Best 4K laptop buyer’s guide 2024

Helping you find the best 4K laptop for your needs, be it gaming, editing, graphic design, or general browsing

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This guide will help you find the best 4K laptop in 2024 for your needs. We’ve picked the absolute cream of the crop across a range of different categories, including the best 4K gaming laptop, 4K laptops for workstation and creative workflows, 2-in-1 4K laptops and others for more general usage. The prices of these machines range from the absolute high-end premium models all the way down to the most budget-friendly options available, though be advised even the cheapest 4K laptops usually aren’t that cheap in general terms.

Today’s best 4K laptop deals

Taking advantage of deals and offers will allow you to get more powerful devices for the same amount of money. Take a look at the best gaming laptop deals today on Amazon and see what you can snap up!

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Best 4K laptop 2024: Top Picks

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Best 4K laptop in 2024: reviews

The most powerful 4K laptop for gaming

Razer Blade 16 (4K/FHD, i9-13950HX, RTX 4090)

CPU

Intel Core i9-13950HX

Graphics Card

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

RAM

16GB / 32GB DDR5 RAM

Storage

2TB SSD

Max Refresh Rate

120Hz / 240Hz (switches between both)

Resolution

4K / FHD (switches between both)

How We Review

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Pros

• ridiculously powerful GPU & very powerful CPU
• very bright mini-LED screen
• great color replication
• 240Hz FHD/1200p mode for competitive gaming
• great build quality and aesthetic
• good voltage & fan customisation in onboard software

Cons

• very expensive
• 240Hz FHD mode is less sharp and requires reboot to switch on
• noisy fans when presets set to high
• battery life could be better (though could be worse)

2023 has brought with it the new 16-inch size Razer Blade 16, that not only comes with the latest 13th gen laptop CPUs, and RTX 4090 laptop graphics cards, but a new 4K display option that comes with a twist!

The laptop comes with a beautiful Mini-LED 4K screen, with an excellent peak brightness of 1,000 nits, HDR mode, and 100% sRGB and DCI–P3 coverage – all of which makes it a fantastic choice for creatives who need accurate color replication. At 4K resolution it is capable of a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz – ideal for most gaming scenarios – however it also has a unique ability to switch down to 1200p resolution but with a 240Hz maximum refresh rate – perfect for competitive gaming. Admittedly the screen loses some sharpness as the artificial resolution is engaged (relative to a native 1200p screen that is), but it’s still a very interesting feature.

The Intel Core i9-13950HX processor is the most powerful of the Intel laptop line, and the Nvidia RTX 4090 graphics card is the most powerful laptop GPU on the market – arguably the first GPU to make laptop gaming on maximum settings at 4K resolution, with good FPS a feasible reality. The excellent onboard software can be used to maximise the laptop’s performance, though this does cause the fans to get very loud – you can however tweak the fans/performance output to achieve the best balance for your needs, or turn them right down when not gaming.

The laptop comes with the excellent build quality and slimline portability that Razer is well known for. Unsurprisingly for a mini-LED display, you’ll be lucky to get 4 hours of battery life out of this machine, but as far as gaming laptops go with components this powerful we’ve seen worse. All-in-all, if you can afford the steep asking price this is a beautifully designed gaming monster.

A more affordable previous-gen 4K laptop for gaming

The best 4K gaming laptop which also comes with major workstation rendering power

ASUS Zephyrus S17 (4K, 120Hz, RTX 3080)

CPU

Intel Core i9 11900H

Graphics

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 (100-140W)

RAM

32GB

Storage

1TB SSD

Screen Size

17.3”

Max Refresh Rate

120Hz

How We Review

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Pros

• great FPS performance in games
• superb content rendering performance
• excellent response time
• good peak brightness & contrast
• nice optomechanical keyboard & trackpad
• raised keyboard improves coolin
• slimline and portable for such a powerful laptop
• good software with detailed fan controls

Cons

• expensive
• No MUX switch
• color gamut not sufficient for sRGB color work
• No G-Sync or FreeSync
• webcam and microphone could be better

The ASUS Zephyrus S17 is a very powerful 4K laptop that is perfect for both gamers and video editors, thanks to its high TGP 100-140W Nvidia RTX 3080 (16GB VRAM) graphics card and Intel Core i9-11900K CPU, which make short work of any game or rendering workflow. You will certainly struggle to find a gaming laptop of any kind with better FPS performance than this beast. The main disappointment is a lack of MUX switch with which to turn off Optimus and improve performance even further, but this can still be accomplished by connecting to an external monitor.

