Best laptop for Photoshop in 2024 – our top picks
If you’re looking for the best laptop for Photoshop, we have got you covered right here.
Adobe Photoshop or any other photo editing software requires a potent laptop with a speedy processor, decent graphics card, and loads of RAM to handle all your resource-intensive workflows.
Ideally, you’d want a laptop with a vivid, sharp display with superior resolution, refresh rate, and size to view and work with accurate colors for better visual results on the final output. The laptop should be lightweight and have a decent battery life if you’re planning to take it everywhere you go.
Finding the right laptop for Photoshop can be challenging, as the market is filled with hundreds of options. To help you out, we have done the hard work and picked the best laptops for Photoshop so you can get started on your creative projects right away.
Products at a Glance
How we picked
We’ve used our expertise to compare several laptops and select the ones that offer the best value for money. While selecting the laptops, we carefully looked at the specs, features, and other notable aspects of each laptops to see if they are worth the money. We are also constantly exploring the market for more laptops to add to our list, so make sure to check back here soon.
Product Reviews
- Power M2 Max chip
- Excellent battery life
- 96GB DDR5 RAM and 4TB SSD
- 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display
- Expensive
If you’re searching for the best laptop for Adobe Photoshop, the Apple MacBook Pro should be your first option, as it is one of the best laptops for photo editing. This high-end laptop is powered by the M2 Max chip with a 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU, which should effortlessly handle graphically-intensive projects like photo editing while delivering an excellent battery life.
On top of that, the laptop features a massive 96GB of DDR5 RAM, which should deliver unparalleled speed and responsiveness when launching or navigating demanding programs. Plus, the 400GB/s memory bandwidth ensures higher transfer speeds for massive data. And if that isn’t enough, you have 4TB SSD storage capacity for all your software data, media files, and other personal stuff. With these specs, you won’t have to worry about upgrading any time soon.
When it comes to the outside, the laptop boasts a 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with incredibly sharp images and realistic colors. The display is pretty bright, as its brightness can go up to 1600 nits, and it also features a refresh rate of 120Hz for smooth visuals. Overall, the Apple MacBook Pro 2023 is an excellent choice for Photoshop. Its battery can also last for up to 22 hours, which makes it an even better choice. It
- Budget friendly
- 16GB RAM
- OLED Display
- Only 512GB SSD
If you want the best budget laptop for Photoshop without breaking the bank, we’d recommend the Asus VivoBook 15X. Despite its cheaper price, the laptop sports the AMD Ryzen 7 7730U CPU processor paired with AMD Radeon Graphics. This combination guarantees smooth graphics rendering for less demanding Adobe Photoshop tasks.
As far as the RAM is concerned, we get 16GB of DDR RAM, which will be sufficient for Photoshop as it guarantees quicker application loading times and efficient multitasking capabilities. Much like some of the best budget laptops, the only downside is the 512GB SSD storage space, which should accommodate a few software and other personal files. However, this is what you get from a budget option.
The display is what makes this laptop stand out from the rest, as it sports a gorgeous 15.6-inch FHD OLED display with DisplayHDR 600 for ultra-vivid colors when editing heavy digital content. The display is also pretty bright and suitable for outdoors and bright settings. Other than that, the laptop features a comfortable keyboard with an ASUS anti-bacterial guard, a 180o lay-flat hinge design, a fingerprint sensor, and extensive connectivity options.
- Core i9-13980HX CPU and RTX 4070 GPU
- 16-inch 3.2K OLED display
- 32GB DDR5 RAM
- Expensive
We think that the best Windows laptop for Photoshop is the Asus ProArt StudioBook 16, which features some of the latest components and can handle resource-hungry tasks smoothly. In other words, it won’t let you down in terms of performance, which is why we think it deserves to be one of the best 16-inch laptops.
The laptop packs the Intel Core i9-13980HX CPU processor with 24 cores, 32 threads, and a max boost of up to 5.6GHz, which is sufficient for handling Adobe Photoshop and other demanding tasks with ease. Additionally, there’s an NVIDIA RTX 4070 GPU with 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, which offers exceptional graphics processing power for your content creation workflow.
