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
Why you can trust Creative Bloq
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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.
