Photographers and designers know how important choosing the best laptops for photo editing affects their work. The right laptop will give you the flexibility and power to work on your photos anywhere and at any time without any difficulties. Yes, it’s also critical that your laptop can handle whatever kind of photo editing software you’re using; otherwise, it’ll take forever to make even minor changes. Luckily, there are some great options available for all budgets—including some that fall well under $1000 but still offer a great experience (and often better specs than their more expensive counterparts). If you’re looking to edit photos professionally or simply want something reliable enough for casual usage, these four laptops will be perfect for your next photoshoot.
Apple MacBook Pro M2
PROS
- Fast M2 chips
- Excellent performance
- Amazing battery life
CONS
- Expensive
Specs:
- CPU: Apple M2 Chip
- RAM: 8GB – 16GB
- Storage: 256 GB – 1 TB
- GPU: Apple M2 Chip
- Display: 13.3″
- OS: Mac OS
Popular among creatives, designers, and photographers, the MacBook Pro M2 has become the most obvious choice for photo editing, but that’s not with for good reason. The Apple M2 Chip is said to perform much faster than the M1 chip, which is already fast enough. With at least 8 GB for RAM and 256 GB storage, the performance at the base model is fast and suitable for photo editing; and yet, you can still opt to choose much faster options. The MacBook Pro is combined with a strong battery life, expecting around 22 to 24 hours on a single charge, perfect for photographers! The only downside is the price tag, as MacBook laptops are expensive. But this laptop is an investment for long term use.
Apple MacBook Pro M2
Razer Blade 15
PROS
- Excellent specs
- Solid, modern design
- Can play new video games
CONS
- Battery life could be better
Specs:
- CPU: Intel Core i7
- RAM: 8 GB – 16 GB
- Storage: 256 GB – 1 TB SSD
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super
- Display: 15.6″
- OS: Windows 10
A solid, strong gaming laptop choice, the Razer Blade 15 is the best laptop for photo editing on the go. It’s solid, sturdy, beautiful design attracts many buyers and it has a 7th gen Intel Core i7 processor, at least 8GB RAM, at least 256 GB SSD and 15.6” Full HD IPS Display. It also comes with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 Graphics (upgradeable upon your choice) which makes it ideal for editing high-resolution images on even the most demanding software such as Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom. The only downside to this powerhouse is the so-so battery life, but overall, it still makes the list for the best laptops for photo editing.
Razer Blade 15
HP Spectre x360 14 OLED
PROS
- Gorgeous OLED screen
- Excellent specs
- Strong performance for 2-in-1
CONS
- Touchpad feels stiff
- No HDMI port
Specs:
- CPU: Intel Core i7
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 1 TB
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
- Display: 13.5″
- OS: Windows 10 Pro
If you’re look into the best 2-in-1 laptops for photo editing, the HP Spectre x360 14 is a great choice. This laptop offers more than a standard display; by getting a screen with an OLED panel, you’ll be able to enjoy vibrant colors and deep blacks without worrying about any backlight bleeding or washed-out colors. The screen features an anti-glare coating as well, so you can work outside without having trouble seeing your photos against the sun’s glare.
The Intel Core i7 processor gives you plenty of power for heavy photo editing sessions. The 16GB DDR4 RAM should also be enough memory for most tasks like video editing or streaming 4K video content.
HP Spectre x360 14 OLED
Dell XPS 15 9500
PROS
- Excellent specs
- Amazing 4K display
- Many ports
CONS
- Expensive
- Battery life can be better
Specs:
- CPU: Intel Core i7
- RAM: 32GB
- Storage: 1 TB
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
- Display: 15.6″
- OS: Windows 10 Pro
Powerful and versatile, the Dell XPS 15 9560 is our top pick next to MacBook. With its 4K UHD (3840×2160) display option, it’s one of the best laptops for photo editing in terms of pixel density and color accuracy. It has an Intel Core i7 processor that won’t bottleneck your workflow; 32GB of RAM; 1TB SSD storage; and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design graphics card for handling heavy workloads like Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom CC. In addition, two Thunderbolt 2 USB Type C ports—one on each side—for connecting multiple devices such as external hard drives or monitors via an adapter cable if necessary. The only thing that could make this laptop is a better battery life. But overall, it remains as the top choice for a Windows laptop for photo editing.
Dell XPS 15 9500
Checklist for laptops for photo editing
- CPU: The processor is the heart of your computer, and it determines how fast your machine will run.
- RAM: Random-access memory (RAM) is used to temporarily store data and programs on your laptop, so having enough of it will make everything from word processing to photo editing run more smoothly.
- Storage: Hard drive storage capacity refers to how much data can be stored on a device. It’s important for photo editing because large files need room for storage, but also because you’ll want access to those files later on in case you need them again. You should be looking at at least 256GB or 512GB if possible; higher than that if possible!
- GPU: A graphics processing unit (GPU) is what powers graphics cards in computers– they’re responsible for translating all those pixels from our monitors into something that looks beautiful & crisp. The better quality graphics card inside your laptop, the better performance/quality results you’ll get out of using Photoshop!
The laptop is a tool, like any other. And even for photographers, it’s important to understand what you need and then find the best tool for your needs. Hopefully this comprehensive list helps you make your decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How much RAM do I need for photo editing?
A minimum of 16 GB is recommended.