The Best Multimedia Notebooks
Month after month Notebookcheck gets to review a huge variety of notebooks of all categories, some of which can be categorized under the all-encompassing multimedia umbrella. In order to be considered a multimedia laptop, the devices has to feature a 14-inch display, needs to be designed as an all-rounder by its manufacturer, and has to feature a dedicated GPU. Multimedia laptops are the best choice for all creative and demanding users that need to inspect and edit photos and videos. They are, however, also very well suited for occasional gaming and unsurprisingly less demanding tasks such as writing emails or word processing.
Powerful notebooks that are very well suited for enjoying current PC games can also be found on the following lists:
- The Best Budget Multimedia Notebooks (affordable all-round notebooks for less than 1,000 Euros)
- The Best Gaming Notebooks (particularly powerful gaming laptops)
- The Best Budget Gaming Notebooks (affordable gaming laptops for less than 1,500 Euros)
The Best Multimedia Laptops
The table above contains an overview over the best multimedia notebooks reviewed by Notebookcheck over the course of the past 12 months as well as still relevant and available older products. In cases of identical score the more recent device is listed first. All prices in above table and price comparisons are updated daily and can thus differ.
Editors' Comments
1st – Dell XPS 15 9500
Dell’s XPS 15 9500 (see review here) managed to score first place in our top 10 list. Its verh good overall rating is a result of Intel’s Core i9-9980HK paired with a GeForce GTX 1650 Ti. Its well-made high-quality 4K panel offers a high brightness and a 16:10 contrast ratio. Furthermore, the device features very good speakers, a fast SD card reader, and a very large click pad. On the other hand connectivity is a mixed bag as the laptop lacks any form of USB-A connectivity in favor of USB-C. Thus, if you want to continue using your legacy peripherals you might have to start living the dongle life.
The greatest benefit of Dell’s XPS 9500 and most certainly essential in deciding whether or not one should get the 2020 model is the 16:10 display.
If you intend to use the device for gaming, you should keep in mind that the panel’s response times were only average. Additional issues might be caused by its high DPC latencies, although those might get addressed over time through driver updates.
Top 10 Laptops
Multimedia, Budget Multimedia, Gaming, Budget Gaming, Lightweight Gaming, Business, Budget Office, Workstation, Subnotebooks, Ultrabooks, Chromebooks
under 300 USD/Euros, under 500 USD/Euros, 1.000 USD/Euros
Best Displays, for University Students
Top 10 Smartphones
Smartphones, Phablets, ≤5-inch, Camera SmartphonesThe Best Smartphones for Less Than 160 Euros
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2nd – Apple MacBook Pro 15 2019
Apple’s fastest MacBook Pro 2019 (see review here) features an Intel Core i9-9980HK, 32 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB SSD. It is paired with an AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 with 4 GB of HBM2 VRAM. All this is packed into Apple’s well-known 15-inch case.
In our review, the MacBook Pro 15 failed to utilize the Core i9-9980HK’s maximum performance due to the cooler that was incapable of handling the powerful processor, thereby rendering this particular configuration moot. 3D performance, on the other hand, was a very different story, as Apple managed achieve significant performance gains thanks to the Radeon Pro Vega 20. Accordingly, our personal sweet spot would be the regular Intel Core i9-9980H combined with an AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20.
When buying Apple’s MacBook Pro 15 you can easily and without regrets do without the fastest available Core i9 CPU. The new GPU, on the other hand, can be well worth its price.
The perfectly manufactured case and a giant trackpad with perfect precision are good, however they do not justify the MacBook Pro’s high price. To make matters worse the CPU failed to achieve its full performance due to the overstrained cooling solution, which is very noticeable under full load. In addition, the power supply is not sufficiently dimensioned.
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3rd – Dell XPS 17 9700
Dell’s XPS 17 9700 (see review here) features Intel’s Comet Lake CPUs paired with a GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q. Furthermore, the 17-inch laptop comes with a 16:10 display, which should be beneficial to many users. Despite a complex vapor-chamber cooler the 8-core CPU got hot under load. The 130 W power supply is connected via USB-C, and the battery discharged slowly under extreme loads even with the power supply connected.
