1. Dell XPS 15
A light laptop with a good display – Something to get you started
CPU: Intel Core i5 | Graphics: GeForce graphics | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 15.6″ FHD 1920×1080 Anti-Glare 100% sRGB InfinityEdge display | Storage: 1TB HD/32GB SSD
– Colour accurate display
– Ok battery life
– Very portable
– Can add to the set
There is no hiding that Dell creates the best monitors and displays. So, it is easy to say that the Dell XPS 15 is a stunning laptop – and the 2018 version is very affordable too. The laptop comes with an InfinityEdge display at Full HD or 1080p resolution, a Core i5 CPU, 8GB RAM and a 1TB HD and 32GB SSD.
The fun part is that you can spec it up so you can link it with a 4K display with the offering of multi-touch, you can turn it into a portable sketchbook. 15.6-inches of UHD definition (3,840 x 2,160) equals a lot of pixels, making for some incredibly sharp images which can prove to be especially useful when you are working with photography and print.
If you are working with 3D models or video and need faster rendering, the Intel HD Graphics 630 GPU can go up to an impressive Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 when overclocked.
2. Microsoft Surface Book 2
The Surface Book – the most diverse in function and best you can buy in 2020
CPU: Intel Core i7 | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620 – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 15-inch PixelSense (3240×2160) | Storage: 256GB – 1TB SSD
- Can be dismantled to create a tablet
- Colour-accurate screen
- Has pen pressure (can be used as a graphics tablet)
- Has a 4k screen
- Plenty of storage
Microsoft’s Surface Book 2 is a 2-in-1 laptop. Every designer who cares to diversify their skills, practices drawing and illustration should have this laptop. As they say it at Zurek Designs, “diversifying your skills as a graphic designer can double your income, and if you combine it with marketing and branding you can increase your income indefinitely.”.
So, the Surface Book 2 in essence is the best laptop for graphic design you can get in 2020. On top of that, thanks to Intel’s quad-core Coffee Lake Core i7-8650 processor and 16GB of RAM, the laptop is very fast and powerful which allows to complete complex projects
The laptop is versatile so as described before, you can use it as a graphics, video or photo-editing workstation on the go, or even as a drawing tablet. All you have to do is detach the screen and use it as a tablet with the Surface Pen. Additionally, Microsoft put in more functionality so now you can flip the screen around, reattach it and you can use the tablet in different angles.
Razer’s Blade 15 Studio Edition
The runner-up for 2020 – The beefiest in specs professional laptop you can get
CPU: i7-9750H hexa-core | GPU: Nvidia’s Quadro RTX 5000 Studio Edition 16GB | Ram: 32GB | Screen: 15.6 inch touchscreen | Resolution: 4 k | 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage.
- The best specs on the market
- Has a 4k screen
- Really fast NVME SSD storage
- 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage
- Beautiful
- But expensive
By default, this machine comes with 32GB of DDR4 RAM, but it can be expanded up to 64GB. The laptop comes with a 1TB NVMe PCIe SSD, and can support up to 2TB in the M.2 2280 form factor. There’s a Thunderbolt 3 port, USB Type-A 3.2 ports, a Mini DisplayPort socket and HDMI 2.0b.
The laptop is a 15.6-inch touchscreen which is a 4K OLED with a whopping 1ms response time that covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. The laptop comes with the 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H hexa-core CPU which is the best you can get in a laptop for the budget.
This laptop is overkill for most graphic designers with over specked hardware for the job, however, if you are editing photos, videos, animations or 3D rendering, this laptop will be a must if you are often on the run.
If you are a teacher on top of a graphic designer, you may want to check out our top laptops for teachers.
