How do you select the 5 best laptop for graphic design? Pretty simple, I would say, since it is advisable focus lots on the laptops, relatively than its software program. In the laptop market many individuals have a tendency to decide on Dell or Apple, since their manufacturers have made it clear that if you select considered one of their merchandise, you will not ever remorse doing so. They are identified nearly in every single place as being the highest of the road in what they do.
We are going to examine 5 best laptops for graphic design that you can buy now. I have made this list based on my personal opinion and hours of research and I have listed them based on performance, features and price. I have included options for every type of consumer, whether you are looking for a budget laptop for simple graphic design or more premium models with a touch screen and stylus, we will have the product for you. If you want more information and be sure to check the updated pricing link on the stated products.
- Best excellent choice - Mac Book Pro 16
- Best Good performance - Microsoft Surface Book 2
- Best overall - Dell XPS 15
Table of Contents
Toggle5 Best Laptops for Graphic Design 2020
The first product in the 5 Best laptops for graphic design list is the Apple MacBook Pro. This is our best overall laptop for graphic design. If you are a creative and looking for a great laptop to bring your ideas to life, the MacBook Pro 16 inch is one of the best laptops available to take your creative approach to the next level. Whether its photography, video, web content, page layout, website design or even 3D modeling and CAD the Apple MacBook Pro has the raw power to take on just about any creative work you throw at it.
The MacBook Pro is a premium laptop with power under the hood and an amazing 16 inch 3072×1920 retina display for the creative professional on the go. So if you have a meeting with a client, designer, photographer, and videographer, the Apple MacBook Pro gives you the largest FAA-approved battery for air travel. The Apple MacBook Pro lets you work faster and more efficiently.
The touch bar places powerful shortcuts front and center so that you can use them easily without interrupting your creative flow.
You also have the facility of 512 GB Superfast SSD storage, instantly load files and launch MacBook Pro app in Blink. Apple knows that when applying the filter your cursor does not kill the creative flow more than watching the spin.
Key Features
- Performance: A ninth-generation 8-core Intel Core i9 processor with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, delivers the incredible performance you expect from a MacBook Pro.
- Keyboard: It has a new and improved keyboard.
- USB-C Thunderbolt Port: If you have the latest iPhone or any new smartphone, you get four of them for your peripheral plus, you will really appreciate the USB C port.
Pros
- Battery
- Price
- Size
- Audio
- Retina Display
Cons
- Expensive
Battery: A 100-watt-hour battery, one of the largest batteries you can rack up in an FAA-approved laptop, which gives you 11 hours of battery life.
Price: Same price as previous model.
Size: Incredibly small footprint for a 16-inch laptop.
Audio: The six speakers plus force feedback enabled woofer equals amazing sound quality.
Retina Display: Stunning 16-inch screen with 3072×1920 and pixel density of 226 pixels per inch displays images and videos.
Expensive: Although you are getting twice the amount of hardware from a 15-inch MacBook Pro, it is still a big premium investment.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is the ultimate portable workstation, so if you are a graphic designer looking for the ultimate laptop, which is like taking your studio on the road then this is the laptop for you.
The Microsoft Surface Book 2 come second position in our 5 best laptops for Graphic Design. This is our best two-in-one laptop for graphic design. If you’re a graphic designer that finds traditional laptops to be too restrictive and prefer a two-in-one design for added versatility then the Microsoft Surface Book 2 may be the perfect laptop for you so it adapts to the ways you create and not the other way around.
Microsoft Surface Book 2 is the ultimate two-in-one laptop for creative professionals and graphic designers. The versatility is unmatched. You can work in traditional laptop mode for editing copy or tablet mode. You can easily take it anywhere for a quick sketch of go or research. You can also work in studio mode to draw and sketch in a comfortable and natural position with surface dial and pen and you also have view mode.
You can detach the screen with the push of a button, turn it around and reattach to share content and presentations with customers and designers. You will find that the display is quite gorgeous. The 15-inch PixelSense display delivers vibrant high color-accurate images so your views look great. It comes with a surface precision mouse designed for exceptional accuracy, comfort, and control.
You also get a new surface dial. This is a completely new way of interacting with your laptop. You can customize, access, navigate and store physical stores in the digital world from concept to creation. It is very quiet, intuitive, and enhances your creative workflow, but what you will really love is working with the new Surface Pen that gives the most natural drawing and painting experience with tilt support for shading gives.
You will be impressed by 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity and virtually no lag.
Key Features
- Under-the-hood: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 with Intel Quad Core i7 processor, 16 GB RAM, and 512 GB storage.
- Two-in-one: Two-in-one works in four configuration laptops, tablets, studio, and view modes.
Pros
- Display
- Battery
- Creative Tools
Cons
- Max RAM
- No ThunderBolt
Display: vibrant 15-inch, 3260×2160 touch screen pixel sense display.
Battery: The Battery lasts up to 17 hours.
Creative Tools: It includes surface precision Mouse, surface pen and the surface dial.
Max RAM: 16 GB RAM is very limited to maximum.
No thunderbolt: There are no thunderbolt ports.
If you are a graphic designer who loves the versatility of two-in-one, then it explains the ways you can create and not the other way, Microsoft Surface Book 2 is the perfect laptop for you.
The third product in our 5 Best laptops for graphic design list is the Dell XPS 15. This is our best priced laptop for graphic design. If you are a graphic designer looking for that perfect laptop for graphic work, then you can opt for Dell XPS 15. It has high-end performance, but the clincher is an amazing 15-inch 4k OLED touch display that will work for you. The work looks fantastic.
