A few years ago, a 4K laptop was unheard of. But today, top manufacturers like Dell, HP, and Lenovo are offering a 4K display option for their flagship devices. These upgrades come at a hefty premium, however, so it's important to to know the best 4K laptops.
To help you get the most bang for your buck, we've compiled a list of our top picks. Our favorite 4K laptops, like this
Dell XPS 13
, come with stunning displays without sacrificing battery life and performance.
The best 4K laptops at a glance
Dell XPS 13 (2021)
Dell XPS 15
Dell XPS 17
HP Specter x360 15 (2020)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen 3 .)
)
Asus ZenBook Pro 15
Razer Blade 15 (2021)
HP Envy 15 4K
Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo
Dell XPS 13 (2021)
Why you should buy this:
The XPS 13 is a killer laptop by any measure and looks amazing with a 4K panel.
For whom is it suitable:
Everyone except players.
What we thought of the Dell XPS 13:
The XPS 13 tops our list of the
best laptops
, so it's perhaps no surprise that the 4K version also tops our list of favorite 4K laptops. The latest versions top everything we've seen before by moving the webcam back up where it belongs, the bezels and trim the case even more and offer some of the best internal hardware you can get in a 13-inch size (although there are others
great 13 inch laptops
worth considering).
In our review, we looked at the 4K UHD model with an 11th Gen six-core Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and one terabyte of PCIe NVMe SSD storage. No matter which option you choose decide, the 4K touchscreen looks amazing even in bright offices and outdoors thanks to 500 nits of brightness. It has great contrast, support for a wide range of colors (though not as wide as some others on our list) and a better one Color accuracy than most laptops in its mount.
The only downside to all of this is that the 4K screen is more demanding on the battery, so you'll have to sacrifice a little of that
XPS 13 (2021)
Longevity to upgrade to 4K. While the integrated Iris Xe graphics is a major upgrade over previous generations and allows for entry-level gaming, there's no substitute for a dedicated graphics chip.
Read our full
Dell XPS 13 in review
Dell XPS 15
Why you should buy this:
It's the XPS 13, but bigger and with more space to enjoy that beautiful 4K screen.
For whom is it suitable:
Anyone who wants more than a 13-inch laptop can deliver.
What we thought of the Dell XPS 15:
Bigger and more powerful, but a little less portable than its smaller brother, the XPS 15 steals our top spot
The best 15 inch laptops
list — and the 4K configuration is one of our favorites. You get a cheaper price and better battery life with the 1080p option, but if you're looking for that 4K experience, the XPS 15 is one of the best.
The current version no longer suffers from poor webcam placement near the bottom of the display bezels, which is a welcome change. It offers solid performance thanks to powerful Intel Core i7 and i9 10 CPUs. The optional OLED 4K screen means that you're getting one of the best displays on the market in terms of ink-to-black contrast, wide and accurate colors, and incredible brightness.
It's one of the better XPS laptop refreshes, and this
Dell XPS 15
The model is fantastic to look at and use. It's easily one of our favorite 4K laptops.
Read our full
Dell XPS 15 in review
Dell XPS 17
Why you should buy this:
You need a big, beautiful and powerful laptop as your daily driver.
For whom is it suitable:
Content creators and prosumers
What we thought of the Dell XPS 17:
A 17-inch laptop might seem crazy in 2020, but the Dell XPS 17 proves that big laptops are easy to use and incredibly valuable. Dell has made some impressive displays in its XPS lineup over the past few years, and the XPS 17 is no different. With such a large, vibrant, and bright display, this is the perfect setup for any professional video editor. Combine that with its impressive performance, and you have a device that easily defeats its closest competitor - the MacBook Pro 16 .
Battery life is a little rough, but that's to be expected given it has to power such a large display. One of the other great things about the
XPS 17
is how incredibly thin and light it is. Thin bezels allow Dell to fit more screen into less space, continuing the minimal design language of the XPS 13 and 15.
