This article will tell you about the best laptops for artists students in the market. As an art student, you always need a reliable and quality laptop. You can not just get a laptop, or your work will be very slow and possibly crashes. Some manufacturers even specifically released their laptops for art students. I have researched and tested most of these recommended laptops and put them all in my top nine best laptops for artists students below.
Table of Contents
What Makes a Great Laptop for Artists?
A recent survey has revealed that the average USA student spends about $2,000 per year on entertainment and leisure, which equates to about $20 per week. With numbers like these, it’s no wonder students are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet! This guide will show you what you should look for when buying laptops for artists.
1-Touch Screen
While touch screens aren’t exactly standard, they are becoming more and more common. Touch screens make it easier to navigate software and applications on your laptop without having to learn specific keyboard commands or find what you’re looking for using arrow keys and other keys. Touch screen technology is also great if you’re looking to save space since a mouse can often be omitted entirely.
2-RAM (Memory)
If you have several Photoshop or Illustrator files open at once, or if you have large files, you’ll need more RAM. If your budget is high enough and/or if you’re an avid gamer, 16GB of RAM should be plenty. This will ensure that your computer can keep up with all your multitasking needs.
3-Operating System
Your operating system (OS) is your computer’s backbone. It’s what lets you surf web pages, write papers, and email friends. For most people—especially if you’re a student—you can choose between Windows and Mac OS.
4-Graphics Card
A high-end GPU can deliver enough graphical power to push high resolutions and quality settings, but that’s only half of what you need. A fast CPU is also important to manipulate large batches of digital images or video clips. The best laptop choices have both. Look for something with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or above, like Acer’s Predator Helios 300 laptop (pictured).
5-Display Quality
You may be surprised at how poor many computer displays look, especially when you’re used to working on an iMac or MacBook Pro. A great artist laptop needs a bright and crisp display, with high contrast and no color distortion. Look for one that supports 100% of the sRGB color gamut and has wide viewing angles; often, laptops marketed as having a great visual experience will meet these criteria.
Pay close attention to screen resolution—anything over 1920 x 1080 is acceptable. Also, consider what type of panel is being used (IPS vs. TN); even in LCD screens, some are better than others.
6-Keyboard
A good laptop keyboard is important to keep in mind when searching for one best suited to being used by artists. Lightweight models may seem like they’re more desirable, but they often sacrifice comfort by using thinner plastic keys with small gaps between them, resulting in frequent accidental keypresses.
Heavy-duty mechanical keyboards are generally preferable; many artists swear by them and may even prefer them over those found on desktop computers.
7-Hardware Specs
The best laptops for artists have to have something called discrete graphics. For those new to high-end laptops, discrete graphics means that your computer has a dedicated video card. This is not just an integrated GPU (i.e., Intel HD Graphics) but its separate chipset optimized specifically for drawing and rendering graphics using software like Photoshop and Maya.
Many good gaming laptops have these capabilities, as they are necessary to play games smoothly on higher settings without dropping frames. It’s also useful in professional applications where you need more out of your machine than what integrated graphics can provide (although some high-end machines don’t even have these options).
However, keep in mind that while certain specifications are necessary for good performance, they are insufficient.
8-Screen Size and Resolution
The first thing to consider is screen size. A 15-inch screen will give you more space to do your work and keep your hands comfortable as you draw or paint. If it’s your first time buying a laptop specifically for art, stick with these standards so that you can be sure everything will work out.
But if you already have an idea of what brand and type of laptop you want, don’t worry about sticking to any specific recommendations—go for what works best for your own needs!
9-Battery Life and Portability
Don’t get too caught up in screen resolution or CPU speed if you can’t be bothered to plug in your laptop when working on art. Nothing is more annoying than realizing your battery is dead just as you’re ready to start painting/editing/finishing that screenplay.
Lightweight laptops also make it easier to bring your computer everywhere, which is important for an artist always on the go. It’s worth paying the extra money if needed, but try to find a balance between power and portability.
What are the Best Laptops for Artists Students in 2023?
Are you looking for the best laptops for artists students in 2023? It cannot be easy to find a good laptop for your artistic work as an artist myself. That’s why I decided to make this list of the current best laptops for artists students.
- Acer Spin 5 Convertible Laptop
- HP Spectre x360 15T
- Dell XPS 9370
- Lenovo Thinkpad E590
- Lenovo Thinkpad E590
- Apple MacBook Pro
- ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo UX581
- HP Envy x360
- Microsoft Surface Pro
Read More: How To Track A Stolen Laptop With Serial Number?
