The 5 Best 4K Laptops Reviewed

If you’re an avid gamer or dedicated to streaming your favorite shows and movies in the highest possible quality, a 4K laptop can be a very worthwhile investment, provided you have the budget to afford it.

Of course, it really doesn’t matter too much what resolution your screen is when you’re just after a laptop for work or school, so the large jump in price isn’t worthwhile, but if you’re a gadget enthusiast looking to upgrade, where to start?

After researching thoroughly, we’ve compiled a list of our top five 4k laptops on the market right now, not just for their screen quality, but for a whole host of other features, and to suit a variety of user preferences.

Not very hot on technology? Our thorough, user-friendly buyer’s guide breaks down the major components of a laptop to consider, explaining in clear terminology why they’re important and what to look out for.

Answers to your last-minute queries or concerns might be found in the FAQs section, where we’ve rounded up common customer questions from across the internet and provided all the information you need to make an informed decision.

Need Help Finding 4K Quality Fast? Here’s Our Top Pick:

Best 4K Laptops

1. ASUS UX534FTC

Extremely well-rated amongst the majority of customers, we recommend this beautiful offering from ASUS to those in a hurry for 4K visuals, thanks to its stunning 15.6 inch wide display, boasting a 92% screen to body ratio with NanoEdge bezel.

Boasting the latest Intel Core i7 Quad Core Processor and some equally powerful graphics from NVIDIA, it packs plenty of punch to really maximize the beautiful visuals a 4K display is capable of.

An innovative ScreenPad, or 5.65 inch touchscreen trackpad, is interactive and automatically adapts to your needs for clever controls, multitasking gestures and convenient quick tricks to increase your productivity.

Love a gadget with facial recognition? Use the built in IR camera for Face ID sign in thanks to Windows Hello, a feature of the newest, fastest, most user friendly Windows 10 S Mode.

A range of connections are possible, including USB-C, HDMI and SD card ports, Bluetooth 5.0 and Wifi 6 for the fastest internet connection and streaming speeds your friends will envy. No more buffering for you!

2. Razer Blade 15

A god amongst gamers everywhere, the Razer Blade 15 has the most contemporary graphics card and Intel Core CPU that, combined with 16GB of RAM and NVIDIA GeForce graphics card, will have you smashing through 60FPS in no time.

Although it’s going to cost you a pretty penny, every inch of its glorious 15.6 inch display is worth the investment, providing the ultimate level of performance thanks to up to 5.0 GHz of max turbo and 6 cores.

The 4K OLED display has a 1ms response time and one of the widest color ranges on the market, for streaming your favorite shows, movies and games in ultra HD like never before.

Durable yet compact, the CNC aluminum unibody frame is lightweight and only 0.78 inches thick, packing a seriously powerful punch from such a svelte design, capable of competing with the biggest and baddest computer tower.

Fully pre-loaded with Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6, Thunderbolt 3, plus both type A and C USB, you’ll achieve a desktop experience in a sleek, portable package you can customize and expand to make uniquely yours.

3. Dell Inspiron 7000

Did somebody say 4K laptop display that’s also a touch screen?

Look no further than the delightful Dell Inspiron 7000, a 4K UHD laptop boasting a mighty one terabyte of SSD storage and a whopping 64GB of RAM to compete with any games console.

15.6 inches of Truelife Narrow Border WVA display compatible with active pen support means you can draw right onto your laptop to create stunningly HD art without the need for a separate drawing tablet.

Thanks to the NVIDIA graphics card and and 10th generation Intel Core I7 processor, your screen resolution will remain at its highest even running 60 frames per second, so gamers can get behind this option too.

Sturdy and sexy, its stamped aluminum chassis is equally as pretty to look at, and weighing only 4.45 pounds, it’s still plenty portable for when you want to work or play on the go, as well as being resilient enough to carry in your bag.

Boasting a backlit keyboard, three 3.1 USB ports, a HDMI port, 3-in-one SD card reader and headphone/microphone jack, you’ll be able to connect all of the devices and accessories you desire, for a versatile usability all customers will enjoy.

4. HP Envy 13

Ever wanted to feel like a spy with the latest and greatest gadgets the tech industry has to offer?

