December: We are in the process of testing the new MacBook Pro M4 in consideration for this guide.
The best laptops for graphic design certainly aren't the most affordable, but they do offer exceptionally powerful performance. And that's important because as a graphic design professional, you need a reliable machine that can handle creative software. When we're looking for laptops to recommend for this guide, we focus on gorgeous displays, enough RAM and good battery life as a starting point. Not sure what specs to look out for? See our guide to the requirements needed for a graphic design laptop.
Why you can trust Creative Bloq
✅ We are solely focused on what creatives need ✅ Benchmark tests based on real workflows ✅ We consult actual designers and creative pros ✅ Over 100 laptops tested over 10,000 hours in the last two years
Our experts have years of collective experience reviewing laptops for creative-specific purposes, and we've personally reviewed each model listed below, while conducting benchmark tests, and verifying suspicious manufacturer claims. For the full breakdown of our process, check out how we test laptops for graphic design as well as the testing section below, but in a nutshell, we aim to complete real-world projects and strict benchmark tests with these devices to assess their suitability for creatives.
Currently, we recommend the MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro chip as our top pick for a graphic design laptop as it sets a new performance standard, complemented by a user-friendly design and excellent display. Its 3D capability also puts it on the best laptops for 3D modelling list, though it's a powerhouse for 2D design work too. Prefer to work on a desktop? See our picks of the best computers for graphic design instead.
Erlingur Einarsson
Erlingur has personally tested and overseen the testing of more than 100 laptops, PCs and tablets over the last two and a half years. He has worked on extensive testing and benchmarking processes to ensure we are putting the laptops through tests that truly nail what creatives need to do their best graphic design work. His favourite laptop brand is ASUS because they push the envelope, and led the charge for OLED touchscreens on laptops.
This lightning-fast, mega-powerful laptop has Apple's hot new M3 Pro chip, plus a big, vibrant 16-inch screen and a whopping 22 hours of battery life to see you through all your graphic design needs. It also has a wide range of ports, including an HDMI slot. Read more below
The ASUS ProArt P16 is a powerhouse laptop for creatives with an ultra-sharp touchscreen OLED display, impeccable performance, a much-improved battery life on last year's Studiobook, and its benchmark scores even outperformed the Macbook Pro. Read more below
Thanks to the M2 chip, this laptop packs a superb combination of power and efficiency in a very light and portable body – and it's at a very reasonable price. Our testing found it edited 4K video with ease, and had no issue with Photoshop's AI tools. Read more below
If you're on a tight budget, and you're happy to compromise on some top end power, this laptop will deliver enough power for most graphic designers. But the screen's colour is definitely a drawback, you may want a second monitor here. Read more below
The glorious OLED screen is part of what makes this a top pick for graphic designers. It has 16:10 aspect ratio, and glorious colour accuracy. It comes in a massive 16-inch version, brilliant for those who want a true 2-in-1 laptop with space to draw. Read more below
Gorgeous 16-inch screen, AI-powered power and optimisation and a lovely build, we deem this a must have for creatives (just be prepared to compromise a bit on battery life). This is a genuine MacBook Pro rival that just missed out to the Asus ProArt for reasons we'll explain. Read more below
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✅ You have a heavy workflow: If your work uses a monster amount of apps and 3D or motion work, the M3 Pro and Max power does the job with zero lag.
✅ You want a glorious screen: See your work in crystal clear definition, and at a peak brightness of 1,600 nits for HDR work.
✅ You want the latest Apple chips: The M3 Pro/Max means you won't have to upgrade for a good while.
Don't buy it if:
❌ Your apps aren't optimised for Apple: Some 3D and CAD-based apps aren't available for macOS. This won't bother most graphic designers, but it's something to be aware of.
❌ You don't need top-spec power: For graphic design alone, this laptop may be overkill for many people.
❌ Price is an issue: The newest, most powerful MacBook comes at a high price. There are more affordable options.
