Be it, anybody, a reliable laptop is an essential part of daily life. There are different requirements for different peoples. Some want a laptop just for accounting while some for heavy tasks like virtualizations, and gaming. Employees and businessmen who travel a lot, have requirements like compact and lightweight laptops, and so on. And as far as art students are considered, they usually look for a laptop that has a good, color-accurate touch screen with multi-touch support. Also, things like the powerful yet lightweight form factor do matters a lot. And long battery life is a must-have thing for students. In this article, I have listed the best possible options that an art student should consider while buying a laptop for art study and project purposes. All the listed laptops are touch screen, and serves a good battery life. All the laptops are from reputed brands and promise the best possible specifications for the price they come at. So, let’s now get started with the list of the 11 best laptops for art students.
Minimum & Recommended System Requirements for an art student’s laptop
Best Laptops For Art Students In 2021
The listed 11 laptops are sorted in alphabetical order and are not sorted in any kind of increasing or decreasing order of any kind of specification. Each listed laptop has its own set of pros and cons. You should choose the laptop which suits your personal and student life requirements.
1. Acer Spin 3
Acer is one of the prominent PC brands and as per the requirements of an art student, the Acer Spin 3 comes out to be a great package. It offers a really nice set of features at a pocket-friendly price. If you’re tight on budget and looking for a decent laptop for art and creativity things then Acer Spin 3 is a pretty good choice. Talking about the specifications of the laptop, it comes with a 14-incheS IPS LED-Backlit touchscreen display with a Full HD resolution (1920×1080). And as its name suggests, it is a 2-in1 convertible laptop and hence can be used as Laptop and tablet. The latest Acer Spin 3 comes loaded with 8GB of DDR4 RAM and 256GB of SSD storage. The Laptop comes with a 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 which is a 10nm CPU from Intel with a base frequency of 1.0GHz and Max Turbo Frequency of 3.60GHz. The laptop comes with integrated Intel UHD 10th gen graphics which is sufficient for most of the creative tasks. The laptop weighs 6.81 pounds and have dimensions: 19.06 x 12.6 x 3.74 inches. It comes with a rechargeable Lithium Metal battery.
2. Apple MacBook Air
No need to introduce how good the Apple MacBooks are for productivity tasks. Whether it’s the Air or the Pro, Macbooks have been a top priority for almost all professional workers. The new 2020 Apple Macbooks with the company’s own ARM-based Apple M1 chips have come to be really very powerful. Even better than the 11th gen core-i9 in geek bench scores.
AffordableHigh-end CPUSleeve and Stylus included
Slightly HeavyDesign needs improvement
And if you’re looking for a lightweight and compact Macbook then the new 2020 Macbook Air M1 can be a really great choice. I am one of the Macbook Air M1 users. Though I am not an art student but can bet you that the laptop will be more than enough for all your art projects. It has a fan-less design and hence is also pretty quiet even while being used extensively. The Apple Macbook Air features a 13.3-inches LED-backlit display with IPS technology with a native resolution of 2560×1600. It is clearly a 16:10 aspect ratio and hence provides more vertical room on the workspace. However, if you’re looking for a touchscreen then it’s not one of them. The laptop has been powered with Apple’s latest Apple M1 chip with has an 8-core PU with a base frequency of 1.1GHz. The M1 chip is also coupled with an 8-core GPU integrated within the SoC to make the laptop capable of doing all the heavy graphics-intensive tasks. The M1 Air has two thunderbolt USB-C ports and a 3.5mm audio jack which is a pretty low selection of ports and hence will require to have a separate dongle for file transfer from an SD-card or camera. The laptop has been rated by Apple to provide up to 18 hours of battery life and also comes with a 30W wall adapter as well.
3. Apple MacBook Pro
If the MacBook Air was not powerful enough for you then you can have a look at the Pro model of the same 2020 M1 MacBooks. The laptop has slight yet crucial improvements over the Air version like the inclusion of TouchBar. The touch bar can be a game-changer for increasing your productivity and if you’re into a serious business of arts then you would definitely love it.
Fan-less design2k retina displaycompact and powerfullong battery backup
less no. of portsno touch screen
Also, the battery life has been rated 20 hours which is 2 hours more than the Air, and also comes with a 61W USB-C Power Adapter. The display of the pro can hit up to 500 nits of brightness which is up to 400nits in the MacBook Air. If you’re concerned about the heating issues due to fan-less design then the Pro version comes with a cooling fan as well. Additional things like the speakers and the mic are also slightly better in the pro. Also, the Pro version has been equipped with two extra USB-C Thunderbolt ports for slightly better I/O connectivity. The rest of the specs are just the same. There is the same Apple M1 chip with an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, along with a 16-core Neural Engine for top-of-the-line AI performance. But MacBook Air and Pro come with up to 16GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage.
