November 2021 Below is a list of the 10 best slim gaming laptops in the Notebookcheck edition. Our rating is regularly updated and supplemented. We also comment on all the changes that occur in the list.
“Mobile gaming” – what sounded like a bad joke before, is now firmly entrenched in our lives (at least with regard to laptops). Processors and graphics cards are getting smaller and more energy efficient, making it easier to keep components cool. As a result, a rather powerful filling can now be packed into a compact and thin body. And while 17-inch monsters still dominate this market, the number of compact 15-inch gaming models has grown steadily lately.
The list below is a compilation of the 10 best slim gaming laptops reviewed by Notebookcheck over the past 12 months (less than 2.5kg, available for purchase). If the score of the two models is the same, the newer is preferred. You can sort the list by column headings or by using a search string (for example, “matte”).
TOP 10 Slim Gaming Laptops. November 2021
1 – Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model
Where can you find a 1080p webcam in a laptop – Apple’s MacBook? Microsoft Surface? No, as of today only the Razer Blade 15 Advanced has it . It features decent hardware and performance (i9-11800H, RTX 3080), but in return is noticeably hotter and noisier than some of the competition. Tiger Lake offers a huge boost in CPU performance. In addition, the laptop has one of the most “modern” webcams available today.
2 – Razer Blade 14
After quite a long hiatus, Razer finally released a new version of the Blade 14 , which made a strong impression on us. The AMD R9 5900HX offers excellent performance, just like Nvidia’s RTX 3070. And all this is packed in a case no more than 17 mm thick and lightweight.
The Razer Blade 14 is more than just a beautiful and compact laptop – it offers great, powerful hardware
3 – Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model (Early 2021)
Unlike the Aero 17 HDR, the Razer Blade Advanced Model still relies on Comet Lake, but when paired with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, the model delivers superior performance. In addition, Razer has made small but useful improvements to the 2021 model. The screen now supports a high refresh rate of 360Hz, a second SSD slot and improved battery life.
Razer Blade Advanced Model 2021 impresses with 360Hz display, good battery life and powerful RTX 3080
4 – Razer Blade 15 (2020 Advanced)
The Razer Blade 15 is available not only in the basic configuration (# 2 in this ranking) but also in the advanced version. The 2020 model has a vapor chamber, a high-quality 300Hz display and a comfortable keyboard with a touchpad.
The reasons why we were not able to give a very good grade (88% and above) lie in minor flaws. For example, the metal case and the power adapter get quite hot during games. However, gaming performance is excellent thanks to the Core i7-10875H and Nvidia RTX 2070 Super Max-Q. An overview of the RTX 2080 Super Max-Q version can be found here .
5 – Asus ROG Zephyrus M16
A thin high-end gaming laptop with a 16:10 display (WQXGA) and good speakers weighs only 2 kg and is exactly 2 cm thick.Thanks to these characteristics, the model deservedly gets into our TOP-10 rating
In addition to the Intel Core i9-11900H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, the Zephyrus M16 offers a rare 16:10 display in gaming laptops.
6 – Razer Blade 15 Base Model
The entry-level configuration of the new Razer Blade 15 costs around 1,800 euros with the RTX 3060. In return, you get a 144Hz display, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.
Gaming performance is slightly better than its predecessor RTX 2070, especially at high resolutions and graphics quality.
Unfortunately, despite the relatively high price tag, features like USB Type-C charging or individual RGB key illumination are still missing. In addition, standard control assumes modes with the maximum performance of the processor or video card – it is impossible to achieve both at the same time.
That said, this slim gaming laptop is rightfully among our top 10.
7 – Schenker XMG Pro 15
The Schenker XMG Pro 15 with RTX 3080 is definitely one of the high-end gaming laptops out there. It has almost nothing to do with its predecessor, but inherits the slim aluminum body from the Schenker Key 15.
In addition to the high performance of the processor and graphics card, the model stands out with a 300 Hz display, THunderbolt 3 and good service capabilities. The disadvantages are noise and high heating under load.
