The Best Multimedia Notebooks

After the successful debut of the M1 Pro processor, the new Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023 is based on the M2 Pro with 12 cores. In testing, the MacBook Pro 14 2023 based on the Apple M2 Pro offers a very high system performance, although the performance has to be somewhat limited when the GPU and CPU are loaded at the same time. At the same time, the device is almost always very quiet in everyday use. The build quality is still excellent and without flaws. You can also look forward to fast Wi-Fi and a great display with accurate colors.

After the MacBook Pro 14 could already celebrate its entry into the top 10, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 now follows, but unfortunately it's not quite enough for the first place. Thus, the bigger brother only has to settle for second place. In the test, the device based on the Apple M2 Max and the Apple Max 38-core GPU could achieve very good results. Typically for Apple, the entire hardware is housed in a high-quality and stable case. The good CPU and GPU performance is accompanied by a great display with accurate color reproduction. Long battery runtimes and very quiet operation make the device suitable for everyday use.

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 is even more powerful and one of the best devices for content creators.

The MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Pro, 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB SSD is available in stores for around $2,450, for instance at Amazon. Our test configuration with 64 GB RAM and a 2 TB SSD is available either from Apple's online store.

The Dell XPS 15 9520 managed to grab a spot in our top 10 ranking with a very good score. A very good overall result is due to the Intel Core i7-12700H and the GeForce GTX 3050 Ti. The successful and very high-quality OLED panel convinced us with its good color fidelity in the test, although the brightness could have been a bit better. However, the 16:10 format is positive, which will please many users. Furthermore, very good speakers and a fast SD card reader are still on board. The device makes life a bit difficult for the user in terms of ports because USB Type A is completely omitted. Thus, only TypeC sockets are used. Those who want to use their usual devices with the new XPS 15 9510 will have to work with adapters. Fortunately, a suitable adapter is already included in the scope of delivery.

The Dell XPS 17 9720 offers a current Alder Lake P CPU, as well as a gaming-suitable GPU and an excellent display. The 4K HDR display performs very well in the test and can even cover the AdobeRGB color space by 100%. The 16:10 format, which is becoming more and more popular lately, is also worth mentioning. The equipment also includes 32 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. Nevertheless, a second SSD can be accommodated in the device. In terms of external interfaces, Dell only relies on USB TypeC. However, the current Thunderbolt 4 standard is supported, so the device is well equipped for the future.  

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is a new series or multimedia laptops by Microsoft. The 14.4-inch device comes with an HDR display, a modern Tiger Lake CPU, and a dedicated Nvidia GPU. A total of 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB large SSD should suffice for most memory-intensive applications. The modern design is supplemented by modern Thunderbolt 4 connectivity. Thanks to its overall good system performance and comfortable keyboard the device managed to secure a solid 5th place in our top list of the best multimedia laptops.

Lenovo hasn't changed anything about the design of the new ThinkPad X1 Extreme G5 and rather concentrates on the inner values. The powerful and modern Intel SoC offers 14 cores and powers the multimedia notebook. The device also has a dedicated GeForce RTX 3060 laptop GPU, which makes it a good gaming notebook as well. The installed 16-inch display offers a pleasant size for working thanks to 16:10. Nevertheless, it only offers 60 Hz, which makes the difference to a pure gaming laptop.

The Asus Zenbook Pro 16X OLED is a consistently good multimedia notebook, which directly succeeded in entering our top 10 list. The Intel Core i9-12900H offers a lot of performance and in combination with the dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 laptop GPU, even demanding games can be played. One of the great advantages of the Asus Zenbook Pro 16X is definitely the great OLED panel with perfect color coverage.

With the Lenovo ThinkBook 16p G3, the manufacturer offers a very well equipped notebook for many different purposes. Compared to the predecessor, the new ThinkBook 16p G3 offers a new SoC and thus more performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX offers native 8 cores and 16 threads. Nevertheless, the performance gain compared to the predecessor is very manageable.  

The Schenker Vision 16 Pro offers a very high performance that can already keep up with a gaming laptop. The Intel Core i7-12700H has 14 cores and with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti there is also a fast graphics card. 32 GB of working memory and a 1 TB SSD round off the package well. Schenker does not skimp on the screen either, as the 240 Hz display offers a pleasant work surface with its 16:10 format.

The Vision 16 Pro can be configured on bestware.com starting at €1,899 (DACH region only). There is currently a Black Friday offer where you can save up to €350.