Notebookcheck's Top 10 Slim & Light Gaming Laptops

Displays with slim bezels are not only sexy to look at, but they are also very trendy among gaming laptops. Besides the Gigabyte Aero 15, Acer Predator Triton 500, and Asus ROG Strix GL504, the 2019 model of the Razer Blade 15 features an edge-to-edge screen as well. The stylish metal body is one of the most noble, high-quality and best assembled chassis you can get. Keyboard, touchpad, and display (144 Hz) do not have to hide behind the competition, either.

The 15-inch laptop is packed with high-end components, despite its compact dimensions. This includes the Core i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q and NVMe-SSD storage. You can adjust both the software and hardware (like RGB illumination) comprehensively via Razer Synapse. Thanks to the good cooling solution, the notebook does not get very loud or warm, either. The port selection (no card reader, no RJ45 Ethernet) on the other hand could be better. Gamers with a focus on design and ambitions to travel cannot go wrong, though.

The wolf in sheep's clothing: This is a good description for the Gigabyte Aero 15 X9. While typical gaming notebooks are pretty bulky and/or heavy with playful designs, Gigabyte uses a slim, light, and sturdy case with an understated design for its 15-inch laptop. Only the RGB illumination of the keyboard hints at the gaming ambitions.

Under the hood, you get high-end hardware like the Intel Core i7-8750H and Nvidia's GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, which results in high temperatures under 3D load. You once again get the accurate and responsive 144 Hz panel we already know from the previous model. Gigabyte still ignores G-Sync and supports Optimus for longer battery runtimes instead. We think this is a good decision considering the mobility aspect.

While the 2017 Predator Triton 700 could not fully convince us due to its unusual placement of the input devices and the thick bezels, the Triton 500 leaves a much better impression. With the exception of the limited maintenance and the missing graphics switching, which would be a great fit for such a mobile device, Acer did not make any major mistakes.

We do not only like the metal surfaces of the 15-inch chassis, but also the Thunderbolt 3 port as well as the 144 Hz panel with G-Sync support. The necessary gaming performance is provided by the six-core CPU and a GeForce RTX 2080 in the efficient Max-Q design.

MSI currently has three notebooks in the slim & light gaming ranking. In addition to the GE63VR 7RF and GS73VR 7RG, the GS65 8RF also managed to secure a spot. The 15-inch system is the ideal companion for road trips thanks to a weight of just 1.8 kg. The lack of G-Sync is explained by Optimus, which improves the battery runtime. The GS65 does not lack 3D performance, either. Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q is competing with the previous high-end GPU GTX 980 and can handle all modern games in the native 1080p resolution and with good graphics (144 Hz panel). The test model for 2300 Euros also includes 16 GB DDR4-RAM, a 512 GB SSD, and the Core i7-8750H.

The 15-inch MSI system cannot quite keep up with the Gigabyte Aero 15X, which has very sim bezels as well. The GS65 is the quieter system, but the build quality of the chassis is worse, it is not as stable, and the maintenance is more complicated. Both the keyboard and the battery runtime of the Aero 15X are better as well.

The ROG Zephyrus from Asus is two times in our Top 10 ranking. Both the GX501 and the GM501 look very similar at first, but there are several differences. It starts with the input devices, which are once again back at the usual spot on the GM501. The two systems also differ in terms of specs. While the GX501 can be equipped with a GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, the less expensive sibling only get the GeForce GTX 1070.

The main rival is the updated Gigabyte Aero 15X, which is also equipped with Intel's powerful Coffee Lake Core i7-8750H, but it weighs less, lasts much longer on battery power, and has much narrower bezels.

Even though MSI did not change the chassis compared to the GS73VR 7RG, buyers also expect a good and slim 17-inch laptop in 2018. This means the GS73 8RF is not only comfortable light (2.4 kg) for gaming purposes, but also pleasantly slim (19.6 mm).

You still get potential hardware. The GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q has absolutely no problem with the native resolution of the test model. The high-contrast 120 Hz TN display features 1920 x 1080 pixels. We like the RGB illumination of the keyboard as well as the fast card reader, but not so much the port layout, the sound, and the temperatures during 3D workloads. A WLAN battery runtime of 3.5 hours is not really good, either, despite the lack of G-Sync support.

The ROG GU501 is yet another slim gaming notebook made by Asus. It is clearly based on its 15-inch sibling GM501 and features many identical components, such as keyboard, touchpad, and connectivity. However, it is equipped with a GeForce GTX 1060 and thus lacks the protruding cooling solution and features a conventional bottom cover instead. And while Asus still managed to keep surface temperatures within acceptable and moderate levels this was not the case for the notebook’s noise emissions.

The ROG Zephyrus S GX531 represents the successor the GX501, which was very innovative at its launch. As it is common for a mobile laptop from 2018, the bezels are much slimmer, and the device is also slimmer.

However, we think Asus tries a bit too hard with the diet, because the GX531 does not only get warmer than other gaming systems in our Top 10, but also louder (which is partly caused by the mediocre fan control). The unusual position of the input devices takes some time getting used to, and potential buyers might also be scared off by the limited number of ports (no Thunderbolt 3, no RJ45-LAN, no card reader), the limited maintenance, and the small battery. The laptop still manages a good score thanks to the stylish, high-quality, and conveniently light cas. We also like the RGB illumination as well as the responsive 144 Hz panel.

The Tulpar T5 from the Turkish notebook manufacturer is based on a barebone from Tonfang, more precisely the GK5CN6Z chassis. It is pretty exotic, which is supported by the keyboard. We get more and more mechanical keyboards, but they are still rare on machines for less than 2000 Euros. We also like the RGB illumination and the slim-bezel design of the 144 Hz panel.

There are also some drawbacks like the sound, the battery capacity, and the performance of the card reader, bu we think the main issue is the poor fan control. A Thunderbolt 3 port would have improved the score as well.

The Key 15 is made by the German notebook manufacturer Schenker Technologies. Thanks to its restraint and slim case, the multimedia/gaming hybrid could easily pass as office notebook as well. Don’t be fooled by its inconspicuous appearance, though: the 15-inch notebook packs a lot of punch. In addition to a Core i7-8750H it also features either a GeForce GTX 1060 or a GTX 1070 Max-Q.