4. Asus Zenbook Pro Duo
If you want to stick to a Windows workspace along with the best possible hardware and performance then the Asus Zenbook Pro Duo is worth considering listing in this article. The laptop has some of the best specifications available on a windows laptop. And if you’re concerned about productivity this laptop comes with a dual display among which one is a touch screen. You can call it a touch bar of windows laptops but with a big screen size and resolution.
heavy performancelong battery backupfans for cooling in heavy workload
only USB-C ports
Starting from the display, the Zenbook Pro Duo comes with a 15.6-inches OLED glossy touchscreen display with a huge 4K UHD resolution. The display of the finest on a Window laptop. Additionally, this display has been coupled with an extra 14-inches 4K UHD IPS touch screen matte display which helps you a lot in enhancing your productivity during art projects. For raw performance, the laptop has been equipped with an Intel core-i9-10980HK processor which is a 14nm Intel Comet Lake processor with a base frequency of 2.4GHz and turbo boost frequency of 5.3GHz. On the GPU front, there is again, no compromise. The lZenbook Pro Duo has been greeted with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card. The I/O and port selection of this laptop is really good and on point. The portfolio of Zenbook Pro Duo’s I/O includes 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x Thunderbolt™ 3 supports display/power delivery, 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x HDMI 2.0a, 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack. The laptop has a 71WHrs, 8-cell Li-ion battery with a 230W AC Adapter.
5. HP Envy 13
If you’re looking for an 11th Gen Intel processor-based laptop under $1000 with a touch screen then the HP Envy 13 is a pretty good choice for you. The laptop is really premium-looking with minimal design and slim display bezels. It’s an overall best-performing laptop with premium and long-life durability.
dual 4k OLED screensRTX 2060 GPUgood selection of ports
heavyexpensive
The display of the Envy 13 measures 13.3-inch with a Full HD resolution of 1920×1080 and a smooth 60Hz refresh rate. It is an IPS panel that, obviously, has a touch screen and has an 88% screen-to-body ratio. The laptop comes with a non-expandable RAM capacity of up to 8GB DDR4 along with up to 256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage. The laptop has been packed with the Intel Core i7-1165G7 which is an 11th gen Tiger Lake Intel processor that provides a max turbo clock speed of up to 4.7GHz. It is a 4-core, 8-thread processor that has been fabricated over 10 nm SuperFin fabrication. The laptop doesn’t have any discrete GPU but comes with integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics. The laptop weighs 2.88ponts and has been rated to deliver up to 13 hours of battery life and comes with a 65W power adapter. Talking about the ports, the HP Envy has 1x Thunderbolt 4 with USB4 Type-C, 1x SuperSpeed USB Type-A, 1x SuperSpeed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate, and 1x headphone/microphone combo.
6. HP Spectre x360 15T
HP’s Spectre series of laptops have been seen serving productivity lovers for quite a long time. And these laptops are indeed successful in delivering the performance and convenience one expects from them. And art students have one of the most creative minds in the world, the HP Spectre laptops can be a great companion to them.
11th Gen Intel CPULong battery backuppremium designfast charging
RAM capacity is low for the price
For a hard-working and focused student, the HP Spectre 15T is seeming to be a perfect fit. The laptop comes with a 15.6-inches touchscreen display with a 4K UHD resolution. It is an IPS AMOLED Display with a bezel-less design. Talking about the memory and storage, the laptop comes with up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM and 1TB of PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD. As for the processor, the laptop comes with up to 9th Gen Intel i7-9750H. It is a 14nm Coffee Lake processor that has 6-cores and 12-threads. The laptop has a base frequency of 2.6GHz with a boosted turbo clock speed of up to 4.5GHz. The Spectre x360 15T also comes with the Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics cards with 4GB of GDDR5 VRAM. The ports selection of the laptop is also pretty awesome. The laptop includes HDMI 2.0, 3.5mm Audio Jack, MicroSD reader, Webcam Kill Switch, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with Thunderbolt 3, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with Thunderbolt 3. The laptop weighs 4.81 pounds and comes with up to 17hrs of battery backup.
7. Lenovo Flex 5
Looking for an affordable 2-in1 Chromebook with a touchscreen? The 2021 Lenovo Flex 5 can be the one for you. The laptop is just perfect for art students who are looking for a touchscreen laptop at pocket-friendly pricing. The laptop runs over Google’s Chrome OS and hence using the laptop for daily normal art student tasks will be no issue with the touch screen.