Well now you can, thanks to the HP Envy 13, with a built in biometric 3D fingerprint reader for that James Bond feeling every single day.

Likewise, state-of-the-art security software includes an immediate webcam kill switch, plus durable, protective Gorilla Glass to protect the 8.2 million pixels your 13 inch $K IPS micro-edge touchscreen display boasts. Yep, it’s touchscreen, too.

Don’t be fooled by its small stature: an 178-degree wide-viewing angle means every inch of the UHD 4K screen looks stunning, especially alongside the 16GB of RAM and 125 GB of storage, with twelve hours of battery life before needing to charge.

With audio from music giants Bang and Olufsen, an NVIDIA GeForce graphics card and a brand new Intel Core processor, as well as the fastest possible WiFi speeds, you’ll be streaming non-stop in picture-perfect quality.

You’ll still be able to work comfortably on this space-saving device thanks to a full-sized keyboard with numeric keypad, and a solid-state drive providing faster more efficient boot ups every time.

5. Gigabyte AERO 15

You’re going to have to trust us on this one, as you probably haven’t heard of Gigabyte as a laptop manufacturer before, but their Aero 15 OLED 4K is a thin, high-performance laptop that can compete in the big leagues, no problem.

There are several different graphics cards and storage sizes to choose from on the listing, which increases or decreases the price accordingly, but allows gamers and streamers alike to customize their laptops with specifications that suit them.

Graphic-intensive apps like Adobe Creative Suite, Maya and Blender are no match for the NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1660 it’s equipped with, accelerating and optimizing the experience of creative professionals to make working a dream.

An ultra-slender 15.6 inch display with 89% screen to body ratio encourages productivity with a wider view, despite being less than an inch thick; housed by compact CNC aluminum alloy chassis, perfect for performance seekers on the go.

Eight and a half hours of battery life will easily see you through a day’s work on one charge, whilst Microsoft Azure AI intelligently optimizes your hardware profiles to create the most efficient battery usage every single day.

4k Laptop Buyer’s Guide

It’s not just about quality of picture, though you’re obviously committed to that if you’re investing in a 4K laptop, which are much pricier than your run of the mill notebook setups.

General specifications are important to bear in mind too, such as…

Screen Size

Of particular importance for a 4k device is the screen size you choose, because unfortunately, laptops with smaller displays won’t be able to demonstrate the difference in quality you’d notice from, say, a 2K or 1080p screen.

Aiming for a screen size fifteen inches or above, with bigger being better here, will maximize the space you’ll have to show off everything that high resolution display is capable of, allowing for the maximum number of pixels.

Of course, if you like to multitask or use the split screen function, having a larger display will only work to your advantage anyway, and you’ll probably find you’re more productive to boot as it’s more convenient to work.

Graphics Card*

Considering all of the money you’re putting into a 4K laptop, you’re going to want to make sure the graphics card it comes with is powerful enough to withstand it, or replace it with an upgrade.

Whilst they’re not exactly cheap, it’s a worthwhile investment when you’re committed to gaming or streaming in the highest possible quality for visually stunning results: YouTube, Twitch and other visual influencers will really benefit from this.

However, if you can settle for 30 FPS as opposed to the more desirable 60, the graphics card that comes as standard with a 4K laptop is probably going to be fine, though again, you might not notice as much of a difference visually.

Most of the laptops on our list have an NVIDIA GeForce graphics card, which is renowned for working in harmony with 4K displays and the right amount of RAM to offer the visuals you’ve only dreamed of before.

Some laptops allow you to remove and replace your graphics card with a bigger and better one, so if you’re a little short on cash right now, you could always upgrade in the future when you’ve had a chance to save.

CPU*

Alongside a suitable graphics card, you’ll want a powerful CPU to match, though this doesn’t necessarily have to be the newest and best. When opting for Intel, Core i5 or Core i7 processors are the way to go, aiming for a sixth generation chip or higher.

Your graphics card does the hard work, but the CPU is it’s support network, feeding it all of the precious data it needs to eat in order to run your display in 4k resolution – don’t prevent it from doing its job!

