The best laptops for Photoshop need to be able to power through the more power-hungry GPU-accelerate features in Adobe's software while providing colour-accurate displays that allow you to see your photos, designs or digital art as they really look. However, different users will have varying priorities in terms of portability, screen size and budget.
As a regular Photoshop user myself, I've used the software on a wide range of laptops, and our team of reviewers has tested even more, from budget laptops to MacBooks and some of the most powerful Windows laptops. We've put them all through benchmark tests and hands-on real-world use with Photoshop itself. We've evaluated display size and quality, performance, build and battery life to identify the best Photoshop laptop for different needs. The result is the handpicked selection below.
I think the new M3 MacBook Air is perfect for Photoshop. It's beautifully built, the M3 chip provides excellent performance, and battery life blows most other laptops away.Read more below
Our reviewer found this laptop could handle almost anything. This laptop has a fantastic OLED screen, clever 2-in-1 functionality, and manages to squeeze a respectable running time out of its battery. Read more below
For Photoshop users who work with many layers or also dabble in video editing or 3D, the M3 Pro is plenty for you – and the M3 Max laptop has all the power you could need and a lot more. Battery life is outstanding, and the screen is wonderfully bright. Totally overkill for most. Read more below
For a cheaper option, it's hard to go wrong with this. The dedicated GPU provides solid performance and the screen size and colour accuracy make it a good choice for working in Photoshop. Read more below
This thin laptop weighs just 1kg and has the most colour-accurate screen we've tested on such a small laptop, making it a great option if often you need to use Photoshop on the go. Read more below
Thanks to a versatile screen that can be placed in three positions, I think this is a great option for those who want to use Photoshop with a touchscreen and direct stylus input. Read more below
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✅ You want a balance between size and portability: A large screen is more comfortable to work on, but a large laptop is a pain to carry. We think the Air 15 strikes a good balance.
✅ You like Apple products: The latest MacBook Air has the sleek aesthetics we expect from Apple.
✅ You want to balance price and power: There are more powerful MacBooks, they're likely to be overkill if you're workflow doesn't also involve more demanding software.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You want a touchscreen: Apple has yet to make a tablet with a touchscreen, so if you want to use Photoshop with a stylus directly on your laptop, you'll need to opt for Windows.
❌ You need more powerful performance for other tasks: The MacBook Air 15 makes light work of Photoshop, but if you also do video editing to a pro or semi-pro level, you'll probably benefit from the performance of a MacBook Pro.
❌ You want a more portable laptop for travel: The Air 15 is slim and light, but there are smaller laptops, which may suit you better if you work a lot on the road.
The bottom line
🔎 Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) further refines the MacBook Air formula. It's thin and light for its size and provides more than enough power for photo editing in Photoshop at a price point below that of a MacBook Pro. ★★★★½
What you need to know
The MacBook Air isn't the most powerful laptop in Apple's lineup, but it's more than capable of running even the most demanding Photoshop workflows. The more powerful MacBook Pros are really overkill for most people for using Photoshop alone, and they're much more expensive. This laptop provides the specs you need at a more accessible price.
Design and build: The 2024 MacBook Airs don't change things from recent years' models, but then they didn't need too. They're slim and light, look sleek and have a premium feel. Those who use a lot of peripherals should bear in mind that there are only two ports (Thunderbolt 4), so you may need a dock if your need demand more than this.
The Air now comes in two sizes, 13in and 15in, and we're recommending the latter at the top of our list for Photoshop since we think the larger screen is more comfortable for photo editing and design work, while the device is still a little lighter and more compact than a 16-inch MacBook Pro. That said, if portability is a priority, the smaller laptop provides almost identical performance.
Performance: Speaking of performance, MacBooks don't have dedicated graphics cards, but we found the integrated GPUs in Apple's own silicon to be powerful and efficient, and the M3 chip was easily capable of handling GPU-accelerated tools in Photoshop. It can get warm under pressure since it doesn't have a fan (partly what allows Apple to make it so slim), but you should only need more power if you're also doing more demanding tasks, such as video editing, in other software. As for battery life, we measured over 16 hours in our tests, which makes this a great option if you like to work in places where where you might not have a power source.
Display: We found the LED-backlit display to be a delight for working in Photoshop. It's bright enough for most situations at 500 nits (those working in HDR might want to jump down the MacBook Pro further down our list) and it's a good size for working across multiple panels.
Pricing: The MacBook Air is a 'midrange' laptop as far as Apple goes: not it's cheapest or nor its most expensive. In terms of specs, there are Windows laptops that can offer a bit more power for the price, but I think the MacBook Air 15 strikes a great balance of price, performance, screen size and portability to make it the optimum choice for Photoshop. See below for prices in your region.
