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Best laptops for photo editing: Quick menu

When it comes to the best laptops for photo editing, it's about balancing perfect portability with powerful performance that will stay cool and speedy throughout the day. 

For photographers, artists, and designers, no two days are the same - bouncing from home to the studio to on-the-go. A great laptop for photo editing will keep you creating and innovating wherever you are, whenever inspiration strikes. But what makes a good photo editing laptop? It's all about smooth running that won't disrupt your design flow. Aim for at least 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, and an 11th Gen Intel i5/i7 CPU or AMD Ryzen 5/7 at minimum, as apps like Photoshop are processor-intensive. 

Having reviewed all the best photo editing PCs, our team of experts turned their attention to the best PC laptop for photo editing. As part of our review process, we’ve compared CPU, GPU, and RAM specs and benchmarked performance. Weight and dimensions, cooling and thermal handling, screen quality, and overall portability are also put under the microscope to identify the photography editing laptops lightweight and fast enough for any assignment.

Quick list

1. Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch

The Apple MacBook Pro is a performance-driven powerhouse that effortlessly handles a range of creative pursuits from photo editing to video editing. And certainly helps having the best screen on any laptop you can get. 

Read more below

2. Dell XPS 17 (2022)

For a professional photography laptop, you can’t go wrong with the Dell XPS 17. We found this machine to be impressively fast for running any image editors. A stunning screen boasts 500nits and 100% Adobe RGB gamut. 

Read more below

3. Gigabyte Aero 16

Packing a striking 16:10 4K OLED display and 13th Gen Intel Core i9, the Gigabyte Aero 16 is specifically designed for creatives. After testing it out with video and photo editing apps, we were delighted with its performance - although it’s hardly noiseless.

Read more below

4. Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022)

Despite its thin, lightweight design, the Apple MacBook Air is an impressively powerful laptop that’s tailored for portability and performance. If you find yourself working at home, the office, the studio, or anywhere else, it’s ideal. 

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5. Dell XPS 15

‘Laptop perfection’ is how we described the Dell XPS 15 after an extensive review process. Equipped with a speedy processor and a generous helping of RAM, it smashed all our benchmark tests, with 12-hour plus battery life. 

Read more below

6. Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022)

With its super-fast M2 processor, the highly portable MacBook Pro 13in is perfect for photographers working on the go. We put the laptop to the test and was delighted to see it easily handled everything from video to photo editing. 

Read more below

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7. Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Mobile Workstation

Lenovo’s ThinkPad P16 is a truly powerful portable workstation. Build quality is superb, offering robust protection. During our testing, it excelled at complex creative design projects and workflows. The screen also offers 100% DCI-P3 color coverage. 

Read more below

8. Razer Blade 17 (2022)

We called the Razer Blade 17 “the ultimate laptop for gamers and creatives” - and we weren’t kidding. As part of our testing, we tried a range of tasks in Photoshop and Blender, and thanks to its 32GB RAM, it never struggled to perform. 

Read more below

9. HP Spectre x360

The HP Spectre x360 offers the best of both worlds, functioning as both tablet and laptop for photo editing. We felt the OLED display was particularly eye-catching, and performance was good, though let down by touchpad sensitivity issues. 

Read more below

10. Asus ProArt StudioBook Pro 17

Despite some flaws, the Asus ProArt StudioBook is a competent device that can handle all manner of workflows. From CAD to 4k video rendering, there’s nothing that this laptop can’t digest.

Read more below

11. Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2

A great laptop for creatives that use a stylus every day, but an expensive option for those that can live without a touchscreen.

Read more below

12. Asus Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED

The Asus Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED boasts a functional second screen below the beautiful OLED main panel, great ports, a powerful processor, and fantastic smart features.

Read more below

13. Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3 Max)

Apple's most powerful MacBook yet, this M3-powered 16-inch laptop is an incredibly powerful laptop that’s ideal for heavy workloads, especially graphically intensive ones.

