Between the ROG Strix G16 (2025) and XPS 16 (9650), the ROG Strix G16 (2025) comes out ahead in refresh rate and cpu cores, while the XPS 16 (9650) wins on claimed battery life and battery. Overall, the ROG Strix G16 (2025) scores 80.9 and the XPS 16 (9650) scores 76.7 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The ROG Strix G16 (2025) edges ahead on the Mars Score (80.9 vs 76.7), but the 4.2-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the ROG Strix G16 (2025) if the display is what you stare at all day — refresh rate, brightness, or sharpness is where the difference will be most visible. The biggest gaps in its favor are refresh rate, cpu cores.
Pick the XPS 16 (9650) if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are claimed battery life, battery, thunderbolt ports, among others.
Both ship with comparable ram, storage, backlit keyboard, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Why ASUS - ROG Strix G16 (2025) wins
- ▲Refresh rate — 100.00% more. 240 Hz vs 120 Hz.
- ▲CPU cores — 50.00% more. 24 vs 16.
Why Dell - XPS 16 (9650) wins
- ▲Claimed battery life — 44.44% more. 13 h vs 9 h.
- ▲Battery — 10.56% more. 99.5 Wh vs 90 Wh.
- ▲Thunderbolt ports — 2.00 more. 3 vs 1.
- ▲Screen size — 1.88% more. 16.3 " vs 16 ".
- ▲Panel type: OLED (vs IPS).
- ▲Weight — 0.37 kg less. 2.13 vs 2.5.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | ASUS - ROG Strix G16 (2025) | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 2.5 kg | 2.13 kglead |
| Thickness | 26.9 mm | 18.7 mmlead |
| Build material | aluminum | aluminum |
| Backlit keyboard | true | true |
| Fingerprint reader | false | truelead |
Display
| Spec | ASUS - ROG Strix G16 (2025) | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 16 " | 16.3 "lead |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 240 Hzlead | 120 Hz |
| Panel typeⓘ | IPS | OLEDlead |
Performance
| Spec | ASUS - ROG Strix G16 (2025) | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | Intel Core Ultra 9 285H |
| CPU cores | 24lead | 16 |
| GPUⓘ | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop |
| RAMⓘ | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Storageⓘ | 1024 GB | 1024 GB |
| Storage typeⓘ | SSD | SSD |
Battery & Ports
| Spec | ASUS - ROG Strix G16 (2025) | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| Batteryⓘ | 90 Wh | 99.5 Whlead |
| Claimed battery life | 9 h | 13 hlead |
| USB-C ports | 2 | 3lead |
| Thunderbolt portsⓘ | 1 | 3lead |
| HDMI | truelead | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, ROG Strix G16 (2025) or XPS 16 (9650)?+
XPS 16 (9650) claims up to 13 hours — 9h vs 13h.
Which is lighter, ROG Strix G16 (2025) or XPS 16 (9650)?+
XPS 16 (9650) is lighter at 2.13 kg vs 2.5 kg.
Which has an OLED display, ROG Strix G16 (2025) or XPS 16 (9650)?+
XPS 16 (9650) has an OLED display; ROG Strix G16 (2025) uses IPS.
Spec-level deep dives
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