The Dell XPS 15 provides excellent all-around performance and is packed with great features to make it incredibly versatile for all areas of graphic design. You will find the design very sleek and professional compared to the Acer Predator Helios 300 so that you can take it confidently to meet customers, art directors and designers. The slim profile is quite dramatic and once you open it there is a bezel infinity display, allowing you to work in your creative way.
You will like how painting and vector illustration will come into your life as you make them with high color accuracy and reproduction with factory settings without high spectral color.
It will be easy for customers to show their work with a wide viewing angle so that everyone does not have to rush over your shoulder to see the colors correctly.
Key Features
- Under-The-Hood: Intel Core i7 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, with 16 GB RAM and 1TB SSD.
- Security: It has a fingerprint reader.
- Wi-Fi 6: Advanced Wi-Fi 6 technology.
Pros
- Value
- Design
- Display
- Port
Cons
- Heats Up
- Battery
Value: Great balance of performance and price.
Design: Carbon fiber design is slick and professional.
Display: 15.6 inch 4k UHD bezel is an infinity touch screen display.
Port: SD card reader, Thunderbolt and USB 3.0
Heats Up: Powerful components heat up and can throttle.
Battery: Battery performance could be better especially with the OLED screen being a battery hug.
If you’re a graphic designer who wants the right balance between performance, quality, and price, the Dell XPS 15 has a high-end display for all types of graphic subjects and a stunning 15-inch 4K OLED touch display to showcase your talent. It is the perfect studio for on-the-go artists.
The fourth product in our Best 5 laptop for graphic design list is the Acer ConceptD 3 Pro. This is our best creative laptop for graphic design. If you’re creative looking for a great laptop for graphic design for work that requires color accuracy, the Acer ConceptD3 Pro Pantone offers pinpoint color accuracy with a valid display that makes it a great choice for your creations.
Acer ConceptD 3 Pro is the creator’s companion that can push the boundaries of your creativity. You will like its timeless look. The Acer ConceptD 3 Pro looks great in any workplace and with its durable design it easily enables you to take your work on the road. Its strong aluminum metal body has a micro arc oxidation finish. You can feel how it creates a papyri ceramic texture that makes it feel unique. You’ll find the 15.6-inch IPS display incredibly bright and colorful.
Color accuracy makes it perfect for you to work on videos and photos that require attention on the last pixel. If you need better screen resolution with accuracy for creativity, check out the Dell XPS 15 with a gorgeous 4k display.
The 6-core Core i7 processor of the Acer ConceptD 3 Pro is very respectable but you’ll be blown away with the peak performance of the incredible Quadro T1000 graphics card. This puts the MacBook Pro out of reach of all other laptops, including 15 inches.
You will be able to create without compromising the speed of imagination. With studio drivers that are designed to supercharge your creative applications.
Key Features
- Performance: The NVIDIA Quadro T1000 chip delivers incredible performance surpassing the 15-inch MacBook Pro and is no easy feat.
- Color accuracy: The display supports Pantone verified and DCI-P3 color gamut.
- Security: When you are traveling or leaving your laptop at your desk you will appreciate the fingerprint reader for extra security.
Pros
- Power
- Keyboard
- Quiet
Cons
- No 4K Resolution
- Battery
Power: 6-core Core i7 processor and powerful GPU delivers excellent graphics performance.
Keyboard: It comes with a full-size keyboard.
Quiet: Quiet cooling system whispers below 40 decibels.
No 4k resolution: The 15.6” Full HD (1920×1080) resolution isn’t bad but it’s not 4k resolution.
Battery: Disappointing battery life to only about 6.5 hours when streaming video.
If you are a creative who does not want to compromise with studio work because you are on the road. The Acer Concept 3 Pro is a creative companion for truly detailed display and photo work with great performance and amazing color accuracy. This makes it a top pick for your creations.
The fifth product in the 5 Best laptops for graphic design list is the Acer Predator Helios 300. This is our best budget laptop for graphic design. If you are a graphic designer looking for an affordable laptop that is portable enough to carry to the studio or meet clients, but has enough processing power to handle graphic work then Acer Predator Helios 300 is the laptop for you can. Your laptop has got solid performance to make it work efficiently without slowing down your creative process.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 can handle most graphics software so you can edit photos, create vector art, and lay them out in a page layout without freezing your laptop. However, with only 16GB onboard, if you’re running graphics software at the same time, you may get a little lethargic. It has an impressive screen which will help in creating vivid graphic design. You will get enough space to create a vivid graphic design with a 15.6 inch screen. Although you will get better and better screens on higher priced laptops, in this price range, the Acer Predator Helios 300 is definitely in its class.
If your work involves detailed color work, you may be interested in the Acer ConceptD 3 Pro which has a Pantone verified display for color accurate design. You’ll appreciate that the Acer Predator Helios 300 has a great cooling system so that when you’re applying those intense Photoshop filters, your laptop doesn’t overheat.
Key Features
- Under-The-Hood: You will get an Intel Core i7 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 TI graphics card, 16GB RAM and 256 GB SSD
Pros
- Two Drive Bays
- Keyboard
- Cooling
Cons
- Battery
- Storage
Two Drive Bays: It comes with 256 GB SSD and an extra bay for another hard drive.
Keyboard: It has a backlit keyboard.
Cooling: It has a great cooling system with Aero Blade 3D fan technology.
Battery: You only get three hours.
Storage: 256 GB of storage will quickly fill up with large graphic files.
If you’re a graphic designer looking for an affordable laptop that can run most graphic software for photo editing, illustrations and page layouts then the Acer Predator Helios 300 has the performance power to let you work efficiently without your laptop slowing down your creative process.