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Gone are the days when gamers were confined to a desktop PC if they wanted to play the latest AAA gaming titles. Gaming laptops have become more portable and powerful to where they can now produce performance comparable to their desktop counterparts. The question of what are the best thin and lightweight portable gaming laptops then arises?
We have therefore decided to compile a list of thin gaming laptops currently on the market. These gaming laptops have everything you want from a modern PC– excellent graphics, impressive cooling, long battery life, and outstanding overall performance. And the best part is that you can carry these laptops anywhere due to their ultra-slim and lightweight designs.
Contents
- Our Criteria for Selecting a Thin and Light Gaming Laptop
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Thin and Light Gaming Laptops
- ASUS ROG Zephyrus S Gaming Laptop
- MSI GS65 Stealth-1402 Gaming Laptop
- Razer Blade 15 RTX Gaming Laptop
- Gigabyte AERO 15 Classic Gaming Laptop
- Razer Blade Stealth 13 Gaming Laptop
- Acer Predator Triton 500 Gaming Laptop
- Eluktronics MECH-15 G2Rx Gaming Laptop
- ASUS ROG Zephyrus M GM501GS-XS74 Gaming Laptop
Lightest Gaming Laptops Comparison Table
1. ASUS ROG Zephyrus S 
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2. MSI GS65 Stealth-1402 
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3. Razer Blade 15 (2019) 
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4. Gigabyte AERO 15 Classic 
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5. Razer Blade Stealth 13 
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6. Acer Predator Triton 500 
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| 7. Eluktronics MECH-15 G2Rx Slim & Light |
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8. ASUS ROG Zephyrus M GM501GS-XS74 
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Our Criteria for Selecting an Ultra-Thin Lightweight Gaming Laptop
What should you look for in a slim gaming laptop? What separates great thin gaming laptop from the rest of the field? Continue reading as we discuss further the things that you should be looking for in an ultra-thin portable gaming laptop.
Performance and Cooling:
For exceptional gaming performance, an ultra-thin gaming laptop must have a core i5 processor at the very least, though a core i7 processor is highly preferred. That paired with a graphics card such as the GTX 1060 or better along with at least 8GBs of RAM will allow you to play most AAA games at 60FPS or better on medium to ultra-settings (depending on the game).
However, a gaming laptop with the specs above must also have an excellent thermal (cooling) solution. This will combat the large amounts of energy released as heat in such an ultra-thin frame. A good cooling solution will also help to prevent thermal throttling even under intense gaming loads.
Read more about KLIM Optics and Gunnar Comparison
Portability (Thickness and Weight):
We consider a laptop to be ultra-thin only if its thickness is 1 inch or less. Moreover, a weight of fewer than 6 pounds is also required for us to consider a laptop to be portable. A laptop may have a screen size of 14, 15, or even 17 inches, but we only consider it to be a true ultra-slim portable gaming laptop if it meets the thickness and weight requirements stated above.
Design and Build Quality:
Design and build quality are also major considerations when searching for a thin gaming laptop. The aesthetics and how premium a laptop looks and feels is key no matter how great the internal components are. The ease of use, screen quality, keyboard, as well as the placement of the trackpad and thermal vents are all pivotal to your gaming experience on an ultra-thin gaming laptop.
Moreover, a good laptop must also be capable of handling bumps, spills, and knocks. This is particularly crucial because laptops are used by people who are always on the move, which increases the risks or likelihood of these devices to be dropped or knocked to the ground.
8 Thinnest Gaming Laptops:
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ASUS ROG Zephyrus S
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H 2.6GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX2070 8GB | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD
Dimensions: 14.17 x 10.55 x 0.63 in | Weight: 4.6lbs
The ROG Zephyrus S is ASUS’s attempt at a thin and light gaming laptop that doesn’t compromise anything in terms of performance. Surprisingly, it’s a great success, and it comes at a pretty reasonable price, too. If you can get used to the somewhat unconventional keyboard design, it’s a great pick and you should definitely take a look at it.