Read more below

14. MSI Creator Z17

From creativity to gaming, the MSI Creator Z17 offers a lot of versatile options for tasks. The phenomenal build quality and feature-rich 17-inch display ads to an admirable experience.

Read more below

15. Alienware m17 R5

Alienware has done an incredible job with the Alienware m17 R5 AMD Advantage’s design and thermals, while AMD has created a performance package that doesn’t skip a beat.

Read more below

Best laptop for photo editing of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Best laptop for photo editing overall

An Apple for all

Specifications

CPU: Apple M2 Pro (12-core) - Apple M2 Max (12-core)

Graphics: Integrated 19-core GPU - Integrated 38-core GPU

RAM: Up to 32GB

Screen: 16-inch, 3456 x 2234 Liquid Retina XDR display (mini-LED, 1,000 nits sustained brightness, wide color P3 gamut, ProMotion technology)

Storage: Up to 1TB

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

If you’re looking for the best laptop for photo editing, the MacBook Pro 16in M2 model offers outstanding performance, wrapped up in that always-sleek Apple aesthetic 

We don’t hesitate in calling this “the best screen on a laptop” in our review. Its gorgeous 16in, 3456 x 2234 Liquid Retina XDR display providing a broad canvas for any photo editing project. 

Driving the Apple Macbook Pro is the powerful M2 chip that we found more than capable of handling hardware-intensive creative apps. Benchmarking the machine, it hit a PugentBench Photoshop score of 1,060; Premier Pro scored 1,095; Blender, 123.97. The base configuration comes with 10-core CPU, a 16-core GPU, 16GB memory, and 512GB SSD storage. However, photographers and editors will be better off with the 32GB RAM and 1TB storage configuration.

It’s not the lightest photo editing laptop, and its larger screen makes it less portable. But the Macbook Pro is a great choice if you’re on the go, working at home, in the office, the studio, the coffee shop. Whether running plugged in or off the battery, there were next to no differences in performance during our tests. 

Read our full Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) review .

Best laptop for photography professionals

2. Dell XPS 17 (2022)

A powerhouse for photography professionals

Specifications

CPU: 12th Gen i7 - 13th Gen i9

Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 - RTX 4080

RAM: Up to 64GB

Screen: 17in FHD / UHD 4K InfinityEdge Touch, 500-nit display

Storage: Up to 4TB

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

Dell XPS 17 is one of, if not the slickest and sleekest laptops around. If it looks familiar, that’s because it’s an upgrade on the 2021 model - an equally good laptop for photo editing if you're a photographer, designer, or content creator. 

The 17in panel is a stunner of a screen rated at a punchy 500 nits, with 100 percent coverage of the Adobe RGB gamut. CPU performance will meet even the most demanding users. Our testing showed it effectively has everything you could ask for, tearing through everything from video encodes to 3D renders with ease. It’s a speedy machine, too. You’ll have no difficulty running image editors like Photoshop and Lightroom. 

For working on the go, we found battery life surprisingly good for a photography laptop of this size. In the TechRadar movie test, it lasted an impressive 10.14 hours. On the other hand, it’s not the most portable laptop for photo editing. If you’re looking for a Dell laptop you can place in a bag and take to multiple locations, the XPS 13 is the better option. 

Read our full Dell XPS 17 (2022) review .

Best photo editing laptop designed for creatives

Built for creatives and creators

Specifications

CPU: 13th Gen Intel Core i9

Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTXTM 4070 Laptop GPU 8GB GDDR6

RAM: Up to 64GB

Screen: 16-inch, 4K UHD+ 3840x2400, OLED, 16:10

Storage: Up to 4TB

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

The Gigabyte Aero line is specifically designed as a video and photo editing laptop for creatives. 

First impressions are great. An aluminum frame with a clean, simple design. An accurate, tactile keyboard. A striking 16:10 4K OLED display that promises plenty of room to play with images. For its size, it’s a surprisingly lightweight laptop for photographers.. 

