Best Laptops For Artists: Which One Should You Choose?
With so many different computers on the market, you don’t want to end up choosing one that won’t allow you to run your art and graphic design programs. It’s easy to overlook the essentials; after all, we’re artists, not IT professionals.
My team and I decided to take the guesswork out and review our top picks for the best laptop for artists. Keep reading to find out which one we think takes the first place.
Our Top 5 Laptops For Artists
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Asus Zenbook Pro Duo
The Asus Zenbook Pro Duo comes with 2 screens; a 15.6-inch main display and a ScreenPad lower display. It comes with 32GB of DDR4 RAM, which should be plenty of memory to run the most intensive programs such as Adobe Illustrator.
This laptop comes with the latest generation Intel Core i9, which is an OctaCore processor. The processing power will help you run programs on both screens. It comes with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics card, which might make it the best computer for graphic design work.
Pros
- 2 screens for multitasking
- 32GB of RAM
- Intel Core i9
Cons
- Not for every budget
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Lenovo Yoga 920
The Lenovo Yoga 920 comes with an 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor. It is tagged as a convertible laptop due to its 360-degree screen. This model comes with 16 GB RAM, which will help render high-quality graphics. It comes installed with Windows 10 Home.
It comes with a battery life of around 12 hours. While it didn’t quite last that long during our testing, it came in at about 10 hours, which is more than a workday.
Pros
- Better than average battery life
- Convertible design
- 360-degree screen
Cons
- Does not have many ports
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Lenovo Flex 5
This Lenovo model comes in at one of the best prices on our list. It features an AMD Ryzen 5 processor, which brings the price down. It still keeps up with its Intel counterparts, however. It comes with a 10 point full HD screen and a stylus.
It is tagged as a 2 in 1 laptop since it can fold down completely flat or stand up in a V-shape. It comes with AMD Radeon graphics to handle resource-intensive programs.
Pros
- AMD Ryzen 5 processor
- Multi touch screen
- AMD HD graphics
Cons
- Poor support from Lenovo
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Microsoft Surface Pro 7
The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is designed with a 10th gen Intel Core i7 quad core processor to run Intel Iris graphics. Microsoft designed some of the first 2 in 1 computers and this one is their latest flagship. It comes with a 256 GB hard drive to store artwork.
We chose it over the Microsoft Surface Book due to its portability. It comes with the Surface Pen, which might be helpful with drawing computers.
Pros
- Includes Surface pen
- Microsoft type cover included
- Tablet and 2 in 1 laptop
Cons
- Not a very big screen
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HP Spectre x360
This model from HP is designed for high-resolution graphics due to its 4K screen. It comes with a 512GB SSD for storing important files. It has a 9th gen Core i7 Hexacore processor that should help run the Intel UHD Iris Plus graphics.
HP claims that you will get about 15 hours of battery life. It has 16GB RAM installed, which is above the minimum requirements for most high-end art programs.
Pros
- 4K Full HD screen
- Large 15.6 inches
- Corning Gorilla Glass and metal body
Cons
- Heavier than other models
Buyer’s Guide For The Best Laptops For Artists
Processor
The minimum processor that we recommend for a digital arts professional is an Intel Core i5. While a Core i5 might be able to keep up with some of your programs, you won’t have much room for running multiple at once. Most of the options above come with an 8th gen Intel i7, which should give you better processing power with some room to spare.
RAM
The least amount of memory that you should invest in is 8GB RAM. You can run most of your programs without overheating your laptop. A mid-range option would be 16GB. This should give you more leeway when running programs that require stylus pens and rendering.
Storage
Storage is less important than it used to be with all of the online storage options available. If you are storing many of your art and graphic design projects locally, then we suggest at least a 512 GB hard drive. If you store more of your projects on the cloud for work, then you can opt for a 256GB SSD.
Resolution
All of the models that we chose above come with a minimum of a 1080p touchscreen. Most of them also exceed the 14-inch threshold for viewing large design projects as well. Intel HD graphic interfaces likely require the latest screen resolutions. All of the best laptops will include a touchscreen.
Battery
Since laptops are designed to be portable, you might need a longer battery life while you’re unplugged. The laptop best for graphic design work might need to have at least an 8-hour battery life, which is the standard workday. A laptop for artists should have at least a 10-hour battery.
Graphics
It might be essential for artists who do a lot of design rendering to invest in the best graphics card. The best graphics processing card is the NVIDIA range, which some of our top picks include. You should at least have enough to run the latest Intel and AMD specifications.
FAQs
Q: Are 2 in 1 laptops worth it for artists?
A: They are worth it. In fact, most of the best laptops for design professionals come with a tablet and laptop mode for presentations.
Q: What is the best laptop for graphic design?
A: Our top picks for graphic design include the Asus Zenbook Pro Duo and Lenovo range of convertible computers. A computer with the best graphics and a lot of memory will be the best laptop for design graphic.
Q: Can I draw with a touchscreen laptop?
A: Yes, you can draw with a touchscreen laptop using a stylus or other touch pen. Many digital artists today only use a professional stylus to render their graphics.
Conclusion
We have spent hours testing over 15 laptops to bring you the best choice for artists. All of these models have something to offer, but our team thinks one stands out in particular. Our top pick is the Asus Zenbook Pro Duo because of its innovative dual-screen setup. You can render artwork on the big screen while following the client guidelines on the lower screen.