For fast storage and memory access, the Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 has 1TB SSD for all your data, applications, or personal files and 32GB of DDR5 RAM for efficient multitasking between demanding programs. Both of more than enough, so you won’t have to worry about upgrading them for a few years, at least not the RAM.
Moving on to the display, you get a 16-inch 3.2K OLED display with a 16:10 aspect ratio for an ultra-wide viewing angle. The display has a peak brightness of 500 nits, meaning you’ll be able to see everything clearly, even in well-lit environments. For smoother visuals, the display also offers a refresh rate of 120Hz. Overall, the Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 is a powerful laptop that packs a punch in the performance department.
- 2-in-1 design
- Decent CPU
- Lightweight
- Storage may be low for some users
If you’re looking for the best 2-in-1 laptop for Photoshop, which also doubles as a tablet, the LG Gram 14 laptop is what you need. The laptop features a 13th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, which provides enough processing power for seamless multitasking. As for the graphics card, it’s powered by an Intel Iris Xe GPU, which should easily handle light editing and graphic design work.
On top of that, you get a 512GB SSD and 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM for fast boot-ups and application loading times. Most Adobe Photoshop users will find the RAM adequate, but you can always upgrade if your requirement increases. As for the storage, you will definitely find the need to upgrade it after some time, as 512GB can get filled quickly. We normally recommend aiming for at least 1TB of storage.
On the outside, the laptop features a 14-inch WUXGA display with a 16:10 aspect ratio for wider viewing angles. Plus, the non-reflective IPS display and DCI-P3 99% deliver a superior color gamut and help maintain focus during extended editing sessions.
Another notable aspect is the 360-degree hinge design, which lets you convert your laptop into a tablet for a versatile viewing experience. Like some of the best battery-life laptops, it features a battery life of up to 10 hours, so you won’t have to worry about plugging the charger in after every few hours.
How to pick the best laptop for Photoshop
Finding the best laptop for Photoshop can be tricky, as the market is filled with hundreds of laptops. To help you out, we are going to list down some factors that you should consider before making a final purchase.
CPU
Photoshop is a CPU-intensive software, so you need to opt for a laptop that features a powerful processor. Sure, a GPU is important for effects using Mercury Graphics Engine, but Photoshop will rely on your CPU for the most part. Therefore, you’d want to go with a laptop that has an Intel 12th or 13th-gen processor with a decent number of cores and threads and a high max turbo frequency, preferably above 4.0GHz. However, keep in mind that you might not find powerful processors on budget laptops. Make sure to check some of the best Intel 12th-gen laptops and the best Intel 13th-gen laptops if you’re looking for more options with these processors.
RAM
RAM is another component that has an effect on the overall performance of the laptop. More RAM helps when working with large and multiple files. Ideally, the laptop you get should have at least 16GB of RAM. But for advanced stuff, we recommend aiming for 32GB of RAM.
Display
Make sure you’re getting a laptop with a big display for Adobe Photoshop, preferably 15 inches or above. You won’t be able to see everything clearly on a smaller display. Go for a screen size below that only if you are opting for a lightweight laptop or a 2-in-1 laptop. Furthermore, the display of your laptop should be color-accurate and bright. We recommend checking out the best 17-inch laptops and the best 18-inch laptops if you want a massive display.
Portability
If you like to edit photos on the go, you’d want to get a portable laptop. By this, we mean a laptop that is lightweight and has a great battery life. Carrying around a heavy laptop all day can hurt your neck, shoulders, and back, so you should avoid going for a bulky option. On top of that, your laptop should last for at least six hours after a full charge.
Our Verdict
For us, the Apple MacBook Pro 2023 is the best laptop for Photoshop. It is powered by the M2 Max chip, which is excellent for productivity software. On top of that, the laptop features a 16.2-inch display with a 2560 x 1600 resolution, which should deliver clear, crisp visuals.