8 Best Laptops for Art Students

8 Best Laptops for Art Students

Are you an art student and looking for the best laptops for your budget and needs? In this list, look no further because we have listed the best laptops for art students just like you! And we’ve gathered ten laptops and broken them down from budget laptops to High-end professionally made art students’ laptops.

We’ve ensured that this laptop has a long battery life, is lightweight, has a great display, has a fast CPU, and has a memory with enough Integrated or Dedicated graphics power for your needs. We reviewed these laptops and listed the pros and cons (Yes, we did the overthinking process, so you won’t have to).

So, are you ready for the best laptops for art students?


1. Microsoft Surface Go

Microsoft-Surface-Go-Intel Laptop for Art Students
  • CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Pentium Gold 8032
  • RAM: 4GB
  • Storage: 64GB SSD
  • Display: 10 inch PixelSense Touch (1800 x 1200)
  • GPU: Integrated Intel HD 615
  • Battery: Up to 8 hours

The Microsoft Surface Go is a budget laptop that runs on Windows 10 OS. It is an affordable laptop that can perform low to medium rendering for art students. Unlike other cheap alternatives, it has a display of 1800 x 1200, better than most of its competitors’ price points.

A dual-core processor powers the Intel Pentium Gold processor with a 1.6GHz clock speed. That’s quite enough for basic photo editing, animation, and medium video editing, and it can do a lot more.

4GB of ram is a bit short, but it is enough to run your editing applications without the threat of crashes when appropriately used.

The storage has 64GB, and take note it runs Windows 10 OS, so running old applications would be easy for the Microsoft Surface Go.

An 1800 x 1200 display is excellent for its price, combined with an Integrated Intel HD 615, perfect for digital artists with this price range budget and on the go. They can use digital painting software with ease with its 8-hour battery life. The Microsoft Surface Go will be the best laptop for art students on a budget.

PROS

  • Lightweight
  • Inexpensive
  • Good battery life
  • Extensive accessories support
  • Good touch display

CONS

  • Limited RAM
  • Limited storage
  • 10-inch screen size


2. Lenovo Flex 5

Lenovo-Flex-5-14-2-in-1-Laptop
  • CPU: 2.3GHz AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
  • RAM: 16GB
  • Storage: 256GB SSD
  • Display: 14 inch FHD LED (1920 x 1080)
  • GPU: Integrated AMD Radeon
  • Battery: Up to 10 hours

The Lenovo Flex 5 is a laptop for those artists and art students who need a laptop that requires a more extended battery and more excellent physical attributes.

The laptop comes with a 14-inch screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080p with an almost bezel-less design.

AMD Ryzen 5 4500U processor with a base clock speed of 2.3GHz. Ryzen is known for its multitasking performance because of its high thread count.

 And the number of processors in every chip. For example, the Lenovo Flex 5 is exceedingly power-efficient and has good thermal performance because it packs the AMD Ryzen 5 4500U.

It has an integrated GPU that can withstand almost any project that an art student needs.

It offers 256GB SSD storage, and it also offers 16GB RAM, which is shared with the GPU as video memory. An art student will quickly experience a smooth experience because of its productivity, flexibility, and design with the Lenovo Flex 5.

PROS

  • Good thermal performance
  • Good battery life
  • Large Storage capacity
  • Lightweight

CONS

  • No dedicated graphics


3. HP Pavilion x 360 14

HP-Pavilion-X360-14-Inch-Convertible-Laptop
  • CPU: 1GHz Intel Core i5-1035G1
  • RAM: 8GB
  • Storage: 512GB SSD
  • Display: 14-inch FHD IPS Touch (1920 x 1080)
  • GPU: Integrated Intel UHD
  • Battery: Up to 9 hours

The HP Pavilion x 360 is like the Audi R8 for digital artists and art students because it can offer Four versatile modes. Easily convert from laptop mode to tablet, stand, or tent mode for note-taking, drawing, and other daily activities that feel as natural as pen on paper

i5-1035G1, Quad-Core, 1.0 GHz base frequency, up to 3.6 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology. It is more than enough for your academics and design needs combined.

With 14-inch FHD IPS Touch, it would be an ideal laptop for digital artists that want a computer that can do more than just a laptop. And it can be your graphics tablet as well.

The integrated UHD graphics coprocessor can perform great with your visual projects, and it has 8GB RAM, which can easily handle multitasking.