The XPS 17 9700 is a very powerful 17-inch multimedia notebook without any real competitors. However, some aspects could have been improved.
We definitely liked the high-quality IPS display with its high AdobeRGB color space coverage as well as the easily and readily accessible SO-DIMM and M.2-2280 slots. All things considered the XPS 17 9700 is a powerhouse with a display large enough to make for a decent desktop replacement.
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4th – Dell XPS 15 7590
Dell’s 2019 XPS [see review here] is a well-made improvement over last year’s XPS notebook. In addition to a CPU upgrade Dell also upgraded the graphics card to a new Nvidia Turing GPU. In addition, this year’s XPS is also going to be available with an OLED display. We already had this device in review and the poor response time are no more.
Dell’s XPS 15 is a decent all-rounder well-suited for both business and gaming without ripping a giant hole in your wallet.
The combination of a fast 8-core CPU and a GeForce GRX 1650 make for gaming-capable frame rates. Decent maintenance and the color accurate high-contrast OLED display are additional pros. The speakers also turned out to be pretty good.
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5th – Acer ConceptD 7
Acer’s brand-new ConceptD series is aimed primarily at power users such as designers, video, music, and photo editors. The Acer ConceptD 7 CN715 (see review here) managed a score of 86 % and thus earned its place in our top 10. At around $2,000 you get a good-looking modern device with hardware powerful enough for a gaming laptop.
The ConceptD is a sleek and well-designed notebook. It is very efficient and remained fairly cool during our tests, and it offers a decent 4K display to boot. Unfortunately, it suffered from thermal throttling and was outperformed by its competitors.
If all you are looking for when purchasing a device are specs you should definitely keep in mind that similarly equipped laptops perform better. The ConceptD’s CPU throttled under load, and performance dropped even further on battery. On the plus side it features a great 4K display with high color space coverage levels. The display is certainly the device’s major selling point.
Acer ConceptD 7 (i7-9750H, RTX 2060, SSD, UHD)
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6th – Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme
The ThinkPad X1 Extreme (see review here) is a well-equipped notebook suitable for various use cases. However, it is not quite up to the task of competing at eye level with its own predecessor.
Our largest gripe remains the choice of display. The matte 4K panel offers a great image quality but definitely requires calibration in order to show its full potential.
The ThinkPad X1 Extreme is an excellent multimedia notebook offering excellent performance and various very good features. It combines several devices into one and can be used as business device during the day and great entertainment devices at night thanks to its combination of CPU and GPU. Unfortunately, when compared with its own predecessor CPU performance decreased and the GPU was incapable of utilizing its full potential.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme is a well-made 15.6-inch multimedia notebook with good CPU performance and the best mobile keyboard that money can buy.
We particularly liked its good 4K panel, its high-quality case, and its excellent input devices. Processor performance was very good and noise emissions remained bearable under regular everyday load. Its major drawbacks include short battery life caused by the high-resolution display.
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7th – Dell XPS 15 9500
Dell’s XPS 15 9500 (see review here) starts at just over $1,300, equipped with a Core i5, 8 GB of RAM, and Intel’s integrated UHD Graphics 630. Regardless, the XPS 15 9500 managed to make our top 10 list.
The Dell XPS 15 9500 is a high-quality multimedia laptop, and the base model offers very good battery life.
In our review the XPS 15 scored very well performance-wise. In addition, the iGPU model offers much lower emissions than the SKU with dedicated Nvidia GPU. Thanks to its long battery life the laptop is also great as office device. If you are not looking for a mobile gaming device this XPS 15 might be right for you.
It remained very quiet overall when browsing the web. And last but not least the XPS 15 offers good maintenance options and a good 1080p display.