The raisable keyboard design of the Zephyrus S17 is supposed to both improve the typing angle for your hands (which takes a bit of getting used to but is effective) and also allows greater airflow to improve cooling and reduce thermal throttling on the performance of the core components. This latter feature is apparently reasonably effective, and it’s good to see increasing ingenuity in laptop design. The standard of both the optomechanical keyboard and the trackpad is also good.

The 120Hz refresh rate is more than enough for the majority of gamers, particularly when playing single-player titles, and even for competitive fast-paced online gaming it will do the job. This is helped even further by the near 5ms grey-to-grey response time (at least when overdrive is enabled as standard), which is quick enough that there won’t be any ghosting at all at this refresh rate, and is pretty excellent considering higher resolution displays tend to be a lot slower in this area. Unfortunately though, neither FreeSync nor G-Sync are supported.

Color replication on the display is respectable but slightly disappointing for a 4K screen. At 95% sRGB coverage it’s not quite suitable for any color accurate work, but is definitely above what you’d need for gaming on. The peak brightness of the Zephyrus S17 is however quite impressive, and the contrast is decent too.

Considering the size of this gaming laptop, and the power of its core components, it is remarkably slim and lightweight: coming in at around 6.21lb / 2.82kg, though this is without the typically hefty power brick. Battery life is respectable if not amazing at around 5 hours of non-gaming usage. The onboard software is good, giving nice granular control of fan speed. The webcam and mic aren’t of the best quality, though not the worst we’ve seen either.

Ultimately the biggest reason you might not want to buy this laptop is the cost, though if you can afford it, this is both the best 4K gaming laptop money can buy AND a very powerful rendering machine.

The best 4K laptop for content creators on the move

Gigabyte Aero 17 YD (HDR, 60Hz, RTX 3080)

CPU

Intel Core i9-11980HK

Graphics

Nvidia RTX 3080 (100-140W)

RAM

32GB

Storage

512GB SSD + 1TB SSD

Screen Size

17.3”

Max Refresh Rate

60Hz

How We Review

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Pros

• great content rendering performance
• great FPS performance in games
• top-notch color replication
• great brightness & contrast
• 15.6” OLED version also available
• thin and portable despite large display

Cons

• 60Hz caps at 60fps for gaming
• poor speakers
• poor webcam & annoying placement
• only one USB-C port

The Gigabyte Aero 17 YD comes with another high TGP (100-140W) RTX 3080 graphics card and a powerful Intel Core i9-11980HK processor, which both make mincemeat of any rendering workflow or 3D modeling exercise. Although with a maximum refresh rate of 60Hz you won’t be able to enjoy games at a frame rate larger than 60fps, if you don’t mind this cap, the Gigabyte Aero 17 YD also still produces strong in-game performance as you’d expect with these core components.

Even with all this power, the 17-inch HDR display on this premium machine is still the highlight. sRGB coverage and AdobeRGB coverage are around 99% and 96% respectively, which is sufficient for any color-accurate work in these two spaces. The 89% DCI-P3 gamut coverage is also good, if not quite up there for accurate professional work in this space. Peak brightness and contrast ratio are also both great as you’d expect from an HDR screen.

These stats can all be pushed further with the OLED version of the Gigabyte Aero, though this limits you to a 15.6” screen size. On balance we prefer the additional screen space when editing, compared to the extra lush colors of the OLED display, but if you find 17-inch gaming laptops too big for your needs, then the Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED version may be more your cup of tea. That being said, the Gigabyte Aero 17 YD is actually pretty thin and portable, considering its dimensions, and particularly considering the amount of power it has under the bonnet.

In terms of the other features, the biggest disappointment for the Gigabyte Aero 17 YD is probably the speakers, which are poor – slightly below average of even gaming laptop standards – and this is not ideal for content creators, even if most of the time you’d be using headphones anyway to listen to audio. The webcam is similarly poor for a creator’s laptop, about average for a gaming one, and is annoyingly placed on the body of the laptop for an under-chin angle. The internal mic also leaves something to be desired. Although generally the ports and sockets of this machine are pretty good, we would have liked to have seen an additional USB-C port added.

