As a graphic designer, your laptop must offer the highest display, powerful processor, and RAM performance. The ideal laptops for creative professionals also boast stylish designs with accurate pixel display technology for a perfect work experience.
The Dell XPS 15 offers designers an ideal tool, thanks to its 4K Pantone-validated display, Intel processor and high-performance graphics.
Dell XPS 15
As one of our premium laptops, the Dell XPS 15 offers cutting-edge Intel processors and Nvidia graphics chips, making it an excellent option for most productive workflows and basic media editing tasks – though not entirely up to par with dedicated photo or video editing systems like the Apple MacBook Pro or Gigabyte Aero 15. Furthermore, its OLED display provides an enjoyable viewing experience.
As with previous XPS 15 models, this year’s iteration stands out with its sleek machined aluminium chassis and elegant slim profile, as well as its array of colours – Platinum Silver and Frost White available.
This model’s 15.6-inch OLED 3.5K touch display boasts a resolution of 3,456 by 2,416 pixels and offers true blacks, vibrant colours and outstanding contrast compared to our top pick, the HP Spectre x360. While not as sharp, its displays still provide ample detail that is suited for productivity users and will meet all their productivity needs. Unfortunately, however, OLED doesn’t come equipped with a fast refresh rate, which may cause eyestrain after long computing sessions.
Dell XPS 15 features include an easy-to-use keyboard with large keys and great spacing, a spacious yet responsive touchpad, and an infrared fingerprint reader that works seamlessly with Windows Hello for faster, more secure logins.
The Dell XPS 15’s battery life is impressive as well. Our PCMark 10 test found it outlasted comparable laptops by nearly an hour; I managed an entire workday without needing to recharge. There are two USB-C ports on its left side – though one of them is used by its power charger – making this model useful in home offices or coworking spaces where more connections may be required. Furthermore, its older Wi-Fi standard will require upgrading for optimal use in such settings.
At our benchmarks, both the CPU and GPU performance of the XPS 15 was impressive. It handled most productivity tests efficiently while handling some moderately demanding media projects well, though heavy photo/video editing proved more challenging. The overall performance of the device was comparable with that of the Apple MacBook Pro or Gigabyte Aero 15.
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED
This Gigabyte Aero 15 laptop might look like an ordinary gaming rig or mobile workstation, but its true purpose lies in design and content creation. Equipped with an Intel H-series processor and Nvidia graphics chip technology, this computer can handle most design or video editing tasks effortlessly.
AERO’s star feature is its Samsung 4K AMOLED screen, offering stunning images and videos while featuring an anti-glare coating to make working on-the-go easier. HDR compatibility means movies and television shows can be enjoyed with more vibrant colours than ever before, plus producing 60 per cent less “harmful blue light,” which prevents people from sleeping well at night.
Inside is a powerful 10th Generation Intel Core i7 H-series CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q GPU and 16GB of dual-channel DDR4-2933 memory. While some of its competitors offer internal SSD storage slots, Gigabyte’s Aero 15 OLED does not; however, adding one is still straightforward enough if needed. Plus, there are plenty of connectivity options, such as Killer Ethernet E2600 and Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 modules, to keep you connected.
Though equipped with high-end components, the Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED is surprisingly slim and light. Measuring 0.78in thick and weighing only 4.4 lbs respectively, its thin profile and light weight make it more portable than ultrabooks or portable workstations alike. Furthermore, its case is built from solid materials, including metal frames and an aluminium palm rest that are both sturdy and visually appealing.
In our tests, the Aero 15 OLED performed well when handling photo and video editing tasks. Its screen also accurately displayed colours when set at factory default brightness using an X-Rite Pantone colour profile – Delta E values were below 1 when set at factory default brightness and using this profile. Unfortunately, its battery life fell short, with a typical test run at 150 nits lasting only 5 23 minutes compared with four hours on both Dell and Apple machines in our comparison test run.
HP ENVY
HP has made great strides since our review of this two-in-one model back in 2017 to expand its Envy line, and its latest iteration of this two-in-one laptop is no different. Now sleek and rugged, with its thin screen wrapping around a sturdy metal chassis surprisingly flexing when held by its corners or pressing on its keyboard deck, though some flex can still be felt when pressing or holding down key deck corners or pressing keyboard deck, but overall this laptop doesn’t feel fragile or likely to disassemble under load despite its lightweight 1.77 kg weight for optimal use from home or travelling around town!
HP stands out with its speedy processing capabilities and high-end graphics features, particularly its Intel processor’s outstanding performance in synthetic benchmarks and our Adobe Premiere Pro test suite. At the same time, its NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 laptop GPU provides powerful rendering and gaming capabilities. Still, it is slower than those found in Dell XPS 15 or Gigabyte Aero with their respective RTX 4070 or 4090 graphics cards.
This HP notebook boasts a 1TB SSD storage system capable of handling large media files and complicated software libraries. At the same time, its PCIe Gen 4 SSD features a fast transfer rate to keep up with any demanding tasks you throw its way. Furthermore, its power management capabilities enable you to set your laptop to sleep when away from its desk so as not to waste precious battery life.
Additionally, this HP works seamlessly with popular design apps and has everything you’ll need for productive on-the-go work. The included HP QuickDrop app makes file transfers between computer and mobile device simple, while the Duet Display feature transforms iPad into an additional functional display. Plus, its sliding privacy shutter provides on-the-go security along with support for Windows Hello face recognition and IR fingerprint scanning technology.
This laptop boasts an expansive trackpad that is responsive, while its standard island-style keyboard makes typing effortless. There are multiple ports – USB-C with DisplayPort capability, full-sized HDMI, and an SD card slot – making this an impressive package.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8
If you need a powerful laptop with an excellent display for graphic design work, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 is what you’re searching for. Offers power and efficiency at an attractive price point while remaining lightweight for all-day usage thanks to an Intel U-series mobile CPU optimized to maximize power efficiency for extended battery life; additionally, it features 60Hz IPS touchpad support and stylus pen input options.
Each model comes equipped with an Intel Iris Xe graphics chip to provide stunning visuals, up to 16GB of soldered LPDDR5 RAM, and up to 2TB SSD storage space. Running Windows 10, these computers support Wi-Fi 6E wireless standards while offering 4G LTE connectivity through their built-in SIM slot located on the right side of their laptops – for reliable mobile data connections.
Apart from its robust power and storage configuration, this laptop also boasts several other features that make it suitable for designers. The keyboard is comfortable and responsive, and its TrackPoint pointing stick in the middle offers precise navigation without lifting your hands off the keyboard. Furthermore, Windows Precision Drivers enable gestures like pinching to zoom and three-finger scrolling for touchpad operation.
Other considerations important for graphic designers include an expansive, vibrant display with minimal bezels that enable you to see your work without losing workspace. The HP ENVY laptop’s display meets these expectations, and its colour authenticity capabilities help ensure that visual projects look their best with every detail accurately reproduced.
An ideal portable computer for design requires ample port selection to meet the diverse inputs that creative professionals may need – including multiple monitors, audio equipment and external SD cards from cameras. Many laptops attempt to keep themselves lightweight and portable by restricting port selection – which can be frustrating for designers who require various connections – like multiple Thunderbolt 4 ports capable of handling three separate displays at the same time and an audio 3.5mm jack. The Lenovo X1 Yoga Gen 8 stands out by having plenty of native ports, such as two Thunderbolt 4 ports capable of managing three displays at the same time, and its many native ports capable of supporting multiple connections from cameras.