Ranking: Best gaming laptops reviewed by Notebookcheck

The Neo 16 is traditionally the fastest gaming laptop from XMG, and the 2025 model is equipped with the HX CPUs from AMD/Intel and the new Blackwell GPUs as well as a matte mini-LED display with a frequency of 300 Hz. There is also a fast PCIe 5.0 SSD, and every current game can be played smoothly in the native resolution. We are already looking forward to the AMD version with the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, as XMG is one of the few manufacturers to also offer its high-end gamer with an AMD chip, and the gaming performance should be even better here.

The XMG Neo 16 is not only the fastest gamer from XMG, but also the fastest 16-inch gamer we have ever tested. Thanks to optional water cooling, it runs even more quietly and is even faster in terms of CPU. With an AMD CPU, it is even slightly faster.

The new XMG Neo 16 E25 can now be ordered from Bestware. The base price of the Intel variant is 2,699 euros.

The 2025 model of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 goes one better with the RTX 5090, Core Ultra 9 285H, Wi-Fi 7 and 64 GB RAM and is a slim high-end all-rounder that competes with the Razer Blade 16.

The 2025 update of the ROG Zephyrus G16 offers several upgrades and overall performance has increased thanks to the Arrow Lake processor and the new GeForce RTX 5090 laptop, as has the price.

The new ROG Zephyrus G16 can be ordered from online retailers such as Alternate for €4,799.

Razer still knows how to build the thinnest yet quietest and fastest gaming laptops. And the new Blade 18 proves it once again, because Razer's new gamer wants to offer maximum gaming performance with the GeForce RTX 5090 laptop and the dual-mode display supports up to 440 Hz. The improved cooling is impressive and the Blade 18 is one of the quieter models when gaming.

The Razer Blade 18 has impressive cooling performance and is one of the quieter models on the market when gaming, even in Turbo mode. The performance with the RTX 5090 laptop is also very good.

The Blade 18 is by no means cheap; the Blade 18 can be ordered from Amazon for 4,899 euros.

Apart from its high performance, the Lenovo Legion 9 18IAX10 offers more RAM and SSD expansion options than popular 18-inch competitors like the Razer Blade 18, Alienware 18 Area-51 or MSI Titan 18 HX and is also quieter than many others.

Although the Lenovo Legion 9 18 is a little late to the 18-inch gaming ring, it is easily one of the best devices in its size class.

The Legion 9 18IAX10 is currently available on the German-speaking market directly from Lenovo for from 5,404 euros, and also from Amazon for from 5,499 euros. Both offers are equipped with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090.

Asus ups the ante when it comes to GPU performance and equips its 14-inch gamer ROG Zephyrus G14 for 2025 with the new GeForce RTX 5080 laptop. The processor is the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 in combination with 64 GB RAM and a 2.8K OLED with 120 Hz.

With the two powerful GPU options RTX 5070 Ti Laptop and the RTX 5080 Laptop, the new ROG Zephyrus G14 is currently quite unrivaled in its case format.

Our high-end test configuration has an RRP of €3,899, but is not yet listed at retailers. The variant with the RTX 5070 Ti (2 TB SSD, 32 GB RAM) costs 3,399 euros and can be ordered from Notebooksbilliger, for example.

The Erazer Beast 16 X1 Ultimate is currently one of the fastest gaming notebooks on the market, which can be operated with an external water cooling system if desired. The chassis cuts a high-quality figure thanks to the metal insert and impresses with its good stability. The input devices and connections are not bad either. The mini LED panel in 16:10 format (2,560 x 1,600 pixels, 300 Hz) impresses not least with its high brightness, rich contrast and wide color gamut.

The Medion Erazer Beast 16 X1 is a high-quality gaming and creator notebook with a brilliant display and strong performance, but also high noise levels.

The Erazer Beast 16 X1 Ultimate MD62732 is available for around €4,300 on the Medion homepage (currently reduced to €4,090).

The ROG Strix Scar 16 is the 16-inch gaming flagship from Asus and offers the Core Ultra 275HX, the GeForce RTX 5090 laptop with 24 GB VRAM and a mini LED display with 240 Hz. As with the larger Strix SCAR 18, the gaming performance of the smaller Strix SCAR 16 is outstanding, especially as there is no loss of performance compared to the 18-inch model. The mini LED display is excellent, offers extensive features and operating modes, achieves very good measured values and exact color profiles are already available ex works. Compared to the regular ROG Strix G16 the Strix Scar 16 benefits above all from the mini LED panel, but the surcharge is also 500 euros.

The ROG Strix Scar 16 is just as fast as the Scar 18 and has an excellent mini LED display.

The new ROG Strix Scar 16 G635 is available in various configurations from €3,799 with the RTX 5080 laptop, for example at Notebooksbilliger.

Asus updates its gaming flagship Strix Scar 18 with the Core Ultra 9 275HX, the GeForce RTX 5090 laptop and the outstanding mini LED display with 240 Hz. In addition, access to the components has been massively simplified and there are extensive lighting elements.

The ROG Strix Scar 18 is the gaming flagship from Asus. With the new Core Ultra 9 275HX and the GeForce RTX 5090 laptop, the fastest components are installed, the housing has been renewed and the mini LED display with 240 Hz is impressive.

The new Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 is available in stores from around 5,800 euros.

The Legion Pro 7i 16 10th generation is the most refined model in the series to date. Unlike the current Razer Blade 16, this Lenovo isn't afraid to be bigger and thicker than its predecessor to support higher power consumption and stronger cooling solutions. Performance hunters will appreciate this approach over competitors' ever-thinner designs, which have to balance CPU and GPU power levels much more delicately. The display also deserves praise as it is one of the few OLED panels that supports high native refresh rates, Windows VRR, DisplayHDR1000 and G-Sync all in one. The maximum brightness of 1,000 nits in HDR mode is more commonly found on mini-LED laptops, while most other OLED panels are only HDR600 or lower. The viewing experience is therefore one of the best in the 16-inch gaming category.

Rather than getting thinner, this year's latest Legion Pro 7i 16 is built thicker to squeeze even more performance out of the Intel Arrow Lake and Nvidia Blackwell hardware. Power consumption may be high, but the raw performance is undeniable.

The RTX 5080 configuration is currently available from Amazon.de and computeruniverse.net for €3,699, while the RTX-5090 configuration will be available at a later date.

The new XMG Pro 16 Early 25 is a significant upgrade compared to the old model and overall the gap to the XMG Neo 16 is noticeably smaller. The performance of the new RTX 5070 Ti laptop is very good and the fastest variant with a TGP of 140 watts is used here. Together with the new Core Ultra 9 275HX, the gaming performance is also very good.

The new XMG Pro 16 has a new chassis with faster components and is much closer to the XMG Neo 16 overall.

The new XMG Pro 16 (E25) can be configured at Bestware from 1,999 euros.