5 Of The Best Big Laptops You Can Buy In 2026

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Portability was arguably the biggest selling point of laptops when they first became mainstream. As such, most users regularly opted for 11- to 13-inch displays, compromising on screen size and performance in exchange for a device they could easily carry anywhere. A bigger display and better performance typically meant a bulkier laptop, but that's no longer the case in 2026. Advances in technology, including narrower bezels, lighter materials, and more compact internal components have allowed manufacturers to build large-screen laptops without the drawbacks that once came with them.

As a result of this shift, 15- and 16-inch laptops have emerged as the most versatile screen size options. Because they offer an ideal balance of performance and portability, they're the best laptops for hybrid users who want a machine capable of handling both productivity tasks and entertainment. But we're here to talk about the best big laptops in 2026. Since 16 inches has become a mainstream display size, we decided to set 17 inches as the minimum requirement. After all, we wanted to focus on laptops that truly push screen size to the limit by today's standards.

As such, our selection of the best large-screen laptops includes three 17-inch models: the HP 17 Laptop, LG Gram 17 (2025), and Asus ROG Strix G17 (2023). We've also included two 18-inch models: the Dell Pro Max 18 Plus and Razer Blade 18. Of course, screen size wasn't the only factor we considered. Performance, battery life, display quality, and overall value for money were all equally important in determining which laptops earn a place on this list.

If you want a powerful and performance-packed large laptop, the 18-inch Dell Pro Max 18 Plus is worth considering. Multiple top tech outlets, including TechRadar and PCMag, rate it as one of the best large-screen workstations in 2026, and for good reason. Its base configuration starts at roughly $4,000 and comes with Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX, 16 GB of DDR5 RAM, 512 GB of SSD storage, and Intel integrated graphics. While this is decently powerful, Dell offers virtually unlimited room for upgrades.

You can get up to 128 GB of RAM, an NVIDIA RTX Pro 5000 Blackwell GPU with 24 GB of VRAM, and 4 TB of SSD storage. At that point, the laptop starts competing with the best desktop PCs, though it sacrifices portability for performance. It weighs 7.17 pounds, measures 1.25 inches thick, and lasts just 4 hours and 20 minutes on a single charge, according to PCMag's testing. A major highlight is its port selection. You get one Thunderbolt 4 port, two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, two Thunderbolt 5 USB-C ports, and a full-size SD card reader.

Combined with its powerful internals, massive 18-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) display, 120Hz refresh rate, 500 nits of brightness, and 100% DCI-P3 color coverage, the Dell Pro Max 18 Plus is ideal for demanding workloads, including photo and video editing, AI-related tasks, engineering applications, CGI rendering, and more. It's also secure, thanks to a FIPS-certified fingerprint reader, a smart card reader, NFC support, and ControlVault 3+, which is Dell's dedicated hardware security chip. While this may be overkill for most consumers, it makes the Dell Pro Max 18 Plus a great business laptop for professionals who handle sensitive data.

The HP 17 laptop, currently available for $470, is another great large-screen laptop for people who want a reliable, well-rounded productivity package at an affordable price. It features a bright 17.3-inch HD+ display (1600 x 900), along with strong internals that include an 11th Gen Intel Core i3-1125G4 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of SSD storage. It offers more than enough power for everyday productivity and office tasks. PCMag put the laptop through its custom productivity and content-creation benchmarks, where it outperformed competitors such as the Acer Aspire 5, Asus VivoBook 17, and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14.

It's also an ideal laptop for remote workers, as it weighs 4.6 pounds and is only 0.78 inches thick. For comparison, the 17-inch Asus ROG Strix G17 weighs around 6 pounds and is over 1.11 inches thick. Its large 17.3-inch display, combined with dual speakers, also makes it a good option for entertainment. When Laptop Mag tested the laptop's speakers, they were "pleasantly surprised by how it handled its highs and lows." The HP 17 includes a full-size keyboard with a dedicated numpad, making it well-suited for productivity tasks involving typing and spreadsheets.

That said, it lacks keyboard backlighting, so working in the dark could be inconvenient. Moreover, while it offers good value for money, we were slightly underwhelmed by the port selection. It includes just one USB-C port, two USB-A ports, and an HDMI port. Ideally, we'd like to see a second USB-C port and an SD card slot as well. There are several other HP 17 configurations, including a higher-end model with 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD for $899. There's also the touchscreen-equipped HP Pavilion 17, which is available for $799.98.

The LG Gram 17 (2025) is the best laptop for people who want the benefits of a large, vibrant display without sacrificing portability. It weighs just 3.2 pounds and measures only 0.7 inches thick, making it ideal for digital nomads and hybrid workers who regularly travel with their computers in a backpack. Priced at $1,535, it's the lightest and thinnest laptop on this list. In fact, it's even lighter than Apple's 14-inch MacBook Pro M5. The display is another one of the laptop's biggest strengths. It features a 17-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) touchscreen IPS panel with 99% DCI-P3 color coverage.

