Adobe Photoshop is a widely used image-editing program that can be used for everything from photo retouching to web design. A laptop that is powerful enough to handle Photoshop well is an essential piece of equipment for any graphic artist or photographer. With plenty of laptops available in the same genre, picking the best one for your needs is often confusing.
Most laptops can handle basic Photoshop tasks, such as editing and retouching photos or adding effects to images. But only a high-end notebook that meets Adobe’s minimum requirements is necessary to comfortably run the most intensive features in Photoshop and other Adobe programs.
Buying Guide – Factors to consider Photoshop editing laptops
When looking for a laptop to use with Photoshop, you’ll want to consider the following factors:
Processor
When it comes to processors, the more cores, the better. A multi-core processor can simultaneously process multiple tasks, allowing you to perform operations on one file while using another program or web browser at the same time. For laptops, an Intel Core i7 processor has generally considered the best option for Photoshop users who need to run resource-intensive programs alongside other demanding applications.
Memory (RAM)
To keep Photoshop running smoothly, you’ll need at least 4GB of RAM. If you’re doing a lot of image editing and working with large files, you may want to consider 8GB or more.
Storage
A laptop with a fast solid-state drive (SSD) is a must for Photoshop users. Computers with SSDs are faster, more responsive and quieter than laptops with traditional hard drives because they have no moving parts.
Operating System
Adobe Photoshop typically runs on Windows-based PCs, so it’s essential to get a laptop that’s compatible with Windows 10 or 11. If you’re not a Windows user, there are some excellent Photoshop alternatives for Mac users, such as Pixelmator and Affinity Photo.
Screen Size and Resolution
A laptop with a large screen and high resolution are ideal for Photoshop users. Screen size of at least 15 inches is recommended, and a resolution of 1920 x 1080 or higher will give you the best results.
Graphics Processor
If you’re doing a lot of image editing that requires intense graphics processing, you’ll want to look for a laptop that has an NVIDIA GeForce or AMD Radeon graphics processor.
Connectivity
A speedy connection to the internet is essential for Photoshop users who want to perform operations on large image files and download updates. A broadband wireless card with 802.11ac WiFi connectivity lets you connect your laptop to the internet quickly and easily.
Best Buying Laptops for Photoshop editing: Detailed Review
So, what are the best laptops for Photoshop? Here are ten of our top picks:
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2021 Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch) (Silver) |
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2021 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15.6" | $399.99 |
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2021 HP 17.3" (Silver) |
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2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop, (Silver) | $647.46 |
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GIGABYTE AERO 17 HDR XD - 17.3" | $3,600.00 |
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New Dell XPS 15 9500 15.6" (Silver) | $1,517.31 |
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Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 – 13.5" | $669.99 |
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2021 HP Pavilion 15.6" | $719.00 |
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HP 14" Touchscreen Home and Business Laptop | $309.00 |
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1. 2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop
- Apple M1 Pro or M1 Max chip for a massive leap in CPU, GPU, and machine learning performance
- Up to 10-core CPU delivers up to 2x faster performance to fly through pro workflows quicker than ever
- Up to 32-core GPU with up to 4x faster performance for graphics-intensive apps and games
- 16-core Neural Engine for up to 5x faster machine learning performance
- Longer battery life, up to 21 hours
- Up to 64GB of unified memory so everything you do is fast and fluid
- Up to 8TB of superfast SSD storage launches apps and opens files in an instant
- Stunning 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with extreme dynamic range and contrast ratio
- 1080p FaceTime HD camera with advanced image signal processor for sharper video calls
- Six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers
Key Features:
- Graphics and Video Support: Apple 16-core GPU
- Display: 16.2-inch (diagonal)
- Processor: System on Chip (SoC) Apple M1 Pro chip
- Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6
- Product Dimensions: 9.77 x 14 x 0.66 inches;
- Product weight: 4.63 Pounds
Compared to its predecessor, the Apple 16-inch Macbook Pro is an improved version with 15+ hours of battery life and good speakers. Putting aside its hefty price tag, the advanced features like M1 Max chip, 1080p webcam, and 15+ hours of battery makes it an excellent deal as the best laptop for Photoshop.
M1 Pro Chip packed with a 10-crore CPU, and 512GB SSD for storage makes it a powerful laptop. The new liquid Retina with XDR display shine comes from a thinner bezel for an improved user experience. The HDMI-out port and SD reader card gives this laptop an edge.
