Last Updated on: 21st December 2022, 01:00 pm

When it comes to creativity, people come with different thoughts and approaches. People with artistic natures try different techniques to bring their thoughts to reality. Every individual is an artist in one way or another. The only hurdle a person faces is the medium to capture the suddenly erupted idea. People need something to capture that before everything vanishes. They require ultra-portable gadgets where they can note down their ideas. There are some of the best tablets for photo editing, best laptop for photo editing, best laptop for video editing, and many more.

They must require good laptops or tablets that can have a decent display with powerful specs to run any of their graphics apps and photo editing tools seamlessly. When you compare tablets with laptops for photo editing, you find both best fit for editing but you will get an extra bit of power when you go with a laptop or a 2-in-1 photo editor compared to going with a tablet but you cannot underestimate them either.

What to Consider Before Buying a Photo Editing Laptop?

When it comes to finding the best laptops for photo editing, you will find tons of manufacturers who claim to be the best in producing and they are right too depending upon what they are offering. The problem arises, which one to believe? Don’t worry we have the solution to that but before going into the business let me tell you what to know before buying a good laptop for photo editing.

Screen Size

The photo editing laptop must have a sleek, multifunctional color-rich touch screen gigantic display size where you can easily drag your imaginations to maximum limits.

Powerful Specs

It must have powerful specs where you can run any of the application that is required for your ultimate creativity. For a creative platform, it is very important.

Long-Lasting Battery

The next big thing to consider is the battery life. You must have a laptop that can be your companion for the maximum of hours of the day.

Let’s check out what we got for you!

Best Laptop for Photo Editing

  1. Latest_Dell XPS 13 – Best budget laptop for photo editing
  2. Newest HP Spectre x360 – Best laptops for photoshop
  3. HP ZBook Studio x360 G5 – Best 2-in-1 laptop
  4. 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip – best Macbook for photo editing
  5. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme – Best laptop for graphics designers

 

Comparison Table

Photo Editing Laptops Reviews, FAQs, & Recommendations

1. Latest Dell XPS 13

Latest Dell XPS 13

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For those who think that buying a budget laptop for photo editing can compromise power, let me tell you, you cannot underestimate the power this budget Dell XPS 13 laptop has got. It comes with a 13.3″ FHD InfinityEdge Non-Touch display with a 1920 x 1080 pixels screen resolution is enough to make things look supernatural. Its backlit keyboard along with a Fingerprint reader keeps your work easy and secure. This best-budget photo editing laptop has the quality to run any of your photoshop tools and apps seamlessly. It has got 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10510U processor that is powerful enough to help you do most of your extreme tasks. The Intel UHD graphics keeps the graphics tasks in line.

It is indeed the best laptop for editing photos because it has an integrated 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM and has the power to allow you for multitasking. You can switch between multiple photo editing tools at one time. For large data, it has got 512GB of M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD that keeps your files easy to move and easy to save. The Far Field Cortana capable Killer Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 allow you to wirelessly connect to your device all day long. It also got Speaker, a MicroSD card reader, a Wedge-shaped lock slot, USB- type C 3.1 (power delivery and DisplayPort), Thunderbolt 3, a headset jack, an HD camera, and a battery gauge indicator.

Pros

An affordable price for a premium design laptop.
Great CPU performance.
Strong graphics processing.
Bright, vivid display.
Long-lasting battery.

Cons

Limited ports.

2. Newest HP Spectre x360

Newest HP Spectre x360

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When you are looking for the best laptop for photo editing on a budget, check out the Newest Spectre x360 by HP. With its HD and almost borderless display, you will get a convertible PC with precision and privacy features for greater peace of mind. Watch your favorite shows or stream online for the whole night, and you will get entertained. With its powerful specs, you can experience incredible speed for photo, and video editing, and online streaming. These specs are packed in the aluminum casing that makes it ultra-light and easy to handle where ever you take it. It comes with Full size backlit keyboard, HP Stylus Pen, HP Sleeve, HP Premium Warranty, Windows activation key, and McAfee Internet Security Key for 3 Years. It has got HP TrueVision HD IR Camera that is integrated with a dual array digital microphone, Fingerprint reader, and Webcam Kill Switch.

