We will be checking out the 10 best laptops for graphic design students you can buy right now. I made this list based on their performance, features, and price.

Graphic Design is a creative and decent job that requires powerful hardware and software. The best laptops for graphic design students need more than just your power.

So, the laptop must be equipped with a lot of internal memory and the best graphics card to handle graphical applications. It also must have an impressive display that reproduces colors accurately and minimizes eye strain. The portability of the laptop is also a key factor.

So, if you’re looking for the best laptops for graphic design students or graphic designers, we can help you with some of the best laptops currently available in the market.

Designers need powerful and portable laptops with long battery lives to run programs such as Photoshop or Adobe Premiere Pro while running between pitching meetings or working on the go.

We’ve listed down the top 10 best laptops for designers and their key features, plus the things to consider to help you choose the best one for you.

Top 10 Best Laptops for Graphic Design Students or Graphic Designers

10. HP Envy 13

A laptop with a 1080P monitor should be sufficient for designers. However, if you work on professional projects, you might want something substantial, maybe a 4K display. The HP Envy 13-inch offers the same compact 13-inch 3680 x 2160P, offering higher pixel density than many machines with support for touch input. Like most modern laptops, the HP envy 13-inch comes with a compact minimal bezel design with an HD webcam or at the top of the screen. It also has a built-in fingerprint sensor, which makes the machine secure for unauthorized access. The HP Envy 13-inch is powered by the time-tested HM Intel Core i7 8565 Quad Core CPU, which runs at 1.8 gigahertz regularly and can go up to 4.1 gigahertz with turbo boost. Thanks to the dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX250 GPU. It is capable of driving a secondary 4K display alongside the built-in screen. The machine also offers 16 gigabytes of RAM and 512 gigabytes of storage, allowing the user to store a ton of 4K HDR movies directly on the laptop. Plus, it also offers a faster OS boot and can run most software without any issues. This laptop is one of the lightest machines in the market with a 4K display and it weighs just 2.6 pounds. Plus, it also delivers a good battery backup and can last for 9 hours on a single charge of offline use, and when connected to the internet, it can run without a charger for 7 hours.

9. Huawei Matebook X Pro

The Huawei Matebook X Pro 2020 is the latest flagship laptop from a Chinese manufacturer. The previous models of the Huawei Matebook X Pro have impressed us with their premium designs and decent specs. It’s an excellent design, to be sure, with a sleek look that feels sturdy when in use but not heavy or bulky when carried around. With dimensions of 304 x 14.6 x 270 millimetres and a weight of 1.33 kilograms, this is a slightly lighter and more compact laptop than the 13-inch MacBook pro. At the same time, the screen would also be suitable for graphic designing, video editors and 3D animators and modellers. It’s worth noting that the Nvidia MX250 graphics card is an entry-level laptop GPU. While it’s a step up from the integrated graphics, it’s not going to be able to handle intensive graphical tasks, and you can forget about playing all but the most basic of 2D games. When it comes to performance, the Huawei Matebook X Pro 2020 handles day to day tasks well, and the upgrade from 8th generation Intel processors to 10th generation is a welcome one. With the Quad-Core Intel Core i5 chip and 8 gigabytes of RAM along with the solid-state drive, it’s not surprising to find that Windows 10 feel fast and responsive. When it comes to battery life, the Huawei Matebook X Pro 2020 also performs well, making it to almost 8 hours in our battery life test, for which we play at 1080P video on loop. Overall, Huawei Matebook X Pro has all the features of a top drawer laptop and is a fantastic design option.

8. Apple MacBook Air

Apple MacBook Air is our best Mac laptop for graphic design. If you’re looking for a MacBook for about one thousand dollars, the MacBook Air comes with Apple’s fastest chip ever produced. Featuring Apple’s neural engine, so you get boosted performance all around, including machine learning tasks at incredible speeds without having to invest in the more expensive MacBook Pro. So now, you don’t have to sacrifice portability for the power you get the best of both worlds. The MacBook Air is about the same size and weight as the Swift 3, but it packs in substantially more power, letting you crush even the more demanding graphical assignments and projects. The stunning 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600 resolution retina display packs impressive pixel density, so the text looks Razor sharp. With the P3 wide color space, you get vibrant images in incredible detail with more accurate colors. I think it’s great on the go option for students taking creative and artists. Since you may not be working in the same lighting conditions all the time, the Air’s true tone technology will automatically adjust its display to give you a more natural viewing experience. You also get some great features with the Air like touch ID, fingerprint login, a pretty good audio system, magic keyboard, large precision trackpad and Wi-Fi 6. Plus, you get the facetime HD camera, and a three Mic array makes your video calls and in-class learning a more pleasant and productive experience. Even with all the firepower, you can work discreetly at the library or even coffee shops without worrying about excessive fan noise since the MacBook Air doesn’t have any. It’s dead quiet but still manages to run cool even when you’re pushing the Air to its limits. Plus, with up to 15 hours of uptime, it leaves all the other laptops in this post in its wake when it comes to battery performance. The MacBook Air now gives you performance and power like the MacBook Pro but in a more affordable, sleek, stylish ultrabook that’s ideal for Apple savvy creatives or artists.

7. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2 is our best laptop for graphic design. Suppose you are a graphic designer looking for a laptop that can pump through serious workloads like graphic designing. Then the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen2 is a great option for you with considerable performance power even to handle heavy graphics processing. The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen2 is a great alternative to the MacBook Pro while staying in the windows environment. It’s slightly bulkier but lighter than the Dell XPS 15. But you’ll still love how the slimline design takes the impeccable quality of Lenovo’s ThinkPads. It packs in plenty of power to tackle demanding apps giving you the freedom to edit, color correct, add effects and even makes an audio track. Plus, you’ll be wowed by the stunning 4K ultra HD OLED display. You will be amazed to know how it brings your images and videos to life with incredible color and contrast. You’ll find edits and filters process incredibly fast in adobe premiere or other graphic designing software, even on larger files. The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen2 give you 100 per cent of sRGB and 97 per cent of Adobe RGB, so your images are color accurate. In terms of performance, when it comes to encoding footage, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen2 edges out most PC laptops but lags slightly behind the MacBook Pro. The key features are Intel Core i7, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 MaxQ, 32 gigabytes RAM and 512 gigabyte SSD storage. The 15.6-inches 4K 3840 x 2160 OLED display put anti-glare and anti-smudge touch screen with Dolby vision.
The color support is 100 per cent of sRGB and 97 per cent of Adobe RGB. Support for 802.11 AX Wi-Fi. It has plenty of ports, including two thunderbolts three ports. The keyboard is comfortable with just the right amount of travel, and it also spill-resistant and backlit. It comes with a fingerprint reader and facial recognition. The only disappointment is the battery life which comes with only 6.5 hours.
If you create content or work in multimedia, you’ll love the power of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen2’s performance. It has plenty of processing power and a stunning 4K ultra HD OLED display to enhance your creativeness.

Microsoft Surface Book 2 – https://amzn.to/3sxEHaH

Microsoft Surface Book 2 is our best 2-in-1 laptop for graphic designing. If you’re looking for the versatility of the pixel book on a windows laptop, the Microsoft Surface Book 2 is one of the best 2-in-1 laptops for graphic designing with a detachable display so you can use it as a 15-inch tablet. The Surface Book 2 has some high octane components that make it powerful enough to handle pretty much anything you can throw at it. The 15-inches 3240 x 2160 pixel sense display has a 3 to 2 aspect ratio and 1600 to 1 contrast ratio with super sharp picture quality and very good brightness. The keyboard is comfortable with backlit keys that are satisfying to tap and quiet with a good amount of travel without feeling mushy. The touch, but it’s also responsive with a satisfying audible click. The cameras include a 5-megapixel front-facing camera and an 8-megapixel rear-facing autofocus camera with both capturing 1080P HD video. The speakers are on the 2 top corners of the tablet, and despite their small size, they do a pretty good job and are loud enough to be heard even from a moderate distance. When it comes to performance, this laptop is loaded with an Intel i7 processor and Nvidia GTX 1060 discrete GPU with 6 gigabytes, GDDR 5 graphics memory and 16 gigabytes of RAM. That will give you lots of flexibility to run multiple tasks in all of your apps data. It also stores files with the lightning-fast 256 gigabyte SSD. The connectivity options include 2 USB 3.1 and 1 USB C port, 3.5-millimetre headphone Jack; two Surface Connect ports split between the base and tablet and a full-size SDXC card reader. For wireless networking, you get Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1. The Surface Book 2 also has a built-in Xbox wireless controller receiver which is handy if you want to take a quick break from designing. If you are a graphic designer, the specs alone of Microsoft Surface Book 2 are more than impressive for designers. Not only does it offer the versatility of traditional 2-in-1s, but the display is completely detachable. So it can be used as a standalone 15-inch tablet without the added weight and awkwardness of the keyboard flipped around.

