The best laptops for graphic design, fully tested and recommended for every workflow

three laptops in a row
(Image credit: ASUS/Apple/HP)

We've spend hours using the laptops on this list, to make sure your investment is the right one. The laptops have been put through their paces in real life creative tasks and benchmark testing, too (see how we test laptops for graphic design for more details on that). Our experts appreciate that every designer has a different workflow, and we've tailored our picks to different user cases throughout.

Currently, the MacBook Pro featuring the new M4 chip stands as our top recommendation, delivering the intuitive user experience and stunning display quality that designers demand. If you prefer a stationary setup, though, explore our recommendations for the best computers for graphic design, and check out our guide to the best monitor for graphic design to complete your setup.

Erlingur Einarsson headshot
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.

Our expert says...
Erlingur Einarsson headshot
Our expert says...
Erlingur Einarrson

The Apple MacBook Pro (M4, 2024) is incredibly well built, packing a beautiful display and a bunch of ease-of-use features for anyone, but 3D and moving-image processing is disappointing, so if you work with 3D, heavy graphic design or video rendering, you need to step up to the M4 Pro or Max chips.

Our expert says...
Erlingur Einarsson headshot
Our expert says...
Erlingur Einarrson

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.

Our expert says...
Ian Evenden profile shot
Our expert says...
Ian Evenden

For a shade under $900, there's a lot of performance to be squeezed out of the Victus 15 in creative apps. 

Our expert says...
Ian Evenden profile shot
Our expert says...
Ian Evenden

"This has to be Apple’s best laptop. It may not be the most powerful – we have the MacBook Pro for that – but there's nothing like the 15-inch MacBook Air to make you go ‘wow’ when you get it out of the box."

Our expert says...
Rob Redman author bio
Our expert says...
Rob Redman

The 2024 MacBook Pro M4 Pro 16 is a powerful laptop for any use case, from modelling to animating and rendering, as well as daily computing tasks. It could even replace a desktop workstation for many users.

Our expert says...
Ian Evenden profile shot
Our expert says...
Ian Evenden

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.

Our expert says
Erlingur Einarsson headshot
Our expert says
Erlingur Einarsson

"The Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 is a powerful gaming laptop with all the latest kit on-board, so any serious creative pro will find plenty to like here."

A photo of writer Rachael Phillips
Rachel Penn

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.

MSI Creator A16 AI+

MSI Creator A16 AI+
With an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 laptop GPU under the hood, this AI-enabled laptop offers a lot of creative juice. It excels at high-intensity graphic design work, but our reviewer felt that price was a barrier – most designers particularly those working in 2D, can get better value elsewhere.
Read our 4.5-star review.

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED

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.

ASUS ProArt Studiobook OLED (H7604)

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.

Erlingur Einarsson
Tech Reviews Editor

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. 

With contributions from
  • Freelance journalist and editor