It comes with a divisive Touch Bar to make it worthwhile for the applications like Adobe Photoshop. It is a 16-inch package that gives an edge in your photo editing jobs. With extended battery life, it is capable of handling heavy applications like adobe photoshop.
2. 2021 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15.6″ HD Touchscreen Laptop
Key Features
- Display Resolution Maximum: 1366 x 768 pixels
- Screen Size: 15.6 inches
- Processor: 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1005G1
- Wireless connection: WiFi 5 – 802.11 ac
- Weight: Weighs 4.07 lbs
Another lightweight and thin laptop on our list that is capable of meeting your photoshop requirement perfectly. It comes with a brushed finish to offer an expensive look. A large fan with exhaust ensures sizable air intake. Weighing at just 1.7kg, this portable laptop comes with the thinnest point at 0.78 inches.
It offers 720p front-facing camera with a good brightness score. Overall, it’s a powerful laptop with a Core i3-10110U processor to give a tough competition to 10th Gen and 11th Gen Chips. A highly affordable laptop with an HD display that you can count upon.
If you are looking for a compact laptop for your photo editing jobs, this powerful laptop is an excellent deal worth exploring. Besides basic tasks like browsing, homework, and emailing, this laptop is efficient with Adobe photoshop.
3. 2021 HP 17.3″ FHD IPS Display Laptop Computer
Key Features
- Memory RAM: 16GB DDR4 RAM
- Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1
- Storage Drive: 512GB PCIe SSD
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Dimensions (WxDxH): 14.11″ x 9.53″ x 0.71″
It is an ultra-low-voltage and high-efficiency power laptop that comes with a superfast 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor. It is a portable 17-inch laptop that comes with a dedicated Nvidia graphics card which guarantees the performance to meet your photoshop requirements.
If you are looking for a lightweight package, this laptop might be an excellent deal. It has a sleek and stylish sea blue finish that gives it a premium look. The large fan intake ensures ample airflow. The standard-sized keyboard allows you to do your typing tasks easily.
The laptop comes with a 512GB PCIe SSD to give ample storage space. The dedicated graphics card is an added advantage for the gamers out there. Also, with its heavy-duty performance, it is an excellent choice to practise your photoshop skills.
4. 2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop: Apple M1 Chip
Key Features
- Display: 13.3-inch (diagonal)
- Battery: Up to 18 hours Apple
- Storage: 256GB or 512GB SSD
- Product Dimensions: 11.97 x 0.63 x 8.36 inches
- Product Weight: 2.8 Pounds
If you are looking for professional quality editing, this is the deal. MacBook Air Laptop from Apple has been designed with powerful components as an 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores. You get ultra-versatility with its ultra-high bandwidth.
This laptop is made for speed with the help of Turbo Boost up to 4.2GHz. The Retina display has a True Tone and is anti-reflective. It comes with a backlit keyboard with an ambient light sensor as well. This laptop is offered in 3 colours: silver, space grey, and gold.
It comes with preprogrammed shortcuts and an advanced M1 chip to ease you with 3.5x faster performance. The excellent 2560 X 1600 resolution Retina display. To make it fast, it is equipped with an improved Neural Engine and low latency memory.
With the most incredible thermal efficiency, there is minimal fan noise. Extended battery life of up to 18 hours allows you for prolonged photo editing sessions. It is loaded with a 13.3″ Retina display for a stunning display. The upscale speakers are equipped with top-notch performance.
5. GIGABYTE AERO 17 HDR XD
Key Features
- Processor: 11th Gen Intel Core i7-11800H
- RAM: 16GB Memory DDR4 (64GB Max)
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
- Max Screen Resolution: 3840 x 2160
- Item Weight: 5.5 pounds
- Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 15.6 x 0.85 inches
When it comes to 4k movies, Autocad, and Photoshop, this laptop is an excellent choice for all your projects. This 17.3-inch laptop is packed with the configurations like Intel’s latest 8-core i7-10875H processor, 16GB of RAM, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q graphics.
The memory of this laptop is high-speed, and the performance is high-end. It offers ultra-responsive gameplay with NVIDIA G-SYNC technology, which gives smooth visuals for an excellent gaming experience. The computer works well on AutoCAD software programs that provide rendering at blazing speeds.
