Get insider access
Preferred store
Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.

The 4 Best Laptops For Photo Editing - Spring 2024 Reviews

Updated
Best Laptops For Photo Editing

If you're shopping for a photo editing laptop, you'd want to focus on a few things to narrow your options. First and foremost, you need one with a display that can produce all the colors in the color space in which you work, whether it's sRGB or Adobe RGB. If you don't plan on using an external monitor, a laptop with a large, high-resolution screen is preferable, as it'll allow you to see the fine details in your pictures easily. You don't necessarily need a discreet graphics card; some programs can leverage the GPU to provide a smoother experience when manipulating images, but the CPU does the bulk of the processing. There are other things to consider, too, like Thunderbolt support for fast file transfers or an SD card reader, and for working on the go, you'd want to prioritize portability and battery life. We've put together a few picks to get you started; the list is a little short for now, but it'll grow as we review more laptops.

We've bought and tested over 105 laptops. Below, you'll find our recommendations for the best laptops for photo editing you can buy. You can also see our recommendations for the best laptops, the best business laptops, and the best laptops for graphic design.


  1. Best Laptop For Photo Editing

    The best laptop for photo editing we've tested is the Dell XPS 15 (2023), a premium Windows mobile workstation. It has a sturdy aluminum chassis, a sleek and compact design, and plenty of processing power. You can configure this laptop with an FHD+ IPS or 3.5K+ OLED panel; the former has full sRGB coverage, while the latter has full Adobe RGB. Ports include three USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s and a full-size SD card reader, allowing you to connect multiple displays and quickly transfer photos from your camera to the laptop. RAM and storage are user-replaceable if you want to add more or upgrade later. By the way, Dell has released new XPS laptops in 14- and 16-inch sizes, so it's a good time to grab the XPS 15 since it's often on sale through Dell.

    For Mac users, get the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023) or its larger 16-inch sibling, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023). Both are among the best laptops for photography we've tested. You can configure them with a base M3, M3 Pro, or M3 Max SoC, so you can choose based on your budget and the amount of processing power you need. Apple's M3 chips are even more power-efficient than their M2 predecessors, resulting in longer battery life, with the 14-inch lasting over 15 hours of light use. The 16-inch model gives you more screen space to work comfortably, though it isn't as portable and costs more. The downside is that their Mini LED displays don't have full coverage of the Adobe RGB color space, as they can't reproduce the highly saturated greens.

    See our review

  2. Best Upper Mid-Range Laptop For Photo Editing

    If you don't want to splurge on a premium mobile workstation like the Dell XPS 15 (2023), check out the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (2024), a 14-inch ultraportable. This sturdily built model has a gorgeous OLED display with near-full Adobe RGB coverage, making it suitable for professional print photography. It's available with Intel's new Core Ultra CPUs, up to a Core Ultra 9 with 16 cores and 22 threads, but unlike the Dell XPS 15 (2023) above, it uses integrated graphics, so some processes will take a bit longer or feel less smooth. Ports include one USB-A, two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s, and an HDMI. You can get up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage; the latter is user-replaceable.

    For Mac users, we recommend the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023). This 15-inch ultraportable has a sturdy build, all-day battery life, and a fast SoC. Its large 15-inch display lets you work more comfortably and looks incredibly sharp; however, its contrast is much lower than the ASUS' OLED screen since it's an IPS panel and doesn't have full Adobe RGB coverage. Another downside is that it only has two USB-C ports with support for a single external display. As you may have heard, Apple has just announced a new M3 MacBook Air 15. This new model has only a few changes, including a marginally faster M3 chip, Wi-Fi 6E, and support for two external monitors. However, the latter is only possible with the laptop closed.

    See our review

  3. Best Mid-Range Laptop For Photo Editing

    If you're on a tighter budget and want something more modest, get the Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (2023). This 2-in-1 convertible is easy to carry around for a 16-inch device, and its battery lasts over 12 hours of light use, so you don't need to worry about bringing a charger. You can get this laptop with an FHD+ or QHD+ display; we recommend the latter, as its higher resolution lets you see small details more clearly when editing photos. It only has full sRGB coverage, so it isn't suitable for those working in Adobe RGB.

    This laptop is available with Intel 13th Gen U- or P-series CPUs. You can get up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage; just remember that the memory isn't user-replaceable, so make sure to get enough for your needs upfront. Ports include two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s and a MicroSD card reader, allowing you to easily transfer photos from your camera to the laptop or connect external displays. If you like working with a stylus, the display supports pen input, but depending on the model, you may have to buy the pen separately. You can get this laptop directly from Lenovo if you have trouble finding it elsewhere.

    See our review

  4. Best Budget Laptop For Photo Editing

    Our budget pick is the Acer Swift 3 14 (2020). Despite its wallet-friendly price, this 14-inch model has a sturdy build, and its battery lasts a full day of light use. You can configure it with an Intel 11th Gen Core i5 or i7 CPU and up to 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage. The display's resolution is only 1080p and only has full sRGB coverage; this is fine if you want to edit some photos to post on social media or other websites, but not for professional print photography. For ports, you get two USB-As, one USB-C/Thunderbolt 4, a full-size HDMI, and a headphone jack. The main drawbacks compared to the Lenovo we recommend above are the CPU's performance as well as the size and sharpness of the display.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • LG gram 14 (2023): The LG gram 14 (2023) is a good alternative to the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (2024). It's more portable because it's much lighter, and its battery lasts longer at around 10 to 11 hours of light use. However, the screen isn't as sharp as it's limited to an FHD+ resolution and doesn't have full Adobe RGB coverage. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Mar 07, 2024: Replaced the ASUS Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) with the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (2023), as the latter has better performance and is easier to find. Replaced the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) with the Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (2023) because the M1 MacBook Air was discontinued. Removed the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 (2023) as a Notable Mention because it's discontinued and hard to find.

  2. Feb 07, 2024: Minor text changes to add the M3 Apple MacBook Pro 14 and 16 as alternatives to the Dell XPS 15 (2023).

  3. Jan 11, 2024: Replaced the Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (2023) with the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) because the Lenovo is the same price as the ASUS Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) but isn't as good overall.

  4. Nov 27, 2023: Minor text changes to add information about the new M3 MacBook Pros. No change in recommendations.

  5. Oct 27, 2023: Replaced the Dell Precision 5570 (2022) with the Dell XPS 15 (2023) because the XPS 15 is available with faster Intel 13th Gen CPUs.

All Reviews

Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best laptops for photography to buy. We factor in the price (a cheaper laptop wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no laptops that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).

If you prefer to make your own decision, here's the list of all of our laptop reviews, sorted by price from low to high. Keep in mind that most laptops are available in various configurations, and the table only shows the results of the model we tested, so it's best to see the full review for information about other variants.