To begin with, this laptop has a 15” display. Thanks to the magnesium body it’s still thin and light, and very, very portable. That display is pretty impressive, too, with a resolution of 1920×1080, and a refresh rate of 144Hz. If you’re going for a gaming experience, it’s going to be as smooth as it gets. It does have a 3ms response time, which is arguably the only downside.
Performance is excellent, too. You get a 9th generation Intel Core i7 9750H, which is a six-core CPU able to handle whatever you can throw at it. It’s also got an Nvidia RTX 2070 graphics card with 8GB of memory, so gaming performance should be excellent, too. Add to this 16GB of RAM, as well as a 512GB NVMe SSD to store all your games and load them up quickly, and you’ve got yourself an impressive gaming laptop.
The only thing you’ll need to get used to is the unconventional position of the keyboard and touchpad, but it shouldn’t take too long. If you’re okay with this, the Zephyrus S is a great option.
Features:
- Six-core Intel CPU
- Ray tracing enabled Nvidia GPU
- Massive and very fast 512GB NVMe SSD
- 144Hz refresh rate display
- Magnesium build
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MSI GS65 Stealth-1402
CPU: Intel Core i7-8750H 2.2GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX2060 6GB | RAM: 32GB | Storage: 2x512GB SSD
Dimensions: 10.24 x 15.08 x 0.69” | Weight: 4.19lbs
MSI’s GS Stealth lineup of laptops have always offered great performance for gaming, especially for users who want a thin and light powerhouse of a laptop. The GS65 is arguably their most popular model, and this one is an excellent pick for just about anyone, with a reasonable price and a powerful configuration that’s going to play AAA titles easily.
To begin with, the Stealth-1402 comes with an Intel i7 8750H CPU, a six-core processor that runs at a base frequency of 2.2GHz and can turbo up to 4.1GHz when necessary. To add to this, you also get Nvidia’s ray-tracing enabled RTX2060 graphics card with 6GB of memory, so gaming shouldn’t be a problem at all. While we’re discussing performance, you also get an impressive 32GB of RAM, as well as two NVMe SSDs that have a capacity of 512GB each.
While all of this would be impressive by itself, there’s also the display. You get a 15.6” display that has pretty wide viewing angles, even though it’s not an IPS panel, but the impressive part is the refresh rate – you have a 144Hz refresh rate with a 3ms response time. Gamers are going to love this, because the GS65 does have the power to run games at144 frames per second, so you’ll be making the most out of it.
If you’re looking for a good thin and light laptop that will handle pretty much anything you throw at it, you can’t go wrong with the GS65.
Features:
- Six-core Intel CPU that turbos up to 4.1GHz
- Ray tracing enabled Nvidia GPU
- Dual 512GB NVMe SSDs
- 144Hz refresh rate display
- 32GB of RAM for multitasking
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Razer Blade 15 (2019)
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H 2.6GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX2060 6GB | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD
Dimensions: 9.25 x 13.98 x 0.78” | Weight: 4.63lbs
It’s hard to talk about gaming laptops without mentioning Razer. Even though many of its competitors have been around in the laptop industry for a lot longer, Razer has some really great laptops, particularly for those who want a simple, thin and light laptop they can use for gaming and still carry around with them when necessary.
The Blade 15 fits that criteria perfectly. It’s made out of a single piece of aluminum using CNC machining, which means it’s very light, yet very stiff and durable. Cooling is also well thought out, so even though you’ve got some pretty powerful hardware, you won’t have any issues with cooling. While we’re discussing the build and design, the display must be mentioned. Even though it is a full HD display with a 144Hz refresh rate, obviously catered to gamers, it also has 100% coverage of thes RGB color space, and it’s a factory-calibrated screen, which means it’s accurate as well. You can use it for color-accurate work without many problems.