Ports: 2x USB 4.0, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio, microSD card reader
Weight: 1.38kg
Reasons to buy
+
GPU and NPU
+
Compact 2-in-1 convenience
+
OLED screen
Reasons to avoid
-
Display only 60 Hz
-
Finicky touchpad
-
Battery life could be better
Buy it if
✅ You want a versatile laptop for Photoshop and more: The 2-in-1 design and powerful specs make it great for various creative tasks.
✅ You're interested in AI-enhanced workflows: The AMD Ryzen AI processor with NPU is ready for the latest AI features in creative apps.
✅ You value portability: At just 1.38kg with a 13.3-inch screen, it's more travel-friendly than many creative powerhouses.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're on a tight budget: This high-end machine comes with a premium price tag.
❌ You need all-day battery life: Our reviewer found the battery life to be shorter than expected in testing.
❌ You prefer a larger screen for detailed work: The 13.3-inch display, while excellent, might feel cramped for some users.
The bottom line
🔎 The ASUS ProArt PX13 packs serious power into a compact, versatile package. It's an excellent choice for Photoshop users who need portability and the flexibility of a 2-in-1 design, but be prepared for the premium price. ★★★★½
What you need to know: The ASUS ProArt PX13 is a compact powerhouse that brings together high performance and versatility in a 13.3-inch package. Our reviewer found it to be an impressive machine for creative work, including Photoshop, thanks to its powerful specs and thoughtful design features.
Design and build: Despite its small size, the ProArt PX13 feels solidly built. The 2-in-1 design allows it to transform from a laptop to a tablet, making it versatile for different types of creative work. The included stylus enhances its usefulness for digital artists. Our reviewer noted that the ASUS Dial on the trackpad, while not as refined as physical dials on other models, is a welcome addition for adjusting brush sizes and other parameters in creative apps.
Performance: Equipped with AMD's latest Ryzen AI 9 processor and an NVIDIA RTX 4070 GPU, the ProArt PX13 handles Photoshop tasks with ease. The dedicated NPU (Neural Processing Unit) makes it ready for AI-enhanced features in creative applications. Our reviewer found its performance comparable to, and sometimes exceeding, laptops with high-end Intel processors.
Display: The 13.3-inch OLED touchscreen offers excellent color accuracy and coverage, with our reviewer measuring 100% sRGB, 96% Adobe RGB, and 97% P3 color gamuts. The 2880 x 1800 resolution ensures sharp image quality. However, the 60Hz refresh rate might disappoint those used to smoother displays.
Pricing: At around $1,999 / £1,999, this is a premium device. However, its combination of power, portability, and versatility may justify the cost for professionals who need a capable machine on the go.
✅ You want one of the most powerful laptops: The M3 Max MacBook Pro is hugely powerful and can easily handle a lot more than Photoshop, making light work of heavy video editing and 3D animation.
✅ You want a large screen: The 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display provides plenty of space for multiple panels in Photoshop and it delivered high peak brightness and excellent colour and contrast in our tests.
✅ You have a large budget: This is one of the most expensive laptops on our list.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're a casual Photoshop user: If you only use the more basic tools in Photoshop and you don't use other more demanding software, you'll really have no need for the power of even the base version.
❌ You want a compact portable laptop: It's slim for its size, but this 16-incher weighs 2.1kg and isn't ideal for travel.
❌ You're on a budget: The price is more than most Photoshop users need to pay.
The bottom line
🔎 Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3 Pro) is a super powerful laptop that can make light work of tasks much more demanding than Photoshop. It's a great option for power uses, particularly professionals who also work in video or motion design, but it's likely to be overkill for anyone else. ★★★★★
What you need to know
The MacBook Pro 16 sits at the top of Apple's range of MacBooks, both in size and performance. It's available with either the M3 Pro or M3 Max chip, which are designed to provide more efficient graphics performance for video and 3D work.
Design and build: The MacBook Pro looks good and it feels good to use. The smooth matte-like finish on the Space Black model feels very premium and wipes down easily. There are plenty of ports, including HDMI and an SDXC card slot for those who transfer photos that way. We love the size of this 16-inch model, but for a more compact option, the 14-inch version provides comparable specs.
Performance: We found the newest MacBook Pro to be a beast for pretty much anything in terms of performance. In our tests, the M3 Pro chip could easily handle complex video editing workflows, let alone photo editing. Even the M3 Pro-powered configuration is more than you need for Photoshop alone: the base M3 version of the 14-inch device will also handle the software with ease, and it's cheaper. But if you want a large screen to edit on, this the MacBook for you.
