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01Best overall 4K gaming laptopBest overall 4K gaming laptop
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02Best budget 4K gaming laptopBest budget 4K gaming laptop
The best gaming laptop with a 4K display is an investment that can transform your gaming experience. Yes, they really are that beautiful.
You’ve chosen an exciting time to be considering a new gaming laptop. There’s a sales period approaching and the release of DLSS 3.5 certainly helps the frame generation keep up. More and more gaming companies are getting in on the action meaning we can now personally recommend the best gaming laptops, though here we’ve exclusively selected 4K options.
So what exactly is 4K resolution? It has four times as many pixels as a 1080p display at 3840 x 2160 pixels. It provides sharper, more detailed images and offers greater immersion into your gameplay. See for yourself and watch someone play Starfield in 4K. Add a super bright, thin bezel display and the experience is nothing short of magical.
Best 4K gaming laptops at a glance
Gigabyte Aero 16 OLED
GPU
RTX 4070
CPU
Intel Core i9-13900H
Display
16:10 thin bezel UHD+ 3840×2400 OLED
RAM
32GB GDDR6
ASUS VivoBook Pro 16X
GPU
RTX 3050 Ti
CPU
Ryzen 9 6900H
RAM
32GB DDR5
Display
16in, 4K, 16:10, OLED
Storage
1TB
Razer Blade 16 RTX 4090
Display size
16in
RAM
32GB
Resolution
4K
Refresh rate
240Hz
GPU
RTX 4090
CPU
Intel i9 13th Gen
Alienware x17 R2 (RTX 3080 Ti)
CPU
Intel Core i9-12900H
GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
RAM
32GB DDR5
SSD
2TB NVMe
Display
17.3-inch FHD 480Hz
Alienware m17 R5
Display Size
17.3″ FHD
Resolution
1920 x 1080
RAM
16GB
GPU
Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti
CPU
Ryzen 9 6900HX
Many game releases today are graphically intensive, so choosing a gaming laptop capable of 4K is a great way to appreciate the design and detail of a game world. It could also give you a competitive advantage since it’s easier to spot enemies and other objects from a distance. Before we get stuck in, it’s worth adding that none of these picks can be called the best budget gaming laptops – unfortuantely that’s the price of 4K.
1. Gigabyte Aero 16 – Best overall 4K gaming laptop
Gigabyte Aero 16 OLED
GPU
RTX 4070
CPU
Intel Core i9-13900H
Display
16:10 thin bezel UHD+ 3840×2400 OLED
RAM
32GB GDDR6
- Super bright OLED display
- Thin bezels
- Lightweight
- Plenty of ports
- Trackpad clicks aren’t great
- Speaker sound quality limited
One of the most popular 4K gaming laptops on the market today, the Gigabyte Aero 16 stands out for good reason. The thin bezel, OLED display panel with an aspect ratio of 16:10 allows 4K content to flourish. A slightly lower spec version of this model costing just over $1,000 features in our selection of the best OLED laptops. However, go for the RTX 4070 and 13th gen CPU model if you want true 4K without the help of DLSS.
The white, lightweight design also goes down well. It avoids the gamer aesthetic which is a turn-off for some people, instead embracing a sophisticated futuristic looking design. The main drawbacks for this machine are to do with sound quality and the trackpad. You may want to check out the best gaming mice and keyboards under $100 to rectify this.
2. ASUS VivoBook Pro 16X – Best budget 4K gaming laptop
ASUS VivoBook Pro 16X
GPU
RTX 3050 Ti
CPU
Ryzen 9 6900H
RAM
32GB DDR5
Display
16in, 4K, 16:10, OLED
Storage
1TB
- Impressive OLED display
- Good battery life
- Excellent value
- Previous gen components
For our budget 4K pick, we’ve selected the ASUS VivoBook Pro 16X. We recommend this pick both for light gaming and creative profesional tasks. Its standout feature is the attractive OLED panel, delivering plenty of colour and brightness to enjoy that 4K content. If you currently own a 1080p or even 1440p laptop, you best believe you’ll be impressed by the step up that this laptop offers.
It’s an attractive option in terms of battery life and storage too. You can spend more time playing and adding games to your library than constantly worrying that your laptop is about to run out of juice. For this price point, this is an area where we’re particularly impressed.
The build quality ticks all your important boxes too. it features an all-black slim design that is subtle and low key. It may not be as pretty as the Gigabyte Aero 16 but it sure does get the job done.
Razer Blade 16 RTX 4090
Display size
16in
RAM
32GB
Resolution
4K
Refresh rate
240Hz
GPU
RTX 4090
CPU
Intel i9 13th Gen
- Powerful CPU
- Excellent RAM
- Expensive
- Runs loud
Undoubtedlty one of the best RTX 4090 laptops on the market, the Raxer Blade 16 packs a serious punch for a serious price.
