The 6 Best Laptops for Photoshop in 2024 – Artchive (2024)

Picture this: You’re comfortably sitting in your studio, editing the photos you took a few minutes ago, it’s a very important client that paid the extra “rush fee” to get their photos done before the end of the week and you’re close to finishing. But then everything stops, your screen turns black, and then the dreaded blue comes.

Your laptop has died from being overworked and you’ve lost all your progress and your client’s photos too. Now this might sound like an unlikely thing to happen but trust me, it has happened to me before as well as many other artists and creatives who used a cheap office-only laptop for more demanding tasks.

While the average laptop can handle Photoshop for very basic use, to get all the editing power and features that the software offers your laptop needs to meet certain requirements, and if besides Photoshop you’re planning on using video editing, 3D modeling, etc then you’ll need much more than that.

In this guide, we’re going to dive into the essential features and specifications that make a laptop ideal for Photoshop, from the display to the battery life, so that you make an informed purchase and don’t experience the situation mentioned above. Additionally, will present you with a carefully curated list of what we consider the best laptops for Photoshop.

Let’s get started!

How to Find the Best Laptop for Photoshop

Display Quality

When talking about display quality, we don’t only mean the resolution or type of display. While having a display with more than the standard FHD (1920 x 1080) is nice, the key aspect that defines whether a display is good or not is the color accuracy of it.

A display with average color accuracy will only work with the standard color space, however, other color spaces are useful for artists and creatives in many ways.

• The standard color space (sRGB) is like having a small box of markers, you can use them to paint but you can’t paint certain shades like skin tones, bright pinks, or deep purples. We don’t recommend going for this color space even if it has 100% coverage.
• The Adobe RGB color space is like having a big box of Copic markers but with a lot more blue shades than other colors. This color space is great for printed work, and you should aim for displays with more than 80% coverage of this color space.
• We also have the DCI-P3 color space, which is like having an even bigger box of Copic markers but this time you have more reds and greens. This color space is great for video production and is widely used in the film industry. You should aim for more than 70% coverage of this color space.

CPU and GPU

The CPU is the heart of your laptop, a good CPU will make every task run smoothly and handle several programs at the same time. We recommend going for the latest generations they’re optimized to handle the OS updates and new features in Photoshop better. For Mac, we recommend the M2 or M3, for Windows, the Intel Core i7 or i9 or the Ryzen R7 or R9.

The GPU is the brain of your laptop, handling and rendering all the visuals which makes it incredibly important for Photoshop. If you’ll be handling high-resolution images, working with multiple layers, and adding many effects, then you’ll need a powerful GPU. We Recommend discreet GPU from Nvidia or AMD if possible from the latest or the previous series.

RAM

The RAM or Random Access Memory will allow you to multitask while you work, have many many layers, and use several apps without losing speed or processing power. Aim for more than 16GB of RAM or go for models with expandable RAM.

Storage

Photoshop files are heavy, and we all know it, so having enough storage is important, but having the right type of storage is even more important. HDD storage, or a solid disk is not only obsolete, slower, and energy-hungry, but is also riskier, since once it dies it takes away all your files with it.

Battery Life

One of the main points of a laptop is the fact that you can take it anywhere, work from anywhere, and use it without having to plug it in. However, if a laptop has a mediocre battery life, the purpose is completely gone. Photoshop is already very resource-demanding and power-consuming, so getting a laptop with long battery life is a must if you plan on working on the go or using it away from an outlet.

Price

You don’t need to spend a small fortune on a laptop for it to be good, however, a good laptop that will last for several years does need a reasonable level of investment. You’ll be able to find laptops for as cheap as $500 that meet some of the criteria, however, laptops that cover all of the points mentioned above don’t go for less than $1000. Think about it as an investment for your work, but don’t go over budget if there are some features you don’t need or can find an alternative solution to, like storage and battery.

Best Laptops for Adobe Photoshop in 2024

1. Best Laptop for Photoshop Overall — MacBook Pro 16 (M3 Pro, 2023)
2. Best Performance Laptop for Photoshop —- Asus ProArt Studiobook 16 OLED
3. Best Laptop for Photoshop for Artists — Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
4. Best Laptop for Photoshop for Freelancers — MacBook Pro 14 (M2 Pro, 2023)
5. Best Professional Laptop for Photoshop — ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo 14.5”
6. Best Gaming Laptop for Photoshop — MSI Creator M16

#1. Best Laptop for Photoshop Overall — MacBook Pro 16 (M3 Pro, 2023)