Read our full
Dell XPS 17 in review
HP Specter x360 15 (2020)
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends
Why you should buy this:
It's an incredibly powerful 2-in-1 with great graphics in both laptop and tablet modes.
For whom is it suitable:
Those who want the best 4K screen clarity in a convertible laptop.
Our opinion on the HP Specter x360 15 (2020):
Laptops that convert to tablets (2-in-1s as they're often called) usually fall short of being great laptops as they try to be a jack of all trades. Not so with the HP Specter x360 15, the really powerful one hardware in a relatively lightweight body for a great notebook with some tablet functionality.
The laptop offers a base model with a 10th generation Intel i7-10750H process with GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB PCIe NVMe storage. Ports include Thunderbolt 3, SuperSpeed USB-C , DisplayPort 1.2 and HDM 2.0b.Wi-Fi 6 compatibility is also included.
The display itself looks great, and while it falls a bit behind the competition in terms of contrast, its support for a wide color gamut is top-notch, and its color accuracy is only beaten by the XPS 15. Like the XPS 15, the latest versions include an option for a 4K OLED display for excellent screen performance to match its speed.
the
HP Specter x360 15 (2020)
is a bit heavier than we'd like for tablet use, but other than that minor gripe, it's a fantastic 4K laptop that's suitable for almost everyone.
Read our full
HP Specter x360 15 Review
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3
Rich Shibley/Digital Trends
Why you should buy this:
ThinkPads are amazing work machines, and the X1 Extreme is no different - now with a great 4K screen and an OLED option.
For whom is it suitable:
Anyone who wants to maximize screen real estate for work and play.
Our opinion on the ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen 3):
If style is the least of your concerns, or you want 4K laptop performance in a system that doesn't scream "look at me," the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 is for you. It packs powerful hardware into a durable, rugged chassis , which eschews modern design meta in favor of function, with an awesome keyboard to boot.
While the X1 Extreme retains the rigidity and rugged feel of its predecessors, the latest version is still on a diet, sporting a slimmer chassis and sleeker lines than the ThinkPads before it. These trimmed bezels help deliver a high-contrast 4K panel ( IPS and OLED options) that offers excellent colors and great brightness. The base specs for the UHD model include a 10th Gen six-core Intel i7-10850H processor, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB PCIe -SSD. The GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q is also a high-performance GPU, creating an ideal setup for more demanding video editing or eSports gaming.
Earlier models of
ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen 3)
fell a bit behind in terms of battery life, ending up under six hours in our video loop test. So expect to be able to plug it in for video sessions of any length.
Read our full
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme review
Asus ZenBook Pro 15
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends
Why you should buy this:
It's a worthy competitor for the XPS 15 and comes with a snazzy screenpad.
For whom is it suitable:
Those who want performance and enjoy innovative features.
Our opinion on the Asus ZenBook Pro 15:
As the only laptop on this list that tech comes with dual displays, the ZenBook Pro 15 is a unique offering that comes with a few quirks and drawbacks.
While built largely like most other ZenBooks we've reviewed, this one shakes things up with the introduction of the ScreenPad, an LCD touchpanel rather than a typical touchpad. The buttons aren't great, but we are have enjoyed the touchpad feature with its support for Windows 10 gestures and the ability to use it for dedicated apps like calculators and music players. It's certainly more
more useful than Apple's Touch Bar
.
The 4K screen in this laptop isn't the best, with a so-so contrast ratio and somewhat disappointing color accuracy, but at 335 nits it's reasonably bright and we found it good enough for productive work and photo viewing. However, there's always that new OLED option if you want a better looking panel at an increased price.
However, where it falls down in the graph is the
ZenBook Pro 15
makes up for the raw performance. Our test system, powered by the powerful Intel Core i9-8950HK, dominated the competition in all productivity benchmarks, and its gaming prowess wasn't bad either, delivering playable frame rates at 1080p in
rocket league
,
battlefield 1
, and
Civilization VI
.