Under the hood is no less impressive. You’ll find an RTX 4070 GPU, up to 4TB SSD storage, and up to 64GB RAM. A 13th-gen Intel Core i9 CPU powers the machine - and you’ll need it. Reviewing the device, we found the Aero 16 handled basic documents and web browsing effortlessly and noiselessly. When we moved on to video editing and photo editing, that’s when we noticed this laptop even start to rev its i9. 

On the downside, it’s not the most affordable option on the market, even when compared with Apple Macs. The battery lasted 8 hours and 23 minutes in our testing - frankly, we expected more. And the placement of ports to the rear, usually associated with mobile workstations, took some getting used to. Still, performance was good overall, scoring 7158 on the standard PCMark test we ran. 

Read our full Gigabyte Aero 16 review .

Best photo editing laptop for portability

4. Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022)

Thin, lightweight, and impressively powerful

Specifications

CPU: Apple M2 8-core CPU

Graphics: 10-core GPU

RAM: 8GB

Screen: 13.6-inch LED-backlit display with IPS technology, 2560x1664, 500 nits brightness, P3, True Tone technology

Storage: Up to 512GB SSD

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

If you prize portability and performance, the MacBook Air is the best laptop for your photography editing workloads. Weighing just  2.7 pounds (1.24kg) and measuring 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches, it’s slim and light and comfortable enough to cart to multiple locations. 

The M2 processor is smooth and powerful. If you‘re editing in the Adobe suite, you’ll find M2-native apps for more reliable performance. During tests, we even managed to edit 4K home movies in iMovie. The MacBook Air didn’t even break a sweat. We’d go so far as to say we saw no perceptible difference to the M2 MacBook Pro when used for similar tasks. 

With a limited amount of rather professional-looking hues, those looking to express themselves will be disappointed. It’s also expensive compared to the previous model, despite not quite matching up to it - although it’s a close run. Think of it more as a replacement for the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and it starts to make a lot more sense. See our MacBook Air 15 review to compare the 13- and 15in models available. 

Read our full Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) review .

Best for "laptop perfection"

A device that delivers "laptop perfection"

Specifications

CPU: 12th Gen Intel Core i5 - i9

Graphics: Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti

RAM: 8GB – 64GB

Screen: 15.6-inch UHD+ (3,840 x 2,400p) touchscreen, 500-nit, non-OLED display

Storage: 512GB – 4TB SSD

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

“The 2022 Dell XPS 15 delivers laptop perfection” was our verdict after testing this stellar laptop. Combining a gorgeous design with powerful performance across the board, the XPS 15 excels at creative tasks. 

It’s all down to the improved specs. The Intel Alder Lake processor, the faster RAM. But what many devices do competently, the XPS 15 does brilliantly, outperforming pretty much every other laptop on the market in this range. Our tests revealed all. Single-core performance in GeekBench 5 for the XPS 15’s Core i7 was nearly as strong as the Intel Core i9-12900H in our Asus ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition. It did even better in CineBench R23's multi-core test. With its discrete GPU, it proved its mettle as ones of the best laptops for picture editing, achieving exceptional results in our 3DMark benchmarks. However, as a gaming laptop, performance is solid but unspectacular.

As a 15in laptop, it’s highly portable - complemented by an impressive battery life. In our PCMark 10 test. it lasted just over 12 hours, and about two hours less in our HD movie test.

Read our full Dell XPS 15 review .

Best MacBook alternative for photographers

A more portable MacBook with plenty of power

Specifications

CPU: Apple M2

Graphics: 10-core GPU

RAM: 8GB

Screen: 13.3-inch LED-backlit display with IPS technology, 2560x1600, 500 nits brightness P3, True Tone technology

Storage: 256GB - 512GB

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

It may look like its predecessor, but the Apple MacBook Pro 13in offers a vastly improved performance and battery life, thanks to its powerful M2 processor. 

We put it to the test to prove it, and were delighted with the results. This laptop easily handled everything from photo editing to video editing. What's more is that it tackled those tasks in near-silence throughout our time with the MacBook. The fans rarely kick in to keep things cool and minimize distractions from your creative process. And yes, battery life is longer than ever, lasting over 15 and a half hours during our testing.

