The 4 Best Laptops For Graphic Design of 2025

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 ASUS ProArt P16 H7606 (2024), a 16-inch creator laptop with an incredibly sharp 4k+ OLED display. For those who prefer to work with a stylus, the screen supports pen input, but you may have to buy the stylus separately, as it doesn't always come with the device. You can pair its AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU with a discrete NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 or 4070 Laptop GPU, giving you plenty of power to tackle highly demanding projects. What makes this model stand out is its programmable, touch-sensitive dial, which allows you to quickly access various tools, streamlining your workflow. Unfortunately, this device gets hot and loud under load, and its battery life is abysmal compared to the MacBook Pro, lasting only four to five hours in light use.

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, check out the Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4, 2025). Though technically a larger device, it's thinner than its 14-inch Pro sibling, making it just as easy to carry around. The downgrades mainly concern the display and ports; its 60Hz Retina screen is sharp and colorful but not quite as impressive as the MacBook Pro's Mini LED panel, and its port selection is limited to two USB-Cs, so a dock might be necessary if you want to connect multiple peripherals or displays. Another downside is that upgrading the RAM and storage beyond the base configuration increases the price significantly, making it nearly as costly as the base MacBook Pro 14.

Our recommendation for Windows users is the Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025). Also a 15-inch ultraportable, this Intel Lunar Lake model provides a similar user experience as the MacBook Air, thanks to its amazingly comfortable keyboard, easy-to-use haptic touchpad, and excellent 1440p webcam. It has a wider port selection, and its storage drive is user-upgradeable, so you can swap it out for a higher-capacity one later. Its OLED display is arguably better than the MacBook's Retina screen, as it has a higher contrast ratio and higher refresh rate, resulting in deeper blacks and better input responsiveness. However, its 480Hz flicker might bother some people, causing eye strain. This model is also more expensive than the MacBook Air.

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 fairly demanding tasks. However, like the Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4, 2025) 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.