The bottom line
🔎 MacBook Pro M3 Pro can't be beaten if you're a professional. It will handle any graphic design task with ease, no matter the assets or apps (even if there is 3D crossover). The screen is excellent, and the battery lasts all day. ★★★★½
What you need to know
When we reviewed the MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3, 2023), we knew it would earn the crown of the best laptop for graphic design because the power and performance blew us away (we had hands-on with the Max chip, fyi). When upgraded with the brilliant M3 Pro or M3 Max chips, it’s even faster than ever and has a big, bright 14 or 16-inch screen to choose from. The M3 Pro model has more RAM than the standard M3 model (8GB only), so we recommend the M3 Pro for graphic designers as it is generally a better machine for creative work. If you're not sure about whether to go Apple or not, see our Mac vs Windows guide.
Design: Apple didn't stray far from the previous design, which we don't mind at all – the Pro is sleek, streamlined and hides its power well. While the new Space Black colour is much appreciated, more exciting is the tremendous Liquid Retina XDR display, which is one of the best things about this laptop. It's big and bright, with a peak brightness of 1,600 nits if working in HDR (compared to 1,000 average) – plus the gloss finish doesn't create issues thanks to how bright it is. Our tests found the colour accuracy was extraordinary – it has a best-in-class 116.70% sRGB color gamut). I recommend going with a 16-inch screen size as it gives ample screen real estate without being a monster to manoeuvre. However, if you need something smaller you could use an external monitor added on.
Performance: Our testing of the MacBook Pro Max showed it eats up creative tasks, we were able to run multiple heavy-duty apps at once without any fuss at all. In our tests it ate up heavy workflows in Cinema 4D so it'll have no trouble managing multiple layers with Camera RAW files in Photoshop, for example. For lighter users, we recommend the Pro, which will sit nicely in the right spot for most professionals. If you're a hobbyist or have a light workflow, as an alternative we recommend looking at the MacBook Air M3, or even the previous iteration of the MacBook Pro.
Battery life: Apple suggests a lighter workload should allow you 24 hours of juice. We got an impressive 10 hours out of the MacBook Pro whilst using Cinema 4D to complete a heavy project, which is double the battery life of the best Windows pick, the Asus ProArt Studiobook when using its full feature set, and is comparable to the HP Spectre x360 2-in-1.
Price: Starting at $1,499/£1,499, we think the Pro offers good value for money given its high-end feature. But this isn't a budget option, and you will need to pay more if you want the maximum it has to offer, including the M3 Max chip.
Power designed for professionals and heavy workflows.
★★★★★
Battery life
Stellar battery life, this goes all day.
★★★★★
Our expert says...
Our expert says...
Rob Redman
Apple’s claims are accurate and benchmarking testifies quite what a powerhouse the M3 is. It’s easy to think of combined CPU/GPU machines as somewhat compromised but take a look at the results here and you’ll see quite how much bang your buck gets you.
Ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x USB 4.0 Gen 3 Type-C, 1x HDMI 2.1 FRL, 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, 1x DC-in, 1x SD Express 7.0 card reader
Reasons to buy
+
Very power
+
Beautiful screen
+
Perfect for creatives
Reasons to avoid
-
Smudge City
-
Not the prettiest design
Buy it if
✅ You want Windows: If you don't like MacBooks, or working in macOS, the ASUS ProArt P16 is our top pick as it runs heavy loads with ease. ✅ You want an OLED display: The ProArt screen is a thing of beauty, one of the best and sharpest we've seen – ideal for graphic design work.
✅ You like productivity features: It's a laptop set up for creative work and comes with add-ons like a built-in dial you can customise for apps and tasks.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You need super long battery life: The ASUS ProArt P16 has a much-improved battery life, and we got 10 hours and 23 minutes out of it. However, this is still a little below the MacBooks.
❌ You're on a budget: With a starting price of $1,999 this isn't cheap but you're paying for a lot of features and power – if you need less power, this isn't for you.
❌ You like a traditional keyboard: The keyboard is a bit strange – full-size squeezed into the clamshell – so some buttons aren't where they should be.