Those wanting to upgrade from its predecessor might be disappointed. For starters, there are still only two Thunderbolt ports. And the 720p webcam is poor. Nor does the design doesn’t stray far from Apple’s classic aesthetic - but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The smaller screen size and overall portability makes it a better choice for someone regularly on the move. If an upgrade in specs and performance is top priority, it's worth it, especially considering it hasn't gone up in price.

Read our full MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022) review .

Best mobile workstation for photo editing

For when power and performance are more important than portability

Specifications

CPU: 12th Gen Intel Core i7 - i9

Graphics: Nvidia RTX A2000 - A4500

RAM: 8GB – 32GB

Screen: Up to 16" WQUXGA (3840 x 2400), OLED, Anti-Reflection/Anti-Smudge, Dolby Vision™, Touch, 100% DCI-P3, 400 nits, 60Hz

Storage: 256GB - 512GB

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is a big, bold mobile workstation - it’s well over twice the weight of a MacBook Air - so It’s not one to be carted around all day. But if you want a powerhouse machine, we found this one ripped right through every test we threw at it. 

Outside, the casing is sturdy and feels durable, the full-sized keyboard with numpad feels comfortable to type on. And the 4K OLED display is, we found, bright and clear - even in the middle of the day, we could easily see every area on our screen. 

Inside, you’ll find a serious work-horse of an engine. When we tested the photo editing laptop, with the 12th Gen Intel i9 configuration, it showed a strength for more complex creative or design projects and workflows. It’s not the absolute fastest, but it's close, scoring 7651 in our extended PCMark testing, which is comparable to similar devices. 

Overall, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is well-built and ready for intense creative tasks, 3D modeling, and the like.

Read our full Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Mobile Workstation review .

Best photo editing laptop for gamers

The ultimate laptop for gamers and creatives

Specifications

CPU: 12th Gen Intel Core i7 - i9

Graphics: Nvidia RTX 3060, RTX 3070 Ti, RTX 3080 Ti,

RAM: 8GB – 32GB

Screen: 17.3-inch QHD, 240Hz, G-Sync

Storage: 1TB SSD

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

We weren’t kidding when we called the Razer Blade 17 “the ultimate laptop for gamers and creatives.” 

The Razer Blade series of laptops have gained a reputation for offering the best of both worlds - sleek and professional look paired with powerhouse creative performance. During our testing, we used the laptop for everyday use, as well as running creative apps like Adobe Photoshop and Blender. With 32GB RAM, it never appeared to struggle. 

Despite its size, it does fit into a standard-sized backpack. But it’s undoubtedly a large machine that absolutely eats through the battery. And it’s a shame to see Razer stick with the 16:9 screen ratio when other laptops for photo editing are moving to 16:10. If that’s not a concern, it’s worth consideration. See our Razer Blade 14 review and Razer Blade 15 review to compare the smaller models to this beast.

Read our full Razer Blade 17 (2022) review .

Best 2-in-1 laptop for photo editing

A laptop and tablet for photo editing

Specifications

CPU: 12th Gen Intel Core i5 – i7

Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics

RAM: 8GB – 16GB

Screen: 13.5-inch 3K2K UWVA OLED Display

Storage: Up to 1TB

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

The HP Spectre x360 is a beauty of a machine - so if great-looking laptops appeal, this one deserves closer inspection. With its gem-cut design and sleek profile, it’s this one of the most beautiful laptops on the market right now. 

This 13-inch stunner is more than just pleasing on the eye, though, with plenty of power under the hood. HP also fitted this with powerful Intel Whiskey Lake processors and long battery life.

When testing out the portable, we loved the OLED display (it's available without OLED for a lower price, though). It's a screen that's ideal for those seeking to maintain consistency (and color accuracy) throughout the creative process. And the inclusion of a tablet pen will be equally useful for digital artists. 

What stops the HP Spectre x360 from achieving full greatness are the serious touchpad sensitivity issues - some of the worst we've come across in similar laptops. Otherwise, the extremely portable machine is a delight. 

