The top 4 big-screen laptops around

The LG Gram 17 (2023) is a pioneer of the excellent 17-inch laptop, making the form factor feasible for many who may have baulked at its large size. And, that’s mostly down to its remarkably light weight.

The range is by no means perfect, often demanding a high price of entry, but it does what it says on the tin. You can a humoungous and bright 17-inch 16:10 2560×1600 resolution display, offering stunning visuals whether your typing away on a spreadsheet or taking in a movie.

Then, the stars of the show are its slender frame and low weight, coming in at just 1.35kg and 17.8mm thin respectively. If you can fit it in your bag then it is sure to not put any strain on your back, and offers a gloriously portable big screen experience when you do come around to whipping it out. Its thin frame doesn’t prevent plenty of ports though, with a strong selection on either side.

The performance is up to standard too, with an Intel Core i7-1360P chip giving you more than enough in the tank for intensive productivity usage. You also get around eight hours of charge for your working day too.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: LG Gram 17 (2023) review

One benefit of a big ol’ chassis to accomodate a 17-inch display is that it offers plenty of room for high-end specifications. The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D brings the specs and the immense gaming performance.

The power comes courtesty of an Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU combined with AMD’s most powerful laptop chip, the AMD Ryzen 9 7945X3D. The regular ROG Strix Scar 17, and its 16 and 18-inch siblings, were already powerhouses in their own right but AMD’s swanky 3D V-Cache technology gives an added boost to this serious machine. You can get upwards of 70 frames per second in Cyberpunk 2077 with its demanding RT:Ultra settings turned on. FPS fans are well served too, with Rainbow Six Extraction seeing scores of 192fps in our testing.

This is all presented on a capable 2560×1440 resolution and 240Hz refresh rate panel. It measures in at 17.3-inches, bringing luxurious high-end gaming to a big screen with a dose of portability.

Reviewer: Alun Taylor
Full review: Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D review

We described the Medion Erazer Beast X40 as a thoroughbred next-generation gaming laptop, coming with the latest and greatest components from Nvidia and Intel. It can be configured to an RTX 4090 GPU and a Raptor Lake i9-13900HX processor, with DDR5 RAM added on to help future-proof the device for years to come. It blasted through our gaming benchmarks with ease, scoring 122fps in Borderlands 3 at the native resolution with maximum ray tracing and no DLSS upscaling.

The display sits at 17-inches and boasts a WQXGA (25600×1600) resolution, giving you more than enough room to game and watch media content. In our screen tests, it managed to hit 417 nits of brightness, although the contrast ratio was disappointing at just 954:1. These numbers prove that while the Erazer Beast X40 won’t do justice to HDR content, it’s a lot more affordable than some other laptops that come with Mini-LED technology, like the MSI Titan GT77 HX.

We loved the large selection of ports, which include four USB-A ports, one USB-C Thunderbolt 4, a 2.5GbE Ethernet import and an HDMI 2.1 output. It also packs two 3.5mm audio jacks – one combo, one mic in – and an SD card slot. Looking further at what’s under the hood, the Erazer Beast X40 comes with support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1, which should ensure seamless wireless connections to both the internet and any Bluetooth-supported devices.

The only reason this laptop has been docked half a star is for its lack of HDR performance. Laptops like the Acer Predator Helios 16 (2023) will be your best bet if you don’t want the price to skyrocket but overall, unless you need an OLED or Mini-LED panel then the Medion Erazer Beast X40 is one of the best gaming laptops out there. It’s a lot more affordable than most of its rivals and comes with some of the most powerful internals on the market, giving you the chance to visit some of your favourite games without breaking the bank.

Reviewer: Alun Taylor
Full Review: Medion Erazer Beast X40

Last year’s Dell XPS 17 (2021) was a fantastic laptop and a worthy addition to this list, but the machine has since been supplanted by its own successor, the Dell XPS 17 (2022). Dell hasn’t rocked the boat with any major visual overhauls but the XPS 17 still stands out for packing a lot of great features into a portable package.

Despite its large display, the XPS 17 manages to maintain a slim profile that rids itself of any bulk, weighing between 2.17kg and 2.57kg (depending on the variation you pick up), which makes it a breeze to chuck in and out of a backpack. Sure, it’s not as portable as something like the MacBook Air M2 but if you want that large screen experience on the go then the Dell XPS 17 is one of your best options.

You won’t find much to complain about with regards to port availability either. In addition to two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, the XPS boasts a full sized SD Card reader, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a HDMI slot and an always handy USB-A port. That SD reader in particular makes the XPS 17 an ideal pick for photographers or filmmakers who want to dive into their latest captures quickly, without having to faff around with dongles.

The accompanying 4K IPS display, while not quite as eye-catching as the OLED variant on the Dell XPS 15 (2022), is still impressive enough to lend some very accurate colour profiles to the latest films and TV shows.

The only major downside to the Dell XPS 17 is its battery life which, at around 3 hours and 37 minutes for office work, isn’t ideal for long periods away from a power outlet. Still, if you know you’re headed to a place where topping up the battery is easy enough, then you won’t find this to be an issue.

Reviewer: Stuart Andrews
Full review: Dell XPS 17 (2022) review