In this guide, we’ve compared seven of the best 4K laptops for 2022 across multiple categories to help you find the right UHD laptop for your needs and budget.
Despite the fact that 4K is quickly becoming the standard resolution for new television sets, there still isn’t a huge adoption of 4K panels in computer displays. This is due to a number of factors, but mainly because a lot of computer users are either running applications that won’t benefit from using a 4K display, or are running applications that require expensive hardware in order to run them at 4K properly (mainly, gaming.)
However, as GPU technology advances and the hardware necessary to run 4K monitors gets cheaper, 4K displays will become more popular for PC users, too. And, that means for laptops as well. Still, though, there are a decent amount of options out there for 4K laptops. And, while they do come in at a premium over 1080P laptops, for users who could benefit from using the upgraded display, the cost might be worth it.
In this guide, we’ve rated and reviewed seven of the best 4K laptops currently available. So, if you are one of those people who could use a higher resolution display on your laptop (whether for higher-res gaming, or for professional work), one of the options listed below should work for you.
– Our Picks for the Best 4K Laptops
1. MSI GE66 Raider (Top Gaming Pick)
2. Lenovo ThinkPad P15 (4K Workstation Laptop)
3. GIGABYTE AERO 15 (Best Value)
A Quick Look at the Top 4K Laptops
The table below will give you a quick look at our selections for the best 4K laptops currently available. We’ve made our pick for the best 4K gaming laptop, the best workstation 4K laptop, the best value option, and the best 2-in-1 laptop with a 4K display.
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|
NAME | SPECS | RATING | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
GAMING
|
 |
MSI GE66 Raider |
|
/10 | |
|
WORK
|
 |
Lenovo ThinkPad P15 |
|
/10 | |
|
VALUE
|
 |
GIGABYTE AERO 15 |
|
/10 | |
|
2-IN-1
|
 |
HP Spectre x360 |
|
/10 |
*Click on the “Read Review »” links to jump to our overview on that specific laptop. You can also keep scrolling down this post to see which laptops made our Honorable Mentions.
1. MSI GE66 Raider
The best 4K gaming laptop
If gaming is your main concern and you have a large budget, then your best option is probably either this MSI GE66 Raider, or the ASUS ROG Zephyrus listed below. Since the MSI GE66 Raider is a lot cheaper than the ROG Zephyrus and comes with a higher-end CPU, we chose it as our top 4K laptop option for gamers.
The MSI GE66 Raider comes with an Intel Core i79-11980HK processor, an RTX 3080 GPU, 32GB of DDR4 memory, a 2TB SSD, and a 15.6″ 4K 120Hz display. The main selling point of the MSI GE66 Raider is the fact that it’s one of the only 4K laptops currently available that has a refresh rate higher than 60Hz—and, of the other 4K 120Hz laptops out there, it is the most affordable.
And, so, for pure gaming purposes, we felt the higher refresh rate and the lower cost made the MSI GE66 Raider the better option over the ASUS ROG Zephyrus.
The ROG Zephyrus is a real beast of a laptop, though. And, if you could use an RTX 3080 laptop that has a bigger screen and more storage and you don’t mind paying a hefty premium, it might be the better option for you.
Ultimately, though, as one of the only 4K laptops on the markets with a 120Hz refresh rate, the MSI GE66 Raider will work well for gamers who want an extremely smooth in-game experience to go along with their 4K display.
2. Lenovo ThinkPad P15
Best 4K workstation laptop
For graphics design, video editing, CAD work, or any other kind of intensive professional use, you might want to consider Lenovo’s ThinkPad P15 4K workstation laptop.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P15 is another extreme 4K laptop option. The ThinkPad comes with an Intel Xeon W-10855M processor, an NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 GPU, 128GB of DDR4 memory, and a 1TB SSD.
All of these specs are geared towards providing professionals with a powerful mobile workstation that can handle intensive tasks. It is priced at a little over $4,300, though, which makes it the most expensive option on this list.
This laptop will work for gaming, but NVIDIA’s Quadro line of GPUs aren’t designed for gaming specifically. So, if you want to do a mix of design work and gaming, the MSI GE66 Raider listed above would probably be a better option.
Ultimately, if you need a 4K laptop solely for professional use and you have a large budget to spend, then the Lenovo ThinkPad P15 is a high-end option that will serve you well.
3. GIGABYTE AERO 15
The best 4K gaming laptop for the money
Whether you’re looking for a 4K laptop for work, for casual use, or for gaming, this GIGABYTE AERO model is worth considering. It comes in at just over ~$1,300, making it one of the more affordable options on this list.
However, unlike some of the other affordable 4K laptops out there, the GIGABYTE AERO offers a lot more performance. It comes with an Intel Core i7-11800H processor, an NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU, 16GB of DDR4 memory, and a 512GB SSD.
