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.

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 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 E25 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.

The new Asus ROG Strix G16 is a powerful gaming laptop that leaves a good overall impression in our test. Although the mini LED panel and the RTX 5090 laptop are reserved for the more expensive Strix SCAR 16, this is not a major problem. The new GeForce RTX 5080 laptop matches the native WQHD resolution very well and together with the fast Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, you get plenty of gaming performance. The matte IPS panel with 240 Hz falls slightly behind in terms of contrast, but on the other hand there is no PWM flickering and the overall picture quality is very good. The only thing you have to do without in this case is HDR.

The new Asus ROG Strix G16 is only available with the RTX 5080 laptop, but this is not a major problem when gaming. The Strix G16 offers a good gaming package with a matte IPS display, fast Core Ultra 9 275 HX and very good maintenance options.

The ROG Strix G16 test model is available from Notebooksbilliger for 3,299 euros.

An even flatter housing despite the RTX 5090, but a slightly weaker processor. The Blade 16 2025 is very mobile with a height of just under 17 mm and a weight of around 2 kg, but the quality of the case is still very high, as is its performance.

Razer Blade 16 impresses with high performance despite its thinner casing.

The new Razer Blade is currently available for pre-order and should be available from April. Our test device is listed on Amazon or Notebooksbilliger for 4,399 euros.

The Aorus Master 18 presents itself as a high-end notebook of superlatives: the four case fans alone speak for themselves. No wonder, as the Core Ultra 9 275HX and the GeForce RTX 5090 want or need to be cooled accordingly, although the 18-incher still gets quite loud under load. Four SO-DIMM banks and three M.2 slots (the test device has 2x 32 GB DDR5-5600 RAM and two 2 TB SSDs) are not bad even for a desktop replacement and try to at least halfway justify the exorbitant price of around 5,000 euros.

Gigabyte goes all out with the Aorus Master 18: Mini LED display, a 24-core from the Arrow Lake generation, a GeForce RTX 5090 and a generous RAM and SSD configuration will appeal to passionate gamers.

The tested Aorus Master 18 AM8H is available for around 5,000 euros from various online stores (e.g. notebooksbilliger.de)