Detailed Overview
1-Acer Spin 5 Convertible Laptop (best 2 in 1 laptops students and artists)
- 13.5″ 2K 2256 x 1504 IPS Touch
- 10th Gen Intel Core i7
- 16GB LPDDR4X
- 512GB NVMe SSD
- Wi-Fi 6
- Backlit KB
- Battery Up to 15 hours
- Integrated Intel Iris Plus
The Acer Spin 5 Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop is ideal for artists students. It is easy to fit into a purse or backpack, even if it has a larger 13.5” display. This laptop features a 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and 16 GB of RAM, so it can comfortably handle multitasking and everyday computing.
Its HD touch screen display is great for artists students who love the visual experience of programming or light gaming without a dedicated graphics card. The display also allows them to easily work with digital art, visualize homework problems, or watch educational videos.
2-HP Spectre x360 15T (best budget laptop for student artist)
- 15t Touch AMOLED
- 10th Gen Intel i7-10510U with Pen
- 3 Years McAfee Internet Security
- Windows 10 Professional
- 16GB Ram
- 1TB SSD
- Battery Up to 13 hours
If you’re looking for a portable laptop that won’t break your bank or your back, the HP Spectre x360 15T is a good bet. This 2-in-1 Windows 10 laptop features a bigger 15-inch 4K touchscreen, making it a great choice for creatives who want to do some work on the go.
On the inside, it packs powerful specs under the hood: a 10th gen Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. It comes with an active stylus that works much like a Wacom pen tablet, letting you use pressure sensitivity while sketching or illustrating on screen. The Spectre x360 offers up to 9 hours of battery life, too.
3-Dell XPS 9370 (best laptop for design and art)
- 13.3in 4K UHD Touchscreen
- Intel Core i7-8550U 4.0GHz
- 16GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- Win 10 Home
The Dell XPS 9370 is the best laptop for artists you can get, as long as you’re willing to pay a premium. It packs a gorgeous 13-inch screen with a bezel narrow enough to make the laptop itself feel smaller than its rival, the MacBook Pro 13. This screen is great for artists who want to draw or edit images on the go, but it’s also wonderful for just surfing the web and watching videos.
Once you factor in its Core i7 processor, incredible battery life, and comfortable keyboard, you’ve got quite the machine. A more recent upgrade of this same laptop can pack a 4K display instead of a full HD display.
4-Lenovo Thinkpad E590 (best laptop for digital art and gaming)
- 15.6 Inche Display
- Intel Quad Core i5-8265U
- 16GB DDR4 Memory
- 512GB PCIe 3.0
- Windows 10 Professional
Finding the right laptop for art students can be difficult because school laptops must be rugged enough to handle school work and life outside. Tired of dealing with the negative effects an “average” laptop has, we set out on a mission to find the best laptop for graphic design, photoshop, animation, and other forms of visual art.
After researching dozens of options, from affordable gaming laptops to Apple MacBooks, we found the Lenovo ThinkPad E590 has everything art students need: affordability, power, screen quality, durability, or build quality. The Lenovo ThinkPad E590 is equipped with a 15.6-inch full HD display with 1920×1080 resolution.
Combine that with its 250 nits max brightness, and you get a clear and crisp image perfect for photo editing.
5-Asus Vivobook (gaming and art laptop)
- 15.6″ FHD
- QuadCore i7
- 8GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- ScreenPad 2.0
- Win 10
With modern stylings and high-powered components, the Asus Vivobook S15 is one of the most versatile laptops available today. Its beautiful NanoEdge design makes it more compact than other 15-inch laptops, yet its robust processing power still gives you the resources for hard work and endless entertainment.
Round out your experience with a 4K UHD display featuring wide-angle viewing and anti-glare coating for reduced eye strain. With Zenbook’s iconic design and power, the Vivobook is a powerful package that offers value for money.
6-Apple MacBook Pro (best artist laptop)
- 13.3-inch Display
- 8‑core CPU and 8‑core GPU
- 8GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- 20 hours of battery life
The most advanced MacBook Pro to date is what artists and illustrators will want. With a 9th-generation Intel Core i9 processor, this Mac can run intensive editing software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and more, smoothing out any lags or glitches that could ruin your creativity flow.
The 14-inch Retina Display is also a boon for illustrators who spend hours creating artwork on their laptops, with an incredible 3072×1920 resolution. This one also called best laptop for illustration.
7-ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 (best laptops for art majors)
- 15.6” 4K UHD NanoEdge Bezel Touch
- Intel Core i7-9750H
- 16GB RAM
- 1TB PCIe SSD
- GeForce RTX 2060
- Innovative ScreenPad Plus
- Windows 10 Pro
The Asus ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 is one of the first notebooks to feature a dual display, and it comes with additional screen real estate on a full-width secondary display. It also features a 4K main display, the latest i9 processor, excellent keyboard and touchpad, tons of storage, and Nvidia RTX graphics.