8 – Aorus 15P XC
The package is good: an eight-core Intel Comet Lake processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070, 32GB of RAM (dual-channel), room for two NVMe SSDs, and a responsive display (FHD, IPS, 240Hz).
There is criticism for the maximum brightness of the screen, which is below average, and the lack of a Thunderbolt port. The performance is good, however, as well as good battery life, which is pretty unusual for gamers.
9 – Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401QM
This 14-inch laptop weighs just 1.68kg and is only 19.9mm thin, yet features a powerful AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics with 80W TGP. In some respects the model is good, but in some respects it lags behind the 14-inch Razer Blade 14. The processor performance and autonomy are excellent.
10 – Schenker Key 15
The Schenker Key 15 is based on Clevo’s PC50DN2 case, which is able to accommodate powerful cores while being lightweight. It’s really quite difficult these days to find a model with a Core i7-10875H and a GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q in a laptop weighing less than 2 kg and 2 cm thick.
Thanks to its customizable hardware, the Key 15 can be purchased with exactly the configuration you want. Among the advantages of the tested model, we can highlight a 144 Hz FHD display (4K OLED is available as an option), as well as a Thunderbolt 3 port. The disadvantages are quite common: excessive noise and heat under load.
Specifications
Size comparison
Measurement results
| Razer Blade 15 Advanced (Mid 2021) | Razer Blade 14 Ryzen 9 RTX 3070 | Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 | Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Super Max-Q | Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 GU603H | Razer Blade 15 Base Edition 2021, i7-10750H RTX 3060 | Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) | Aorus 15P XC | Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401QM | Schenker Key 15 Comet Lake | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | ||||||||||
| Display P3 Coverage |
66.9
|
97.2
|
65.88
|
69.4
|
64.3
|
69.2
|
67.21
|
68.1
|
67.24
|
|
| sRGB Coverage |
97.1
|
99.9
|
96.38
|
98.85
|
91.79
|
99.65
|
98.68
|
92.4
|
96.2
|
|
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage |
69
|
85.4
|
67.97
|
70.51
|
65.53
|
70.83
|
68.57
|
67.7
|
68.67
|
|
| Response Times | ||||||||||
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * |
4.2 ?
|
16.4 ?
|
16 ?
|
3.2 ?
|
4.8 ?
|
8.8 ?
|
3.6 ?
|
11.2 ?
|
34.4 ?
|
10 ?
|
| Response Time Black / White * |
10 ?
|
10.8 ?
|
10.4 ?
|
8 ?
|
6 ?
|
10 ?
|
10 ?
|
9.6 ?
|
27.6 ?
|
9.2 ?
|
| PWM Frequency |
1000 ?
|
24040 ?
|
||||||||
| Screen options | ||||||||||
| Center brightness |
353.4
|
331.1
|
338
|
345.4
|
448
|
317.2
|
327
|
298
|
329.4
|
300
|
| Brightness |
340
|
