Ranking: Best gaming laptops reviewed by Notebookcheck

The new Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 2024 no longer focuses on maximum performance, instead Asus wants to appeal to a larger customer group with a slimmer and more compact aluminum chassis. The result is an excellent gaming/multimedia hybrid with plenty of power.

The new ROG Zephyrus G14 is probably the best all-round notebook currently on the market. Asus combines a lot of positive features in a very high-quality and compact aluminum case with great input devices and excellent speakers, only the soldered RAM is a clear disadvantage.

The new ROG Zephyrus G14 will be available from 15.02.2024 and can already be pre-ordered. Our test configuration for €2,499 is already listed at Cyberport, for example, while the smaller version with the RTX 4060 laptop and 16 GB RAM costs €2,099.

With the new ROG Zephyrus G16 2024 asus is presenting a completely new and significantly thinner design that is intended to appeal to other target groups in addition to gamers. The result is a high-quality 16-inch computer with a great OLED panel and excellent speakers that can easily compete with Apple's MacBook Pro or the Razer Blade 16. In addition, the G16 is now also available with an AMD Zen 5 mobile processor for even more CPU power.

With the ROG Zephyrus G16, Asus offers a very compact 16-inch laptop with the GeForce RTX 4090 laptop. However, good mobility requires compromises in performance and other RTX 4090 models have advantages when it comes to gaming performance.

 

The RRP for the ROG Zephyrus G16 with the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 laptop is €4,299 and the model can be ordered from Amazon, Notebooksbilliger or directly from Asus, for example.

The Yoga Pro 9 16IMH9 is the most impressive model in the series so far, even in the cheapest configuration without RTX 4070 graphics or the stylish mini LED screen. It offers a real alternative to the XPS 16 or MacBook Pro 16. Its IPS display, performance and size are competitive with the Dell or Apple equivalents, while it is easier to maintain and has a better keyboard than the XPS.

The AI-enabled Lenovo Yoga Pro 9 16IMH9 is not only a great alternative to the Dell XPS 16 or MacBook Pro 16, but it does a few things better than both.

Currently, Amazon is offering the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9 16 configuration, for 1,900 euros.

The Razer Blade 16 2024 is once again a very successful gaming laptop. It is compact, slim, yet powerful and has a high-quality finish. With the fast and beautiful OLED display, the configurations have been enriched with a beautiful screen alternative.

Just like its predecessor, the 2024 version of the Razer Blade 16 is a very successful high-end gamer. However, there are hardly any reasons to upgrade from the almost equivalent predecessor.

The new Blade 16 in the high-end configuration we tested is available in various stores for 4,849 euros, for example at Amazon or Cyberport.

With the Legion 7 16 G9 lenovo offers a comparatively slim and inconspicuous gamer that is also interesting for other target groups such as multimedia users or content creators. Intel's Core i9-14900HX and Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4070 laptop provide sufficient power for the 3.2K IPS display with P3 coverage.

The new Lenovo Legion 7i 16 G9 is an inconspicuous gaming laptop with plenty of power and good features. The high-resolution IPS display is also suitable for editing images and no PWM is used.

The Legion 7i 16 G9 can be ordered directly from Lenovo from around 2,100 euros. The test configuration as a campus model is available directly from Campuspoint for EUR 2,249.

Razer sets new standards with the Razer Blade 18 razer raises the bar again this year with its 300 Hz 2K mini LED and 200 Hz 4K IPS display options alongside the already impressive 175 W GeForce RTX 4090. The HDR1000 mini LED panel in particular makes the Blade 18 a multimedia giant when it comes to gaming or video playback.

Thunderbolt 5, Mini-LED and Wi-Fi 7 help to distinguish the 2024 Blade 18 from its predecessor. Performance enthusiasts, on the other hand, will not notice any noticeable difference between the 2023 and 2024 models.

Our test configuration is currently not available for less than 5,000 euros. It starts at 5,105 euros via an ebay store, the usual mail order companies list the device for 5,149 euros, for example notebooksbilliger. The model with 4K costs 200 euros extra, an RTX 4070 saves 1,600 euros compared to the RTX 4090.

The Neo 16 is currently one of the most powerful notebooks: Core i9-14900HX and GeForce RTX 4090 prepare the computer for gaming, streaming and rendering. An optional external water cooling system squeezes every last ounce of performance out of the hardware.

Schenker delivers a lot of power in a compact format with the XMG Neo 16 (Early 24).

The XMG Neo 16 (Early 24) can be customized and purchased in the Schenker online store. This test device has a price tag of approx. 3,800 euros. Entry-level models (with RTX 4060) start at around 1,850 euros. Schenker announces availability from the end of June (RTX 4090) or mid-July (RTX 4060/70/80). The optional water cooling would cost 219 euros.

Due to a smaller and lighter form factor, the Alienware m16 R2 is the first newer generation Alienware notebook to do away with the wraparound thermal deck on the back. Some features were dropped along the way, but the end result is one of the most portable Alienware notebooks ever.

If you're happy with a GeForce RTX 4060 or 4070 graphics card, then the Alienware m16 R2 is simply the best all-rounder option you can choose in this series. If you need more performance and want to maintain portability, then the more expensive Blade 16 is still the right choice.

Dell is now shipping the Alienware m16 R2 with prices starting from €1,899 for the RTX 4060 and up to €2,199 for the RTX 4070 configuration.

"Forged carbon", "reinforced with 90% recycled magnesium", an update to Intel's Gen14 CPUs including AI functions and a bright MiniLED display with HDR1000. This comes with the RTX 4090 in the 4,899 euro luxury gamer.

The Legion 9i is a stylish high-end gamer, but unlike the smaller Legion models, the expensive high-end model is plagued by annoying problems such as a suboptimal cooling system and major latency issues.

Our configuration of the Lenovo Legion 9 16IRX9 or Lenovo Legion 9i is available directly from Lenovo for 4,899 euros.

Razer is starting the new year strong with a small but solid update to its smallest Blade series. Most users will probably miss the AI improvements in the CPU, but the small changes to the GPU ensure that the 2024 Blade overtakes its predecessor.

If you are not interested in CPU AI or Wi-Fi 7, you may be convinced by the slight increase in graphics performance of the 2024 Blade 14. If not, the visually identical 2023 model offers almost the same performance for less money.

In Germany, our test configuration is available from various online retailers for €2,999, including Cyberport, Notebooksbilliger and even Media Markt.