All-in-all though, this is a top-notch 4K laptop for creative workflows.

The best 2-in-1 4K laptop with programmable stylus & AMOLED touchscreen

HP Spectre x360 (15-inch, AMOLED)

CPU

Intel Core i7-8565U / i7-10750H

Graphics

Nvidia GeForce MX150 GPU / GTX 1650 Ti

RAM

16GB or higher

Storage

1TB SSD

Screen Size

15.6”

Max Refresh Rate

60Hz

How We Review

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Pros

• AMOLED display has unbeatable colors, contrast, and brightness
• looks great
• nice membrane keyboard
• comes with programmable stylus pen
• respectable battery life considering the AMOLED display
• relatively affordable for an AMOLED

Cons

• only a single USB-A port
• no webcam on 15” version
• might be a bit large for some as a tablet

2-in-1 laptops like the HP Spectre x360 are our device of choice when it comes to those looking for touchscreen functionality, as they offer all the free form touchscreen advantages of a tablet, including the ability of artists to illustrate on them using a stylus pen, whilst retaining all the conventional functionality of a laptop.

There are different configurations of this laptop available on both the HP website and from retailers such as Best Buy, and which you go with depends on your needs. If you’re purely a graphical illustrator and won’t be interested in much processor-heavy rendering workflows, then the base Intel Core i7-8565U CPU model with Nvidia GeForce MX150 graphics card is possibly right for you. If you want a bit more oomph then we’d suggest the i7-10750H with GTX 1650 Ti instead, though this still will only be capable of fairly lightly demanding workflows.

In terms of the other specs we’d recommend going with the 1TB SSD upgrade which you can get on the HP website. The 16GB standard RAM is fine enough, but you’d be better going with the 32GB option in our opinion which can be found on some retailers, to maximise web browsing and workflow functionality.

Onto the main event: the AMOLED display of the HP Spectre x360 is quite simply the nicest display you will find on a 2-in-1 laptop in this price range, and indeed, the best of any 4K laptop on this page. As with all OLED technology, the contrast ratio and peak brightness are superb, with the inkiest of blacks and around 500 nits peak brightness. The color gamut covers 100% of the sRGB space and 97% of AdobeRGB, which is superb and definitely permits color-accurate work in these two spaces.

The HP Active Pen with two programmable buttons is included along with the laptop, and is a great addition for artists. We would have liked to have seen more than a single USB-A port given its utility for creatives, but this is a relatively minor complaint. There is no webcam, which may put some off, and ultimately a 15.6” screen tablet might be a bit too large for some, but all that aside this is a great 4K laptop for artists.

The best 13-inch 4K laptop for working on the move

Dell XPS 13 (13-inch, OLED)

CPU

Intel Core i7-1185G7

Graphics

Intel Iris Xe

RAM

16GB or higher

Storage

512GB SSD or higher

Screen Size

13.4”

Max Refresh Rate

60Hz

How We Review

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Pros

• superb sRGB color replication
• great contrast and peak brightness
• runs quiet
• impressively thin
• terrific build quality
• nice keyboard & trackpad
• fast microSD reader

Cons

• speakers don’t compare to the MacBook
• battery life could be better for 4K version
• fairly expensive

The Dell XPS 13 is a major challenger of the Apple MacBook Air’s throne for the best high-quality ultraportable notebook laptop. This isn’t designed to be a gaming machine, but a premium general use and light workstation laptop, for office workers, writers, and creatives who don’t need a lot of rendering power in their workflows. For the model we’re reviewing here, the laptop comes with an Intel Core i7-1185G7 CPU and Intel Iris Xe graphics, both of which do the job.

The 16:10 display gives you a bit of extra headroom on what is overall a small screen. Bezels are also pleasingly thin, maximizing the screen space you do have. Contrast and brightness are both great on this machine, and you get superb color gamut in the sRGB space, specifically getting: 100% sRGB, 80% Adobe RGB and 80% DCI-P3 coverage.

