The best laptops for photo editing: Best overall, most portable, and more

If you’re looking for a killer display, the Asus VivoBook Pro 16X OLED is a fantastic choice. The 4K OLED panel is a work of art. Not only does it produce vibrant images, but it’s a solid choice for those who deal with tension headaches from eye strain. If you find yourself spending hours upon hours looking at a screen, you might as well invest in one with a sharp picture. The VivoBook is also powerful when it comes to processing power. Let’s take a look under the hood, shall we?

The Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU is fast enough for photo editing software like Adobe Lightroom and Bridge. As for memory and storage options, it has 32GB of RAM and a whopping 1TB of PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage. That’s sufficient enough for quickly firing up multiple applications and storing gigantic RAW images. There are a few flaws to be aware of, though. The webcam is less than stellar and the fingerprint reader is temperamental. Overall, however, the VivoBook Pro is a fabulous machine that any photo editor would love.

If you’re on a tight budget (been there), the MSI GF76 Katana is an excellent value pick. It features an Intel Core i7-12700H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050Ti GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of PCle 4 SSD storage. In other words, this laptop is fast enough to handle most photo-editing work as well as everyday use like browsing the web and streaming Netflix. The trackpad and keyboard are surprisingly comfortable, too.

The only real knock against this machine is the dim display. It’s not horrible, but some photo editors may prefer a brighter screen. That said, it’s 17.3-inches and that’s a ton of screen real estate to work with. If you’re a beginner photo editor looking to save some money, the GF76 Katana is well worth considering.

The Razer Blade 17 (2022 version) is our top choice for power users. This beastly machine has an Intel Core i7-12800H CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, 1TB of PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD storage, and a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU. The 17.3-inch QHD display is both rich and vibrant, with a resolution of 2650×1440 and a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. The Blade has a lot to offer, that’s for sure. However, the biggest caveat is the price.

The Blade costs thousands of dollars. The powerful components may even be bit overkill for beginner photo editors. However, if it’s power you desire and you’re able to shell out the cash, then the Blade is an awesome buy. If you’re looking for more options for both work and play, be sure to check out our roundup of the best gaming laptops.

MSRP:

$1650 (base price) | $2500 (Radeon RX 6800S, 1TB SSD, 32GB RAM)

If portability is at the top of your priority list, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 is a great choice due to its lightweight form factor. It weighs a little over three pounds, which puts it in the ultraportable category. Don’t let the slim profile fool you, though. It’s packing some seriously powerful internals.

The Zephyrus has an Ryzen 9 6900HS processor, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and 1TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. That’s plenty sufficient for heavy-duty photo editing tasks. However, there are a few tiny nitpicks to be aware of. The keyboard feels too soft and the backlighting is unimpressive. Nitpicks aside, if you’re looking for a compact laptop that delivers blazing-fast performance, the Zephyrus G14 is the way to go.

Battery life is an often overlooked feature when searching for the best photo editing laptop. When you’re on the road or out of the office, you need a laptop that will last without charging as long as possible. When we ran our battery benchmark, which cycles through a series of tasks and videos until the laptop dies, the Dell Inspiron 16 lasted a marathon 16.5 hours on a single charge. That should allow you to edit to your heart’s content without worrying about a dead battery. However due to that same battery, it isn’t the most portable, weighing a hefty 4.7 pounds.

It is rather inexpensive as well, but sacrifices will need to be made for the price. Under the hood you get an Intel Core i7-1260P CPU, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. While that should suffice for most photo editing jobs, the lack of storage capacity means you will likely need an external drive to save all of your high-res photos. As a bonus perk, it also comes with a surprisingly robust quad speaker system so you can jam out while editing. For ports, you’re getting two USB Type-C, one USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1 HDMI, one SD card reader, and one 3.5mm audio jack.

The Asus ROG Flow Z13 is one of the more unique picks on this roundup. It’s marketed as a folio-style gaming machine. You can pop open the kickstand on the rear plate and use it like a traditional clamshell. You can even remove the keyboard and use it as a touch-enabled tablet. The versatility of this machine makes it a cool choice for creative work. It has some pretty powerful internals, too.

The Flow is rocking an Intel Core i9-12900H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage. That’s plenty powerful for editing photos and general-use tasks like checking e-mail and browsing the world wide web. The 1200p IPS touch display is also sharp and colorful. The Flow isn’t a budget-friendly option, though. This kind of versatility and power comes at a big price. However, if you’re able to comfortably stretch your budget, the Flow Z13 is a neat choice.

1.

How much processing power will I need?

For most photo editing work, an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor is fine. Need more oomph? Go for an Intel Core i9. The most important thing is the number of cores. The more cores, the better your CPU can divide the workload. For AMD options, the Ryzen 5 series is zippy enough for basic photo editing work. If you need faster response times, shoot for a Ryzen 9.

2.

Do I need a discrete graphics card?

It’s not absolutely necessary, but it will make a difference when using photo editing applications. If you want super-fast performance, go with a laptop with that has a dedicated graphics card. For those on a strict budget, go for an Nvidia RTX 3060 or 3050 Ti. For a serious boost in graphics performance, aim for an Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti or a AMD Radeon RX6800S.

3.

How much memory is enough?

RAM will keep your laptop running nice and smooth as you edit those darling baby photos. We’d recommend 8GB of RAM as the minimum. For bigger projects, go for 16GB.

4.

Should I spring for a hard disk drive or an SSD?

RAW image files are massive, so you’re going to need a high-capacity SSD, as solid-state drives are faster and quieter than hard disk drives. 256GB is the minimum amount we’d recommend, but more is obviously better. For really big projects, go for 512GB or 1TB.

5.

Does screen quality matter?

We’d argue that screen quality is one of the most important aspects of a laptop, especially for photo editing work. Don’t settle for anything less than 1080p resolution. That’s your baseline. If you can spend a little more, 4K is best for detailed creative work and OLED tends to be more color accurate.

6.

Is portability important for a photo editing laptop?

Do you often take your work to a coffee shop? If so, you’ll want a laptop with a 13- or 14-inch display, as it’s smaller and more portable. Anything that weighs around three pounds or less is considered an ultraportable. That’s the golden number you want to hit.

7.

How long should my laptop last on a single charge?

If you plan on taking your laptop everywhere with you, 10 to 12 hours on a single charge is the sweet spot. That’s more than a full work day. However, know that battery size impacts the portability of the machine. The bigger the battery, the heavier the laptop.