The 4 Best Laptops For Graphic Design of 2024

The best laptop for graphic design we've tested is the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2024). This 14-inch premium workstation offers a fantastic user experience with its gorgeous Mini LED display, a comfortable keyboard, a gigantic haptic touchpad, and tons of ports. The display's factory calibration is near-perfect, so you can get right to work without further calibration. The only drawback is its lack of full Adobe RGB coverage, which might be a dealbreaker for those in print graphics. Apple's M4 Pro/Max SoCs bring exceptional performance and are more than adequate to handle intensive tasks like 3D graphics. The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2024) is also a good choice if you want more screen space; it has better-sounding speakers but is more expensive and bulkier.

For Windows users, we recommend the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 (2024). This 16-inch workstation provides an amazing user experience and can easily handle demanding workloads. However, you can only get up to 64GB of RAM (user-upgradeable to 96GB), whereas the MacBook Pro is configurable with up to 128GB, so it might not be ideal if your work requires a lot of memory. It has Wi-Fi 7 wireless connectivity, a fingerprint sensor, a facial recognition camera for added security and quick logins, tons of ports for peripherals and external displays, and an SD Express 7.0. The laptop gets hotter and louder under load, though, and its battery life is slightly shorter than the Apple's.

If you work on simpler designs and don't need all the graphical processing power of a mobile workstation like the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2024) above, get the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) instead. It has a larger display with the same 100% DCI P3 coverage and superb factory calibration—it just isn't a Mini LED display. The main downside is its limited port selection, as it only has two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports. Beyond this, the MacBook Air 15 has a spacious, tactile keyboard and a large, easy-to-use haptic touchpad. Battery life is also a positive, as you can easily get through a full day of light productivity without needing to reach for the charger. If you want something more portable, consider the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024), essentially a cheaper version of the same laptop with a smaller screen and slightly worse speakers.

The HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) is a great Windows alternative to the MacBook Air. This premium 14-inch 2-in-1 convertible sports a gorgeous 120Hz OLED display with near-full Adobe RGB coverage, a haptic touchpad, and a 4k webcam. It has a wider port selection, including two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s and a USB-A. There's pen input support if you need to draw with a stylus, though you may have to buy the pen separately, depending on the region and retailer. One thing to remember is that the OLED display flickers at 480Hz, which might cause eye strain if you're sensitive to display flicker. The display is also dimmer, so visibility can be an issue in well-lit settings.

The best laptop for designers we've tested in the budget range is the Acer Swift Go 14 (2024). This thin and light model features Intel Meteor Lake CPUs, which are powerful enough to handle tasks fairly demanding tasks. However, like the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) above, there's no dedicated GPU option, so it's only suitable for simpler graphic designs that don't require a lot of GPU processing power. You can get up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. Unfortunately, only the latter is user-replaceable. You can choose between an FHD+ IPS or a 2.8k OLED panel for the display; the OLED display is sharper and better suited for color-critical work, but remember that it's susceptible to permanent burn-in and will drain the battery faster.

This laptop feels very well built despite having a little more plastic in its construction than premium models like Apple MacBooks. It has a spacious, albeit slightly mushy keyboard, a large and responsive touchpad, a 1080p webcam with facial recognition support, and a wide port selection that includes two Thunderbolt 4s and an HDMI. Its battery life is excellent at around 11 hours of light use—you can charge the laptop via USB-C.

For fans of the 2-in-1 tablet form factor, we recommend the Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition (2024). Like previous Surface Pros, this 2024 model is a premium-feeling tablet with a sturdy, built-in kickstand, a comfortable Alcantara-covered type cover keyboard, and pen input support. The new Flex keyboard has a larger haptic touchpad that's easier to use, and it's Bluetooth-enabled, so you can use the keyboard even when detached from the tablet, giving you more flexibility to position the device to your liking. You get Wi-Fi 7 wireless connectivity, an outstanding 1440p front-facing webcam, a 10MP back-facing camera, and Windows Hello support for quick logins. Unfortunately, you must buy the keyboard and stylus separately.

The most important thing to know is that this tablet PC runs on an ARM processor. This means that some apps might not run at all, and even if they work through Microsoft's Prism emulation, performance can be a little iffy, so it's best to check that the apps you use are compatible before making any purchasing decision. Another thing to know is that the Snapdragon X Plus model has an IPS panel, while the X Elite model has an OLED panel. The latter will give you deeper blacks, but it exhibits what's commonly known as the 'screen door effect,' meaning its digitizer is visible, creating a grid-like pattern that some may find distracting. The battery lasts around 11 hours of light use, which is pretty impressive for such a thin tablet PC.