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8th – Lenovo Yoga C940
Lenovo’s Yoga C940 (see review here) is a direct competitor for Dell and HP. Thanks to its dedicated GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q CPU and its 6-core/12-thread Intel Core i7-9750H the multimedia notebook can easily moonshine as a budget gaming notebook. Despite its convertible display we sould consider it a multimedia notebook instead due to its high weight of 2 kg (4.4 lbs).
Lenovo’s Yoga C940 offers decent performance. However, it is too heavy for a convertible.
We noticed almost no thermal throttling of CPU and GPU under load. Downsides are the soldered RAM and the single M.2 slot. In addition, the included SSD did not perform very well in our benchmarks.
Lenovo Yoga C940 (i7-9750H, GTX1650 Max-Q)
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9th – Acer ConceptD 5
The powerful Acer ConceptD 5 (see review here) is aimed at power users such as designers, video, music, and photo editors. In our review, the 17-inch notebook scored a decent 88 %. At roughly $2,500 you get a sleek, modern, and very slim devices with great a level of performance that can usually only be found in gaming notebooks.
The ConceptD 5 is a great notebook satisfying a huge variety of use cases.
If you are interested in this device, you should note its drawbacks as well. For one, its cooler is very loud. The keyboard caps are fairly narrow, and the display’s contrast ratio was too low. On the plus side it offered a consistent turbo boost as well as high graphics performance. It remained unobtrusively quiet when idle, and the 4K panel completely covers the sRGB color space.
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10th – Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14 (see review here) is a decent 14-inch all-rounder, and thus managed to secure a spot on our top 10 multimedia list. At 1,100 Euros the Slim 7 14 comes in a modern case and offers a fast SSD as well as a bright high-contrast display. CPU performance, on the other hand, is not particularly great considering that Intel’s Core i7-1065G7 has to throttle under load. When compared directly to the AMD SKU, the Intel SKU falls behind. However, when looking at 3D performance the combination of Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU comes out ahead.
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14 is a decent all-rounder for everyday use. If 3D performance is on your list of priorities than you should definitely opt for the Intel/Nvidia SKU.
Another benefit of the Intel SKU is its Thunderbolt 3 option, which is not available on the AMD SKU. In return, the Intel SKU gets much hotter and louder.
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Comparison Best Multimedia Laptops
Test Results
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD | Apple MacBook Pro 15 2019 i9 Vega 20 | Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q | Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650 | Acer ConceptD 7 CN715-71-743N | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme 2019 20QV000WGE | Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5 | Lenovo Yoga C940-15IRH | Acer ConceptD 5 CN517-71-74YA | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14IIL05 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Response Times | ||||||||||