Everything about this latop is top end. The RTX 4090 graphics card, one of the most powerful graphis cards out there, capable of delivering framerates akin to a desktop RTX 3090. It achieves this while reminaing remarkably power efficient, especially within such a sleek chassis. Obviously with a current gen GPU and CPU, expect this laptop to be a little noisy. Even in 2023, we’re still waiting for a quiet powerhouse. The CPU itself is the Intel Core i9 13950HX, delivering eight performance-cores and 16 efficient cores which is particularly impressive.
The display here is also gorgeous, and it’s an amazing feat to play games in 4K while still maintaining around 60 FPS. All this is enjoyed with remarkably slim bezels, and if it wasn’t for that damn big price tag, we’d give it our full 10/10 recommendation. Unfortuantely, few will be able to splash out on this beautiful monster, but still, we can dream. You might even think a RTX 4090 laptop is overkill in 2023. Still though, we compared the Razer Blade 16 to the ASUS ROG Strix 16 for those interested in a bit of competition to the Razer Blade 16.
4. Alienware X17 R2 – Best 17-inch 4K gaming laptop
Alienware x17 R2 (RTX 3080 Ti)
CPU
Intel Core i9-12900H
GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
RAM
32GB DDR5
SSD
2TB NVMe
Display
17.3-inch FHD 480Hz
- Cool futuristic design
- Good quality mechanical keyboard
- Powerful
- Heavy
The Alienware X17 R2 is another fantastic 4K gaming laptop. Out of the whole Alienware X lineup, the X17 is the largest, boasting a display of over 17 inches. In otherwords, there’s plenty of room to appreciate that 4K res. Meanwhile, the overall design of the X17 R2 remains remarkably slim and low key. It weighs just under seven pounds, which isn’t that light but not heavy either. Still, Alienware has impressed us here by offering a gaming laptop without succumbing to the standard and albeit a little boring, gaming aesthetic.
The low profile mechanical keyboard is another enticing factor here. Too often people are investing in a secondary gaming keyboard after being stuck with a membrane keybord. Chances are this Cherry MX mechanical keyboard delivers a satifying enough click for the casual player. Add the AlienFX lighting controls to the mix and you’ve got yourself a pretty cool looking laptop.
Finally, the 3080 Ti and 12th gen Intel CPU make for a quality combo for gaming in high settings. While some might turn their hands to the best Intel 13th gen gaming laptops instead, the Alienware x17 R2 performs well enough for our recommendation.
5. Alienware M17 R5 – Best alternate budget 4K gaming laptop
Alienware m17 R5
Display Size
17.3″ FHD
Resolution
1920 x 1080
RAM
16GB
GPU
Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti
CPU
Ryzen 9 6900HX
- Powerful CPU
- Less expensive
- Lower boost frequency
Another Alienware laptop to the mix – the M17 R5 boasts a Ryzen 9 6900HX, which comes with 8 cores and 16 threads. At a core frequency of 3.3 GHz, ramping up to a boost frequency of 4.9 GHz, this is the kind of processor that’s going to play modern games with ease. It’s also surprisingly power-efficient, with a 45W TDP, giving you longer sessions on the go. The mobile RTX 3070 Ti should be handle gaming in 4K, especially with the help of DLSS too.
Alienware has really outdone itself with this very modern and sleek design, which is all-black and aptly titled the “Dark Side of the Moon” model. Some very subtle red lighting accents what is otherwise a very professional-looking laptop, and one that will fit into any surroundings. The 17.3” FHD display here is also one of the best we’ve ever seen, with a 360Hz refresh rate, making it a fantastic option for those of you who want to play games with fast-paced, twitch-like responses.
Best gaming laptop with 4K display – FAQ
We’ve answered a couple commonly asked questions below about 4K gaming laptops.
Is 4K gaming noticeable?
Yes – and hopefully for good reasons. 4K resolution is four times as many pixels as 1080p, which is a huge step up. Playing in 4K means crisper and more detailed images. Playing 4K in a game like God of War will let you appreciate the textures and facial features of characters to a greater degree. The end result is a greater level of immersion in the game. If you’re wondering why you’re not noticing the difference in 4K, it might be because you’re playing on a monitor, or sitting too close to the screen.
What is a cheap 4K gaming laptop?
Overall the ASUS VivoBook Pro 16X and Alienware M17 R5 laptops are more affordable 4K gaming laptops, hovering around the $1,500 mark. Generally speaking these laptops are cheaper because they contain previous gen hardware. There’s nothing wrong with this though, and they still deliver a fantastic result in 2023.
