The graphic designers and digital artists have very specific needs when they have to choose a best laptop for graphics. The best laptops for graphic design provide performance that demands between processing (CPU) as well as graphics capabilities (GPU) and also a long battery life.
Some models prioritize battery life, but this leads to sacrificing CPU power a bit, in order to deliver full-use working performance on battery power.
Other manufacturers make the GPU as well as the CPU are of top priority , to exploit the maximum from design, modeling, rendering 3D models and animations ride.
Laptops still lag a bit behind desktops in some performance demands; They are perfect for their mobility that they provide to take to meetings with clients, shared workspaces or take work with you.
If you need several monitors, many modern laptops have DisplayPort, HDMI and USB-C inputs to connect external monitors when we need it. Some models allow you to place 2 hard drives or solid state drives always depending on your needs as well as others allow you to configure SSDs of up to 8 TB for a large demand for storage volume.
There are many factors to consider when purchasing a graphic design laptop, and it is easy to feel overwhelmed as well as indecisive. For this reason we bring you the solution with a compilation of the best options on the market, to decide which one best suits your needs and tastes.
Graphic Design is a challenging job that requires professional hardware and software. In today’s digital arts arena, the characteristics that are required to be among the best laptops for Graphic Design, such as power, mobility and weight, have become extremely important.
As with every profession, knowing how to choose among the best laptops for graphic design is always a subtle game of balance between performance and weight, a large screen, portability, the best functionality and affordable price.
It is important that you have a screen of good resolution, brightness and sharpness to help you work, to visualize the results in the most realistic way possible, also consider that the best laptops for Graphic Design should be thin and light so that you can take them with you while traveling..
Whether you want a macOS or Windows PC, read on for our picks.
Best Touch Screen Laptop for Graphic Design In 2021
Below we have short list some of best touch screen laptop for graphic design work which are high in performance and speed.
HP Pavilion x360
About this item
- Processor: 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 (up to 4.2 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, 8 MB L3 cache, 4 cores)
- Operating System & Preinstalled Software: Windows 10 Home | Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 | In the box: Laptop with included battery, charger, HP Rechargeable MPP2.0 Tilt Pen
- Display: 14-Inch FHD (1920 x 1080), touch-enabled, IPS, edge-to-edge glass, micro-edge, 250 nits, 45% NTSC | Comes with Inking Pen
- Memory & Storage: 8 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM (2 x 4 GB), expandable upto 16 GB | 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xᵉ Graphics
- Design & Battery: Touchscreen and Convertible Laptop | Laptop weight: 1.58 kg | Average battery life = 7 hours, 3-cell, 41 Wh Li-ion Fast Charge Battery
- Camera & Microphone: HP TrueVision HD camera with integrated dual array digital microphone
HP Envy x360
About this item
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 4500U (2.3 GHz base clock, up to 4.0 GHz max boost clock, 8 MB L3 cache, 6 cores)
- Camera & Microphone: HP Wide Vision HD Camera with camera shutter and integrated dual array digital microphone
- Memory & Storage: 8GB DDR4, not expandable | 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Ports: 1 SuperSpeed USB Type-C (10Gbps), Display Port 1.4, 2 SuperSpeed USB Type-A (5Gbps), 1 microSD card reader | Without CD-Drive
HP Envy 13.3″
About this item
- HP Wide Vision HD camera with camera shutter and integrated dual array digital microphone
- Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 (1.0 GHz base frequency, up to 3.6 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, 6 MB L3 cache, 4 cores)
- Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics
- Design & Battery: Ultra thin and light design, touchscreen | Laptop weight: 1.3 kg | Average battery life 10 hours, 3-cell, 51 Wh Li-ion Fast Charge Battery
Google Pixelbook Go
About this item
- Pixelbook Go lets you stay unplugged for up to 12 hours [1] so you don’t need to carry a charger; when you do need a charge, get up to 2 hours of battery use in just 20 minutes so you can keep going [2]
- Lightweight Chromebook laptop that’s barely 2 pounds and 13 millimeter thin with a grippable design making it easier to carry[3]
- Protects your data passwords, and information with the Titan C security chip and built-in antivirus software; Chrome OS updates automatically to give you the latest features and security [4]
- Starts up in seconds so it’s always ready when you are; the 8th Gen Intel Core Processor is quick and responsive powering everything you do[5]
- Pixelbook Go is a quiet and comfortable laptop with a backlit keyboard ultra quiet keys, and and a spacious touchpad that only needs a light touch
- Get amazing picture and sound with the brilliant HD touchscreen display and dual stereo speakers so you can watch movies edit photos, or video chat with the 1080p webcam
- Please refer to the product description section below for all applicable legal disclaimers denoted by the bracketed numbers in the preceding bullet points (e.g. [1], [2], etc.)
- Google Pixelbook Go packaged with a Google Seal for Online Marketplace
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
About this item
- Clean, elegant design — Thin and light, starting at just 2.79 pounds, Surface Laptop 3 is easy to carry
- Choose from rich tone-on-tone color combinations: New Sandstone, plus Matte Black, Cobalt Blue, and Platinum
- Improved speed and performance to do what you want, with the latest processors – Surface Laptop 3 is up to two times faster than surface Laptop 2
- More ways to connect, with USB-C and USB-A ports for connecting to displays, docking stations and more, as well as accessory charging
- All-day power on the go, with up to 11.5 hours of battery life, plus standby time when you’re away. Go from empty to a full battery with fast charging – up to 80% in about 1 hour
- Free Upgrade to Windows 11 when available (see below).
What Defines A Laptop For Graphic Design?