The bottom line
🔎 Asus ProArt P16 is a powerhouse with an array of useful features, plus a glorious OLED touchscreen. It's pricey but the studio-ready performance makes up for it. ★★★★½
What you need to know
The Asus ProArt P16 is a beast of a laptop, the flagship of ASUS' new ProArt range for creative professionals, and it proudly succeeds last year's mighty Studiobook as a powerful, feature-rich, studio-ready leader to rule the varied laptop tribes beneath it. Much like the MacBook Pro M3 Pro, it can handle any creative task you throw at it, but I believe that this laptop is the mightiest among laptops, even beating out Apple's MacBook Pro. It wins against the Lenovo Yoga Pro Gen 9 (our best AI laptop pick) thanks to its better screen, and the ProArt Creator Hub software suite, which, while it won't replace your software of choice, is a nice addition.
Design: This year's ProArt P16 is near-identical to last year's Studiobook but not quite as pretty as other ProArt models we've reviewed. It has a 16-inch OLED screen, a large touchpad and a well-spaced, responsive backlit keyboard, and of course the the ASUS Dial which is integrated into the pad now instead of being a separate physical dial, used as a programmable function. Note: It's 300 grams lighter and got a more powerful AMD NPU than the Lenovo model, plus it's got better Bluetooth, an SD Express card reader and it's lighter.
Performance: Our benchmarks show P16 is capable of effortlessly loading and running several demanding creative software and applications at the same time, and the OLED touchscreen also performed impeccably during our testing as well, providing 396 nits of whole-screen brightness. Though we did find that the touchscreen is very smudge-prone, so keep your fingers clean!
Battery life: ASUS has improved the battery life dramatically with this latest model, and we managed to get 10 hours and 23 minutes out of it during our video loop test. Pretty impressive.
Price: You won't find a more capable pro-level laptop for graphic design work under £/$3,000 than the ProArt P16. We found that its benchmark scores in many cases rival (and sometimes outdo) the near-$4,000 MacBook Pro M3 Max model.
The ProArt P16's amazing display will be perfect for graphic designers (touchscreen and lots of grunt inside). I spent three weeks with one, putting it through heavy benchmark tests so I should know.
✅ Price is a consideration: The M2 Air is seeing some incredible discounts right now. For the performance it offers, we think it's tremendous value. ✅ You aren't a power user: For most graphic design tasks, the MacBook Air M2 is enough power – ideal for mid-range workflows.
✅ You want portability: The M2 Air is thin and light – even the 15-inch version. The battery life is also excellent, with enough to last a almost two full work days (we got 16 hours).
Don't buy it if:
❌ You need multi-screen setup: The M2 Air only supports one external display – go for the M3 Air if you like the range but this is a deal-breaker.
❌ You've got a heavy workflow: This model can handle most creative tasks, but if you're a power user, or likely to need heavy apps, we recommend the MacBook Pro.
❌ You want the newest model: The M2 Air has been superseded by the M3. We think that the M2 still offers the best value – but if you want the performance increase, see the newer model below.
The bottom line
🔎 MacBook Air M2 is a lightweight, zippy laptop with a fantastic screen. And it's great value now that it is frequently on sale, making it the perfect blend of price, portability and performance for most users. ★★★★½
What you need to know
Since the MacBook Air M2 was superseded by the M3, it has been subject to some stellar price cuts. Taking into consideration the performance jump from the M2 to the M3 chip (ranging from 17% to 21%) we think the significant price difference makes the M2 a great value option for portability. Though if you want that slight boost in power, the M3 might be better for you if you're happy to spend some extra money.
Design: Apple introduced a beautiful aluminium finish and bigger, brighter, almost bezel-less screen with this redesign. The display comes in 13.6 or 15.3-inches, and the larger is ideal for design work. Despite the increase, the laptop is thinner and lighter than before, at 11mm thick the 13.6-inch model weighs only 2.7 pounds.
Performance: Coming close to the M2 MacBook Pro 13-inch in performance, this MacBook Air confused the range when it came out because of its excellent power. Our testing found it edited 4K video with ease, and had no issue with Photoshop AI tools, but if you're planning on a sustained heavy workload the temperature could be an issue as there's no fan. If you're using many many layers or you've got a 3D strain to your workflow the Air will struggle and you should look to one of the more powerful options on the list.