This laptop comes with a colourful RGB keyboard with WASD and additional macro keys. The 100% sRGB colour gamut offers excellent viewing angles. The Thunderbolt 3 port supports up to 40Gbps data transfers and 4K displays. The AERO 17 HDR has a wide range of I/O ports, including HDMI 2.0, mini DisplayPort 1.4, and two USB Type-A 3.1 ports.
Overall, it is an excellent laptop to undertake all your creative tasks without a glitch.
6. Dell XPS 15 9500
Features:
- Screen Size: 15.6 inches
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- Storage Capacity: 1TB HDD
- Graphics Coprocessor: NVIDIA GTX 1650Ti
- Processor: Intel Core i7-10750HQ, 10th Generation
The Dell XPS 15 9500 is a high-end laptop that is perfect for gaming and creative professionals who need a reliable gadget for their photoshop endeavours. The powerful Intel Core i7-10750HQ, 10th Generation with 16GB DDR4 RAM, supports the smooth operation for your CPU intensive tasks.
The NVIDIA GTX 1650Ti has a dedicated memory of 4GB GDDR5 and ensures a high frame rate for your photoshop editing. The 1TB HDD storage is a good addition for your large files. The 15.6-inch screen size is perfect for gaming and creative work.
The backlit keyboard ensures easy typing in low light conditions. The laptop has a sleek and stylish design that will impress anyone looking at it. It also comes with a Windows 10 operating system for added convenience.
At a very reasonable price, the Dell XPS 15 9500 is an excellent investment for your high-end needs.
7. Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 – 13.5″ Touch-Screen
Features
- Memory: 8GB 4GB
- Storage: 128GB SSD 64GB
- Processor: 1.2 GHz core_i5
- RAM: 8 GB LPDDR4
- Average Battery Life (in hours): 11.5 Hours
The surface 3 laptop series by Microsoft is known for its elegant design and clean structure. The surface 3 series is two times faster than the Surface 3 series. It also comes with more ports to connect. Surface 3 laptops are skinny in size and highly portable. The backlit keyboard in this laptop ensures you can work effectively in low light conditions.
It has a very sharp display with a 3:2 aspect ratio. The 13.5″ touchscreen is an excellent addition to this laptop and makes it more versatile. It also features incredible battery life for working for extended hours without interruption or worrying about the battery drain.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop has all the necessary ports for connecting different devices. It also has a backlit keyboard that makes it easy to type in low light conditions. It is powered by a 1.2 GHz Core i5 Processor with 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD to make it suitable for heavy Photo editing tasks.
The laptop is available in different colours with a matte or glossy finish to choose from. Overall, the Surface Laptop is an excellent option for people looking for a Microsoft product.
8. 2021 HP Pavilion 15.6″ FHD Touchscreen Laptop Computer
Features
- Display Resolution Maximum: 1920×1080 pixels
- Item Dimensions: 14.11 x 9.53 x 0.71 inches
- Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1
- Storage Drive: 512GB PCIe SSD
- Standing screen display size: 15.6 Inches
Another good laptop on our list, the HP Pavilion 15.6″ FHD Touchscreen Laptop Computer, is a reliable gadget for creative professionals and gamers. The laptop uses a 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor that can handle CPU intensive tasks with ease. It also has a 512GB PCIe SSD storage drive that ensures the fast loading of your files.
The laptop has a full HD display with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution. It also features excellent sound quality with HD Audio. Equipped with Intel UHD Graphics, this laptop is a perfect choice for casual gaming, intensive browsing and photo editing. The laptop comes with a one-year warranty for your peace of mind.
The HP Pavilion 15.6″ FHD Touchscreen Laptop Computer is an excellent choice for people looking for a powerful and affordable laptop. It uses a 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor that can handle CPU intensive tasks with ease.
9. HP 14″ Touchscreen Home and Business Laptop Ryzen 3-3200U
Key Features
- RAM Type: DDR4 2400 MHz SDRAM
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 3200U
- CPU Speed: 2.60 GHz
- Hard Disk Size: 128 GB
- Graphics: Radeon Vega 3 Graphics
- Weight: 3.25 lbs (1.47 kg)
It is driven by intelligent dual-core technology and equipped with a robust multi-core architecture. Ryzen 3 processors integrate six computational units and feature four threads to deliver a unique and smooth computing experience in everyday tasks.
The HP 14″ Touchscreen Home and Business Laptop Ryzen 3-3200U is powered by AMD’s intelligent SenseMI Technology that senses the change in smartphone use, monitors the PC’s power consumption, and controls the processor voltage.
