Best laptops for graphic design 2023: Reviewed and ranked

Graphic designers need a high-quality display for their projects, which is why you should consider picking up the Asus VivoBook Pro 16X OLED. The 4K OLED display is absolutely stunning, as it produces vibrant colors and deep blacks. It’s also a good option for those who suffer from eye strain and tension headaches. If you’re to spend hours peering into a display, it might as well be a top-quality one. The VivoBook also packs a decent punch in the processing department.

The CPU is the Ryzen 9 5900HX, which should be plenty zippy for basic graphic design needs and general use. It also has 32GB of RAM and a whopping 1TB of PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage. That’s sufficient enough for multitasking or firing up a couple of applications simultaneously. There are a couple of trade-offs you should be aware of like the lackluster webcam and the temperamental fingerprint reader. Those shortcomings are fairly small, though. Overall, the VivoBook Pro is a great machine that any graphic designer would love.

If you’re working with an inflexible budget, the MSI GF76 Katana is the best bang for your buck. It comes with an Intel Core i7-12700H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050Ti GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of PCle 4 SSD storage. In other words, this machine should be able to handle most design tasks with relative ease as well as everyday workloads. The GPU is a little underwhelming when running newer games, but MSI offers up to seven different configurations, so you can always chose a more powerful option. The display is also dimmer than we like, but it’s 17.3-inches and that’s a lot of screen real estate to work on. So, if you’re a beginner graphic designer looking to save some money, you should definitely consider the GF76 Katana.

The Razer Blade 17 (2022 version) is our top pick for video game designers. It’s got what it takes for graphically intensive projects thanks to its Intel Core i7-12800H CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, 1TB of PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD storage, and beastly GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU that renders 3D scenes ultra-fast. The 17.3-inch QHD display is beautiful, too. Not only does it have an impressive 240Hz refresh rate, but the 2650×1440 resolution makes for a crisp and colorful picture. The Blade has a lot to offer, that’s for sure, but it’s incredibly expensive. If you’re in a position to spend the money, then it’s an awesome buy. If you’re looking for more options for both work and play, be sure to check out our roundup of the best gaming laptops.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 is something of a rarity because of its compact form factor and powerful internals. It weighs just a little over three pounds, which makes it a capable traveling companion. It’ll also deliver reasonably fast performance thanks to the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU, the AMD Radeon RX6800S GPU, the 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and the 1TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. These components are a phenomenal combination for heavy-duty design work. The keyboard isn’t the best, though, as it feels a bit soft and the backlighting is subpar. That said, when it comes to a combination of portability and fast performance, the Zephyrus G14 is a fantastic pick.

Why have one display when you could have two? The Asus Zenbook Pro 14 makes this possible, with a 14.5-inch 4K touch OLED panel that outputs an ultra-bright 547 nits while covering 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. The main display is worthy enough for even the most serious designers, but the truly unique feature is the secondary 12.7-inch 2880×864 screen located just above the keyboard. Since Windows counts it as a second monitor you can use it for all sorts of things such as a second trackpad or for displaying a panel of touch controls for certain Adobe apps. It’s not just pretty screens either; the Zenbook Pro 14 packs solid performance thanks to a Core i7 processor, GeForce RTX 3050 graphics, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and a 1TB NVMe SSD.

Due to its high-powered features, it suffers from mediocre battery life, which means you may need to carry around a charging cable if you plan to do any work on the go. Still, the Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED is a great option for graphic designers or any other content creator, and the latest version of Asus’ dual-screen laptop is the best yet.

The Asus ROG Flow Z13 is one of the more unusual entries on this roundup. Simply put, it’s a folio-style gaming machine. You can pop open the kickstand on the back and voila! You’ve got a clamshell laptop. You can also remove the keyboard and use it as a touch-enabled tablet. The versatility here makes it a cool pick for creative work. As for the components, it’s rocking an Intel Core i9-12900H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage. It’s powerful, that’s for sure. The 1200p IPS touch display also produces sharp, vibrant images. This kind of versatility costs a premium though, so it’s not the most budget-friendly option. That said, if you’re looking for something truly unique, the Flow Z13 is well worth it.