Battery life: This model's battery life was a big jump from the M1 – we got five hours more in our tests. We rain a looped 1080p video for 16 hours before it died, so longevity is definitely a standout feature of the M2 Air – unsurprisingly given its portable credentials, but still beating out every other laptop on this list except the MacBook Pro.
Price: The starting price for the M2 is $999/£999, which is only $100 under that of the M3. However, the almost-constant deals from third-party retailers is what makes this our value pick – it's currently available for $849, for example, and dropped to $749 over Prime Day. When it came out it wasn't as competitively priced as the M3 model is now, but the deals that can be had now make it a great value option at its price point. If price isn't such a consideration but you like all the qualities of the Air range, and need more power, we recommend its successor, the MacBook Air M3.
With the deals running, this is an excellent value option.
★★★★½
Design
A bigger, brighter screen and lightweight frame.
★★★★★
Performance
Handles most creative tasks easily.
★★★★
Battery life
Incredible battery life, beating every other pick.
★★★★★
Our expert says...
Our expert says...
Georgia Coggan
The MacBook Air M2 is zippy, and the screen is big and bright – I use the 15-inch model everyday for photo editing and general creative work. Benchmarks show the power is more than enough for most graphic design tasks – and the price is getting better and better.
Ports: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, 2x USB 3 Type-A, 1x USB 3 Type-C, 1x HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, headphones, SD card reader
Reasons to buy
+
Solid budget laptop
+
Reasonably priced
+
144Hz screen
Reasons to avoid
-
Only 8GB RAM
-
Poor colour response
-
Components getting out of date
Buy it if
✅ Price is your main consideration: There are compromises here, but the price makes up for them... to a point. ✅ You have a medium workflow: 8GB of RAM isn't tons so this isn't for a heavy taskload, but it will serve the aims of graphic designers working with a light-medium workflow (some advanced Photoshop features will struggle). ✅ You have external storage: This doesn't come with enough storage for most pros, so you'll want to back up with something external.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You have a tight budget: You can get this laptop for under £700, which is actually pretty reasonable for the performance. ❌ You integrate heavier tasks: If you use a lot of AI capability in apps, or you use RAW files, this won't work for you. ❌ You want something new: This is an older model, and might not have legs so if you're not willing to upgrade in the near future you might want to invest more in a different model (try the MacBook Air M2 or M3).
The bottom line
🔎 HP Victus 15 is an older laptop that is showing its age. However, its benchmarks show that for the price it is a decent budget option for graphic designers if you're willing to make a few compromises and appreciate it might not last forever. If you're using Illustrator, Affinity Designer or similar, this will most likely be enough for you. We gave it three stars at the time of reviews, when it was more expensive, but we'd bump up to ★★★1/2 if budget is most important to you and you can get it for current price.
What you need to know
It's impossible to find a true graphic design laptop for what 'budget' means in other contexts. In order for it to properly do the job, you need certain minimum specs. We did have a Chromebook in this spot, but after talking to graphic designers we realise cloud-based working is never going to be ideal for a professional. We think this laptop offers a balance of price and specs, which will work fine for the majority of workflows. If you need more power, you'll simply have to pay (or go refurbished).
Design: An understated chassis houses a 15.6-inch display. The screen is okay – probably the biggest compromise of the machine because the colour isn't a wow. Our benchmarks only got 64% of sRGB, 48% of Adobe RGB, and 47% of P3 – but you could use a calibrated monitor to get better colour work done (see these ace monitors for graphic artists). It's also not the brightest screen – only 250nits. It has good connectivity, and a comfortable keyboard – though there were some issues with the trackpad when we used it.
Performance: As discussed, this isn't the punchiest machine but our benchmarks show that it delivers enough power to be included in this guide when paired with the RTX 3050Ti GPU (which we tested). In fact, these tests were very respectable, and showed that Photoshop work was smooth until using some of the advanced features like AI denoise on bigger files. The screen refresh is pretty good though, so any motion work you do will be smooth – but we would not recommend video editing on this laptop.
Battery life: Battery life is so-so. We got five and a half hours out of it when at 50% brightness, which isn't awful for a budget laptop but you'll need to be near a plug point if you want to work all day.
