The best laptop brands for creative workflows

Choosing the right laptop for your creative work can be a daunting task. On the one hand, most of us don't have endless cash to splash about. On the other, you want the absolute top specs you can afford. And of course, you want to make sure your laptop lasts for years to come.

So which laptop brands offer the best value, and can be most trusted to deliver you a solid and dependable laptop that unlocks your creative workflow? We've drawn on our vast knowledge and experience of reviewing laptops to share a definitive list. Note that we've listed them in alphabetical, not any other kind of order.

In our view, all these brands can be trusted (that's why many of them feature in our best laptops for graphic design guide)... but that doesn't mean they all offer the same thing. So we'll also break down what's special about each brand, what kind of laptops they produce, and the variety of prices, specs and operating systems within their laptop range.

Best for budget models

Acer offers a wide range of laptops for creatives, right up to high-end workstations. But in general they're best known for their excellent range of budget laptops. These are characterised by good build quality, affordable prices and a good ratio of specs to cost. In other words, they're a good choice for creatives with limited cash, who want the best bang for their buck.

A good example at the cheap end is the Acer Aspire 5 (2022), one of the best laptops for students. That said, Acer maks high-end models too, and our reviewer was impressed with the AI smarts of its recent release, the Acer Swift 14 AI. Acer is also known for its Chromebooks, including the Acer Chromebook Spin 714, a sound choice for those who don't need Windows or macOS.

Best for design agencies

Apple needs no introduction. It's the world's biggest manufacturing company, mostly due to the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. But its MacBook line of laptops are also still the number choice for design agencies the world over.

Why? Mainly because of their sleek design, powerful performance and high-quality displays. Plus, in many ways, the MacBook is as much as fashion item as a Louis Vuitton wallet or Gucci handbag. For some, the value is as much in the Apple logo and what it represents, as what the laptop can actually do.

All that style and power comes at a price, though: these laptops are among the most expensive. Plus, you'll be locked into Apple's ecosystem and may find that ends up costing you more in the long run. That said, if you're already an iPhone or iPad user, then you'll find everything working together a lot more smoothly.

Apple currently offers two main types of MacBook laptop: the Air, which is the cheaper of the two, and the Pro, which is the more powerful. The MacBook Air is a good choice for creatives who are looking for a lightweight and portable laptop, and who have a lighter workflow. The MacBook Pro, meanwhile, is a better option for creatives performing demanding tasks such as 3D modelling and video editing (but make sure you get the configuration right).

To learn more, read our reviews of the latest models of each; namely, the Apple MacBook Air M3 (2024) and the Apple MacBook Pro M3 Max.

Best for features

ASUS is a popular laptop brand known for its strong build quality, decent performance and affordable prices. The company offers a variety of laptops with different specs, operating systems, and screen sizes, running both Windows and Chrome OS. But what sets them apart, exactly?

Well, one thing is how they often incorporate unique features into their laptops, such as stylus support, advanced cooling systems and, most usefully for creatives, the ASUS Dial. Included in laptops such as the ASUS ProArt P16, this clever dial can be programmed to make using software like Photoshop or Premiere Pro much quicker and easier.

Then there's the ASUS ZenBook Duo, a contender for our laptop of the year. This clever laptop boasts not one but two OLED touchscreens, giving you incredible flexibility in how you set it up. The ZenBook Duo also has the ASUS dial, although note that it isn't on every ASUS laptop. It's missing from the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED, for instance, although that still didn't stop it reach number one on our list of the best AI laptops for 2024.

Best for reliability

Dell is one of the oldest and established laptop brands, and their reputation for reliability and build quality is high indeed. This major corporation offers a wide range of laptops for creatives, from budget-friendly models to high-end workstations, and they're arguably the brand of choice for the business sector as a whole. Dell is also known for offering excellent customer support, including technical assistance and warranty coverage.

While Dell aren't particularly celebrated for their cheap laptops (perhaps unfairly), it's inarguable that they excel at premium review workstations. Most recently we've given enthusiastic reviews for the the Dell Precision 7780 and the 2-in-1 laptop Dell Latitude 9440.

Best for consistent value

Lenovo is another formidable player in the market, offering a diverse range of excellent laptops tailored to creative professionals. These typically come with powerful processors, ample RAM and dedicated graphics cards, ensuring smooth operation for demanding creative tasks such as video editing, graphic design and 3D modelling.

A little unusually, Lenovo is known for producing winning laptops at both ends of the spectrum. The most affordable ones include the ThinkPad range and the cheap-as-chips Lenovo Tab P12, one of the best laptops for writers. Our reviewers found the most impressive of their expensive models, meanwhile, to be the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i gen 9, a premium MacBook alternative.

Best for Windows integration

If you use Windows, it seems reasonable to expect it will work well a laptop made by Microsoft (the company that makes Windows). And in practice, our reviewers have very much found that to be the case.

Overall, we've found Microsoft laptops to offer sleek design, powerful performance, and excellent integration with the Windows ecosystem. The lineup ranges from the budget friendly Surface Laptop Go 3 to the stylish Surface Laptop Studio 2, while the very tasty Surface Pro 9 tablet can double up as a hybrid laptop too.

Best for gamers

MSI is a popular brand of gaming laptops, so they don't specifically target creatives. That said, the kind of high-performance specs you need for gaming also makes these laptops a good choice for running resource-hungry creative software, such as Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro and 3D modelling packages. That's why the MSI Creator Z17, for example, is on our list of the best laptops for video editing, while the MSI Raider GE78 HX turns up on our guide to best laptops for 3D modelling.

Best for 2-in-1s

HP doesn't just make printers and photocopiers; they're also one of the most popular laptop manufacturers. The company offers a wide range of laptops, including Windows and Chromebook devices, and ranging from budget-friendly models to high-end workstations; the latter are particularly prized within the 3D artist community. HP does an especially neat line in 2-in-1 laptops, and we're big fans of the HP Spectre x360 14 (2024).

Best for Galaxy users

Samsung is best known for its smartphones and tablets, but they also offer a number of laptops too. And if you're already in the Samsung ecosystem with the former, it makes sense to consider the latter too.

Like their Galaxy smartphones, Samsung's laptops tend to be on the expensive side, but you get premium specs to match. Our reviewer loved the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra, which he said was great for creators and heavy rendering workloads. And Samsung's Galaxy Book4 Edge – the first Copilot Plus AI-powered laptop, which launched this summer – has also been a hit with our experts.