The laptop is equipped with DDR4 2400 MHz SDRAM. It also comes with a 128GB of flash memory storage drive that improves boot-up times. With NVIDIA GeForce 930MX graphics, this laptop is suitable for casual gaming as well as photo editing.
Overall, the HP 14″ Touchscreen Home and Business Laptop Ryzen 3-3200U is an excellent choice for people looking for a powerful and affordable laptop for their photo editing jobs.
10. ASUS F512DA VivoBook 15.6″ FHD
Key Features
- Processor: AMD Quad Core R7-3700U CPU
- Display Resolution: Maximum1920 x 1080 pixels
- Screen Size: 15.6 inches
- Item Dimensions: 14.2 x 9.8 x 0.8 inches
- Item Weight: 5.00 lbs
- RAM Type: DDR4 SDRAM
To anticipate your needs, this advanced laptop from ASUS is equipped with Ryzen 7 processor. With plenty of high bandwidth and total efficiency of multitasking, this laptop is speedy.
It runs on the latest 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8550U and has RAM up to 16GB DDR4 SDRAM. 8GB memory storage and a 1TB hard drive storage capacity makes it a good deal. AMD Radeon RX Vega 10 Graphics allows you excellent visual clarity. You can easily take your laptop with you as it is made very light and portable.
It has a wide-viewing angle of 178 degrees to give crystal clear images. For comfortable viewing, it comes with 15.6 inches of full HD display for 1920 x 1080 resolution. The built-in camera is excellent, with a 1MP webcam for crystal clear video calls. The ASUS F512DA VivoBook is equipped with a fingerprint sensor for added security.
It is a complete package that you can buy for your workstation needs without any hassle. Another great advantage of this laptop is the price which is very much affordable for anyone looking to get their hands on the latest specs.
11. Apple MacBook Air MJVE2LL/A
Features:
- RAM: 8GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3
- Screen Size: 13 Inches
- Hard Disk Size: 512 GB
- Processor Count: 2
- CPU ModelCore: i5
Like other Mac laptops in the market, this laptop is not an exception with high-end performance and sterling MacBook reputation. It is a laptop that can be used very quickly with high productivity and impressive battery life.
The MacBook Air MJVE2LL/A has a fast 6th generation processor for optimum performance. The SSD (Solid State Drive) is highly reliable and gives a fantastic speed of up to 200MB/s, making it suitable for super-fast multitasking. With 8GB of RAM, the laptop offers high-quality graphics with sharp details.
The battery life is awe-inspiring with up to 12 hours of wireless web browsing. The AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 4.0 provide seamless connection capabilities. The backlit keyboard ensures easy use in low light conditions.
At a very affordable price, this laptop is an excellent deal for anyone looking for an Apple Macbook.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions on best laptops for photoshop
1. What is the best laptop for photoshop?
The best laptop for photoshop would be one that has a good processor, plenty of RAM, a high-resolution screen, and a fast SSD.
2. Which laptops are compatible with Adobe Photoshop?
Most laptops are compatible with Adobe Photoshop, but to run Photoshop’s most advanced features, you’ll need a laptop with an Intel Core i7 processor, at least 8GB of RAM and Windows 10 or 11.
3. How can I determine if my current laptop is compatible with Adobe Photoshop?
Check the minimum system requirements for Adobe Photoshop on the program’s website to see what hardware your laptop needs to be compatible with.
4. What are some good alternatives to Adobe Photoshop for Mac users?
Pixelmator and Affinity Photo are two excellent alternatives to Adobe Photoshop for Mac users. They offer many of the same features as Photoshop and are compatible with macOS High Sierra.
5.What is the best laptop for a student who wants to use Adobe Photoshop for school projects?
The best laptop for a student would be one with a good processor, plenty of RAM, and a large screen size. A laptop with an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, 8GB or more of RAM, and a screen size of at least 15 inches would be ideal.
Conclusion
Photoshop is a resource-intensive program that can require a lot of computing power. A laptop with an NVIDIA GeForce or AMD Radeon graphics processor would also be a good option for users who need a powerful notebook to handle all of their image editing needs. Then we recommend any of the laptops on our list.
They all have fast processors, plenty of RAM, high-resolution screens, and SSDs. And they’re all compatible with Adobe Photoshop. So whatever laptop you choose, make sure it works well with your preferred version of Photoshop before making a final purchase.