Price: You can buy the HP Victus 15 for around $600/£600 now, which may not sound totally budget but it is hard to get a laptop any cheaper that is genuinely a good option for a graphic designer. You might want to spend the extra £150 and get an M2 MacBook Air when it's on sale.
Ports: 1x USB Type-A 10Gbps, 2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x 3.5mm headset port
Reasons to buy
+
Great screen
+
Responsive in use
+
Stylus in the box
Reasons to avoid
-
No discrete GPU
-
Heavy as a tablet
Buy it if
✅ You want a good productivity laptop: Its powerful hardware, featuring an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD, which is ample for most productivity tasks. The versatile 2-in-1 design offers flexibility for various work scenarios ✅ That can do double duty for entertainment: Its OLED touchscreen offers excellent image quality with vibrant colors and deep blacks, making it great for colour work. ✅ And has a touchscreen and stylus: The HP Spectre x360 14 comes with a stylus for drawing and writing, and its touchscreen is nice and responsive.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You need a discrete GPU chip: This laptop's reliance on the processor’s Arc-integrated graphics means that if you use pixel-heavy applications, you may prefer similarly priced laptops with a dedicated GPU. ❌ You have no need for pen input: The stylus is lovely, but if you won't use it, you may resent paying for it as part of the overall package.
The bottom line
🔎 HP Spectre x360 16 is a high-end convertible laptop that impresses with its classy design and powerful performance. It features a responsive OLED touchscreen and robust internal components, with a stylus included at no extra cost. While the chassis is relatively conservative, it incorporates excellent design touches. ★★★★
What you need to know:
The 2024 Spectre x360 14 is a versatile 2-in-1 laptop with a touchscreen and flexible hinge, allowing it to function as both a laptop and tablet. It features Intel's latest mobile processor and ample RAM, making it suitable for graphic design – and our testing agreed. The device comes with a stylus for drawing and writing – a big draw for designers – and can be positioned in various modes for different uses. Its high specifications make it a strong contender among touchscreen laptops.
Design: The 2024 HP Spectre x360 14 showcases several thoughtful design elements. Its robust hinge, connecting at two points with broad connectors, allows smooth 360-degree rotation without wobble. The laptop features clever port placement, with an angled Thunderbolt port for easy access and a slim, spring-loaded USB-A port. Aesthetic touches include filed-off corners where the screen and body meet. Obviously the display is super-important in design, and the OLED screen doesn't disappoint, we were impressed by the deep blacks and rich colour as well as the brightness.
Performance: The top-tier configuration we reviewed delivers strong performance in productivity and creative applications. It can boost up to 4.8GHz and 115W for demanding tasks, while its 1.4GHz resting frequency allows for power efficiency as low as 28W. We thought it more than powerful enough for graphic design tasks – as long as you're not utilising the most heavy apps such as 3D modelling.
Battery life: Our testers achieved eight and a half hours of life under PC Mark's Work 3.0 benchmark. This test simulates real-world usage by keeping the screen active and running various tasks and video calls. Users may extend this battery life further by utilising power-saving features such as allowing the screen to turn off when idle. This is solid – not the best but by no means the worst.
Price: Priced at £/$1,899 at the time of writing, this isn't a budget laptop, though in use it felt like it deserved the price.
What sets the Spectre apart is its 2-in-1 nature and the quality of its construction, and in use it feels as if it was worth the price. Its touchscreen means you can use it as a drawing tablet.
✅ You'd appreciate a large, bright screen: The 16-inch screen is glorious, and gives lots of space for your creative work. ✅ You like AI: If you're ready to integrate AI features into your workflow, this is for you. ✅ You need real power: This is for graphic designers using more than just light Illustrator or Photoshop. If you use a lot of layers, or integrate heavier tasks, this will serve you.
Don't buy it if
❌ You need long battery life: The battery is disappointing. ❌ You're on a budget: You pay for power with this machine.