Even better, it doesn't compromise performance for portability. You get an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 32 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB PCIe SSD, meaning it's capable of handling demanding workloads. Speaking of performance, PCMag's productivity benchmarks found that the LG Gram 17 performs on par with competitors such as the Acer Swift 16 AI and Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition. The laptop also packs enough NPU power to qualify as an AI PC. This means it comes with several AI-powered tools, including LG's own Gram AI, which combines on-device AI and GPT-4o to offer features like an offline chat assistant, file recovery, and more.

Despite the laptop's lightweight design, the keyboard is sturdy and comfortable to use for long typing sessions. We were also pleasantly surprised by the port selection on such a thin chassis. You get two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports with support for both Power Delivery and DisplayPort, an HDMI port, two USB-A ports, a microSD card reader, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Just note that the display wobbles slightly, so it may be inconvenient to rely solely on the touchscreen.

The Razer Blade 18 is a high-end large-screen laptop that's better suited to power users, especially gamers, than everyday office tasks. Its base configuration is currently available for $3,500 and features an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti with 12 GB of VRAM, 32 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB SSD. In Tom's Hardware's testing — which calls it one of the best gaming laptops of 2026 – it outperformed the MSI Titan 18 HX, Asus ROG Strix Scar 16, and Razer Blade 16 in single-core performance. It was also only marginally behind the MSI Titan 18 HX in multi-core benchmarks.

This simply means the Razer Blade 18 won't slow you down, whether you're running multiple applications simultaneously or tackling demanding workloads such as video editing, rendering, AI tasks, or gaming. Reviewers also like its unique dual-mode display. It gives you the option to switch between a 3840 x 2400 resolution at 240Hz and a 1920 x 1200 resolution at 440Hz. Although the 240Hz mode is the one most gamers and workstation users will prefer, the 440Hz mode makes it a go-to for competitive eSports gaming.

Moreover, regardless of which display mode you choose, you'll get "strong contrast" and "vibrant colors," according to Tom's Hardware. Battery life is also excellent. According to TechRadar, you can expect more than eight hours of video playback and over three hours of gaming, which is better than the Dell Pro Max 18 Plus. As for connectivity, you get three USB-A ports, one Thunderbolt 4 port, one Thunderbolt 5 port, an Ethernet port, an HDMI port, and an SD card reader. If you'd like comparable power for a little less money, you can also consider the 17.3-inch Razer Blade 17.

The Asus ROG Strix G17 sits between top-tier models like the Dell Pro Max 18 Plus and Razer Blade 18 and budget large-screen laptops like the HP 17, offering a capable machine at a reasonable price tag. It comes with a large 17.3-inch 2560 x 1440 display and is currently available for $1,700 on Amazon. While it's not an out-and-out performance beast, hands-on testing at PCMag found that it's better for general productivity and office workflows than many of its closest competitors, including the Acer Nitro 17 (2023), Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8, and MSI Katana 15 B13V.

Furthermore, while it doesn't cleanly beat its peers in gaming performance, it delivers comparable numbers and more than holds its own. You get an AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX mobile CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU with 8 GB of VRAM, 16 GB of RAM, and 1 TB of SSD storage. There are plenty of connectivity options as well: two USB Type-C ports, two USB Type-A ports, an HDMI port, and an audio jack. Combined with a 240Hz refresh rate, you can expect it to deliver smooth performance no matter what you use it for.

At 5.9 pounds, it's also lighter than both the Dell Pro Max 18 Plus and Razer Blade 18. Although Laptop Mag found that the laptop's WQHD LED display could reproduce only 76.8% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, they concluded that it offers a "solid color profile" with decent brightness and contrast. The biggest downside, therefore, is its battery life. It lasted just 2 hours and 35 minutes in Laptop Mag's testing and 3 hours and 41 minutes in PCMag's testing. If you want a powerful mobile workstation with great battery life, the Razer Blade 18 is the better option.

When picking the best big laptops in 2026, our first order of business was to objectively define what screen size qualifies for our guide. After thoroughly looking at the typical laptop screen sizes available today and what the average user wants, we decided that 17 inches would be the minimum screen size required to qualify for our list. However, a big-screen laptop without a good display and powerful internals isn't worth the splurge. Therefore, performance was a major criterion we looked at. For this, we relied on hands-on testing from reputable tech outlets including PCMag, TechRadar, and Laptop Mag.

We also considered battery life, display quality, resolution, refresh rate, and how new or old each laptop model is in 2026. Of course, price was also a major consideration. We carefully selected five laptops that span the affordability spectrum. While we included some absolute heavy hitters for people who want the very best, we also selected a couple of mid-range options and one budget-friendly large-screen laptop to ensure there's something for every big-screen enthusiast. Finally, we only considered reliable laptop brands such as Dell, HP, LG, and Asus. We avoided laptops that may look impressive on paper but lack real-world testing and reviews to back up their claims.