Talking about the specs it has got. It comes with a 4K 13.3″ AMOLED multitouch diagonal UWVA BrightView micro-edge display with 3840 x 2160 pixels screen resolutions. To get the power with beauty, You will get the latest 10th Gen 1.3 GHz Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor with a maximum clock speed of up to 3.9 GHz. For graphics, the Intel Iris Plus graphics card has the power to handle any graphics-rich activity with ease. To go for better multitasking, it comes with 16GB of RAM and 1TB PCI NVMe SSD to save you large files in a quick and easy way. Windows 10 Professional is all set to streamline the activities between the hardware and software loaded on this photo editing laptop. For connectivity, Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX 201 and Bluetooth 5 Combo, headphone/microphone combo, USB 3.1 Type-A, USB 3.1 Type-C, Thunderbolt 3, dual speakers, and a MicroSD card reader.

Pros

4K OLED display.
Decent CPU performance.
Better graphics processing.
Impressive keyboard.

Cons

Big thick bezels.

3. HP ZBook Studio x360 G5

HP ZBook Studio x360 G5

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When you are all set to buy the best photo editing laptop, have a look at the ZBook Studio x360 G5 laptop by HP. It comes with a 15.6″ 4K detailed and vibrant display. It a better option for photo editors is because it has got the most powerful setup to run any of the graphics applications or programs to provide blistering workstation-class performance. The x360 G5 is designed for on and off-field activities. It has got a rugged chassis and its long-lasting battery allows you to go anywhere you want. For online meetings or classes, it comes with 720p HD Webcam. With a Backlit Keyboard, you will love typing even in the dark. For maximum touchscreen experience, this 15.6″ diagonal 4K UHD with 3840 x 2160 pixels screen resolution, the HP Active Pen is the best device for photo editors to use on.

Why it is a better choice for photo editors because of the x360 G5 configuration with some of the best premium tools and components like an 8th generation 2.20GHz Intel Core i7-8750H processor that has a boosted clock speed of up to 4.10 GHz when required. Try every graphics software like AutoCAD software or photo editing software like Photoshop, because it is powered by NVIDIA Quadro P1000 integrated graphics card. For big-size files, a 1TB of SATA SSD is more than enough to help you save the files. You will enjoy extreme multitasking and can easily switch between photo editing apps and tools because it has got 32GB of DDR4 RAM. For connectivity, it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB 3.0, HDMI, Thunderbolt, and an SD Card Reader, that keeps you connected for maximum hours of the day.

Pros

Multitalented design.
4K UHD decent display.
Great performance.
Strong graphics.
Decent Battery Life.

Cons

Lid flexes.

4. Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip

Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip

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When it comes to perfection, you must have a powerful laptop with the ability to uplift your imagination to the next level. Let’s meet the Apple MacBook Air with its 8-core Apple’s own flagship M1 chip that has a 3.5x faster CPU speed, 5x faster GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine for machine learning performance. This Macbook is not just a laptop but the next level of innovation. It is sleek, smart, ultra-stylish, and ultra-portable where you need it it will stand upright.

Do you want to know more? here comes the display first. It comes with a 13.3″ LED-backlit widescreen (diagonal) display with IPS technology and 2560 x 1600 pixels screen resolutions for a better viewing experience. For a better viewing experience, the true Tone technology adjusts the display screen to the color temperature of your surrounding environment. The image signal processor in the M1 chip helps you look better via an HD FaceTime camera while calling and the 3 microphones help you get heard limitlessly. For better multitasking, the Macbook Air comes with 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD that helps you save and get the task done with the wink of an eye.

With the Touch ID, you can buy, rent out or pay online without sharing your card details With just a touch and it’s done. For seamless connectivity, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, 2 Thunderbolt ports, USB 4 ports for Charging, Thunderbolt 3, DisplayPort, and USB 3.1 Gen 2 are all set to keep you connected for up to 18 hours of the day.

Pros

Slim fit design.
Fanless design with better heat management.
Scissor switch mechanisms keyboard.
Nice and bright screen.

Cons

720P webcam needs an upgrade.
Lack of ports.

5. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme

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Lenovo is known for producing sleek and stylish laptops that have power and are beautiful both. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme is one of that kinds. A bunch of extraordinary specs packed in a slim chassis to offer the maximum power that is required by good laptops for photo editing. X1 extreme offers better and encrypted security by featuring ThinkShield which is a built-in suite of next-level security solutions. It encrypts your biometric data via the fingerprint reader and the discrete Trusted Platform Module (dTPM) keeps it encrypted. You feel more secure from any possible cyber attack.

Let’s discuss the specs it has. It got a 15.6″ Full HD wide display with 1920 x 1080 pixels screen resolutions that help the photo editors an edge. A 6-core 2.6GHz Intel i7-10750H processor is all set to offer the maximum power that is required with a maximum boost of up to 5.0GHz. For graphics tasks, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti allows you to work limitlessly. Enjoy seamless multitasking when working on different photo editing tools, it features 64GB of RAM that makes switching super easy. For big files, you have 1TB of NVMe SSD that saves any file with lightning speed. It has got a full-sized backlit keyboard, Wi-Fi 6 AX 201, Bluetooth 5.1, ThinkShutter camera privacy with 720p HD webcam, USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI, DisplayPort 1.4 (Power Delivery), Thunderbolt 3, Headphone/microphone combo jack, Memory Card Reader, and much more.

Pros

FHD IPS display for stunning visuals.
Hexa core processor for better CPU performance.
Strong graphics processing.
Multi ports.

Cons

Gets heated on extreme load.

FAQs

1. What is the Best Laptop for Photo Editing?

A laptop with good specs does not mean you have to spend the maximum of your hard earnings. You can get some of the best budget laptops for photo editing with just simple research on the above-mentioned points.

For those who are looking for affordable laptops for photo editing, Microsoft Surface Pro 6 is one of that kind. It is slim, ultraportable, has powerful variants, and has a color-rich touch screen display. It is indeed a good choice for photo editors with a detachable keyboard.

The display it has got is 12.3″ with 2736 x 1824 pixels of screen resolution. It comes with different variants to offer powerful performance that including Intel Core i5/Core i7. For graphics-oriented activities, Intel UHD 620 is capable enough to support your ideas.

You can go with better multitasking because it has got 8GB and 16GB of RAM depending upon which variant suits you. To help you store maximum data, it comes with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB of internal storage. For maximum support. it comes with 13.5 hours of battery life.

For more options, we have listed down some of the best laptops for photo editing to save you valuable time.

2. Is 13 Inch Laptop too Small for Photo Editing?

Yes, a 13″ laptop is enough for photo editing. You can edit on every angle you need to. However, a larger display is too awesome.

3. Do I Need a 4k Laptop for Photo Editing?

Yes, other than cost/speed/battery life, there is absolutely no disadvantage to having the extra resolution, and even with those, you can simply set the entire display to a quarter resolution to achieve similar to a native 1080p panel. Personally, I’d go for the crisper screen; 1080p on a 17″ laptop is a joke.

4. Which Processor is Best for Photo Editing?

There are a lot of processors you can find in the big fish market. Choosing the best one would be tricky. I have gathered some of the best of them that can be useful for your work. Here is the list.

1. AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
2. AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
3. AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
4. AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

5. How Much RAM Do I Need for Laptop Photo Editing?

If you’re using the most recent Creative Cloud products, such as Photoshop and Lightroom Classic, we recommend 16GB of RAM.” RAM is the second most significant piece of hardware since it increases the number of jobs that the CPU can do at once. Opening Lightroom or Photoshop takes about 1 GB of RAM apiece.

6. How Important is Graphics Card for Photo Editing?

Editing software like Adobe Photoshop does not require any specific graphics card. The integrated or built-in graphics card in the laptop should be more than enough to do all basic Photo Editing operations pretty effortlessly.

Final Verdict

There are tons of options other than these laptops but one thing is for sure, to go for a better option you need to spend some extra amount of bucks. Although I tried my best to pick some high-priced laptops (for better options) that work perfectly when running photo editing software or other graphics-rich software. All these laptops are super compatible with the apps required and recommended for photo editing.

Our Recommendation

To recommend the best of the best laptop for photo editing from the list, you must read about ASUS ZenBook Duo. It has got multi-screens for extreme and better multitasking, power specs that boost productivity, ASUS active stylus pen responsive for on-screen creativity, and Windows Hello sign-in for decent security. In short, it is not just a laptop but a complete studio that has all that a professional photo editor requires.