Read our full HP Spectre x360 review.

Best photo editing laptop for CAD

Made for the masters

Specifications

CPU: Intel Xeon® E-2276M

Graphics: NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 Max-Q

RAM: 64GB

Screen: 17” LED-backlit WUXGA (1920 x 1200)

Storage: 2TB

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

The Asus ProArt StudioBook Pro 17 may be big, but that deceptively svelte aluminium body houses a massive amount of power, letting you crush just about any design project you're working on. 

We can't say it's perfect, though. To hit this kind of performance, battery life is going to suffer - that's the trade-off. In our tests, we got just over three hours' use performing light tasks like browsing, checking emails, and gentle photo editing. In other words, it's not ideal for on-the-go work unless you stay close to a power outlet.  To help disperse heat, the ProArt StudioBook Pro 17 has fans that can run in Auto mode (quiet, but warm) or Turbo (which is excessively loud).  

Power port placement is awkwardly positioned and we were disappointed to see only just one, lonely Thunderbolt 3 port - which will undoubtedly  dissuade some creative users. If it had had a 4K display, a mobile workstation this size may be a more attractive offering for content creators, but it's only 1080p. On the other hand, we found the viewing experience great overall. For general photo editors, the laptop's FHD screen will be fine. 

Read our full Asus ProArt StudioBook Pro 17 review.

Best Surface laptop for photo editing

Powerful enough for creative workflows and drawing

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7

Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060

RAM: 64GB

Screen: 14.4-inch PixelSense Flow (2400 x 1600)

Storage: 1TB

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

For those that can afford this business laptop, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2’s unique touch capabilities pair nicely with the more powerful Intel 13th Gen and Nvidia 40 series components to ensure there’s no hardware limitations to your creativity. 

Battery life is reasonable for a Windows 11 creative workstation, lasting 6 hours and 37 minutes in light work tasks. The updated processors will ensure you have enough power and there’s a couple of smaller perks like a USB Type-A socket and microSD Card reader.

The hero here is its screen. Microsoft is using the same PixelSense Flow display at a 2400 x 1600 pixel resolution that it used on earlier devices. It can fold fully back on itself to offer a great drawing experience and is an impressive piece of technology for anyone hoping to use it to write notes for meetings, or create using a stylus. 

If you don’t mind paying a bit extra, opt for the configuration with a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. It’s much pricer than the 4050 model, but some of that is due to the added RAM and storage allocation which will help with professional applications.

Read our full Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 review.

Best dual-screen laptop for photo editing

A content creator's dream laptop

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i9

Graphics: Intel Iris Xe, Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti

RAM: 32GB

Screen: 14.5-inch (2880 x 1800)

Storage: 1TB

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

The Asus Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED is an impressive computer that takes the Apple TouchBar concept 12 steps further, turning this into one of the best business laptops. 

In addition to the standard, beautiful, 16:10 display on top, the Zenbook Pro 14 Duo also has a 12.7 2.8K 120Hz ScreenPad Plus, as Asus calls it. It’s essentially another screen entirely between the main screen and the keyboard. Not only is this just a display that the user can project to, but it can do so much more, and now it angles enough to where it's functional and not straining on your neck.

The dual screens are the focal point of this laptop. There is no way to ignore or avoid the secondary screen, though you can enable touchpad mode and turn the entire second screen into an oversized touchpad, if you like.

In previous iterations of this laptop style, the second display was flat, parallel to the keyboard. In the next iteration, the ScreenPad was only slightly angled. Now, with a full 12 degrees of tilt, it finally feels usable as a display and not just something we would use because it was there. We found this laptop phenomenal for productivity, multi-tasking creatives, and those who enjoy gadgets and fun technology.

Read our full Asus Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED review.