The bottom line
🔎 Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i gen 9 is a rival to our best overall pick, the MacBook Pro. Honestly, what holds it back is the short battery life. Beyond that it's got an incredible screen, loads of power and a bunch of super-cool AI features that boost power and optimise your workflow (more on that later). ★★★★½
What you need to know:
The Lenovo Yoga Pro gen 9 is a powerhouse that our testing concluded is a 'must-have' for creatives, and it is a rival for the best windows pick above. The Asus edges out this one for the reasons described above, but there are some specific AI elements that might make this more of a pull for you (plus it's a bit cheaper). It's got a glorious screen, and the AI also boosts the CPU.
Design: A sleek build makes for a lightweight laptop (though not as light as the MacBook Air), which has an aluminium chassis and a stable hinge. The keyboard is comfy and spacious. The screen is a bit of a star, a 3.2k, HDR, 16-inch beauty with 1600 Mini-LED dimming zones – this makes it perfect for graphic design. There is also a great set of connectivity ports including full SD slot.
Performance: Our benchmark tests show this laptop is more than capable of all creative tasks, depending on the configuration you go for. The one we tested is possibly too powerful for graphic designers, which could save you some money. The tests show this Lenovo will eat through tasks with zero lag – ideal if you integrate some 3D into your workflow. AI boosts the CPU as it stands on paper. Lenovo's Creator Zone brings AI features specifically for creatives, with generative AI helping with image creation – even learning your own visual style. AI features also optimise your creative apps for cooling, battery, performance and more.
Battery life: Unfortunately the downfall is battery with this machine. We got two hours our of it when gaming (powerful creative apps would have the same effect), but we were able to extend this to almost eight hours when streaming with a slightly dimmed screen.
This laptop is specifically designed for creative professionals who need a high-end machine capable of handling a variety of creative tasks. It also has potential for gamers, as the specs can easily manage intensive gaming. It's a must-have.
Ports: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm combo jack
Reasons to buy
+
Portable second monitor
+
Very good processor
+
Useful, customisable second screen
Reasons to avoid
-
Not ideal for lap use
-
Short battery life
-
Tiny right-handed touchpad
Buy it if
✅ You love the idea of two screens: The two displays are the obvious pull here. If you often need a monitor alongside your laptop for smoother process in your graphic design work, then this is an excellent option. Those screens are gorgeous, touchscreen and compatible, too. ✅ You like medium-high power: This can be quite powerful, but isn't quite up there with some other new laptops such as the M3 MacBook Pros.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You need an uber-long battery life: When using the two screens the battery doesn't last as long as the 12 hours we got when testing a single screen. So if you're on the go a lot and want to make the most of the displays, you'll be a bit disappointed. ❌ You want a budget option: This is not cheap.
The bottom line
🔎 ASUS Zenbook Duo OLED 2024 is one of our favourite laptops ever. It's not for everyone, as it is a quirky build, but it's been built with professional creatives in mind. Anyone who uses a additional monitor when at a desk should consider this beauty, which is a brilliant upgrade from the previous iteration. ★★★★★
What you need to know:
Do you dream of having a second screen to speed up your graphic design work? This laptop delivers just that. It got a rare five stars from our expert reviewer, who thinks it should be up there for the best laptop of the year. The laptop supports stylus input with pressure sensitivity, perfect for sketching out ideas.
Design: Its main 14-inch OLED display can be propped up and joined by a second 14-inch OLED screen positioned below the detachable keyboard, giving you incredible flexibility in the way you work. They're very nice screens too, offering 2.8K resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate and touchscreen functionality. In our testing they hit 395 nits of brightness at 100%, and displayed 97% of sRGB, 73% of Adobe RGB and 72% of the P3 colour gamuts. While the keypad is small because of the display configuration, you can take it out and use an additional keyboard instead.
Performance: You also get a powerful Intel Core Ultra processor paired with integrated graphics that got benchmark scores between an M1 and M1 Ultra – not too shabby at all, but not as powerful as we'd like given the hefty price tag (see below).
Battery life: Our tests found there is some decreased battery life when using both screens simultaneously. We got an impressive 12 hours out of the laptop when not using both screens but using both needs to be near a power point, realistically.