Selection Criteria

• Display Quality: 16.2 Inches, 3456 x 2234 pixels, Liquid Retina XDR display, 99.7% sRGB, 99.5% P3-D65, 88.6% Adobe RGB.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• CPU and GPU: Apple M3 Pro chip, with a 12-core CPU and 18-core GPU.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• RAM: 18 GB.
  • Our Score – 8/10
• Storage: 512 GB.
  • Our Score – 8/10
• Battery Life: Up to 22 hours.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• Price: $2,299.00.
  • Our Score – 8/10

About the MacBook Pro 16 (M3 Pro, 2023)

There’s been an ongoing talk about how Photoshop runs better, smoother, and faster on Mac devices, and after testing it myself I’ve concluded that… It’s true. This seems to be an unfair advantage Mac has over Windows’ users, however this is due to the collaboration and optimization on both ends.

This laptop has the latest M3 Pro Chip, which has an amazing performance alongside the 18 core GPU that rivals some discrete GPU from other brands. It has 18 GB of RAM which is more than enough, and 512 GB of storage which could be better but is not worth the price jump. One of the best qualities of Apple devices, especially MacBooks, is their battery. These laptops can run for literal hours without losing performance or speed, and after testing multiple laptops there isn’t one that holds up as well as the Macbook Pro does regarding battery life and performance.

Additionally, this laptop has great color accuracy, covering over 90% of the Adobe RGB color space and 100% of the P3 color space.

Pros

• High-resolution display
• Powerful M3 processor
• Long battery life

Cons

• High cost
• Limited port variety

#2. Best Performance Laptop for Photoshop — Asus ProArt Studiobook 16 OLED

Selection Criteria

• Display Quality: 16 Inches, 3200 x 2000 pixels, 3.2K OLED Touch Display, 100% DCI-P3, 98% Adobe RGB.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• CPU and GPU: Intel Core i9-13980HX CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• RAM: 32GB.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• Storage: 1TB SSD.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• Battery Life: Up to 6 hours.
  • Our Score – 7/10
• Price: $2,149.00.
  • Our Score – 8/10

About the Asus ProArt Studiobook 16 OLED

When it comes to performing tasks in Photoshop, the Asus ProArt Studio Book 16 OLED is prepared to deliver high performance. It features a 16-inch screen with a resolution of 3200 x 2000 pixels and a 3.2K OLED display with 100% DCI-P3 coverage and 98% Adobe RGB coverage, offering excellent color reproduction crucial for photo editing and creative work.

It’s also equipped with an Intel Core i9 CPU and the always powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060. Additionally, it has 32 GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage, making it able to handle and store pretty much anything.

It’s important to note that maintaining the powerful CPU and GPU of this laptop requires significant battery usage, so it only lasts for a maximum of 6 hours. This means you wouldn’t be able to complete an 8-hour workday without it being connected to a power source so make sure to choose carefully.

Pros

• OLED screen
• Strong performance
• Good color accuracy

Cons

• Expensive
• Limited battery life

#3. Best Laptop for Photoshop for Artists — Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2

Selection Criteria

• Display Quality: 14.4 Inches, 2400 x 1600 pixels, PixelSense Flow touch display, 100% sRGB , 79% Adobe RGB, 83% DCI-P3.
  • Our Score – 8/10
• CPU and GPU: Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• RAM: 16GB.
  • Our Score – 8/10
• Storage: 512GB SSD.
  • Our Score – 7/10
• Battery Life: Up to 18 hours.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• Price: $2,048.79.
  • Our Score – 8/10

About the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio2 Laptop is a great all-in-one device for artists and illustrators that use Photoshop as their main drawing software, and by that I mean, pretty much everyone in the industry. Photoshop has been the industry standard for years, however iPads and other pressure-sensitive tablets were not capable of supporting the full version of Photoshop, plus a lot of keyboard shortcuts and functionality was lost to mobile optimization. With this laptop not only you can support the full version of any creative software, but you can also draw directly on the screen. The pen has been thoroughly improved and past issues like wobbly lines have been fixed, additionally, you get a lot of processing power and an amazing GPU for other more demanding software.

On the downside, the display is above average but not great, the resolution is good, but the color accuracy not. This display covers the entirety of the sRGB color space, but only 82% Adobe RGB, which is not the best.