Here are the criteria you should pay particular attention to before buying a dedicated graphics laptop:
The Processor (CPU)
Depending on your needs, it can be one of the most important components of your laptop. For someone using Photoshop, only a 2 GHz processor is required. But if you are working with 3D software, a Core i7 HQ processor or higher is recommended, with a minimum of 2.5 GHz. Similarly, it is necessary, in this case , prefer a quad-core processor (or more) to a dual-core processor, quickly limited to manage 3D applications.
RAM For Graphic Design
This is the storage space where the files are uploaded when you work on them. The larger this RAM, the better it processes information. Currently, it is very rare to find a laptop with less than 4 GB of RAM. However, for graphic work a minimum of 8 GB and even 16 GB is required for 3D modeling and rendering work.
The Graphics Card (GPU) For Graphic Design
It will be requested differently according to its uses. More and more manufacturers also offer a graphics card with a dedicated RAM: it does not share its RAM with the rest of the components. This is optimal for running the most demanding 3D games and programs.
The Hard Drive
SSD hard drives are faster than HDDs and are slowly becoming the standard for most laptops and desktops. A good choice, when it comes to a laptop dedicated to graphics, is to opt for a model that includes an HDD and an SSD. In any case, an SSD is highly recommended for all 3D work.
Screen Size
The ideal size depends, of course, on your needs. If you are working with a secondary screen, a 13 ”screen may be more than enough. On the other hand, if you have to show the results of your work to clients on your own laptop, a 15″ and even 17″ screen can be useful (but portability is also required). Generally, it is the equipment with 15″ screens in which manufacturers focused on Graphic Design invest the most.
Display Quality
It depends first and foremost on the resolution. In graphics, a Full HD screen is recommended (some manufacturers are starting to invest in 4K, but this is superfluous unless you work in video editing). Then it depends on the precision of the colors: these must be as faithful as possible (with a Delta E, the measure of the difference between a color and its representation, less than 3) and the gamut (the set of colors that the ‘screen reproduced) sufficiently wide.
Tactile
This feature is far from winning all the votes, for one thing, as this touch is often less accurate than on a graphics tablet, and because it drains battery life.
Battery
It is a key point to keep in mind if you have to use your laptop as a support for a professional presentation, for example. However, do not trust the autonomy announced by the manufacturer, often optimistic and in any case calculated under “standard” conditions (office, navigation, etc.). Some graphics programs are very heavy and drain your battery.
Whether you are looking for a laptop to use alongside your desktop or as your main computer, it is important that you choose a suitable device to carry out your work as an artist or designer or graphic designer.
To carry out this classification, we have tested and benchmarked the four models presented here and also others that have not turned out to have a good relationship between power and portability.
Next, we are going to help you choose the correct configuration. But before analyzing what screen, processor, RAM, storage, graphics card, ports and operating system you need, you may want to take a look at these recommendations.
How To Choose Your Laptop For Graphic Design?
If you are a student or professional of graphic creation, you must have a computer capable of handling your work optimally, quickly and efficiently.
The most difficult thing will be to find a model that provides the right balance between the components and your needs (they are not the same for 2D work as for 3D), and a material quality that allows you to work with total confidence.
Here are the criteria to pay particular attention to before purchasing your graphic design notebook PC:
- The processor (CPU): Depending on your needs, this can be one of the most important components of your computer. For example, for someone using Photoshop, only a 2GHz processor is needed, and older models can often suffice. But if you work with 3D software, you need a Core i7 HQ processor (or higher is highly recommended), with a minimum of 2.5 GHz. Also, a quad-core processor (or higher) should be preferred over a dual-core processor. , quickly limited to manage 3D applications.
- RAM: to remain in the analogy of the processor as the brain of the computer, RAM is comparable to short-term memory: it is the storage space in which files are loaded, when working with them. The higher the RAM, the better it processes information. These days, it is rare to find a computer with less than 4GB of RAM. However, a minimum of 8GB is required for graphics jobs, and even 16GB for 3D rendering and modeling jobs.
- The graphics card (GPU): the graphics card – or GPU – will also be different depending on its uses. In this matter, the market is dominated by Nvidia (my favorite), but AMD is still a good option. For basic graphics needs, an Nvidia GTX 960 card is the bare minimum for satisfactory rendering, but it’s best not to look down on an Nvidia GTX 1050!
- The HardDrive – SSD hard drives are faster than HDDs and are slowly becoming the standard for most notebooks and desktops. HDDs are much slower, but for now they are more durable. It would be great to opt for a dedicated graphics laptop with HDD and SSD. In any case, an SSD is highly recommended for any 3D work.
- The size of the lampshade: the ideal size depends, of course, on your needs. If you are working with a secondary screen, a 13 ”screen may be more than sufficient. On the contrary, if you have to show the results of your work to clients on your own computer, a 15 ”or even 17” screen can come in handy (but it’s portability that takes a hit).
- The resolution: with the same screen size, the one with the highest resolution (more pixels, therefore) will have the best display quality, since the image will be much sharper. As for graphic creation, the recommended minimum is Full HD display (1920 x 1080 pixels). However, some manufacturers are starting to invest in the 4K world (3840 x 2160).
- Touch mode: it seems to be gradually gaining more followers among graphic designers, since it allows working on a single support, instead of working on a graphics tablet linked to the computer. However, this feature is far from winning all the votes, on the one hand, this touch is often less accurate than on a graphics tablet, and also consumes a lot of battery.
- Autonomy: today it is possible to find efficient laptops with a few dozen hours of autonomy. Of course, manufacturers always announce a certain duration of use, but it is a “classic” use: office automation, a bit of streaming, a bit of video games … If you use more complex graphics software, it is very likely that you will never reach the announced autonomy.