Display: We loved the Liquid Retina XDR display, which reached the claimed 1,600 nits of peak brightness (the average is 500 nits) in our own tests. That makes this a great option for digital artists doing HDR work. With mini-LED tech and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, it achieves deep blacks and bright whites. We also tested excellent colour accuracy and the 120Hz refresh rate can be locked, which we found allowed smooth performance for video work.
Pricing: This is the most expensive MacBook by some way, and the base model is $200 / £200 more expensive than the Asus ProArt Studiobook above too. There are sometimes discounts about, which can shave up to around $300 off the price of higher-spec configurations.
Graphics: Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
RAM: 8GB or 16GB
Screen: 16in 2560 x 1600 or 3200 x 2000 16:10 display
Storage: Up to 1TB SSD
Ports: 1x USB C power delivery, 2x USB 3 A, 1x Thunderbolt 4 with display support and power delivery, 1x HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio, 1x Ethernet, SD card reader, Micro SD card reader
Weight: 1.95kg
Reasons to buy
+
Dedicated NVIDIA graphics card
+
Gorgeous OLED display
+
Plenty of ports
Reasons to avoid
-
Poor battery life
-
More capable workhorses available
Buy it if
✅ You want a great value Windows laptop that can easily handle Photoshop: We think this is one of the best Windows laptops for the balance of price and performance.
✅ You want a large screen: The 16-inch screen provides plenty of space to work with, and the laptop doesn't feel too big and heavy to carry.
✅ You don't need super amounts of power: This has more than enough power for Photoshop, but if you're also doing more demanding tasks, you might want to consider the Studiobook higher up in our list.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You want a compact laptop: We found this laptop to be slim and light for a 16-incher, but it might not be ideal if you travel a lot and space is limited.
❌ You want the best battery life: We only got up to three hours of life when photo editing. That's not abnormal, but MacBooks do better.
❌ You need power for more demanding tasks: This can handle light videoediting with no problem, but those with demanding effects workflows might find it stutters.
The bottom line
🔎 Asus Vivobook 16 Pro offers a lot of laptop for not too much money. We were impressed to find a 16-inch laptop with integrated graphics, good colour coverage and a premium feel for this price. ★★★★½
What you need to know
The Asus ProArt Studiobook at number 2 in our list is our favourite Windows laptop for Photoshop, and it's an all-round workstation that can handle a lot more. But if you're not looking to edit video or 3D work as well as images, you might not need all that power. We highly rate the Asus Vivobook Pro 16 as a more affordable but still highly capable laptop aimed at creatives.
Design and build: Our reviewer found the metallic casing felt robust and premium. The laptop weighs 1.9 kg, which is fairly light for a 16in device. And at just 19mm thick, we found it easy to carry in a bag.
Performance: The VivoBook wasn't as capable as the Studiobook in our testing but it was still perfectly capable of handling even the most demanding tools in Photoshop easily thanks to the dedicated Nvidia GPU. Battery life can't compare to that of a MacBook, however. We only got up to three hours of life when photo editing, although it lasts longer for general browsing and entertainment.
Display: The screen has a more narrow colour coverage than the Asus ProArt Studiobook but it's still good enough for most people's Photoshop needs, especially for non professionals. It has an OLED display, which we found provided excellent contrast. We found the 600 nits of peak brightness were enough to make the screen comfortable to use in bright light, and the 3.2K version provided great definition.
Unlike the Studiobook at number two in our list, this isn't a touchscreen, which might put off some digital artists who want to be able to draw directly on the display. However, the display provides solid colour accuracy, validated by Pantone. This makes it a candidate for both digital work and proofing photos and artwork for printing.
Pricing: We think the Vivobook Pro 16 is extremely well priced for a laptop with these specs, particularly considering it has a dedicated graphics card and an OLED display.
✅ You want a super portable laptop: The Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED is light and compact, and battery life is excellent, making it great for editing on the go.
✅ You want a great screen: The bright OLED screen is the best we've experienced on a laptop of this size, providing excellent colour coverage in our testing.
✅ You don't need a dedicated GPU: A dedicated graphics card isn't necessary for Photoshop, but it can help for some GPU-accelerated tasks and it's desirable if you're also doing heavy video editing or animation in other software.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You find Photoshop cramped: If you find the interface on Photoshop can feel too squished on a laptop, you might want a larger screen unless you plan to also use an external monitor.
❌ You're on a tight budget: This is by no means the most expensive laptop on our list, but it's more expensive than the Vivobook Pro 16 above, and even the MacBook Air.
❌ You need a dedicated GPU: While it's not necessary for Photoshop, you might want a dedicated graphics card if you also edit video.