318
|
334
|
342
|
446
|
306
|
335
|
278
|
311
|
281
|
| Brightness Distribution |
92
|
91
|
94
|
90
|
86
|
89
|
89
|
88
|
90
|
80
|
| Black level * |
0.31
|
0.36
|
0.24
|
0.34
|
0.48
|
0.31
|
0.22
|
0.29
|
0.39
|
0.29
|
| Contrast |
1140
|
920
|
1408
|
1016
|
933
|
1023
|
1486
|
1028
|
845
|
1034
|
| Colorchecker DeltaE * |
2.17
|
2.25
|
1.39
|
3.18
|
2.76
|
4.37
|
2.18
|
0.96
|
4.01
|
5.39
|
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * |
5.69
|
4.62
|
3.31
|
6.57
|
7.09
|
6.62
|
4.24
|
3.22
|
8.21
|
14.35
|
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * |
1.05
|
0.97
|
1.77
|
2.86
|
2.67
|
1
|
0.83
|
3.89
|
1.73
|
|
| DeltaE for gray * |
3.4
|
1.7
|
1.6
|
3.8
|
3.1
|
4.5
|
2.6
|
1.3
|
3.2
|
9.8
|
| Gamma |
2.2 100%
|
2.3 96%
|
2.291 96%
|
2.15 102%
|
2.153 102%
|
2.4 92%
|
2.123 104%
|
2.242 98%
|
2.2 100%
|
2.019 109%
|
| CCT |
6830 95%
|
6751 96%
|
6626 98%
|
7109 91%
|
6826 95%
|
7418 88%
|
6815 95%
|
6519 100%
|
7070 92%
|
8174 80%
|
| Spectrum coverage AdobeRGB,% |
68
|
64.3
|
87
|
59.2
|
71
|
69
|
69
|
|||
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) |
89
|
99
|
100
|
91.4
|
93
|
91
|
92
|
|||
| Noise level | ||||||||||
| on off form (background) * |
25.1
|
25.1
|
24
|
27
|
25
|
25.3
|
25
|
24
|
24.8
|
25
|
| Min. in idle * |
25.3
|
25.2
|
26
|
27
|
25
|
25.4
|
33
|
25
|
25.4
|
26
|
| In idle, Wednesday. * |
25.3
|
25.2
|
28
|
27
|
31
|
25.4
|
34
|
29
|
34.5
|
27
|
| Idle, max. * |
25.3
|
25.2
|
40
|
27
|
42
|
25.4
|
35
|
34
|
34.5
|
44
|
| Load, avg. * |
42
|
31
|
45
|
44.7
|
48
|
42.5
|
51
|
44
|
35.4
|
53
|
| Witcher 3 ultra * |
45.6
|
44
|
43
|
51.2
|
52
|
42
|
52
|
49
|
52.7
|
51
|
| Load, max. * |
51.6
|
51.7
|
45
|
54
|
56
|
52.2
|
57
|
53
|
52.3
|
53
|
| Heat | ||||||||||
| Load, max. above * |
51
|
45
|
49
|
50
|
52
|
45.2
|
51
|
47
|
55.4
|
52
|
| Load, max. at the bottom * |
52
|
44.4
|
54
|
52.2
|
53
|
48
|
66
|
57
|
62.2
|
62
|
| Into simple top * |
35.2
|
40.2
|
30
|
37.2
|
38
|
34.4
|
32
|
26
|
31
|
31
|
| In idle time at the bottom * |
37.8
|
39.2
|
32
|
41.4
|
41
|
37.2
|
32
|
27
|
32.4
|
33
|
| Working hours | ||||||||||
| In idle |
828
|
866
|
799
|
466
|
506
|
571
|
1262
|
418
|
||
| Reading sites via Wi-Fi v.2 |
353
|
439
|
538
|
380
|
463
|
289
|
433
|
399
|
710
|
289
|
| Load and 100% brightness |
79
|
120
|
97
|
91
|
97
|
89
|
81
|
80
|
||
| Energy consumption | ||||||||||
| Idle, min. * |
19.5
|
9.4
|
13
|
14.3
|
11
|
11.7
|
8
|
14
|
5.6
|
10
|
| In idle, Wednesday. * |
23.3
|
15.8
|
15
|
22.3
|
20
|
16
|
13
|
17
|
10.4
|
14
|
| Idle, max. * |
40.1
|
24.1
|
22
|
36.9
|
30
|
29.3
|
22
|
33
|
18
|
18
|
| Load, avg. * |
98.9
|
76.8
|
98
|
118.4
|
111
|
95.6
|
97
|
96
|
68
|
106
|
| Witcher 3 ultra * |
174
|
154
|
126
|
153.7
|
156
|
141.3
|
179
|
179
|
113
|
142
|
| Load, max. * |
214
|
189.7
|
165
|
220.8
|
197
|
197
|
225
|
256
|
158.2
|
210
|