8-HP Envy x360 (best laptop for artists and photographers)
- 15.6-inch Full HD Touchscreen
- 10th gen Intel Core i7-10510U
- 8GB DDR4 Memory
- 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Natural Silver
- Windows 10
- Intel UHD Graphics
This best laptop for artists featuring 10th gen Intel Core i7-10510U processor and an integrated Intel UHD Graphics card, the HP Envy x360 cuts through even the most intensive tasks with ease. No matter what project you’re working on, you’ll be able to finish it quickly, thanks to a powerful processor that automatically adjusts its speed based on your workload.
Add in a convenient touchscreen display and thin, lightweight design, and you have yourself a notebook that keeps up with your imagination.
9-Microsoft Surface Pro (microsoft surface book laptop for artists)
- 7th generation Intel Core i5 Processor
- 8GB RAM
- 256GB SSD
- up to 13.5 hours Battery life
- Intel HD Graphics 620
- 12.3” PixelSense Touchscreen 2736 x 1824p
A high-end laptop created for artists and designers is the Microsoft Surface Pro. Familiar to users of Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10, the Surface Pro offers a fast 2.6 GHz processing speed, 8 GB of internal storage, and weighs slightly less than two pounds at 1.7 lbs. The 12.3” screen size enables greater mobility and provides ample room when creating: sketching, designing, and drafting on the screen – either with a mouse or digital pen (sold separately).
The wide touchscreen display provides a maximum balance between mobility and usability.
Q1. Should a laptop for an artist support a touch screen?
A laptop with a touch screen will be easier to use than one without. It will also allow you to work on multiple projects at once and make it easy to switch between them. However, if you are working on a project requiring precision or accuracy, such as drawing or painting, then a laptop with a traditional keyboard may better suit your needs.
Q2. How much RAM a laptop for art students should have?
A good laptop with at least 4GB of RAM (random access memory) will be fine for many art students. However, if you are working on large projects or doing complex digital painting, you may want to consider upgrading to 8GB or 16GB of RAM.
Q3. What Computer Specs Do I Need for Digital Art?
A computer with at least 1GB RAM (Random Access Memory) and an Intel Core 2 Duo processor or better. You will also need Adobe Photoshop CS5 or higher, Adobe Illustrator CS5 or higher, and Adobe Acrobat Pro XI or higher.
Q4. Windows or Mac for Digital Art?
It depends on what you want to create. If you are creating digital art, then I would recommend using Photoshop. You will use many different tools within Photoshop to create amazing images. However, if you are looking to create something with a lot of detail, like a painting, you may find that Illustrator is better suited for this type of work.
Q5. Can I use a drawing tablet with a laptop?
Yes, you can! You just need an adapter for your USB port. It will work fine on any Windows or Mac computer.
Q6. Is gaming laptop good for artists?
Yes! Gaming laptops are great for artists, designers, and video editors who need to work on their computer at home or on the go. They’re also great for students who want to play games while studying.
Q7. Is the ASUS Zephyrus G14 a good laptop for college?
Yes, if you’re looking for a budget gaming laptop. It’s one of the best laptops on the market right now. With its excellent battery life, fast performance, and sleek design, this laptop will last you through many hours of gaming sessions without having to worry about overheating or running out of power.
Q8. What’s the best laptop for architecture Students who is also an artist?
I would recommend you get an Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display. It will be great for both art work and design projects.
Q9. What is the best screen size of a laptop for a Computer Science student?
A 17″ screen is ideal for a computer science student. It gives you enough space to work comfortably while not being too small or big.
Q10. What is the best laptop for artists?
The best laptop for artists is one that’s light, portable, and powerful enough to run their software and tools. The best laptops are also built to last, so they’re easier on your back than the lightweight models, which tend to have shorter battery life.
The best laptops for artists include a standard and fast Intel Core i5 processor, at least 8 gigabytes of RAM, an upgraded graphics card like an AMD Radeon R9 M370X or Nvidia GeForce GT 650M, an SSD drive for faster boot-up times, and a high-quality screen resolution.
Bottom Lines
The best laptop for artists students should be fast, light and flexible. On a budget is not always possible, but apart from the above points approaching laptops with these considerations will improve your ability to work as a creative office, mobile and improves its versatility.
Finally, I hope that this article has given you a clearer idea of the best laptops for artists and students and that this will come in handy when deciding on purchasing a new laptop. If you have any questions or further insights on the topic, please leave them in the comment section below.