Best 240Hz Gaming Laptops in the UK (2026)
A 240Hz display redraws the screen 240 times per second — four times the old 60Hz standard — delivering visibly smoother, more responsive motion that competitive gamers swear by. Thirteen verified models in our RTX 50-series research offer 240Hz panels, spanning £1,749 to £5,500 as seen in October 2026. This guide rounds them up, explains when 240Hz genuinely matters and when resolution or OLED matters more, and helps you choose.
Illustrative stock photo (Pexels / Unsplash)
When 240Hz actually matters
Refresh rate determines how many new frames your display can show each second, and higher rates make motion look smoother and more responsive. The jump from 60Hz to 144Hz is transformative for almost everyone; the step from 144Hz to 240Hz is subtler, but competitive players in fast-paced shooters, fighting games and MOBAs consistently report that it helps tracking, reaction and overall feel.
The key condition is that your GPU must actually produce frame rates near 240fps to use the panel fully. That is why 240Hz pairs best with powerful GPUs and with esports titles or lowered settings — a 240Hz display showing 90fps looks no smoother than a good 144Hz one. Match the panel to the performance: a 240Hz screen makes most sense with an RTX 5070 Ti or above, or with a 5070 in less demanding competitive titles.
For everyone else — cinematic single-player adventures, strategy games, creative work — resolution, contrast and colour quality usually improve the experience more than refresh rate beyond 144Hz. A 240Hz panel is never a disadvantage, but do not sacrifice OLED or a higher resolution purely to chase hertz you may not use.
Esports settings: getting the most from your 240Hz panel
Owning a 240Hz panel is only half the equation — your settings determine whether you actually see 240 frames per second. In competitive titles, most serious players lower graphics settings deliberately: reduced shadows, medium textures and disabled fancy effects can double frame rates, which is exactly what a high-refresh panel needs to shine. The visual sacrifice is minimal in fast-paced games where you are focused on targets, not scenery.
Enable your GPU's frame-generation and upscaling features where available. DLSS 4, supported across the RTX 50 series, can lift frame rates substantially in supported titles — particularly useful for reaching the high frame rates that make 240Hz worthwhile at higher resolutions like QHD+ and WQXGA.
Finally, check that your display is actually running at 240Hz. New laptops sometimes default to 60Hz, and the setting lives in Windows display settings or your GPU control panel. It sounds obvious, but it is one of the most common reasons a new high-refresh laptop feels no smoother than the old one — a thirty-second check that is well worth making on day one.
Flagship 240Hz picks: RTX 5090
Four verified flagships pair top-tier GPUs with 240Hz displays. The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026) combines the RTX 5090 with an 18-inch WQUXGA Mini-LED panel at 240Hz, seen at £5,399.99 — the maximum screen and maximum smoothness in one machine. The Razer Blade 16 (2026) (£5,499.98 seen) and Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Gen 2 (£4,299.98 seen) both pair the 5090 with 16-inch WQXGA OLED panels at 240Hz — the best of both worlds for image quality and motion clarity. The MSI Raider 16 Max HX (£3,549.98 seen) brings the 5090 to a 16-inch WQXGA IPS 240Hz panel at the lowest flagship price.
These are the no-compromise choices: GPUs powerful enough to push high frame rates at their panels' native resolutions, on displays that can show every one of them. Competitive players who also love cinematic single-player games should look here first — particularly at the 240Hz OLED options, which combine the two most desirable display traits.
As always at this tier, verify the GPU wattage of the exact configuration, since sustained performance varies with chassis and cooling design, and confirm the live price before buying.
Mid-range 240Hz value: 5080, 5070 Ti and 5070
The mid-range is where 240Hz value shines brightest. The MSI Vector 16 HX AI (seen £2,577–£2,699) pairs the RTX 5080 with a 16-inch QHD+ 240Hz display — arguably the best high-refresh value in the entire guide set. The Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 (BYH) (£2,799 seen) matches the 5080 with a 16-inch WQXGA OLED at 240Hz, adding elite contrast to the high refresh rate.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7 Gen 10 (seen £3,350–£3,699, 2.5K OLED 240Hz), Razer Blade 16 (2025) (£3,399 seen, QHD+ OLED 240Hz) and ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025) (£3,999–£4,799 seen, 2.5K OLED 240Hz) bring 240Hz OLED to premium thin-and-light chassis. The HP Omen Max 16 and MSI Raider 16 HX (both £2,399 seen) deliver RTX 5070 Ti power with 240Hz panels (WQXGA and QHD+), while the MSI Crosshair 16 HX (£1,749 seen) offers 240Hz at the lowest price in this guide with its QHD+ panel and RTX 5070.
Also worth noting: the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 10 (£2,999 seen) is listed with a high-refresh WQXGA display — confirm the exact refresh rate on the retailer's page before buying, as it was not specified as 240Hz in our research.
240Hz vs resolution and OLED: the real choice
More hertz is not always the right upgrade. A 240Hz 1080p-class panel shows smoother motion than a 144Hz 4K OLED, but the OLED shows a dramatically better image — deeper blacks, richer colour, sharper detail. For cinematic and atmospheric games, most players would choose the better image; for competitive esports, most would choose the higher refresh rate.
The good news is that several verified models refuse the compromise: the Razer Blade 16 (2026), Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Gen 2, Aorus Master 16 (BYH), Legion Pro 7, Blade 16 (2025) and Zephyrus G16 (2025) all offer 240Hz on OLED panels — high refresh rate and elite image quality together. If your budget reaches these models, the trade-off largely disappears.
At lower prices the choice is real: the Crosshair 16 HX gives you 240Hz on QHD+ IPS for £1,749 as seen, while OLED starts at £2,699–£2,799 in our research. Decide based on the games you actually play most, not the specification that impresses most on paper.
What pairs well with 240Hz: GPU, MUX and cooling
A 240Hz panel performs best when the rest of the system supports it. The GPU needs enough power to reach high frame rates — which is why 240Hz makes most sense from the RTX 5070 Ti upward, or with a 5070 in esports titles. CPU matters too in competitive games, where frame rates are often CPU-limited; the HX-class processors in many of these machines are well suited to the task.
A MUX switch (or Advanced Optimus) lets the dedicated GPU drive the display directly, bypassing the integrated graphics — a feature worth having on any high-refresh gaming laptop, and common across the premium models in this guide. Our MUX switch explainer covers what it does and when it matters.
Finally, remember that high frame rates generate heat and noise. A 240Hz esports session pushes the system hard, so good cooling — and realistic expectations about fan noise — are part of the package. None of this should put you off; it is simply the full picture of what high-refresh gaming involves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you actually tell 240Hz from 144Hz?
Do I need 240Hz for single-player games?
Does a 240Hz display hurt battery life?
Which is better: a 240Hz IPS or a 240Hz OLED display?
Sources & further reading
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