Choosing a laptop for Photoshop for editing and graphic designing can be quite tricky. To run Adobe Photoshop, you need a fairly advanced laptop that has the necessary power but complies with your budget as well. Most users are fairly oblivious to the new GPUs and CPUs hitting the market and other new technologies. As a result, they are often not in the best position to make a choice.
In this article, I will be presenting to you some of the Best Laptops for Photoshop and other editing purposes. Read on to find out.
List of Best Laptops for Photoshop with Reviews
Apple Macbook Pro
This Macbook fulfills the needs of graphic designers and is definitely the best laptop for Photoshop overall. It comes with the most intensive specs. It is equipped with Apple’s latest M2 chip and with an 8-core CPU and ten-core GPU, you can create stunning workflows with immersive graphics. The memory is taken care of by a 16 GB RAM
It weighs six pounds and offers 20 hours of battery life. The 1 TB SSD allows for quick booting and loading of applications. The display is quite sharp with 13.3 inches of retina display.
| PROS | CONS |
| + Dedicated 10-core GPU | – A bit expensive due to the M2 chip |
| + 20 hours of long battery backup | |
| + Supports 4k & 8K resolution |
2 Microsoft Surface Book 3
The Microsoft Surface Book 3 is one of the best budget-friendly laptops for Photoshop. It uses a 10th Generation i7 processor and is much faster than its predecessor, the Surface Book 2. It has a decent capacity of 256 Gb SSD and also packs in an Nvidia GTX dedicated graphics card. This makes it suitable for both Editing and also gaming purposes.
The screen has a dimension of 13.5 inches, and the display is LCD. The expected battery life is 15.5 hours which does sound a bit too good to be true. It has slots for USB-A and USB-C and also SD card slots. Also, you get a free upgrade to Windows 11 as well.
| PROS | CONS |
| + Can be used as both laptop and tablet | – Limited ports |
| + High-resolution Display | |
| + Premium Design | |
| + Pen & Touch feature |
3 Lenovo ThinkPad X1
This is a laptop meant for those who are serious about photography and editing. It has some impressive specs like 16 GB of RAM and 1TB SSD capacity. The processor used is a 10th-generation i7-10510U which is a quad-core processor with a base clock speed of 4.9 GHz. The build quality is quite impressive, and the design is rugged, which makes it quite durable.
The Display screen uses IPS technology which makes the viewing smooth from all angles. The laptop is quite light in weight and measures around 2.4 pounds. The graphic used is UHD 620 with LPDDR3 memory. There are 4 USB ports with 2 of them being USB 3 ports. Other features include Bluetooth and a Fingerprint reader. Without any doubt, this is a powerful laptop for Photoshop.
| PROS | CONS |
| + Sturdy and portable design | – RAM cannot be upgraded |
| + Outstanding Keyboard | |
| + Responsive Trackpad | |
| + Impressive Battery Life of 19 hours |
4 Lenovo Yoga 720
The best aspect of the Yoga 720 is undoubtedly the 15 inches 4K screen, required in a laptop for Photoshop. 4K screens have better color contrast and accuracy when compared to normal screens. The Laptop uses the Core i7-7700HQ Quad-Core Processor with a base clock of 2.8 GHz and a boost clock of 3.8 GHz. Moreover, unlike some of the other Laptops, this one has a dedicated GPU unit-Nvidia GTX 1050.
It has 16 GB of DDR4 RAM operating at 2133 MHz along with 512 GB of SSD storage. The flip-and-fold design allows you to remove the keyboard and work with the screen alone. The screen uses IPS technology and has a resolution of 3840*2160. Also, there is a fingerprint reader along with 1 USB 3.1 port along with 2 USB 3 ports. Although it is not short of features, this does make the Laptop to be on the heavier side.
| PROS | CONS |
| + Solid Build quality | – Fan noise on longer use |
| + 360 degrees flip & Fold | – Average Audio quality |
| + 4K Touchscreen | |
| + Powerful Performance |
5 Acer Swift X
This laptop is rightly named “Creator Laptop” since it can easily handle all the complex photo editing tasks. The streamlined design adds to the aesthetics and also makes it easy to carry the Laptop around with ease. The processor used is the Ryzen 7 5825u with a Zen three-core architecture which is beneficial while multitasking and running heavy programs like Photoshop. The LED display makes use of IPS technology and has a dimension of 15.6 inches.
It has 16 GB of dual-channel memory and also 512 GB of SSD storage. The graphics adapter is the Geforce 3050 Ti with 4GB of GDDR6 memory. The battery life is fairly long, and you can expect around 13 hours.
| PROS | CONS |
| + Solid Metal Construction | – RAM is soldered so can’t upgrade |
| + Smooth Keyboard and Trackpad | |
| + decent Battery Backup | |
| + Dedicated Graphics Card |
6 Dell Inspiron 5620
This cutting-edge laptop combines sleek design, high-performance components, and advanced features to meet the demands of both professional work and immersive entertainment. Equipped with a vibrant 16-inch Full HD display, the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 showcases visuals with stunning clarity and detail which is strongly needed in the best laptop for Photoshop.