The bottom line
🔎 Asus ZenBook S 13 OLED is a smart and wonderfully compact laptop with enough power for Photoshop. However, it's not touchscreen and integrated graphics mean it may struggle with more demanding GPU-heavy workloads. ★★★★½
What you need to know
Most of our picks as the best laptop for Photoshop are 15-inchers and above since we generally find a larger screen more comfortable to use for Photoshop, allowing easier visualisation of different panels and comparison of images side by side without it all felling too cramped. The downside is that they aren't the lightest or more compact laptops for taking on the road. For that, my top pick is the Zenbook S 13 OLED, which is perfect for carrying in hand luggage or working at a cafe table, while still providing excellent performance and colour.
Design and build: This laptop feels almost impossibly light, weighing just 1kg. The design is beautiful to look at, and despite the small size, the neat chiclet keyboard and trackpad are comfortable and responsive. Such a thin body doesn't leave much space for ports, but there is still a USB-A 3.2, two Thunderbolt 4 (which can support a display and power delivery), HDMI 2.1 port and an audio jack.
Performance: We tested the 32GB RAM configuration of this laptop, and unsurprisingly photo-editing in Photoshop presented no problems. The fan started working with the more intensive tasks and documents, but performance was smooth. Our PCMark 10 testing backed this up suggesting excellent performance for photo editing and office work tasks while our video tests were less impressive due to the lack of a dedicated graphics card. For Photoshop alone, most users would probably be fine with the 16GB RAM configuration.
We found battery to be excellent, further backing up the Zenbook S 13 OLED's credentials as an ideal laptop for travel and for working on the go. Our streaming video test have us 13 hours and 10 minutes on a single charge, beating many Windows laptops.
Display: Our reviewer found described the screen as the best he had ever tested on a small-form laptop. With 550 nits of brightness, it's comfortable to work on even in bright sunlight, while and Pantone-certified colour coverage of up to 100% DCI-P3 (we also tested sRGB coverage of 113%) ensures we can rely on what we're seeing. With a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, the OLED display also boasts excellent resolution of dark and light areas. It was also a pleasure to watch films and TV on the device.
Pricing: We think the ZenBooks S 13 is a little on the expensive side for a laptop that doesn't have a dedicated graphics card, starting at a little over the price of the MacBook Air at the top of our list. It's get pricey if you take the specs higher, but it's one of the best compact Windows laptops we've used and is well worth snapping up when offers appear.
✅ You want the flexibility of tablet mode: The 2-in-1 format means the laptop can be used flat like a tablet or propped up like an easel.
✅ You want a great laptop for using a stylus: There are several touchscreen laptops on our list, but the Surface Laptop Studio's innovative 2-in-1 design is particularly good for stylus use.
✅ You want a powerful Windows laptop: The Surface Pro can be configured with Nvidia graphics and up to 64GB RAM.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're not bothered about a touchscreen: The easel mode could still be useful for simply watching films but the real advantage of the versatile design is for using the touchscreen and stylus use.
❌ Price is a priority: The innovative design inevitably adds to the price, and you could get comparable specs cheaper elsewhere.
The bottom line
🔎 Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 looks great, feels great to use, and we think the innovative flexible form factor is a potential game changer for those who want to use a touchscreen with a stylus. ★★★★
What you need to know
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is a sleek touchscreen laptop with an innovative versatile form factor that allows it to be used as a tablet or in easel model. We think it's a great option for using a stylus for editing images or creating digital art in Photoshop.
Design and build: The laptop feels very premium, with a well-engineered flexible design that allows it to smoothly be switched between three different positions: standard laptop, easel mode and tablet (see our reviewer's photos above). The size is a nice compromise as well. At 14.4in, the laptop is fairly compact without making the Photoshop interface feel too cramped on screen.
Performance: There are RAM options from 16GB to 64GB, and along with 13th Gen CPUs from Intel, you get a choice of Intel Xe graphics or an Nvidia RTX 4060 and RTX 2000 Ada professional GPUs, so there's plenty of power here. Of course, if it's just the performance you want, you can get it for less from other laptops, but you'd have to give up the drawing and input abilities that make this such a great pick for image editors and other creative pros in the first place.
Display: We loved the super-crisp 3:2 screen. With a 120Hz refresh rate, we found it to be highly responsive when drawing in Photoshop with a stylus (note that no stylus is included as standard. Microsoft sells its own Surface Slim Pen 2 separately). The ability to switch to tablet or easel mode is also great for drawing in different situations, for example flat on a desk with the laptop flat on our laps.
Pricing: Starting at well over $2,000 / £2,000, the Surface Pro Laptop 2 is an expensive laptop. We feel the price is justified if you'll take advantage of the innovative form factor, but if you don't think you'll use a stylus, you can find comparable power in cheaper packages.