Pros

• Versatile form factor
• Touchscreen with pen
• Good graphics performance

Cons

• Not fully color-accurate
• Average battery
• Limited ports

4. Best Laptop for Photoshop for Freelancers — MacBook Pro 14 (M2 Pro, 2023)

Selection Criteria

• Display Quality: 14.2 Inches, 3024 x 1964 pixels. Liquid Retina XDR Display, 100% sRGB, 100% DCI-P3, 89% Adobe RGB.
  • Our Score – 8/10
• CPU and GPU: Apple M2 Pro or M2 Max chip, Up to 12-core CPU with 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, Up to 30-core GPU,16-core Neural Engine.
  • Our Score – 8/10
• RAM: 16 GB.
  • Our Score – 8/10
• Storage: 1TB SSD.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• Battery Life: Up to 18 hours.
  • Our Score – 8/10
• Price: $2,299.00.
  • Our Score – 8/10

About the MacBook Pro 14 (M2 Pro, 2023)

The MacBook Pro 14 (M2 Pro, 2023) positions itself as, if not the best, then certainly a top choice for freelancers looking for power and portability in their Photoshop projects. It has a 14.2-inch screen with a resolution of 3024 x 1964 pixels, features a Liquid Retina XDR Display, 100% sRGB, 100% DCI-P3, 89% Adobe RGB, and operates with either an M2 Pro chip, complemented by a substantial 16 GB of RAM. This offers solid performance for efficiently tackling editing tasks, additionally, its compact and lightweight design makes it easy to carry around and work from different locations without any hassle.

It’s worth mentioning that the battery life of the Macbook Pro lasts more than 12 hours without needing to be connected to a power source. While this is a very complete device and is amazing for many different tasks involving photo editing and more, the price is still high so it’s better to view it as a sound investment.

Pros

• Powerful M2 chip
• Excellent display quality
• Great battery life

Cons

• Expensive
• Few ports
• Heavier than alternatives

5. Best Professional Laptop for Photoshop — ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo 14.5”

Selection Criteria

• Display Quality: 14.5 Inches, 2880 x 1800 pixels, 3K OLED Touch Display, 100% DCI-P3.
  • Our Score – 8/10
• CPU and GPU: Intel i9-13900H, NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4060.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• RAM: 32GB.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• Storage: 1TB SSD.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• Battery Life: Up to 9 hours.
  • Our Score – 7/10
• Price: $2,494.13.
  • Our Score – 8/10

About the ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo 14.5”

The ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo 14.5” stands out as the professional choice for advanced Photoshop users handling multiple tasks simultaneously. What’s great about this laptop is that when you open the lid, you find a smaller creen on the lower part, a keyboard, and a trackpad beneath. This medium-sized screen acts as a fully functional second display, allowing you to move windows between screens or even extend them across both, as if you had another monitor connected.

It features a main 14.5-inch display with a 2880 x 1800 pixels (3K?) OLED resolution. Both screens are touch-sensitive and include a pressure sensitive stylus pen, the ASUS Pen 2.0.

The Asus Zenbook Pro Duo it is equipped with a powerful Intel i9 processor and a high-end like NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, it also has 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of internal SSD storage, making this one of the most powerful models on the market.

While maintaining the performance of these components is a heavy task, its battery lasts for more than 9 continuous wireless hours, making it an excellent option for workdays away from a direct power connection. As for the price, while it is high, it’s the right investment for any professional who requires these benefits.

Pros

• Expensive
• Few ports
• Heavier than alternatives

Cons

• Pricey
• Complex interface
• Average battery

6. Best Gaming Laptop for Photoshop — MSI Creator M16

Selection Criteria

• Display Quality: 16 Inches, 2560 x 1600 pixels, QHD+ Display, 100% DCI-P3.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• CPU and GPU: Intel Core i7-13620H, RTX 4060.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• RAM: 32GB.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• Storage: 1TB SSD.
  • Our Score – 9/10
• Battery Life: Up to 6 hours.
  • Our Score – 7/10
• Price: $1,429.99
  • Our Score – 9/10

About the MSI Creator M16

When it comes to delivering maximum performance for medium/high-end tasks and gaming, we there is no better choice than the MSI Creator M16. This laptop features a sizeable 16-inch screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, powered by an Intel Core i7-13620H processor, an RTX 4060 graphics card, 32 GB of RAM, and 1TB of internal SSD storage. This combination makes it a laptop suitable for creation, editing, and of course, gaming.

Another great feature of this laptop is that it covers the entirety of the DCI-P3 color space offering amazing color accuracy for creative professionals. Unfortunately, the MSI Creator M16 lacks ports like an SD card slot and Thunderbolt 4, which are essential for creative users. While all its characteristics and components make it a more than viable option for Photoshop work and gaming, its battery lasts only about 6 hours, limiting the use away from a power outlet by a lot. But considering its reasonable price, great performance, and other attributes, it makes this one of the best options to consider.

Pros

• High performance
• Good for gaming
• Reasonable price

Cons

• Bulkier build
• Shorter battery life