A couple of years back, all the artists draw their drawings on paper and that was hard work and you can’t re-color. But these days, it’s essential that an artist should have a great laptop. Some Art students might consider a laptop that is compact and easy to carry, while others might want the one that can run software like Photoshop, Illustrator, or other software in the Adobe CC Suite
Artists today haven’t got the time to spend it setting up easels, organizing paints, and doing all that unnecessarily ornate and elaborate stuff. Time is precious, and so are resources.
Many people prefer drawing on a graphics tablet. They find it easy and convenient. However, laptops for drawing provide even more precision and accuracy withdrawing due to their enhanced graphics and color accuracy. The stylus pens are extremely responsive and accurate with all the reflexes.
Nowadays there are a lot of laptops that have high resolution and as well as great color-accurate touch screen displays in addition to pressure-sensitive digital pens, providing an accuracy feature important for creating graphics. It also helps to save you most of the time.
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Review Of Top 10 Laptops For An Artist-Our Top Picks:
To choose the best laptop, one must know their requirements and the kind of software they will run on their laptops. Laptops are one of the most important assets a person can own.
The following are some of the recommendations for the best laptops for artists.
1. Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – 12.3″ Touch-Screen:
The Surface Pro 7 has a detachable touch screen that converts to a tablet. It’s a favorite laptop for artists because it has a great-quality display and high-functioning graphics capabilities. It is also compatible with a stylus, although you’ll have to purchase that separately.
- Processor: Intel Core i5-1035 Quad-Core – 1.1GHz
- RAM: 16GB LPDDR4x
- Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Display size: 12.3″ (2736×1824), PixelSense
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Battery Life: 10.5 hours
- Weight: 1.70 pounds (not including type cover)
My review: The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is the best value-for-money laptop for artists. If you have a moderate budget, there isn’t a better laptop than this one. The screen touch is excellent, the color in RGB mode feels better than the enhanced mode.
While in continuous Wi-Fi use, battery use is faster and doesn’t last for 10 hrs ( lasts for 5-6 hrs). The Thunderbolt 3 ports are also missing. On top of that, the stylus is still not included with the laptop.
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2. 2020 HP Chrome book x 360 Laptop Computer:
The HP Chrome book x360 Laptop Computer is an amazing deal to grab at a very reasonable price. This laptop has impressed artists with its super cool features, which you can expect from an expensive, high-end laptop only.
- Processor: Intel Core i3-8130U
- RAM: 8 GB.
- Storage: 64 GB SSD.
- Display size: 14 inches.
- Operating system: Chrome OS.
- Weight: 3.5 Pounds.
- Graphics: Intel ultra HD Graphics.
- Battery life: 6 hours (average)
My Review: It would be hard to find a better one at this price at this time. I think it would be a logical choice. Chromebook has a sophisticated design. With a silver aluminum frame and a black keyboard, the Chromebook x 360 looks very aesthetic.
Overall, this Chromebook works well, it’s super fast and I am very pleased with it.
Read More: 10 Laptops for College Students
3. Newest HP Spectre x360-13t Quad Core:
Known for its visual pleasure and incredible performance, the HP Specter x360 is one of the best laptops ever made for artists. No doubt, the HP Spectre is pricier than the Chromebook, but the extra dollars get you a fast i7 processor and 16GB of RAM.
The HP Spectre x360 is the thinnest touch screen laptop with a vivid, bright display and one of the best ultra-portable two-in-ones available in the market.
- Processer: 8th Gen i7 intel core.
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4.
- Storage: 512 GB SSD.
- Display size: 12 inches.
- Operating system: Windows 10 home.
- Weight: 2.78 lbs.
- Graphics: Intel UHD graphics 620.
- Battery Life: 14 hours.
My review: This laptop is really good in terms of specs. The touchscreen is awesome, it is the lightest and most compact laptop ever. The processor is really fast and face recognition is good as well.
The Spectre is very lightweight, making it easy to take anywhere with you. It’s also durable and should last you for years. I really love it.
4. Apple MacBook Pro:
If you’re willing to splash out, a MacBook Pro is about as good as you can get. This powerful laptop is perfect for professional artists who run heavy software. Plus, your artworks will look stunning on the Retina screen with True Tone technology. Colors are displayed in all their vibrancy!
The MacBook Pro is one of the best laptops for artists, both because of its superior performance and because there are still a handful of creative applications only available for the Apple interface.
- Processer: Eighth-generation quad-core Intel Core i5
- RAM: 128 MB.
- Storage: 256GB, 512GB or 1TB SSD
- Display size: 13 inches.
- Operating system: MAC OS.
- Weight: 3.1 pounds (1.4 kg)
- Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645
- Battery life: 10 hours.
My review: If you prefer Apple to Microsoft, the Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch is the best bet for artists on the go. They are very light and thin, easy to carry. It has excellent battery life as well. I highly recommend this laptop.
Two issues you should keep in mind before making your purchase. Although you get the cool Touch Bar feature that suggests buttons to use; this isn’t a touch screen model. That’s an odd oversight for the extremely high price.
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5. Acer Spin 3 Convertible Laptop:
Regardless of your area of specialty as an artist, you will find the Acer Spin 3 a wonderfully efficient laptop. For starters, it’s rare for Acer to make 2-in-1 laptops. Because of that, you will be pleased to get a computer that has all the top qualities of Acer machines.
What is more? It has everything you will need for your work.
- Processer: 10th Generation Intel Core i5-1035G4.
- RAM: 8 GB.
- Storage: 512 GB SSD.
- Display size: 14 inches full HD (1920 x 1080)
- Operating system: Windows 10 home.