Read our full
Asus ZenBook Pro 15 in review
Razer Blade 15 (2021)
Why you should buy this:
The Blade is a fantastic gaming laptop, and 4K really makes the graphics pop.
For whom is it suitable:
Gamers and anyone who likes a flashier laptop.
What we thought of the Razer Blade 15 (2021):
The Razer Blade 15 is that
best gaming laptop
on the market and has been our pick for gaming on the go for a while. For 4K, you need the Advanced model. The latest Razer Blade Advanced model supports a 15.6-inch 4K Touch OLED display. This gives you deeper contrast and support for HDR, as well as 100 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space and a response time of 1 ms. Razer even calibrates each of these displays before they ship.
The display is powered by an Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card, a new Intel Core i9-11900H CPU, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. This is the latest offering from Razer using the latest parts. You can go with a model from the latest You can save some cash by going with either a last-gen i7 processor or the RTX 2080 Super, both of which can handle 4K games.
the
razor blade
The 4K OLED model is locked to 60Hz, so it's not the best for high-speed or competitive gaming without an external gaming monitor, but there's also a QHD (2,560 x 1,440) display option with a 240Hz refresh rate if That's important to you. If you're looking for a slightly larger device, Razer offers the Blade Pro with a 17-inch display, but not with a 4K display option.
Read our full
Razer Blade 15 review
HP Envy 15 4k
Why you should buy this:
It offers almost everything that premium laptops offer at a lower price.
For whom is it suitable:
Anyone who wants a large 4K laptop under $2,000.
Our opinion on the HP Envy 15:
For busy business professionals who value portability in their products, the HP Envy 15 is an excellent choice - if you want to get the most out of your images, the optional AMOLED display (up to 400 nits brightness) paired with 4K is a must resolution is one of the best visual experiences for a 15-inch laptop and an ideal option for video editing and similar professional work.HP business-level standards like the fingerprint reader, webcam with shutter button, and microphone mute button are also welcome additions - and Wi-Fi 6 compatibility means the laptop is ready for the latest wireless connections.
Inside, the Envy 15 is equipped with an impressive six-core Intel Core i7-10750H CPU, the high-performance NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. There's also a healthy number of ports to connect your Manage connections including two Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports with SuperSpeed, DisplayPort 1.4, two USB-A with SuperSpeed, HDMI 2.0a and a microSD card reader.
If you're looking for a premium display on a well-equipped business laptop, this is it
HP envy 15
is one of the best models available without hitting the exorbitant cost, and updated features like Wi-Fi 6 make it ready for years to come.
Read ours
HP Envy 15 review
Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo
What you should buy:
For whom is it suitable:
Gamers and content creators who don't mind spending more on unique features.
Our opinion on the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo:
The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo is an unashamed gaming laptop. While machines like the Razer Blade 15 are pushing for the traditional thin and light form factor, the Zephyrus Duo screams "gamer". A big part of that is the ROG ScreenPad Plus. It's a second screen that sits above the keyboard and you can use it for everything from displaying information in a game you're playing to controlling the color wheels in DaVinci Resolve. The latter makes the Zephyrus Duo a great laptop for the video editing.
Under the hood, the Zephyrus Duo supports up to an Intel Core i9-10980HK, an RTX 2080 Super, 48GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage in RAID 0. The keyboard is equally impressive with per-key RGB lighting and 1.4mm of key travel. Next to it is an offset trackpad that doubles as a number pad with an overlay.
And then there's the ad.The
Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo
The 4K model covers 100% of the Adobe RGB spectrum and 137% of the sRGB spectrum, and the secondary display offers a resolution of 3840 x 1100. Although the 4K display supports G-Sync, it is locked at 60 Hz .Asus also offers a Full HD display that can run at a blistering 300 Hz.
Read ours
Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo review
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