The combination of the i7-11800H and RTX 3060 will allow this RTX 3060 laptop to handle most games on higher settings. And, if you need an option that can double as a work laptop, the i7-11800H, RTX 3060, and 16GB of RAM can handle a wide range of tasks, from graphics design, to spreadsheets, to rendering…
In the end, if you don’t have an extreme budget, but you want a 4K laptop that can handle a wide variety of tasks, then the GIGABYTE AERO 4K laptop is probably what you’re looking for.
4. HP Spectre x360
The best 2-in-1 4K laptop
If you need a 2-in-1 laptop that has a 4K resolution display, then the HP Spectre x360 might be your best option. It comes with a 15.6″ 4K touch screen display, a six-core Intel Core i7-10510U processor, 16GB of DDR4 memory, an NVIDIA MX250 GPU, and a 1TB SSD. It also comes with a stylus as well, which will help it stand out for artists and graphics designers.
While the MX250 isn’t the greatest GPU around, it should be able to handle less demanding games (League of Legends, Rocket League, Fortnite, Dota 2, etc.) on the 4K display. In some instances, you may have to turn some of the in-game graphics settings down, though, in order to maintain a playable framerate.
The HP Spectre x360 isn’t the cheapest 4K 2-in-1 laptop out there, though. At just under $2,000 it comes with a pretty steep price tag for the hardware you get. If you’re looking for a cheaper 4K 2-in-1, the Lenovo Flex listed at the bottom of this post is worth checking out.
Overall, if you’re looking for a 4K laptop option that has the versatility that a 2-in-1 laptop can provide, the Spectre x360 is probably an option that you’ll want to consider.
5. ASUS ROG Zephyrus S17
Honorable mention #1
While we didn’t choose the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S17 as the best option for 4K gaming laptops, it isn’t that far behind our top pick, the MSI GE66 Raider. And, in fact, there is a case to be made for choosing the Zephyrus S17 over the MSI GE66 Raider.
For starters, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus comes with a 17.3″ 4K G-Sync display. To push graphics-intensive games on its high-end display, the Zephyrus comes with an extreme hardware configuration: an Intel Core i9-11900H processor, an NVIDIA RTX 3080 8GB GPU, and 32GB of DDR4 memory.
The combination of the RTX 3080 and the i9-11900H will ensure that you’ll still achieve a high framerate in today’s top games despite the more demanding nature of gaming at 4K. And, with NVIDIA’s G-Sync, your games will feel incredibly smooth.
The Zephyrus also comes with a ton of storage. You get a 3TB NVME solid state drive.
It also comes with an extreme pricetag. The Zephyrus S17 comes in at just under ~$4,700. That makes it ~$1,200 more expensive than the MSI GE66 Raider.
However, it does come with NVIDIA’s G-Sync technology (which the MSI laptop doesn’t have), and it has a a larger 17-inch screen and more storage.
And, so, if you’re looking for an option that comes with a larger display and NVIDIA’s G-Sync technology, then the ASUS ROG Zephyrus is worth considering.
However, as the MSI GE66 Raider comes with a better processor, the same GPU, the same 4K 120Hz display, and the same amount of memory, it would definitely make sense to choose the ~$1,200 in savings, as the performance difference between the two laptops will be negligible.
6. Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5
Honorable mention #2
If you want a 2-in-1 4K laptop, but you don’t want to spend ~$1,800 on the HP Spectre x360, then this Renewed Lenovo Flex 5 might be what you’re looking for.
It comes with a 15.6″ 4K touch screen display, a six-core Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor, 16GB of DDR4 memory, an NVIDIA MX330 GPU, and a 1TB SSD.
The NVIDIA MX330 isn’t going to be great for gaming, but you can probably handle non-demanding titles on this laptop if you turn their in-game settings down to low.
The best part of the Lenovo Flex 5, though, is the price it comes in at. It costs just a little under $1,200 and so its a more budget-friendly option for professionals than the HP Spectre x360 is.
So, the bottome line is that, if you’re looking for an affordable 2-in-1 4K laptop the Lenovo Flex 5 is worth considering.
What is the Best 4K Laptop?
As of right now, the best 4K laptop is MSI’s GE66 Raider. The combination of its Intel Core i9 processor, its RTX 3080 GPU, its 4K 120Hz display, and the pricetag it comes in at help it stand out among other 4K laptops.
If you’re looking for a workstation-grade 4K laptop, then the best option is a Lenovo ThinkPad P15 model. And, for a more affordable laptop that will deliver excellent performance on a 4K display, the GIGABYTE AERO is an excellent option.
Rt says
I didn’t know my spectre x360 had a 1TB HDD
Fred Mazyck says
I know they’re being phased out, but I’m in the market for a new gaming laptop with an internal optical drive. It’d be nice to have a GTX 1660 TI or 2060 and above, ssd & mechanical drive, 17″ G-sync screen (4K 60 OR 1080 120).
Any suggestions?