Best MacBook Pro for photo editing

The most powerful MacBook ever

Specifications

CPU: Apple M3 Pro - Apple M3 Max

Graphics: Up to Integrated 40-core GPU

RAM: Up to 48GB

Screen: 16-inch, 3456 x 2234 Liquid Retina XDR display

Storage: Up to 1TB

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

As with previous models, you can choose a variety of configurations to kit out your 16-inch MacBook Pro, including M3 Pro or M3 Max chips, and up to 128GB of unified memory – but you’ll want to make sure you nail your options before you buy, as you can’t upgrade your laptop afterwards. Of course, the better specs you go for, the more money this already-expensive laptop is going to cost.

Performance-wise, this is an impeccable workstation. There wasn’t a task the new 16-inch MacBook Pro couldn’t handle during our testing, even when editing 4K footage with multiple 4K and 8K video files, and it also did an impressive job of running the latest games. The MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3) doesn’t do anything new design-wise, but that’s certainly not a bad thing. Why tinker with such a great design? Sure, Apple could have added a touchscreen, or even resurrect the Touch Bar, but this would just be tweaking for tweaking’s sake.

The MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3) has the potential to rival many of the best gaming laptops based on its amazing performance. Impressively, while the fans did kick in, they never got as loud as most gaming laptops, though the part of the chassis just above the keyboard did get noticeably hot to touch.

Read our full Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3 Max) review.

Best photo editing laptop for build quality

A portable but tough creative powerhouse

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i9

Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti

RAM: 64GB

Screen: 17.3-inch QHD+

Storage: 2 x 2TB

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

The MSI Creator Z17 is a slight vertical side-step forward for the Taiwanese manufacturer’s creative-leaning line of high-performance laptops; a bigger, beefier 17-inch laptop. Though MSI has a pedigree in the gaming laptop space, the MSI Creator Z17 takes a creatives-first approach. 

For photo and video editors, this laptop proved a joy to use, and it scored respectably well in our PugetBench Photoshop and Premiere Pro benchmark tests. Photoshop can handle high-resolution photos with multiple layers and export to various file types quickly, and pen performance when trying to colour in spots or use the healing brush was speedy as well.

Despite the upgrade in power, the Creator Z17 doesn’t sound as noisy as its predecessor when it comes to fan cooling. Be mindful that the quieter fans doesn’t help the audio quality of the Dynaudio speakers. Though there’s clarity in the sonic experience, the volume levels are exceptionally low even on the highest volume.

The MSI Creator Z17 is definitely expensive, which is par for the course for such a powerful and versatile laptop, as even its lowest configuration starts out more than most casual users would ever dream of spending on a laptop. 

Read our full MSI Creator Z17 review.

Best AMD laptop for photo editing

An absolute stunner

Specifications

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9

Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (discrete), AMD Radeon 680M (integrated)

RAM: 32GB

Screen: 17.3” 3840 x 2160

Storage: 1TB

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

The Alienware m17 R5 is a beast of a photo editing laptop. It is as smooth as butter covered in grease on a plate made of Teflon. That feeling could easily be attributed to its ludicrous 120Hz 4K screen, were its numbers are not so strong. As it stands, the all-AMD m17 can muscle through your editing needs as well as any. 

This laptop really is premium. The chassis is an utter beauty, constructed not only with tough-enough materials and just the right amount of RGB lighting, but with some very clever design touches. 

For the money, you’d expect the Alienware m17 to offer barn-burning performance, and it doesn’t disappoint. When it comes to battery life though, such powerful desktop replacements are often a disappointment. This laptop bucks the trend: six and a half hours in our movie-looping test was a big surprise, and while (clearly) you’ll not get anywhere near that when stressing the GPU, this lasts long enough to get enough work done before having to find a power outlet. 

Read our full Alienware m17 R5 AMD Advantage review.

Best laptop for photo editing FAQs

7 tips for choosing the best photo editing laptop

In the video above you'll discover 7 things to consider when buying the best laptop for photo editing. 

Can't watch right now? Here's what you need to know...

1. Brand

Choose a device from trusted manufacturers like Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Microsoft. These brands typically deliver long-lasting, quality photo editing laptops compared to inexpensive unknown brands, with better customer support, too.

2. Size

The best laptops for photo editing come in a wide array of sizes. Smaller devices are cheaper and more portable; bigger devices are heavier but possess more power. Think about what best fits your creative workflow. 