Under the hood, the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 boasts impressive performance capabilities. It is powered by the 12th generation Intel Core i7 processor, delivering lightning-fast speeds and seamless multitasking. With up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM, you can effortlessly switch between applications and handle resource-intensive tasks without any lag. For storage, this laptop offers ample space with its 512 GB solid-state drive (SSD).
With Nvidia MX570 dedicated graphics chip, the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 delivers impressive visuals and enhances your gaming and multimedia experience. The laptop’s lightweight build and slim profile make it highly portable, allowing you to carry it effortlessly wherever you go.
Equipped with a long-lasting battery, the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 ensures you stay productive and entertained on the go. Its advanced connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, enable seamless wireless connections for faster browsing, streaming, and file transfers.
| PROS | CONS |
| + Display cuts blue light emissions | – Lack of Thunderbolt 4 support |
| + Lightweight & Portable Design | |
| + Dedicated Graphics | |
| + Good Thermal management |
7 HP Victus Laptop
One of the best laptops for Photoshop, the HP Victus laptop features a sleek and modern design with clean lines and a premium finish. Its vibrant 15.6-inch Full HD display provides an immersive viewing experience for both productivity tasks and entertainment purposes. The FHD IPS display is powered by NVidia GTX 1650 GPU.
Under the hood, the HP Victus laptop is powered by the 12th generation Intel Core i5 processor. With 16 GB RAM, you can seamlessly switch between applications and handle resource-intensive tasks without compromising performance.
The 512 GB SSD ensures quick boot times, rapid file transfers, and smooth overall system performance. Additionally, the laptop provides multiple USB ports, an HDMI output, an SD card reader, and a headphone/microphone combo jack, allowing for seamless connectivity with your favorite devices and peripherals.
| PROS | CONS |
| + Multi-monitor Feature | – Quick Battery Discharge |
| + Attractive Design | |
| + Best for Gaming & Editing | |
| + High Quality Display |
8 Lenovo ThinkPad P53
This is a mobile workstation that offers great performance at a decent price. It makes use of a 15.6″ Full HD (1920×1080) LED Display that has a 16:9 Aspect Ratio. The processor used is the Intel Core i7-9750H which has a clock speed of 2.60GHz. It also comes with NVIDIA Quadro T1000 Graphics. In terms of raw processing power, this offers sufficient juice for running Photoshop and offers a whopping 32GB DDR4Ram, which would suffice most needs.
The design is meant for flexibility, but it is a tad bit on the heavier side Not a deal-breaker though! The battery life is good, and there are multiple USB ports for use. Moreover, it has built-in Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. There is a total of 1 TB of storage space in the form of an SSD. Ultimately, the ThinkPad P53 is meant for designers who are constantly on the move and need that raw processing power now and then.
| PROS | CONS |
| + Strong Computing Power | + Little heavy |
| + Hardware is Upgradable | + No thunderbolt 4 |
| + Excellent display | |
| + Robust Security Features |
Features to look for in a Best Laptop for Adobe Photoshop
All the models listed above are some of the more affordable options. However, besides the price, there are some other factors to be considered when choosing a Laptop. Read on to find out more.
Storage
There are two kinds of storage options available-HDDs and SSD. The difference between them is that HDDs offer more storage space while SSDs are much faster. For designing and editing, I would recommend you go for an SSD. They help to launch the software much faster, and even the installation is quite quick in SSDs. If possible, choose a Laptop with 128GB of SSD or more. However, do keep in mind that SSDs are quite expensive.
Display
While working with graphics, it is essential to have a good display so as to analyze your work. Having a better resolution means that you can view the details much more clearly. The minimum resolution that you should aim for is 1080p. There are some Laptops that offer 4K resolution as well. Also, other technologies like IPS are fantastic as you get pretty much the same viewing experience from all the viewing angles. Some displays are touchscreen which could be optional as well. Touch screens are a subject that divides opinion to this date.
Processor
The processor is the most important component that you should be looking for when choosing a Laptop for Photoshop. Photoshop mainly uses the processing power of the CPU, and it is recommended that you should have a CPU with a clock speed of 2.1 GHz or more. Ideally, the recommended clock speed would be 2.5 GHz or more. Also, there are some processors with multiple cores and hyperthreading. More cores would be better for people who are used to multitasking. 3D Modelling is also quite demanding on the processor.
Ram
The RAM is the short-term memory where files are loaded while being worked upon. Photoshop requires a decent amount of Ram. Most of the laptops come with around 4GB of Ram. However, I would recommend at least 8 GB of Ram to ensure smooth functioning while editing. On the contrary, having too much Ram might not be ideal as well. A 16GB ram would be more than enough for any sort of casual editing work.
Battery
Working with Photoshop can be quite a demanding process, and therefore would recommend choosing a Laptop with around 8 hours or more of battery life to maximize your productivity.
Wrap Up
Discover the ultimate selection of eight top laptops for Adobe Photoshop that are worth every penny of your budget. These laptops not only meet the recommended system requirements for Adobe Photoshop but also excel in various creative tasks and general work. By investing in any of these laptops, you can expect exceptional and long-lasting performance. Moreover, some models even offer the flexibility to upgrade the hardware in the future, allowing you to stay up-to-date with advancements as your budget permits. Rest assured, these laptops will deliver outstanding value and are truly worth their price.
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