Pick out one of the best 17-inch laptops on the market and you’re upgrading the experience of just about anything you do on your laptop: watching movies, playing games, writing reports, browsing the web, crunching through spreadsheets… just about every application can make good use of all that additional screen space.
One of the key benefits of buying one of the best laptops around is that these are portable computers you can take anywhere, from the office to the lecture hall to the hotel. But upping your screen size of choice to 17 inches doesn’t necessarily negate that portability advantage – these laptops are lightweight and compact enough for you to carry them around without too much trouble.
And anyone on the look-out for one of the best student laptops on sale should consider these 17-inchers too. They can do the business when it comes to essay writing and online research, while giving you plenty of display space to kick back with some movies and television shows at the same time.
While 17-inch laptops are outstanding value in terms of how much of an actual screen you get, do bear in mind that they’re not for everyone. If you really want something you can stuff easily inside a bag or balance on an aeroplane tray table then you might want to look elsewhere – some of the best 2-in-1 laptops are much more compact and can do double duty as tablets too, so that’s something else to think about.
If you’re sure that this size is the size for you though, we’ve picked out some of the very best 17-inch laptops currently rolling off the production lines. We’ll explain the key specs and features in each case, as well as guide you towards some of the cheapest deals on the web for these particular products. We hope you enjoy searching for the right 17-inch laptop to suit your needs.
And remember, too, that right now is a great time to shop for 17-inch laptops due to the best Black Friday deals season now being well and truly underway.
The best 17-inch laptops available to buy today
(Image credit: LG)
The LG Gram 17 is a superb machine from just about any angle, and it’s an easy choice for our list of the best 17-inch laptops on the market right now. If you’re looking for a laptop that manages to combine sleek and svelte looks with plenty of power under the hood, this fits the bill – and you can get it for a competitive price too, considering everything you’re getting in return for your money.
One of the most appealing aspects of the LG Gram 17 is just how lightweight it is, despite that 17-inch, 2560 x 1600 pixel display: it tips the scales at a mere 1.35 kg or 2.98 lbs. With its size you’re never going to be using it one-handed or anything like that, but you’ll barely notice it if it’s sat on your lap or you’re carrying it around in a backpack. You won’t find many lighter laptops around with 17-inch displays.
Elsewhere the 11th-gen Intel processor and 16GB of RAM are more than capable of handling the majority of day-to-day computing tasks, even if the 256GB of internal storage is a little bit on the miserly side. We’ve also been impressed by the battery life of this particular laptop, so you don’t need to worry about taking it on the go for a day.
(Image credit: Dell)
You know what you’re getting with a Dell XPS laptop: these machines have dominated ‘best of’ lists for years, and they remain one of the top options if you’re in the market for a Windows laptop of any size. The 17-inch version included here is everything that previous XPS laptops have been, exuding plenty of style and class in terms of its design, as well as offering up some seriously powerful components for those who need them.
From office work to video editing, from web browsing to some light gaming, the Dell XPS 17 can take it all in its stride. In our Dell XPS 17 review we were impressed with the level of performance offered up by the laptop, as well as the fit and finish of the keyboard and trackpad. It’s the perfect option if you’re going to be spending a lot of time typing and working at your desk.
Dell being Dell, you can pick up the XPS 17 in a variety of configurations – you’ve even got options for the screen, with either a 1920 x 1200 or a 3840 x 2400 resolution available depending on how much you want to spend (and how sharp you want the display to be). At the very top end of these configurations you’ll be paying a substantial amount for your laptop, but we think it’s worth the investment.
(Image credit: Acer)
The best Chromebooks work very well as thin, lightweight, low cost, low maintenance laptops, and the Acer Chromebook 317 is the only 17-inch Chromebook we’ve come across so far. It gives you all the benefits of a portable computer running Chrome OS, together with the advantage of a spacious 17-inch screen. It comes from Acer as well, so you know you’re getting a certain level of quality in terms of the build and the materials.
If you’re completely new to the world of Chromebooks, they run Chrome OS and nothing else: you have to do all of your computing in a web browser. You’re restricted to web apps, but for a lot of people that’s enough these days – and the advantages are that everything you do is always backed up online, and you don’t need to worry about antivirus programs or bulky software updates.
Chrome OS isn’t for everyone, but if it works for you, you don’t need very powerful components to run it… and that means Chromebooks can be very cheap as well. You can pick up the Acer Chromebook 317 for significantly less than a lot of the other 17-inch laptops on the market, and it’ll take care of all your basic computing needs, from office work to email to social media.
(Image credit: Razer)
It’s perhaps no surprise that some of the best 17-inch laptops are aimed at gamers, because they’re the laptop users who are going to be particularly interested in seeing every single pixel as clearly as possible – but the Razer Blade 17 is much more than just a gaming laptop, even if it will definitely appeal to those in the market for something to play the best AAA titles of the moment on.
And the Razer Blade 17 will certainly play any game you install on it: you can fit this with some of the best Intel and Nvidia components around at the moment, while the 17.3-inch display can be configured with a 4K resolution or a blistering 360Hz refresh rate (though not both in the same model). Storage goes up to 1TB, memory goes up to 32GB of RAM, and that’s a beefy configuration by anyone’s standards.
At the same time, the understated, stylish looks of the laptop mean you won’t be shy about taking it out of your bag at the office or the coffee shop down the road. It’s going to appeal to plenty of creative professionals as well as gamers, and if you fall into both categories then it might just be the perfect laptop for you at the moment – it’s definitely one of the best 17-inch laptops around.
(Image credit: Gigabyte)
If you’re after a 17-incher that’s going to be capable of playing the very best games of the moment on the very best quality settings, then look no further than the fantastic Gigabyte Aorus 17G. The latest incarnation of this laptop brings with it an 11th-gen Intel processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 graphics, so you know that it’s going to be able to cope with high-end gaming titles now and well into the future.
The appeal of the Gigabyte Aorus 17G extends way beyond the internals though: it’s got a beautifully machined aluminium alloy chassis, customisable RGB lighting on the keys, and a full size mechanical keyboard too. Whether you’re trying to gain vital seconds in a game or typing out a report for work, you’re guaranteed a fluid and responsive typing experience from this particular laptop.
Add in the 300Hz refresh rate for the display – which you’ll struggle to beat on any other model – and this really is a 17-inch laptop to be in awe of. Of course, all this power doesn’t come cheap, and it’s rather hefty as well (to fit in the necessary components and the cooling that goes along with them), but there are definitely far more advantages than disadvantages when it comes to this one.