PROS

  • Good battery life
  • Alexa compatible
  • Large Storage capacity
  • Sharp FHD IPS Touch Display

CONS

  • Non-upgradeable system memory


4. Dell Inspiron 15 5502

Dell-Inspiron-15-5502 Laptop for Art Students
  • CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-1135G7
  • RAM: 8GB
  • Storage: 512GB SSD
  • Display: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)
  • GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Xe
  • Battery: Up to 6 hours

The Dell Inspiron 15 5502 is made for art students who want quality and want to have the newest technology out there.

Having an Intel Core i5-1135G7, A new-gen processor, Expects a fantastic performance for managing different software and applications for your studies and hobbies.

Boasting its Intel Xe graphics coprocessor, you can run your school works and games simultaneously without any crashes.

Waves MaxxAudio Pro boosts volume and clarifies every tone, so you experience studio-quality sound.

CinemaStream: Killer Wireless channels maximum bandwidth to your videos or music for a seamless, stutter-free experience.

8GB of ram and a whopping 512 SSD storage, a safer and faster way you can start your school day.

PROS

  • Large storage capacity
  • 11th gen processor
  • Fingerprint sensor
  • Great Speaker quality

CONS

  • Anti-glare isn’t as dominant


5. Acer Spin 5

Acer Spin 5 Convertible Laptop
  • CPU: 1.1GHz Intel Core i7-1065G7
  • RAM: 16GB
  • Storage: 512GB SSD
  • Display: 13.5 inch IPS 2K (2256 x 1504)
  • GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Plus
  • Battery: Up to 15 hours

The Acer Spin 5 is light, powerful, and classy. They updated the design and features to improve its mobility; with the 2256 x 1504 pixel resolution and 13.5-inch touchscreen, it stands out from design to display performance.

The Acer Spin 5 houses Intel Core i7 1065G7. A great combination with their integrated GPU Intel Iris Plus. It can deliver a tremendous smooth experience for editing videos, animations, visual effects, etc.

Multi-tasking is at ease with a 16GB of ram and an ample 512GB of SSD. In addition, the laptop features a touchpad covered with Antimicrobial Corning Glass and has a long battery life span of 15 hours.

PROS

  • Large storage capacity
  • Has different ports
  • Great Display
  • Long battery life span

CONS

  • Back-lit keyboard errors


6. Apple Macbook Pro M1

Apple-Macbook-Pro-2020-m1
  • Operating System: Mac OS
  • Processor: Apple M1 chip
  • RAM: 8 GB to 16 GB
  • Internal Storage: 256GB or 512GB SSD
  • Screen Size: 13.3-inch
  • Display Resolution: 2560 x 1600
  • Battery up to 16 hours

The MacBook Pro with M1 is a laptop from Apple that has its competition. The Retina Display on the MacBook Pro M1 delivers a sharp, vibrant, and colorful display. In addition, it has a touchpad that is user-friendly and convenient for shortcuts.

The Apple Macbook Pro with an M1 chip is powerful enough for your Academic projects, homework, editing photos, videos, and gaming. 

The Apple Macbook Pro is upgradable, and you might need to upgrade the ram and internal storage for a smoother experience. However, its quality and design make it a league of its own.

PROS

  • Excellent graphics capacity
  • IPS Retina Display 
  • User-friendly touch bar

CONS

  • Internal Storage sometimes falls short


7. HP Spectre

HP-Spectre-x360-2-in-1
  • Operating System: Windows 10
  • Processor: 4.6 GHz core_i7 1165G7 
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Internal Storage: 512 GB
  • Screen Size: 15.6 inches
  • Display Resolution: 3840 x 2160

The HP Spectre x360 packs an Intel 11th-gen CPU. Compared to its predecessor, the HP Spectre x360 2021 is a beast. With Intel’s Evo certification specifications, the x360 has taken a massive leap in the industry. With its elegant design, High Display Resolution, and portability features, it is like Flagship written on the Laptop itself.

It isn’t a gaming laptop but having a hard day or schoolwork, and it can deliver a neat gaming experience. A great design also features its almost none bezel screen with a display resolution at its finest; a screen size of 15.6 inches is more than enough to meet your editing or academic needs. It is also not recommended to use it as a tablet because it’s bulkier in size, but you can choose from other options if you want a tablet.

A laptop this premium also has a premium price tag. However, from the design and ports to the specifications, this laptop is excellent for Art students who want a unique laptop with great specifications.