5. Acer Predator Helios 300

The 5th Best Laptops for Graphic Design Students on our list is Acer Predator Helios 300. The Acer Predator Helios 300 is our best budget laptop for graphic design.

If you are a graphic designer looking for an affordable laptop that’s portable enough to take to the studio or meet clients but has enough processing power to handle graphic work, then the Acer Predator Helios 300 may be the laptop for you.

This laptop will never slow down your creative process and delivers a solid performance for you to work efficiently. The Helios 300 can handle most graphic software without freezing up. So you can easily edit your photos and create vector art.

However, with only 16 gigabytes onboard, you may have some sluggishness if you’re running the graphics software simultaneously. Its awesome screen will help you in creating realistic graphic design.

The 15.6-inch screen will give more space to create imaginary graphic design. Although you’ll find better and brighter screens on higher-priced laptops at this price range, the Helios 300 is up there in its class.

Your laptop won’t overheat due to its great cooling system allowing you to apply intensive Photoshop filters to create an awesome design.

Suppose you are a graphic designer looking for an affordable laptop that can run most graphics software for photo editing, illustrations, and page layouts. The Acer Predator Helios 300 has a powerful performance to let you work efficiently without your laptop slowing down your creative process.

4. Acer Concept D3 Pro

The 4th Best Laptops for Graphic Design Students on our list is Acer Concept D3 Pro. The Acer Concept D3 Pro is the 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 Concept D3 Pro delivers pinpoint color accuracy with the Pantone validated display. Making it a great option for your creations.

The Concept D3 Pro is the creator’s companion that can push the limits of your creativity. You’ll love it with a timeless look. The Concept D3 Pro looks great in any workplace, and with its durable design, it easily enables you to take your work with you on the road.

The 15.6-inch IPS display is bright and colorful and perfect for you to work on videos and photos.

The Concept D3 Pro has a 6 Core i7 processor, which is very respectable, but you’ll be blown away with the incredible Quadro T1000 graphic cards’ pinnacle performance.

You’ll create without compromise at the speed of imagination with the studio drivers designed to supercharge your creative applications.

Key Features:

1. Nvidia Quadro T1000 chip delivers incredible performance.
2. Even outshining the MacBook Pro 15-inch and that’s not easy.
3. The display supports Pantone and DCI P3.
4. While you’re traveling or leaving your laptop on your desk, you’ll appreciate the fingerprint reader for extra security.

Pros:

1. 6 Core i7 processor.
2. Powerful GPU delivers excellent graphics performance.
3. It has a full-size keyboard.
4. It has a quiet cooling system.

Cons:

1. No 4K display.
2. The 1920 x 1080 resolution isn’t bad, but it’s not 4K.
3. Battery life only about 6.5 hours when streaming video.

If you’re creative, that doesn’t want to compromise studio work just because you’re on the road. The Concept D3 pro is truly a creatives companion with great performance and amazing color accuracy for detailed graphic and photo work, making it a topic for your creations and the best laptops for graphic design.

3. Dell XPS 15

The 3rd Best Laptops for Graphic Design Students on our list is Dell XPS 15. The Dell XPS 15 is the best value laptop for graphic design. If you are a graphic designer looking for that perfect laptop for visual work, you may have found it with the Dell XPS 15.

It has high-end performance with a stunning 15-inch 4K OLED touch display that’ll make your work look brilliant and easy.

This laptop is packed with great features and delivers excellent performance all around to make it incredibly versatile for all areas of graphic design.

You’ll find the design very sleek and professional, so you can take it confidently to meet clients, art directors, and designers.

The thin profile is quite dramatic, and once you open it up, the bezel-less Infinity display but you work in an immersive way with your creativity.

If you have photo editing or retouching, you’ll find the touch screen 4K OLED screen that lets you conveniently edit right on the screen so that you can see the results simultaneously. It is one of the best laptops for graphic design.

You’ll be able to see and brush out blemishes to the last pixel with extremely accurate color profiles due to its vivid and clear images.

You can create painting and vector illustrations with high color accuracy and reproduction so that they will come to life as you make them.

It’ll be easy to show clients your work with a wide viewing angle, so everyone doesn’t have to crowd over our shoulders to accurately see the colors.

Key Features:

1. Intel Core i7.
2. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650.
3. 16 gigabytes of RAM.
4. 1 terabyte SSD.
5. Fingerprint reader.
6. Advanced WiFi 6 technology.

Pros:

1. Great balance of performance and price.
2. The carbon fiber design is slick and professional.
3. 15.6-inch 4K UHD bezel-less infinity touchscreen display.
4. SD card reader, Thunderbolt, and USB 3.0 ports.