Moving on to the internals, the Razer is just as impressive as it is on the outside. It comes with Intel’s six-core i7 9750H processor which is a real powerhouse, and there’s an Nvidia RTX2060alongside it. It’s going to handle games pretty well. Add to this the fact that it comes with 16GB of RAM, as well as a massive 512GB SSD,.
Features:
- Powerful, six-core Intel CPU
- Ray tracing enabled GPU
- 512GB SSD
- 144Hz refresh rate display with 100% sRGB coverage and factory calibration
- Machined aluminum body
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Gigabyte AERO 15 Classic
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H 2.6GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX2060 6GB | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD
Dimensions: 9.8 x 14 x 0.74” | 4.6lbs
While you might know them for their motherboards and graphics cards, Gigabyte do have a couple of laptops, and they’re all pretty respectable in terms of performance, as well as their price-to-performance ratio. The AERO 15 is the portable gamer’s dream, with a thin and light chassis and all the performance you could ever want.
At its core (pun intended) is Intel’sCore i7 9750H, a six-core, twelve-thread processor that has a base clock of2.6GHz, but under load, can go up to 4.50GHz. Alongside it, you will find Nvidia’s RTX2060 graphics card which is more than capable of running today’s most demanding titles, even at higher frame rates. There’s also 16GB of RAM, as well as an M.2 SSD with a 512GB capacity. All of this is pretty good, but there’s one more thing.
The display. Even though not oriented towards gamers, per se, it’s beautiful. It has an UHD resolution, which means3840x2160, and it’s an IPS panel with 100% coverage of the Adobe RGB colorspace. It’s also been certified by Pantone for color calibration, so if you want to do any color accurate work on it, you’ll be more than good with it.
All things considered, the AERO 15Classic is a powerhouse. Its got performance for days, and it’s packed in a chassis that you can throw in a backpack without feeling too much bulk. If you want thin and powerful, this is perfect.
Learn more about Asus RT-ACRH13
Features:
- Six-core, twelve thread Intel CPU
- Nvidia ray tracing enabled GPU
- 16GB of RAM
- 4K UHD display with 100% Adobe RGB coverage, with Pantone certification
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Razer Blade Stealth 13
CPU: Intel Core i7-1065G71.3GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX1650 Max-Q 4GB | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD
Dimensions: 8.27 x 11.99 x0.6” | Weight: 3.13lbs
Razer has been making some really, really great laptops for the past couple of years, but the BladeStealth 13 is their most popular light laptop. The combination of a great build, excellent performance, and competitive price make this an attractive option for just about anybody.
Inside, you’ll find one ofIntel’s just-released 10th generation processors, the Core i7-1065G7, which is a quad-core CPU that sits at 1.3GHz, but can turbo up to 3.9GHz if necessary. This is quite a lot, and we’re still talking about a CPU that won’t destroy your battery. The GPU is Nvidia’s GTX1650 Max-Q with 4GB of video memory, and it should push modern games easily. If not, you can always use the Thunderbolt 3 port and attach an external GPU.
Rounding out the build we have16GB of memory, which is quite a bit, as well as a 512GB SSD that’s going to store all your apps and games. Everything is packed in an aluminum body tha thas been CNC machined, making for a truly excellent build quality. Oh, and you also get a keyboard with Razer Chroma RGB backlight, so you can customize it a bit, too.
Features:
- 10th generation quad-core Intel CPU
- Powerful Nvidia graphics card with 4GB of memory
- 16GB RAM is excellent for multitasking
- CNC-machined unibody frame
- Thunderbolt 3 port for external graphics
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Acer Predator Triton 500
CPU: Intel Core i7-8750H 2.2GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD
Dimensions: 14.11 x 10.04 x 0.7 inches | Weight: 4.63 pounds
Acer’s Predator Triton 500 is an excellent thin and light, yet powerful gaming laptop at a decent price for its specs. Performance is stellar with its intel’s six-core i7-8750H and Nvidia’s RTX 2060 make sure of that.