PROS

  • Sleek and portable laptop
  • Very powerful and responsive with a touchscreen
  • Comfortable Keyboard

CONS

  • Short Battery life 
  • Fans may get too noisy


8. Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED

ASUS-ZenBook-Pro-Duo-UX581
  • Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
  • Processor: i9-10980HK Processor 2.4 GHz
  • Graphics: Intel® UHD Graphics,NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU,With Boost up to 1440MHz at 90W (110W with Dynamic Boost),8GB GDDR6
  • RAM: 16 GB up to 32GB
  • Internal Storage: 1 TB
  • Screen Size: 14-inch / 15.6 inch 4K
  • Display Resolution: 3840 x 2160

And finally, our top pick for the best laptop for art students is The ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED. This Laptop lets you get things done in style: calmly, efficiently, and fast.

It’s your powerful and elegant companion for productivity and creativity, featuring an astonishing 4K OLED HDR touchscreen. It also includes the ASUS ScreenPad Plus secondary 4K display with a brand-new tilting design that offers effortless ergonomics.

Powered by an Intel Core i9 eight-core processor and NVIDIA® GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED brings you all the benefits of technology.

As Digital artists, we do some other stuff too, and most of the time, we may be good at it. The Asus Zenbook Pro Duo 15 OLED can help you do your duties for graphics and academics, but it can also do a lot for you.

So if you are a 3D artist, Music artist, Gamer, Animator, or even a Programmer, this laptop is the best for you. This monster of a laptop can undoubtedly withstand anything you give to it. With the specifications and features, it can boost your performance and creativity.

PROS

  • The Asus Screenpad Plus gives you more space to work with
  • The multi-touch screen and stylus make the perfect combination for drawing and painting

CONS

  • High premium price

4 Buying Guides When Buying an Art Laptop:

1. What to look for when buying an art laptop

Graphics capabilities:

Many art laptops will come with a built-in graphics card that allows you to create and edit your artwork easily. If you are looking for a computer to use primarily for art, then make sure that the graphics card is one of the better ones on the market.

Processor:

The processor is essential for two reasons. First, a faster processor will make your laptop run more quickly overall. It is vital for any computer, but it is critical to an art laptop because you will likely run multiple programs simultaneously while working on your artwork. Second, a faster processor will allow you to render 3D images and animations more quickly. If you plan on doing any 3D work with your laptop, you will want to make sure that the processor is up to par.

Screen size and resolution:

When it comes to screen size, bigger is not always better. If you plan on doing a lot of detailed work, you will want a smaller screen to see all of the details. However, a bigger screen will be better if you plan to do primarily large-scale work or photos and videos. As for resolution, higher is always better. A higher resolution will allow you to see more detail in your career, which can be very important when creating art.

Weight and portability:

One of the most significant advantages of a laptop is that it is portable. You can take it with you wherever you go. Perfect for artists who like to work on the go. However, not all laptops are equal when it comes to portability. Some are heavier and harder to carry around than others. So make sure to choose a lightweight laptop and easy to transport.

Battery life:

Another essential factor to consider when choosing an art laptop is battery life. If you plan to work on your artwork for long periods, you will want a computer with good battery life. Otherwise, you will have to keep your laptop plugged in, which can be inconvenient.

Expandability/upgradability:

One final factor to consider is expandability/upgradability. If you think you might want to upgrade your laptop in the future, then make sure to choose one that is easily upgradable. This way, you can add more RAM or a better graphics card down the road without replacing your entire laptop.

2. Price points for different types of art laptops

Low-end:

You can find a decent art laptop for around $500. These laptops will have entry-level specs and may not handle more demanding tasks, but they should be able to handle most basic art projects.

Mid-range:

For around $1,000, you can get a mid-range art laptop that will offer better performance and more features than a low-end model. These laptops are suitable for serious artists who need more power and flexibility.

High-end:

If you have a large budget, you can find high-end art laptops that cost $2,000 or more. These laptops will offer the best performance and the most features, making them perfect for professional artists.

3. Where to find the best deals on art laptops

The best place to find deals on art laptops is online. Several online retailers sell laptops specifically for artists, and you can often find them cheaper than you would pay in a brick-and-mortar store. Additionally, many online retailers offer free shipping, saving you even more money.

4. How to get the most out of your new art laptop

Once you have your new art laptop, you can do a few things to get the most out of it.

  • Make sure to install all of the software you need for your artwork. This includes any drawing or painting programs and any 3D rendering software.
  • If your laptop came with a trial version of Microsoft Office, make sure to upgrade to the full version so that you can open and edit all types of files.
  • Take some time to familiarize yourself with the different features and settings of your laptop so that you can customize it to your specific needs.

Conclusion

Technology plays a good role in the art industry, but with a mix of skills and creativity, You can stand out. Do you know other Laptops that work best for you? Want us to review different products for your journey as an artist? Please chat with us on Facebook or email us and let’s talk about your next masterpiece.