Cons:

1. Powerful components get hot and can throttle.
2. Battery performance could be better especially with the OLED screen being a battery hog.

The Dell XPS 15 has high-end performance for all kinds of graphic disciplines and a stunning 15-inch 4K OLED touch display to showcase your talents. It’s the perfect studio for on-the-go artists and making it the best laptops for graphic design.

2. Microsoft Surface Book 2

The 2nd Best Laptops for Graphic Design Students on our list is Microsoft Surface Book 2. Microsoft Surface Book 2 is the best 2-in-1 laptop for graphic design.

Suppose you are a graphic designer who finds traditional laptops too restrictive and prefers a 2-in-1 design for added versatility. Then the Microsoft Surface Book 2 may be the perfect laptop for you. Soon it adapts to the ways you create and not the other way around.

Microsoft Surface Book 2 is a 2-in-1 laptop for creative professionals and graphic designers. The versatility is unmatched. You can work in the traditional laptop mode for editing copy or in tablet mode and can conveniently take anywhere for quick sketches on the go or research.

Also you can work in studio mode to draw and sketch in a comfortable and natural position with the 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 re-attach it to share content and presentations with clients and designers.

You’ll find the display is quite gorgeous. The 15-inch pixel sense display delivers vibrant high color-accurate images, so your ideas look brilliant.

It comes with the Surface precision mouse that’s designed for exceptional accuracy, comfort, and control. A completely new way to interact with your laptop by a new Surface dial. You can store, customize, access, and navigate physical tools in the digital world.

It’s very cool intuitive, and enhances your creative workflow, but what you’ll love is working with the new Surface pen that delivers the most natural drawing and painting experience with tilt support for shading.

This laptop has 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity and virtually no lag.

Key Features:

1. Intel Quad-Core i7 processor.
2. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060.
3. 16 gigabytes of RAM.
4. 512 gigabytes of storage.
5. It works on a laptop, tablet, and studio view modes.

Pros:

1. Vibrant 15-inch 3260 x 2160 touchscreen pixel sense display.
2. Battery life about 17 hours.
3. It includes creative tools like a Surface precision mouse, Surface Pen, and the Surface Dial.

Cons:

1. 16 gigabytes of RAM is very limiting.
2. There are no thunderbolt ports.

If you are a graphic designer who loves the versatility of 2-in-1, so adapt the ways you create and not the other way round, then the Microsoft Surface Book 2 is the perfect and best laptop for graphic design.

1. Apple MacBook Pro

The 1st Best Laptops for Graphic Design Students on our list is Apple MacBook Pro. It is the best overall laptop for graphic design. If you are creative looking for a great notebook to bring your ideas to life, then the MacBook Pro 16-inch is one of the best laptops available to take your creative vision to the next level.

Whether it’s photography, video, web content, page layouts, website designs, or even 3D modeling and CAD, the MacBook Pro has the raw power to take just about any creative task you throw at it.

The MacBook Pro is a premium laptop with an amazing 16-inch 3072 x 1920 retina display for the creative professional on the go. Apple MacBook Pro gives you the largest battery for air travel where you can conduct meetings with clients, designers, photographers, and videographers.

The MacBook Pro lets you work faster with ease. You can easily access what you need without interrupting your creative flow due to the presence of powerful shortcuts in the front and center of the touch bar.

You also get 512 gigabytes of super-fast SSD storage, which allows loading files instantly. Apple knows nothing kills the creative flow more than watching your cursor spend while it applies a filter.

Key Features:

1. 8 Core i9 processor.
2. 16 gigabytes of RAM.
3. 512 gigabytes of SSD storage.
4. New and improved keyboard.
5. USB C thunderbolt port.

Pros:

1. Battery life about 11 hours.
2. This laptop’s price is not changed, it is the same as the previous model.
3. Incredibly small footprint for a 16-inch laptop.
4. 6 speakers plus force feedback enabled woofer equals amazing sound quality.
5. A stunning 16-inch screen with a pixel density of 226 pixels per inch displays immaculate images and videos.

Cons:

1. Its cost is very high, although you’re getting twice the amount of hardware.

The MacBook Pro is an ultimate and unique portable laptop. If you are a graphic designer looking for the top laptop that’s like taking your studio on the road, this is the best laptop for graphic design.

Suppose you find this review helpful and looking for affordable and best laptops for graphic design students. In that case, you can select and buy one from the above list suiting your budget, usability, and necessity.

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