The 6 Best Laptops For Photo Editing
This wiki has been updated 25 times since it was first published in December of 2018. The most important part of choosing a laptop for photo editing is finding the high-quality display that suits your needs, but things like processing power, battery life, and overall convenience also play a large part. Today's notebooks have higher-quality screens, more efficient components, and more user-friendly designs than ever, and one is sure to satisfy almost any visual editor. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Apple MacBook Air
2. Dell XPS 15 9500
3. Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
Editor's Notes
January 08, 2021:
First of all, if you want something a little more versatile, or that has a premium touchscreen, take a look at some of the best graphic design laptops on the market. If you're planning on doing video work, for that matter, there's a whole host of alternative video editing laptops you should consider.
But if you don't need a drawing-oriented touchscreen for making art by hand, or the processing power to compile video or 3D models, the Apple MacBook Air and Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 should be the first places you look. They're both reasonably priced and sport displays of renowned quality. The Surface Laptop's big brother, the Microsoft Surface Book 3, is also a great choice, although more expensive. The LG Gram 17 is a good Quad HD model that's also especially portable for its size, and the Apple iPad Pro is one of the best multimedia ultraportables ever released.
December 26, 2018:
There aren't a ton of categories where Apple's ridiculously trendy devices meet or exceed the performance of Windows PCs, but this is certainly one of them. Apple's locked-down ecosystem ensures that every piece of hardware and software just works, and generally works very well. The MacBook Air is beloved by traveling journalists, and the Pro is right there with it, as it's somewhat larger and more powerful. We found one of the rare HP ZBook models with their proprietary DreamColor technology, which adds a major level of reliability to any process. The 2nd-gen Thinkpad Yoga is the only laptop available (aside from an exorbitant Alienware clamshell) with an OLED screen, which photographers may know is an exceptionally bright and bold display. The ZBook x360 costs over 2 grand, but it's quite worth it in light of the excellent hardware inside. The busiest professionals may want to consider the Gigabyte Aero, because it's a serious powerhouse, and has rare features such as a built-in Ethernet jack. The XPS 13 is Dell's answer to the lightweight MacBook Air, and it does a great job for traveling photographers.
4. Apple iPad Pro
5. Microsoft Surface Book 3
6. LG Gram 17
Building PCs, remodeling, and cooking since he was young, quasi-renowned trumpeter Christopher Thomas traveled the USA performing at and organizing shows from an early age. His work experiences led him to open a catering company, eventually becoming a sous chef in several fine LA restaurants. He enjoys all sorts of barely necessary gadgets, specialty computing, cutting-edge video games, and modern social policy. He has given talks on debunking pseudoscience, the Dunning-Kruger effect, culinary technique, and traveling. After two decades of product and market research, Chris has a keen sense of what people want to know and how to explain it clearly. He delights in parsing complex subjects for anyone who will listen -- because teaching is the best way to ensure that you understand things yourself.