3. Processor

For photo editing laptops running Windows, you can get i3, i5, and i7 chips, with i5 and i7 providing best performance with photo editors. Apple’s M1 and M2 processors are both performance power-houses, if you’re opting for a Mac. . 

4. Storage

500GB should be enough for most people, at least to start. 1TB and above should deliver most lifetime needs. 

5. SSD vs. eMMc

Laptops can feature an SSD or eMMc drive. SSDs tend to be more expensive but faster. eMMcs are cheaper but also slower. You can boost your storage space with any of the best portable SSDs, too.

6. GPU

Most photo editing laptops feature an integrated GPU, but these can be expanded with high-end graphic cards - useful if undertaking video editing or using your laptop for gaming. 

7. Display

Lower resolutions, like 720p, won’t offer crystal-clear clarity, but puts less pressure on a laptop’s processor, making photo editing faster. Higher resolutions, like 1080p and 4K, can offer pin-sharp, detailed displays. 

Do I need a 4K laptop for photo editing?

You don't need a 4K display on a photography laptop, but it's a good idea if it's within your budget. When it comes to photo editing - or any other visual creative medium - the high the resolution, the better you can see the details in your images and deliver more accurate designs.  The cost of 4K displays is falling, too, making them more accessible to photographers at every stage in their career. 

If you need a second screen, you may want to consider picking up one of the best monitors for photo editing.

What is the best size screen for a photo editing laptop?

This will most certainly come down to how portable you want your machine to be, as a bigger screen will lead to a more pleasant image editing experience, but you’ll need a larger bag to stash it in. If your needs are more on the lightweight side of the spectrum, you’ll need a smaller screen. Lookout for clever engineers who manage to cram a larger screen in a smaller chassis, for the best of both worlds on that front.

What GPU should the best photo editing laptops have?

As a general rule of thumb, since your creative work generally demands the best graphics card, try to avoid any integrated systems, like the Iris Xe. Although those do help when it comes to battery life, they rarely, if ever, hold a candle to separate GPUs. As with everything in computing, the more you can afford, the beefier your machine will be, and the quicker you’ll be able to get work done.

What photo editing laptop accessories do I need?

Below is an excerpt of “The Digital Darkroom: The Definitive Guide to Photo Editing” by James Abbott, published by Ilex Press (£17.70 on Amazon.co.uk). James talks briefly about the essential photo editing accessories that any image manipulation aficionado need to consider.

"As a photographer, you will be well aware that there is a plethora of accessories that you can buy to aid your photography, and photo editing is certainly no exception; some are essential, others are nice to have while the remainder simply come down to personal preference. It’s like any hobby really – you can buy as much or as little as you want to but having all the gear does not always guarantee excellence.

You will need a computer – a laptop or a desktop – and, gear-wise, in many cases this will get you 70 percent of the way towards where you need to be with image editing. But getting yourself up to 100 percent is a much steeper climb, and some essential accessories are required to help you get there. In reality, there are only two additional accessories you need, while the others can improve comfort and control. I use all the accessories recommended here, but the most important two by far are the monitor calibration device and a wide gamut monitor, in that order.

A powerful computer Image processing requires a lot of processing power, so powerful computers with multi-core processors and plenty of RAM are essential. The minimum RAM you should consider is 16GB, but 32GB or even 64GB will better help image editing software run smoothly and perform tasks much quicker. If buying a new Mac you’ll need to increase the RAM at the point of purchase, but with Windows PC it’s much easier to upgrade at a later date. Also, with Windows, gaming PCs are ideal for photo editing.

Wide gamut monitor

A wide gamut monitor is one that’s capable of displaying 98–100 percent of the Adobe RGB (1998) colour space. These monitors will nearly always utilize in-plane switching (IPS) technology, which means the monitor will display a clear image from wider/multiple viewing angles, so you don’t have to be sitting directly in front of the monitor to view a reliable image. Some of the best monitors for photography are produced by BenQ and EIZO, and these can be connected to both laptops and desktops.