Price: Priced at £/$1,699-£/$2000 at the time of writing, this isn't a cheap option but if you like the unique features it offers, you'll think it's worth it. We certainly do.
One of the best laptops we've ever reviewed on Creative Bloq. The pair of touchscreen OLEDS attached to the keyboard module offer something few other laptops can provide. Creative work on the move can now be meaningful. Remarkable.
While the laptops above get our ultimate nod of approval as fantastic laptops for graphic design, there are more laptops worthy of your attention. If none of the above quite tickle your fancy, we've also tested all of the below laptops and will happily recommend them as great laptops for graphic design, whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out.
ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED With a 14-core Intel i9 processor, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card and 32GB of RAM, this ASUS model combines MacBook Pro-level power with a sub-£/$1,500 price tag. Bonus points for the gorgeous OLED screen, although battery life can't quite keep up with the leaders. Read our 4-star review.
Dell Precision 5470 It may not have a large display, but this 14-inch parcel comes loaded still very powerful - our testing put its performance close to that of a 14-inch MacBook Pro M2 Pro. This portable powerhouse is comfortable to use, feels well-built, and exudes quality. Read our 4.5-star review.
ASUS ProArt Studiobook OLED (H7604) This ProArt Studiobook is a beast of a laptop, perfect for creators thanks to the beautiful OLED screen, power and handy customisable dial. It can handle any creative task you throw at it, perfect for power users, but if you have a lighter workflow you may not need all the power it has to offer. Read our 4.5-star review.
When buying a laptop for graphic design, you’ll need to take into account the specifications of the models you’re researching. But what specs do you need in the first place?
For a good Windows laptop, you’ll want a modern processor from either Intel or AMD: ideally, an 13th gen Intel or AMD Ryzen 7000 mobile processor. When it comes to MacBooks, Apple has its own chips – M1, M2 and M3 – which perform brilliantly as well; the higher the number, the more advanced the processor. When it comes to RAM, the more you have, the better, especially if you want to multitask. We suggest a minimum of 8GB RAM, but ideally 16-64GB if your budget can stretch to it.
For Windows laptops, a dedicated graphics card is also worth thinking about, especially for graphically intensive workloads. However, these can up the price of a laptop considerably, and modern integrated GPUs are good enough for day-to-day graphic design use. For any heavier usage, though, a discrete graphics card is a must.
Are laptops for graphic design expensive?
Yes, laptops designed specifically for graphic design and other demanding creative work tend to be more expensive than basic laptops. That's because they require powerful hardware such as high-end processors, dedicated graphics cards, ample RAM, and fast storage to run software such as Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign smoothly. Also, for colour work, you'll need a high-res display that offers good colour accuracy and wide colour gamuts.
However, there are also more affordable options around the $1,000 price range that can handle graphic work reasonably well for those on tighter budgets, although they may not offer the same level of performance or features as the higher-end models.
What operating system is best for graphic design?
Both Windows and macOS are viable options, but macOS is generally preferred by many graphic designers due to its tight integration with Adobe's Creative Cloud apps and color management tools. However, Windows laptops offer more choice in terms of hardware configurations.
How much RAM do I need for graphic design?
At least 16GB RAM is recommended for graphic design work, as graphic apps can be very memory-intensive. 32GB or more is ideal for working with large, complex files.
What display resolution and color accuracy should a laptop have for graphic design?
Look for displays with at least 1920 x 1080 resolution, although higher resolutions like 4K (3840 x 2160) are obviously better. A wide color gamut covering 100% sRGB and high color accuracy (Delta E <2) is crucial for color-sensitive work.
What we look for
Any graphic designer will know that the three pillars of success for a laptop are a glorious display, enough RAM and decent battery life. Those are the three elements we start with when selecting laptops for this list. How much power you actually need will be down to workflow. If you are working solely in vector software, even if you add in some photo editing you're unlikely to need all the power the most powerful laptops have to offer. But we know creative workflows are getting broader, and with AI capabilities entering even the lightest software now, you might need more than the basics from a laptop.
See more display and power specifics in our how we test section below.