The build quality on this machine is top-notch, and it’s genuinely impressive how sturdy the Dell XPS 13 feels despite being so thin. The membrane keyboard is a pleasure to type on, being both comfortable and satisfyingly clicky, and the trackpad is also pleasingly responsive and accurate. Fan noise is also kept to a minimum, making this the ideal working laptop when on public transport or a quiet study area. The microSD card reader it comes with is another welcome feature, particularly one that runs as fast and efficiently as this one. Unfortunately, probably the biggest disappointment with the XPS 13 is the speakers: these are better than your typical gaming laptop effort certainly, and can get quite loud, but they don’t match up to the great quality of the MacBook’s in terms of audio quality and bass replication.

In a similar vein, although the 1080p version of the XPS 13 has a great battery life of around 15 hours in non-strenuous usage, the 4K display option we’re looking at here today doesn’t compare as favorably, coming in closer to 7 hours. This isn’t terrible, but it’s a few hours below what we would have liked. The 1080p webcam does have InfraRed technology but is merely adequate in terms of quality, along with the internal mic.

Besides these points though, the only real downside of this 4K laptop is the price, which isn’t terrible for a 4K display compared to the other options here, but considering the small size of the machine and its relatively lightly powered CPU & GPU, might be a bit steep for some. Then again, compared to a MacBook it doesn’t seem unreasonable.

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Should I buy a 4K laptop?

There’s no doubt that the displays of 4K laptops are unmatched in terms of crispness of picture, but the honest truth is for most people a 4K screen on anything smaller than a 17-inch screen is fairly pointless. Even then, you’d probably be better off going for a 1440p laptop on a 17-inch display. There are exceptions to this, however.

Gaming at 4K resolution is possible on powerful machines, but the lower FPS you’ll get even on the most highly specced laptop, or even desktop computer, means that you’ll normally have a much better experience on lower resolutions. Assuming there’s another reason why you need a 4K screen though, you can always just turn the resolution down in-game on a 4K screen. There is therefore utility in buying a 4K gaming laptop, as long as you’re going to use it for something else as well.

Creative workflows are the main reason to buy a laptop with a 4K display. If you’re a video editor working with 4K footage, it can help to be able to view said footage at its native resolution. Similarly, if you do multimedia work, graphic design, illustration, or 3D modeling, the higher resolution can help you see the detail you need on what you’re working on.

Best 4K laptop deals

• Lenovo ThinkPad P15v Gen 3 AMD (15″) 4K Mobile Workstation – AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H, NVIDIA T1200 4GB GDDR6, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD – was $3,589.00 now $1,969.90
• Lenovo Legion Slim 7 (15″) 4K Ultra HD – AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, RTX 3050 T, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD – was $1,799.99 now $1,439.99
• Razer Blade 15.6″ 4K OLED Touch Screen – Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Studio Edition, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD – was $4,299.99 now $2,784.99
• MSI Titan GT77 17.3″ UHD 120Hz Gaming Laptop – Intel Core i7-12800HX, RTX 3070 Ti, 32GB DDR5, 1TB SSD – was $3,199.00 now $2,591.56
• MSI Stealth GS77 17.3″ – Intel Core i9, RTX 3080 Ti, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD – was $4,199.99 now $3,899.99
• GIGABYTE AERO 16″ – 4K AMOLED, Intel i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD – was $2,349.99 now $1,399.99

Some of our other laptop articles

• Best laptop for video editing
• Best laptop for animation
• Best OLED laptop
• Best touch screen laptop
• Best AMD Ryzen 6000 series laptop
• Best Samsung laptop
• Best Evoo laptop
• Best pink laptop
• Best i7 Windows laptop
• Best laptop stand
• Best laptop table & laptop tray

Best 4K laptop : Final Word

We hope this guide has helped you make the choice as to which is the best 4K laptop for you in 2024. If you’re interested in gaming laptops specifically, regardless of resolution, do be sure to check out our best gaming laptop page, or alternatively have a look at some of our other gaming laptop guides based on different price points, under Custom Gaming PC > Gaming Laptop in the top menu bar. If you’re looking for a laptop for your studies, which might not need quite as high-res a screen machine, also consider reading our best laptop for students guide for some examples there.