Monitor hood

Some of the BenQ and EIZO monitors designed for photo editing include monitor hoods, but you can also buy universal hoods for both external monitors and laptops. A monitor hood is simply a C-shaped plastic shade that helps to stop stray light from hitting the monitor surface from above and at the sides. This means you’ll be viewing a clearer image that’s more reliable than if the screen was being affected by glare.

Graphics tablet

A graphics tablet performs the same function as a mouse, but the difference is that you move a special pen over a tablet connected to your computer to move the pointer. The advantage is that it’s more natural and comfortable than using a mouse and reduces the risk of developing repetitive strain injury (RSI). Plus, they provide a greater degree of pointer control and accuracy so it’s much easier to make fine adjustments – they just take a little getting used to at first.

Monitor calibration devices

A monitor calibration device, such as the Datacolor SpyderX, is an essential accessory. These devices ensure that photo editing monitors are displaying colour, contrast and brightness correctly because most uncalibrated screens won’t be. The problem here is that you’d be processing your images according to incorrectly displayed colour, contrast and brightness, so your images will exhibit these problems online, in print and on calibrated monitors."

How to choose the best laptop for photo editing

There are a number of factors when choosing which photo editing laptop is best for you. 

It's easy to get bogged down in the tech and spec soup of computer terminology, but there are a couple of key areas that photographers need to think about. Ultimately, you want to make sure your chosen photo editing laptop can match and maximize your creative workflow - whether you use  top industry-standard tools like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom or any of the best Photoshop alternatives and best Lightroom alternatives. Specs-wise, the best PC laptops for photo editing will often closely mirror the best graphic design laptops.

A good processor is vital - photo editing software is typically CPU-intensive. For this reason, many select the best mobile workstation or business laptop for picture editing easily, without disrupting the workflow. They're designed to be powerhouses that are unafraid of taking a knock or two (still, be gentle!). Just be sure to choose a screen that's at least FHD with good contrast and luminance.  While the best business laptops offers plenty of performance, we find the screens tend to have low color coverage, although some configurations support 400nits-plus at 4K.

You'll also want the best RAM you can get. You'll need plenty of memory for running a decent photo editor - especially if you're working on large, complex projects. 

The GPU isn't quite as important for photo editing, but will be critical if you're working with other creative tools like the best 3D modeling software, best VFX software, and even the best video editing software. We've included several laptop models capable of handling cross-content creation in our round-up.

Screen display is an important factor. Ideally, don't settle for less than a color accurate laptop with an IPS display. Look for one with good contrast, a high brightness level, and a wide color gamut – at least 90% sRGB and 70% Adobe RGB. 

To keep your files accessible, you’ll also want a speedy SSD capable of quickly loading files and packed with plenty of storage space - even if you typically use any of the best cloud storage for photos.  A conventional hard disk drive will bottleneck performance.

Ports will also play a part in choosing which photography laptop is best for you. Many slimmer, more portable devices come with just a few ports. It means you’ll need to carry any of the best laptop docking stations for additional connectivity. 

The MacBook is favoured by many photographers, and for good reason. But don't rule out comparably priced laptop PCs, which can offer more bang per buck with better upgradability. 

How we test the best laptops for photo editing

We've tested hardware built for a range of creative industries and professions. This includes the best laptops for graphic design, best video editing laptops best laptops for writers, and best laptops for music production. 

When we test laptops that are good for photo editing, we're assessing factors such as performance, portability, display type, value for money, and overall design. 

Photo editors can often be resource-intensive, especially when working on large, complex projects. So, we test each to see how well they perform when running photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop. Laptops designed for photographers should have no trouble with the industry-standard editing tool. 

Creative workflows are unique - so we evaluate each on the individual merits and how well they meet the expectations of their intended users. For example, the Dell XPS 13 will be ideal for users editing images on the go, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro is much-more suited to those who need a creative powerhouse. 

See what goes into our tests in How we test laptops and desktops: our reviewing process explained.

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