsite service following remote diagnosis | |
Worth knowing before you buy
Windows is replaced, not kept alongside. We do not supply machines that run both, because a Windows update will eventually overwrite the Linux boot loader and leave you with a computer that will not start.
The HDMI port on this machine is limited to 1920 x 1080. If you plan to run a higher resolution monitor, use the USB-C port and a USB-C to DisplayPort or HDMI cable rather than the HDMI socket.
Dell ships this keyboard with a Copilot key, which is Microsoft’s shortcut to their AI assistant. Under Linux Mint it does nothing at all, and there is no Copilot on the machine for it to open. We have left the key where it is rather than prise off a keycap, so treat it as a spare button.
