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.
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, but in a nutshell, we aim to complete real-world projects and strict benchmark tests with these devices to assess their suitability for creatives.
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 ✅ Hundreds of products reviewed by a team of expert testers
Currently, we recommend the MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro chip as our top pick for a graphic design laptop (see our list of the best laptops for Photoshop if you need something more general) 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 go cloud-based for your apps, we think this Chromebook is the way forward. The base model's processor is powerful enough for the cloud and it has a glorious touchscreen – plus it's often on sale. 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
This revolutionary laptop comes with two screens, so you can run your code editor on one screen and have documents or your program running on the other. Our benchmarks showed impressive performance, too. Read more below
Why you can trust Creative Bloq
Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
✅ 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). However, 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.
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.
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. 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.
Best Windows laptop
Image 1 of 7
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
02. ASUS ProArt P16
The best Windows laptop for graphic design
Our expert review:
Specifications
CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
NPU: AMD XDNA 50 TOPS
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU
RAM: 32/64GB LPDDR5X RAM
Screen: 16.0-inch, OLED (3840x2400) 60Hz
Storage: 2TB SSD
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 powerful
+
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 our revews editor, Erlingur, believes that this laptop is the mightiest among laptops, even beating out Apple's MacBook Pro.
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.
Performance: The 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 review 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.
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.
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. 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.
✅ You use cloud-based apps: A Chromebook won't be right for everyone, but if you use cloud-based apps, it can do the job.
✅ Price is your top consideration: You won't get a laptop powerful enough for full desktop graphic design programs at this price, but if budget if tight, this is a reasonable compromise.
✅ You want a Full HD touchscreen: The touchscreen is a standout feature of this Chromebook, making it ideal for graphic designers who want to draw.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You don't want a 2-in-1: The Spin is a bit more expensive than other Chromebooks, partly due to the spin into a tablet.
❌ You need desktop apps and won't always have Wi-Fi: Cloud apps are getting better, but if you need full desktop suites, or travel without Wi-Fi, Chromebooks aren't for you.
❌ You want it even cheaper: The build-quality and 2-in-1 function make this pricier than other Chromebooks. You could get an i5 device for less, with some compromises.
The bottom line
🔎 Acer Chromebook Spin 714 is a premium Chromebook and a real budget option as a graphic design laptop.The features that set it apart are what make it perfect for designers willing to work in the cloud. ★★★★
What you need to know
The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 has some features not usually found in a Chromebook, so if you're happy to work in the cloud this is an excellent budget option. With 2-in-1 functionality, it has a glorious Full HD touchscreen, lovely build quality and powerful processor (for a Chromebook).
Sure, there are compromises with a Chromebook such as needing Wi-Fi and cloud apps not always being replicas of desktop versions. But if price is truly a deal break, this is an option worth considering for excellent value.
Design: We love the aluminium chassis, which gives a premium feel not always found in a Chromebook. It's weighty and smooth, and the spin function turns it into a capable tablet. The screen is bright, in 16:10 aspect ratio and has the benefit of being touchscreen, and our testing found it to be responsive and easy to use.
Performance: The basic model comes with a 12th-generation Intel i5 processor, which is plenty powerful enough for creative tasks if you're working on cloud apps – our testing had around 30 tabs open and the machine didn't blanch. If you're planning on using it as a tablet, you'll need to buy a decent third-party stylus.
Battery life: We got around 11 hours in tests streaming video, and managed four hours after just 30 minutes of charge. While it's no MacBook, this is extremely decent performance – and surprising for a Chromebook with this power.
Price: The starting price is $599, but this is frequently reduced further. We'd struggle to recommend anything much cheaper than this if you want a laptop that's suitable for graphic design work. There are slightly cheaper Chromebook options available if you forgo the touchscreen, the power and build quality, but we wouldn't recommend them for graphic design if you can stretch to this option.
This is a standout buy for creatives willing to work in the cloud. It's bursting with tech and specs beyond standard Chromebooks and is a great budget option for graphic designers with a light workflow.
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, provides ample performance 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 likely offers excellent image quality with vibrant colors and deep blacks, making it great for watching movies and TV shows. The 2-in-1 design allows for versatile viewing modes, such as tent mode for comfortable media consumption. The inclusion of two speaker grilles offers decent audio output, too. ✅ 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 business and travel use. The device comes with a stylus for drawing and writing, 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.
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.
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 office tasks and video calls. Users may extend this battery life further by utilizing power-saving features such as allowing the screen to turn off when idle.
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.
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
+
Futuristic form factor
+
Powerful components
+
Fun to use
Reasons to avoid
-
Kind of expensive
-
Two screens can drain the battery
-
Picky about chargers
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.
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
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. We also test for both CPU core and graphics performance to make sure you'll get the performance you expect from the latest processors and GPUs.
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.
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.
Finally, 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.
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.