When AMD brand CPUs are your preference, anything prior to Ryzen is a no-go; you’ll get the best results from the latest 3000 series, which boasts powerful performance worth the financial investment.

*If you’re not a gamer, and you won’t notice the difference between different streaming resolutions because you don’t know what they are – don’t worry about these two categories, they won’t change anything about how your laptop runs.

Operating System

More of a general consideration, the OS for your laptop determines the overall look and user experience of your laptop; if you have an established favorite, you should probably stick to it, but we’ll outline the top three for you anyway.

Windows probably continues to reign supreme as the most popular operating system despite a hearty competition nowadays, because of its extreme usability and software compatibility.

Mac OS is best if you have a number of Apple products you’d like to sync up and use together for convenience, but you’ll find their computers far more expensive than the average notebook, without much to show for it.

Chrome OS is a recent development gaining popularity with the development of Google’s Chromebook series, which has seen collaborations with multitudinous manufacturers. It’s much simpler in nature, but far less compatible with software.

Battery Life

4K screens require a lot of juice to power, so you’ll find that they run out of battery at a faster rate than laptops of lesser resolution; a long life of between eight to twelve hours is recommended to ensure you get the most use out of this pricy investment.

If you’re planning to use your laptop at home more than anywhere else, you’d probably be alright with four to six hours, but again, you’ll need to plug it in to charge more often which could prove more frustrating than paying an extra few bucks.

Should you value portability over screen quality, you’re better off going for a HD 2K or 1080p display in a smaller size, which will take up less space in your bag but still provide quality viewing experiences.

Memory

As it will utilize more RAM than a lower resolution display, a 4K laptop should have a minimum of 16GB of memory; starving the CPU or the RAM of data will slow your laptop down and minimize the difference in quality of the display.

If you’re planning to edit 4K photographs or footage, you should aim for 32GB of RAM at least, because the rate at which both your CPU and RAM will begin to eat up that data is going to double.

This is the same in terms of gaming – those ultra-HD titles running in 60 FPS are going to burn through your storage at great speeds, so those gamers looking to have a high-definition experience should ensure they have plenty of RAM, too.

Connectivity

Again, this isn’t specific to 4K laptops, but having plenty of the right ports is necessary depending on your intentions for use. USB 2.0 and HDMI ports come as standard, but for fast charging, you’re going to want those sweet USB 3.0 ports.

Headphone and microphone jacks (or a dual singular) are a must for those planning to experience video conferencing with friends, relatives or colleagues in HD, especially on the go.

For satisfyingly speedy streaming of HD games, movies and TV shows, you’ll want 5Ghz Wifi compatibility, to ensure your internet connection is uninterrupted and quick enough to stream well on your high definition display.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 4K worth it on a laptop?

If you’re weighing up the answer to this question, there are a few things to consider.

How big will your screen be? Anything less than 13 inches won’t be wide enough for the difference in quality to be noticeable, so it’s probably not worth it in that case.

Similarly, you could opt for a full HD display that has sharp, accurate colors, vibrant contrast and vivid brightness levels, which is just as attractive visually as a 4K laptop, but usually at a lower price.

Gamers will require a considerable amount of power to run the biggest, most beautiful titles in 4K with a decent frame rate, particularly during high-octane online play, so make sure the graphics card and RAM are going to support successful play.

Likewise, a long battery life will be necessary to make the most of those beautiful visuals when you’re away from a charging point, as the fast frame rate and sky-high resolution comes at a price.

For more information on this topic, watch this video:

Is there a notable difference between 2k and 4k?

Supposedly, the picture of a UHD (ultra high definition) 4K display, usually at 3850×2160 pixels, is visibly superior to a 2K display, which typically has a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels.

Besides being much more expensive, games and streamed content will look sharper, but you’ll struggle to achieve that holy grail of frame rates, 60 FPS, or it’s going to cost you a lot of money to ensure your setup is capable of running it.

2k displays will have a slightly subpar image quality in comparison, but they’re going to be much easier to game on, and they’re still actually an incredibly crisp, clear visual experience to boot, and affordable, too.

If you don’t have the graphics card, CPU and RAM to make it worthwhile, then it really won’t be that drastic a difference to run at a lower resolution, especially if your screen is particularly vivid anyway.

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