There is a large selection of 4k laptops, and they’re all considered premium. The prices are higher than what you’re probably used to, but this guide will help you decide which laptop is worth investing in for your needs. Also, if you need touchscreen functionality, check out our best Windows touchscreen laptops.
What to Look For When Buying a 4K Laptop
Unlike a desktop PC, laptops have fixed screens that vary significantly in quality from model to model. This is why you want to pay close attention to the display and its specifications, not just how much RAM you get and how fast the CPU is. So before deciding which 4k laptop is best, pay close attention to the following features:
Display: Even though all 4k laptops have a resolution of 3840 x 2140 pixels, there are other characteristics you need to consider, such as the size of the display, its refresh rate, panel type, and brightness. Each factor will significantly impact the quality of the screen and your visual experience. Processor: You want your laptop to be powerful enough to play your favorite games and finish your work tasks. 4k laptops also need more resources than an FHD system, so they come with some powerful options. If you want the best setup, look for models with an AMD Ryzen 9 or Intel Core i9 12th Gen CPU. Graphics card: You’ll need a powerful graphics card to get the best out of your 4k display. This is especially important if you want to play 4k games because a weak GPU won’t handle 4k gaming at maximum settings. The most common GPUs in modern 4k laptops are the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, RTX 3070, and RTX 3090, as well as their TI variants.
That said, RAM and storage also matter greatly, so just get the most you can afford. Since 4k laptops are premium products, they usually come with a high-quality SSD and at least 16GB of RAM.
1. Razer Blade 15
Best for gaming.
4K IPS display with DCI-P3 color space 144 Hz refresh rate GeForce RTX 3080 TI GPU 12th Gen Intel 14-Core i9 CPU 32GB of DDR5 memory
Although Razer Blade 15 has the best gaming performance, the fact it has a 4K display makes it a fantastic multimedia device as well. All the visuals pop with accurate colors and complete coverage of the DCI-P3 color space. And to kick it up a notch, each Razer Blade 15 4k display is individually calibrated in the factory to give you the best possible viewing performance.
This laptop is powered by an Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics card and a 14-Core i9 processor, and it has 32GB of next-gen DDR5 RAM with an impressive 4800MHz frequency. It also boasts plenty of storage with its 1TB PCI-e SSD, and you can transfer data at super speeds through the Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port.
2. ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15
Best for creative work.
15.6 inch main 4k display and a 14-inch secondary 4k display Touchscreen functionality 100% DCI-P3 gamut 11th GenIntel Core i9 processor and RTX 3080 GPU 32GB RAM with 2666MHz memory speed
ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 is a beautiful 4K laptop for all professional creatives that need a portable workstation. It comes with Pantone-validated colors, so you can rest assured all the colors are displayed accurately. This amazing screen is powered by an 11th Gen Intel Core i9 processor and an RTX 3080 GPU, so you can also play your favorite games at 4k resolution. This ASUS 4k laptop was built to be a professional beast and will support all your work requirements with 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD of storage. We only wish it had the new DDR5 RAM instead of DDR4 for even more performance, but that would’ve increased the price considerably. That said, the main advantage of the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo can be deciphered from its name. Duo means it has a second display, the ASUS ScreenPad Plus. This 14-inch 4k display with a 3840×1100 touch panel will allow you to multitask efficiently. You can even use a stylus and set extra controls for Adobe Photoshop.
3. MSI Raider GDE66 UHD 4K
Best 4k laptop with powerful internals.
4k display with 120Hz refresh rate 12th Gen Intel Core i9 processor and RTX 3080 Ti GPU 32GB of DDR5 RAM with 4800Mhz frequency Thunderbolt 4 port
This powerful 4k laptop is excellent for gaming, multitasking, and professional work. Creatives and gamers will be especially pleased with the 100% Adobe RGB color gamut that delivers more vibrant colors. The MSI Raider GDE66 is powered by the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i9 CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU. With 32GB of high-speed DDR5 memory and a 1TB NVMe SSD, you get hard-to-beat responsiveness and data transfer rates. However, you’ll have to keep an eye on the hardware temperatures because that’s a lot of power packed in such a small case. This laptop may still be the biggest and baddest system on the market, but it will also heat your home if you’re not careful.
4. Dell XPS 15 9520
A high-performance, almost 4k laptop at a moderate price.
3456×2160 OLED display with a small bezel Hardware setup is highly customizable Comes with DDR5 high-frequency RAM Includes 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports Long battery life
The Dell XPS 15 9520 is a highly customizable model with a powerful 12th Gen H series Intel CPU. You can choose between an i5, i7, or i9 based on your needs. You can also choose between the Intel Iris XE and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPUs. We recommend going for the dedicated GPU if you’re gaming because 4k resolutions are demanding. Because this Dell flagship 4k laptop is from the XPS series, it has an almost bezel-free display. It seems as if its OLED touchscreen display floats above the keyboard. But the XPS 15 is not quite a true 4k laptop. Its resolution is 3456×2160 due to the 16:10 aspect ratio. Proper 4k laptops have 3840×2160 at an aspect ratio of 16:9. However, the XPS 15 is close enough to be 4k and deserves a place on this list.
5. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5
Best 4k laptop for productivity and functionality.
16-inch 4k IPS display Powered by 12th Gen Intel Core vPro i9 CPU and RTC 3080 Ti GPU 32GB of DDR5 RAM 2TB SSD M.2 storage system Fingerprint reader integrated with the power button
Although the design of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 is a bit outdated, you can rest assured this is a powerful 4k laptop. With its 12th Gen H-series CPU, Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti, and 32GB of DDR5 memory, it’s a powerful machine capable of all the multitasking, gaming, and creative work you could throw at it. This ThinkPad X1 has a 16-inch UHD+ IPS touch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and 3840×2400 resolution. It has vivid and accurate colors and deep blacks delivered with a peak brightness of 600 nits. The only real downside is the refresh rate. It’s only set to 60Hz, and it should be higher for the price. Competitive gamers should look for a better option with a higher refresh rate.
6. HP ZBook Fury 17 G8
Best 4k workstation.
17.3-inch 4k touchscreen display Integrated fingerprint reader Mobile SIM slot Insanely customizable configuration
HP Zbook Fury 17 G8 is potentially the best workstation. Of course, that will depend on your budget and your needs. You can go as far as equipping it with an Intel Xeon processor and Nvidia RTX A5000 graphics card together with 128GB of RAM. This laptop can be a workhorse for anyone with large data sets and complex rendering tasks.
The RAM and storage options are vast and will suit all your needs as long as your budget allows. Its 17-inch screen size will please all the engineers and designers needing a powerful workstation. It has plenty of USB-C ports, an SD card reader, a mini-DisplayPort, and even a SIM card slot to access a 4G network.
The 4k screen of the HP Zbook Fury measures 550 nits of brightness and has a 60 Hz refresh rate. HP’s collaboration with DreamWorks brings a new DreamColor technology with crisp and accurate colors. Working on image and video editing on this 4k laptop is an exceptional experience. Its color gamut covers an incredible 161.7% of DCI-P3. The only downside of this 4k laptop is its high price for the top-notch configurations.