We also know budgets are a big deal. So we've included options at a range of price points and suiting different workflows. You won't find a decent graphic design laptop for the price of a true budget laptop, and we're not here to pretend any of those are suitable. So you'll need to spend a bit more than the lowest on the market – or go refurbished.
How to choose
When choosing a laptop for graphic design, you’ll want a laptop with a lot of power. Graphic design work can be pretty intensive and so you’ll need a laptop that can properly support that and run your host of creative tools.
If you’re frequently on the go and do your work outside the home, you’ll want to strike that proper balance between power and portability. You may have to sacrifice some power to get a laptop that is thin and light enough to throw in your backpack. If you plan to rarely or never tote your computer then we recommend focusing on purchasing a heavier, more powerful laptop.
The next thing you’ll want to consider is what operating system you prefer. MacOS used to be the staple of creative professionals, but nowadays it really doesn’t matter if you use Mac or Windows - both can do the job for graphic designers just fine. It’s up to personal preference, and that shows among the Creative Bloq team, where some of us prefer Mac laptops, while others lean towards Windows.
Finally, budget can be a huge factor in laptop purchases. Many of the laptops in this guide can be quite expensive. If budget is no constraint we recommend the MacBook Pro (M3), but if you’re a student or just starting out, the the MacBook Air (M1) will give you the most bang for your buck.
How we test
Benchmarking
As explained in our how we test laptops for graphic design article, we run extensive benchmark tests, which include using real graphic design software to run real projects such as Adobe Photoshop, Cinema 4D, Adobe Illustrator and more, depending on the reviewer, their specialism and the laptop's intended user base.
The minimum laptop specs we look for across tests are as follows:
Geekbench 6
CPU multi-core: At least 10,000
GPU OpenCL: At least 70,000
Cinebench 2024
CPU multi-core: At least 800
GPU: At least 7,500
PugetBench
Photoshop: 6,000
Premiere Pro: 6,000
PCMark 10:
Main test: 6,500
Digital Content Creation: 7,500
Handbrake: Encoding a 10-minute, 34-second animated 4K video: Under 5m30s
But choosing the laptops for this guide is about so much more than benchmarking – it's hard to put a firm number due to factors like workflow and app use. We put our laptops through real world tests, and make sure every single one is fully tested by our expert reviewers.
Displays
When it comes to testing laptops for graphic design, we look for a good, high resolution screen, assessing pixel density, colour accuracy, contrast and more, to decide how well it performs for graphic design.
As a guide, for colour we're looking for 100% Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 accuracy. Resolution should be a minimum of a Full HD 1920x1080 display – lower resolution paired with larger screens will make your display look blurry. We love OLED screens, but high res IPS screens are great for graphic designers as they can be super- colour accurate. See more about displays in our laptop display explainer guide.
On the occasion we have been unable to run a specific test (because we reviewed the laptop at a time when our process was slightly different), we look to our sister sites for their results.
Storage. build and battery life
Storage is arguably a little less critical, as well-specified laptops now come with fast PCIe SSDs. But we still test sequential throughput and random access to make sure that nothing unusual is going on.
We also assess ergonomics, build and usability, including keyboard quality, chassis rigidity, trackpad response and more to build up a practical picture of how well a laptop performs in the real world rather than merely benchmarks.
Battery life is important for any laptop and it's also a metric by which different models can differ dramatically, both from each other and from the manufacturer claims. It's also not equally important to all creatives depending on where they do most of their work. We test battery by running creative apps, streaming, changing the brightness on screen and more to see how long the battery will last. A reasonable amount is about a work day (eight hours), but this is effected by power and more so you'll need to balance your preferences (the MacBook Pro and Air are particularly impressive for battery, with the Pro lasting 10 even with a super-heavy workload).
Erlingur is the Tech Reviews Editor on Creative Bloq. Having worked on magazines devoted to Photoshop, films, history, and science for over 15 years, as well as working on Digital Camera World and Top Ten Reviews in more recent times, Erlingur has developed a passion for finding tech that helps people do their job, whatever it may be. He loves putting things to the test and seeing if they're all hyped up to be, to make sure people are getting what they're promised. Still can't get his wifi-only printer to connect to his computer.