- Weight: 5.50 lbs.
- Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics
- Battery life: Up to 12 hours.
My review: I think it’s a great laptop in many respects. The specs of the computer are great and they are very fast and snappy. The 512 GB feels very fast and speedy. If you’re an artist, it is worth buying as it provides you a lot of storage.
It would be best if only it had a USB-C port!
6. Lenovo Flex 14 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop:
The Lenovo Flex 14 2 in 1 Convertible Laptop Computer is a very reliable Laptop that lives up to the great reputation that the Lenovo brand has. It’s very good for artists. The Lenovo Flex 14 is a powerful 2-in-1 laptop with a processor and memory that can easily handle art applications.
- Processer: AMD Ryzen 5 3500U.
- RAM: 12 GB DDR4.
- Storage: 256 GB SSD.
- Display size: 14 inches.
- Operating system: Windows 10 home.
- Weight: 3.52 lbs.
- Graphics: AMD Radeon Vega 8.
- Battery life: Up to 10hours.
My Review: I am quite impressed with this laptop. It’s very smooth; the writing on OneNote is fantastic. Get an anti-surface glove for $5 and you are good to go. This will replace any laptop you have. It’s powerful; you could do light Photoshop editing and hold it as well.
Highly recommended!
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7. ASUS ZenBook Pro:
Technology has enabled ASUS to create one of the best laptops for artists. If you doubt that, then you have probably not encountered the impressive display you get through the 4k ultra HD pro screen. ASUS ZenBook Pro delivers that quality of display!
It’s fast and perfect for use in rooms with minimal or controlled lighting too.
- Processer: Intel Core i7-9750H.
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4.
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD.
- Display size: 15.6 inches.
- Operating system: Windows 10 pro.
- Weight: 5.51 lbs.
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060.
- Battery life: 5 hours.
My Review: It’s an awesome laptop so far. The main screen is beautiful and bright images look fantastic. The second screen has a flat finish and works great for multitasking. I really like that second screen being a matte finish since it goes way better to write with the pen than the glossy primary screen.
It is a super device of good quality.
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8. Microsoft Surface Pro 4:
The Microsoft Surface Pro packs all the specs you need. This tablet is lightning-fast, thanks to 16 GB RAM. It also offers an incredible amount of storage space. It comes with a Surface Pen included for all your creative purposes.
You’ll love drawing on the touch screen, which can be angled for the perfect setup. It is a perfect tablet for all artists.
- Processer: Intel core m3.
- RAM: 16 GB.
- Storage: 512 GB.
- Display size: 12.3 inches.
- Operating system: Windows 10 professional.
- Weight: 1.70 lbs.
- Graphics: Intel Iris and HD graphics.
- Battery life: 9 hours.
My review: I love Surface Pro 4, it is exactly what an artist is looking for. It’s light which is wonderful. The Battery life is great for what I need it for. I was able to watch a 2-hour movie and the battery only went down to 80%.
It’s extremely fast and works great. The screen resolution is just amazing. I don’t think I have any complaints and it was well worth the purchase!
9. Newest HP Spectre x360 2 in 1 touch screen laptop:
This laptop is best for artists and drawing. This Laptop has to include windows 10 professional keys and having HP International Premium Warranty with 3 years MacAfee Internet Security Key. It safeguards your privacy.
It has 22 to 30 hours of battery life which is very much beneficial for artists to do whatever they love for a long time.
- Processer: 10th Gen Intel core i7.
- RAM: 8 GB.
- Storage: 512 GB SSD.
- Display size: 13.3 inches.
- Operating System: Windows 10 home.
- Weight: 2.87 pounds.
- Graphics: Intel iris plus graphics.
- Battery life: 22 hours.
My review: The HP Spectre x360’s new Gem-Cut design language is sleek, modern-looking, unique, and very pleasing to my eyes. HP did an ingenious job by placing the power button on the top-left corner of the laptop base and the charging port on the top-right corner.
Not only is this an excellent use of space, but it is also very practical by avoiding clutter with other accessories and preventing accidental power-on and power-off. The only thing I complain about is its tendency to easily show fingerprint smudges and marks.
Overall, I really love it.
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10. Apple Mac Book Air:
This is the lowest priced Macbook currently available, and for the price, you get a whole lot of computers. It is inexpensive and yet fully up to Apple’s high standards of quality and performance.
The Apple MacBook Air is the perfect small computer for any artist.
- Processor: 1.1GHz dual-core 10th-generation Intel Core i3.
- RAM: 8 GB.
- Storage: 256 GB or 512 GB SSD.
- Display size: 13 inches.
- Operating system: Mac OS.
- Weight: 2.8 pounds.
- Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics.
- Battery life: up to 12 hours.
My Review: In my opinion, the 2020 MacBook Air is a perfect laptop. It has physical keys that are a pleasure to type on, a beautiful screen, an optimal size, good pricing, and a quad-core processor. The onboard graphics are as good as discrete graphics. Speaker also works well.
I highly recommend this to all artists out there.
Read More: 10 Best Tablets for Writers in 2021
The Wrap up:
There are tons of laptops available in the market but to avoid your state of confusion, I have selected the top 10 best laptops for drawing purposes. Though laptops never designed for single-use, we can surely categorize them according to their performance and display quality.
I’m very sure each of the laptops listed above makes them best for drawing in their distinct way; the rest is your choice to choose for yourself, the one that suits your needs.
Every laptop has pros and cons. Don’t let the choice paralyze you! The best laptop for artists is more about the artist than it is about the laptop. Go with what you like!