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 54 (26.4, 27.6) | 51.2 (27.2, 24) | 2.3 (1.1, 1.2) | 49 (24, 25) | 46.4 (22, 24.4) | 42 (20, 22) | 48.4 (24.4, 24) | 55 (29, 26) | 51.2 (22, 29.2) | |
Response Time Black / White * | 33.2 (19.2, 14) | 32 (18, 14) | 2.4 (1.1, 1.3) | 30 (17, 13) | 30.4 (17.2, 13.2) | 28.8 (15.2, 13.6) | 36.4 (21.2, 15.2) | 38 (22, 16) | 35.2 (17.2, 18) | |
PWM Frequency | 59.52 (100) | |||||||||
Screen | ||||||||||
Brightness middle | 557.9 | 539.4 | 421.2 | 365 | 464 | 592 | 484.8 | 410 | 289 | |
Brightness | 541 | 494 | 417 | 357 | 448 | 565 | 463 | 383 | 286 | |
Brightness Distribution | 91 | 84 | 94 | 84 | 90 | 85 | 82 | 88 | 92 | |
Black Level * | 0.39 | 0.32 | 0.275 | 0.36 | 0.46 | 0.26 | 0.58 | 0.17 | ||
Contrast | 1431 | 1686 | 1327 | 1289 | 1287 | 1865 | 707 | 1700 | ||
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 * | 4.54 | 4.12 | 6.06 | 0.99 | 4.2 | 3.19 | 4.5 | 1.91 | 2.5 | |
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 max. * | 7.92 | 7.65 | 11.89 | 1.89 | 11.4 | 5.45 | 7.55 | 4.67 | 4.7 | |
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 calibrated * | 3.82 | 3.91 | 1.01 | 0.8 | 2.03 | 1.19 | 1.09 | 0.6 | ||
Greyscale DeltaE2000 * | 3.2 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 1.29 | 7.2 | 3.9 | 5.7 | 3 | 3.4 | |
Gamma | 1.99 111% | 2.15 102% | 2.15 102% | 2.2 100% | 2.17 101% | 2.25 98% | 2.45 90% | 2.18 101% | 1.98 111% | |
CCT | 6451 101% | 6438 101% | 6235 104% | 6548 99% | 6345 102% | 6522 100% | 6101 107% | 6338 103% | 7005 93% | |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 89.5 | 90.4 | 81 | 88 | 85.2 | 71.6 | 58.7 | 87 | 62.6 | |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 100 | 100 | 99.6 | 100 | 99 | 100 | 92.8 | 100 | 98.9 | |
Noise | ||||||||||
off / environment * | 28.4 | 28 | 28.2 | 30.4 | 28.5 | 28 | 28.7 | 29.8 | 29.3 | |
Idle Minimum * | 28.4 | 28 | 28.2 | 30.6 | 28.5 | 28 | 28.7 | 29.7 | 29.3 | |
Idle Average * | 28.4 | 28 | 28.2 | 30.6 | 28.5 | 28 | 28.8 | 29.7 | 29.3 | |
Idle Maximum * | 28.4 | 28 | 30.4 | 30.6 | 28.5 | 28 | 28.8 | 29.7 | 30.5 | |
Load Average * | 46 | 43.2 | 43.8 | 44 | 36.3 | 28 | 45 | 39.9 | 41.5 | |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 42 | 49 | 47.2 | 43.9 | 36.3 | 44.7 | 39.5 | 41.5 | ||
Load Maximum * | 47.1 | 50.5 | 47.2 | 44.2 | 36.3 | 41.9 | 44.7 | 41 | 41.5 | |
Heat | ||||||||||
Maximum Upper Side * | 44 | 53 | 50.4 | 44.6 | 46.8 | 42.4 | 46.2 | 46.4 | 47 | |
Maximum Bottom * | 48.8 | 39.2 | 49.2 | 57.2 | 52.4 | 39.6 | 45 | 46.3 | 56.3 | |
Idle Upper Side * | 33 | 37 | 34.8 | 27.4 | 24.7 | 23.8 | 25.4 | 26.5 | 26.6 | |
Idle Bottom * | 32.4 | 35.8 | 36.4 | 27.6 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28.2 | 27.4 | |
Battery Runtime | ||||||||||
Reader / Idle | 1382 | 1425 | 910 | 822 | 1581 | 1092 | ||||
WiFi v1.3 | 546 | 687 | 580 | 467 | 518 | 285 | 556 | 583 | 333 | 593 |
Load | 121 | 120 | 199 | 96 | 72 | 93 | 59 | 83 | ||
Power Consumption | ||||||||||
Idle Minimum * | 5.7 | 5.8 | 6.2 | 7.6 | 8.5 | 2.9 | 5.2 | 6.2 | 3.7 | |
Idle Average * | 13.5 | 20.6 | 9.6 | 13.6 | 14.7 | 7.6 | 10.7 | 15.2 | 5.7 | |
Idle Maximum * | 19.6 | 21 | 21.2 | 18.2 | 19.4 | 8 | 24.3 | 17.4 | 8.2 | |
Load Average * | 114.1 | 104.7 | 104.3 | 102 | 89.6 | 41.7 | 84.4 | 95 | 57.1 | |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 93 | 99.2 | 91.7 | 144 | 96.1 | 83.9 | 136 | 54 | ||
Load Maximum * | 135.2 | 107.6 | 135.3 | 183 | 129.8 | 94.8 | 142.8 | 145 | 82.8 |
* ... smaller is better