Whether you’re a professional graphic designer or just getting into the stream, a proper workstation is a necessity to bring your creativity to light. Also, if you have a budget for a mid-high-range laptop, you can easily get the perfect laptop to enhance your portfolio. Hence, we have shortlisted the best laptops for graphic design that you can purchase in 2023.
Graphic design isn’t a new field of work, but the modern world has more and more new artists emerging every day. Likewise, it’s only fair that you have a machine to create exactly what you have in mind. Laptops suitable for graphic design are merely tools to help you showcase your creativity to the world.
Best laptops for graphic design in 2023
Note: Laptops mentioned in this list aren’t in any order of preference.
- 1. Apple MacBook Air M2: Overall best for graphic design
- 2. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022): Best Windows laptop for multiple usage patterns
- 3. ASUS ROG Flow X16 (2022): Best graphic design-oriented laptop
- 4. Lenovo Legion Slim 7i Gen 7: Best performance laptop
- 5. MacBook Pro 14″ (M1 Pro): Best laptops for professionals
1. Apple MacBook Air M2: Overall best for graphic design
The MacBook Air M2, the latest MacBook Air, is the most popular device for many user types. Likewise, it’s easily among the best laptops for graphic design in 2023. You get a solid package with adequate performance, an excellent display, and all-day battery life for a competitive price compared to relevant Windows machines.
If you’re not going to perform super-high resolution renders, the M2 MacBook Air provides the highest value. The best part about the machine is that you can take advantage of its performance capability even if you’re not plugged in. Hence, you can rely on this MacBook to bring your creativity to life.
| Processor & Graphics | Apple M2 |
| RAM | 8 GB |
| SSD | 256 GB |
| HDD | N.A. |
| Display | 13.6-inch 2560 x 1664 Retina Display |
| Battery | Up to 21 hours (advertised) |
| O.S. | macOS Ventura |
| Weight | 2.77 pounds (or 1.22 kg) |
2. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022): Best Windows laptop for multiple usage patterns
Next up, the infamous ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 makes it to the list of the best laptops for graphic design. While it may seem like any other gaming laptop, there’s much more to it than it seems. G14 is yet another all-rounder package that provides excellent performance, great battery life, and a color-accurate display.
Housing a Ryzen 9 6900HS and AMD Radeon 6800S graphics, it is a powerhouse that can handle anything you throw at it. Likewise, you can make use of the performance not just for graphic design but also for occasional gaming. On top of it all, it only weighs 3.64 pounds or 1.65 kg, making it highly portable.
| Processor & Graphics | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS with AMD Radeon RX 6800S graphics |
| RAM | 16 GB (upgradable to 40 GB) |
| SSD | 1 TB (upgradable) |
| HDD | N.A. |
| Display | 14-inch 1600p IPS panel display with 120Hz refresh rate and 100% sRGB |
| Battery | 76 Wh battery lasting up to 8 hours |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Weight | 3.64 pounds (or 1.65 kg) |
3. ASUS ROG Flow X16 (2022): Best graphic design-oriented laptop
The ROG Flow X16 is yet another ASUS laptop among the best laptops for graphic design. ASUS curated the ROG Flow series for content creators and prioritized the things that matter. Likewise, the laptop checks all boxes and is an ideal choice for designers.
Featuring a Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU and an RTX 3060 mobile, it can easily handle heavy workflows. Moreover, you also get an extremely well-built 1600p display with 100% sRGB color accuracy. To top that off, the display is a touchscreen, so designers can really benefit from the added functionality of using the machine in tablet mode.
| Processor & Graphics | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS with AMD Radeon RX 6800S graphics |
| RAM | 16 GB (upgradable to 32 GB) |
| SSD | 1 TB (upgradable) |
| HDD | N.A. |
| Display | 16-inch 1600p IPS panel display with 165Hz refresh rate and 100% sRGB, and 500 nits brightness |
| Battery | 90 Wh battery lasting up to 8 hours |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Weight | 4.41 pounds (or 2.00 kg) |
4. Lenovo Legion Slim 7i Gen 7: Best performance laptop
Lenovo’s Legion lineup has performed exceptionally over the past few years. Likewise, the Legion Slim 7i is an all-rounder gaming machine that can easily be considered among the best laptops for graphic design. A laptop being a powerhouse, can handle any workload you throw at it with ease.
The Slim 7i features a 12th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU with RTX 3060 graphics. Other than that, it checks all other boxes; you get a full-sized keyboard (for those who prefer a Numpad) and a full-featured Thunderbolt port for extended connectivity and hooking up external displays, which is essential for designers. Overall, the Slim 7i is an ideal laptop for graphic designers and gamers.
| Processor & Graphics | 12th-Gen Intel Core i7 12700H with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics |
| RAM | 16 GB (upgradable to 24 GB) |
| SSD | 512 GB (upgradable) |
| HDD | N.A. |
| Display | 16-inch 1200p IPS panel display with 165Hz refresh rate and 100% sRGB |
| Battery | 71 Wh battery with 230W Rapid Charge Pro |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Weight | 4.78 pounds (or 2.17 kg) |
5. MacBook Pro 14″ (M1 Pro): Best laptops for professionals
If you prefer a Mac for graphic design, you are not the only one. For professional designers who require a high-performing laptop with an industry-level display, the MacBook Pro 14″ is the one to go for. Likewise, the M1 Pro-powered MacBook Pro is a suitable laptop for professional graphic designers that performs well in all departments.
For those who are more suited to a Mac, there are certain reasons for it. First off, you might just be using the macOS platform, and switching to a Windows system can be tiring. Moreover, some graphic design apps perform better on Macs compared to relevant Windows laptops. Hence, the MacBook Pro 14″ comes easily among the best laptops suited for designers.
| Processor & Graphics | Apple M1 Pro |
| RAM | 16 GB |
| SSD | 512 GB |
| HDD | N.A. |
| Display | 14.2-inch 3024 x 1964 Liquid Retina XDR Display |
| Battery | Up to 24 hours (advertised) |
| O.S. | macOS Ventura |
| Weight | 3.50 pounds (or 1.58 kg) |
Things to remember when buying laptops for graphic design
While most people know that a graphic design laptop needs adequate performance with good hardware, there’s much more to it.
Performance: For a laptop to be even considered for graphic design, it should be able to handle all the software under heavy workloads and not flinch. Hence, it’s essential to choose a laptop that won’t get in your way.
Display: A decent display is among the most important features of a laptop for graphic design. An ideal laptop should have a display that has high brightness, high color accuracy, and an IPS/OLED panel so you can produce color-accurate content.
Portability: An often unnoticed factor of a graphic design laptop is its portability. Several users end up getting heavy gaming laptops that do provide a decent display and performance but are so heavy that you would think twice while carrying them in your bag.
Battery: If you get a windows laptop with a proper CPU and GPU (unlike Apple Silicon), you will probably be connected to power while working. However, an ideal laptop should have enough battery life to last you a day if you’re only using it for light workloads.
Ports: The average user often lets the ports on a workstation laptop go unnoticed. If you’re buying a laptop for work, it must have essential ports like USB-C ports (including Thunderbolt) to connect external displays, which many designers prefer.
Choose the best and enhance your creativity
While you can find many relevant laptops in the market for graphic design, we have only picked the best of the best that check most boxes and provide the highest value for your money. If you’re having trouble picking one, the best overall option is the M2 MacBook Air. If you need an all-rounder Windows laptop, the Zephyrus G14 is the way to go. However, the MacBook Pro 14″ is an ideal choice for design professionals.
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