You also get 16GB of DDR4 RAM for all your multitasking needs, and you’ll be storing your software and games on a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD. The display is a 1080p IPS panel with a high refresh rate of 144Hz.
The highlight of the Triton 500 is potentially the 3-fan cooling design, with a 4th generation all-metal AeroBlade 3D fan and five copper heat pipes. It keeps the laptop really cool under load and avoids issues such as overheating or throttling.
Features:
- Intel Core i7 six-core CPU and Nvidia RTX 2060 graphics card
- Thunderbolt 3 USB Type-C port
- Excellent cooling design with 3 fans and 5 copper heat pipes
- Killer Gaming network cards for lag-free wired and wireless gaming
- RGB keyboard
- An extra PCIe M.2 slot for storage expandability
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Eluktronics MECH-15 G2Rx Slim & Light
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H 2.6GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 | RAM: 32GB | Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
Dimensions: 14.13″ x 9.29″ x 0.86″ | Weight: 4.5lbs
Eluktronics is certainly not the first brand that springs to mind when you’re looking at gaming laptops. However, that’s because they spend less time on advertising, and more time on making some really great laptops at a very reasonable price. The MECH-15 G2Rx Slim & Light is an excellent example of this, because it’s not just thin and light, but it is also an excellent performer and doesn’t cost too much.
To begin with, you’ve got the excellent display that’s obviously oriented towards gamers. It’s a 15”diagonal, with a resolution of 1920×1080 and a refresh rate of 144Hz. Since it’s an IPS panel, you’ll get excellent viewing angles and color reproduction, so it’s a very viable option for work, too.
The laptop is powered by Intel’s six-core i7 9750H processor which can turbo up to 4.5GHz when necessary. Add to this its Nvidia’s RTX 2060 GPU, and you’ve got an excellent laptop for gaming, because it’s going to run AAA titles pretty well, and it’s going to run competitive titles at those 144 frames per second without breaking a sweat. To add to the performance, there’s a very fast 1TB NVMe SSD, as well as 32GB of RAM to future proof the entire laptop.
But that’s not all. The MECH-15 also comes full of other important features, such as an Intel Wireless-AC 9560 card, as well as Bluetooth 5.0. There’s also an IR webcam that supports WindowsHello, in what’s overall a great laptop to buy.
Features:
- Six-core Intel CPU
- 1TB NVMe SSD
- 32GB RAM is more than you’ll need anytime soon
- 144Hz IPS panel with great viewing angles
- Mechanical keyboard
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ASUS ROG Zephyrus M GM501GS-XS74
CPU: Intel Core i7-8750H 2.2GHz | GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8GB | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 1TB SSHD & 256GB SSD
Dimensions: 15.12 x 10.31 x 0.78 inches | Weight: 5.4 pounds
We already spoke about the Zephyrus S, and the Zephyrus M is the somewhat a bigger brother. It comes with the same six-core Intel Core i7-8750H CPU but with a previous generation Nvidia GTX 1070 graphics card.
Performance shouldn’t be an issue, and you can easily game on it with the 144Hz G-Sync display. There’s 16GB of RAM for all of your multitasking needs. Storage is taken care of by a 1TB SSHD FireCuda drive, as well as a 256GB PCIe SSD.
It may not be the most lightweight laptop on our list, but it’s still very thin and portable. You can still carry it around wherever you go, and performance is on par with the much more expensive options on our list.
Features:
- Six-core Intel CPU and Nvidia’s GTX 1070 graphics card (fully powered, not the Max-Q variant)
- Gigabit Wave 2 802.11ac Wi-Fi module for fast wireless performance
- The anti-dust tunnel makes sure no dust stays in the laptop, helping with both reliability and performance
- Active aerodynamic system elevates the laptop when open, significantly helping with cooling
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