Premium designcompact and lightweight4K AMOLED display
Quite expensive
Starting from the display, the 2021 Lenovo Flex 5 features a 13.3-inches Touchscreen Display with a Full HD resolution. It is a LED-backlit LCD panel with matte Anti-Glare coating. The laptop comes with 8GB of DDR4 RAM that has been coupled with 128GB of SSD storage. The storage is definitely on the lower side but you can add an external HDD or SSD via the provided I/O ports. Coming to the main processing house of the laptop, it has been equipped with the 10th gen Intel core-i3-10110U processor. It is a 14 nm-based dual-core processor with 4 threads with a base frequency of 2.1GHz. The turbo boost clock speed of the processor is 4.1GHz. This processor is just more than enough for what you can do on a Chromebook. There is also Intel UHD Graphics for 10th Gen Intel Processors integrated within the i3-10110U. Talking about the ports of the new Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook, it includes 2 x USB-C 3.2 (Gen 1), USB-A 3.2 (Gen 1 with power delivery), Headphone/mic combo, and a MicroSD card reader. The laptop also has a 4-cell 51Whr battery that supports 45W of charging.
8. Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5i
One more contender from Lenovo who is flexing hard to pitch that it is the best choice for an art student is the Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5i. The Ideapad series from Lenovo is has been one of the best series for almost all types of needs. The Ideapad Flex 5i is for art students.
Ultra portablehigh-end CPUgood battery backuptouchscreen
Chrome OS might not be good for art students
Talking about the laptop in detail, it comes with one of the finest displays on its budget. It packs a 14-inches IPS touchscreen display that has a resolution of Full HD (1920×1080). The laptop is a convertible (2-in-1) and hence can also be used as a tablet. The RAM capacity of the laptop touches a maximum of 8GB DDR4 which is more than enough for most of the tasks performed by the art students. This DDR4 RAM is coupled with 128GB of fast pure SSD storage. Coming to the processing power, the Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5i comes with up to 11th gen Intel core i7. However, as of writing this article, the 11th gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 version is available for purchase. The Intel Core i5-1135G7 is a 10 nm SuperFin fabrication-based Tiger Lake CPU that has a maximum turbo clock speed of 4.2GHz. Since it’s a Tiger Lake 11th gen CPU, it has been integrated with Intel’s latest Iris Xe graphics with the max dynamic frequency of 1.3GHz. Talking about the battery, the Ideapad Flex 5i has a 52.5Whr 3-cell rechargeable battery that has been rated by Lenovo to provide up to 10 hours of backup. It also comes with a 65W AC power adapter. As for the connectivity ports, the laptop has 1x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 1x USB-C 3.1 Gen 1, and Headphone/microphone jack.
9. Microsoft Surface Pro 7
When it comes to premium Windows laptops, Microsoft laptops and convertibles are unmatchable. Its surface lineup has some of the best-performing windows laptops and tablets that can prove to be a great deal for art students. We have three Microsoft Surface laptops in recommendations for you. Firstly, let’s start with the Microsoft Surface Pro 7.
16GB RAM2-in-1 convertiblecompactlarge display
processor could be 11th gen i7display could be 4k
It is primarily a windows tabler but comes with a detachable keyboard cover and hence can also be operated as a laptop. The Surface Pro 7 has a 12.3-inches PixelSense Display with a resolution of 2736×1824 and an aspect ratio of 3:2 for a more vertical workspace. The RAM-ROM configurations of the surface pro 7 pack up to 16GB of LDDR4x fast RAM and up to 1TB of fast pure SSD storage. Talking about its main processing unit, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 comes with up to 10th gen intel Core-i7-1065G7 Processor. It is a 10nm-based 4-cores/8-threads processor that operates at a base frequency of 1.3GHz. There is also a max turbo clock speed of up to 3.9GHz. As for the graphics, the tablet is dependable on integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics for the i5 and i7 models and the i3 model comes with Intel UHD integrated graphics. Since its primarily a tablet, it comes with a front and rear camera of 5MP and 8MP respectively with a 1080p video recording. The connectivity ports of the tablet feature 1x USB-C, 1x USB-A, 3.5 mm headphone jack, 1x Surface Connect port, Surface Type Cover port, and a MicroSDXC card reader slot. The battery of the tablet is rated to provide up to 10.5 hours of backup.
10. Microsoft Surface Go 2
If the surface pro 7 is a bit expensive and also an overkill for your daily requirements, then you can consider the lighter and more affordable Microsoft Surface Go 7 tablet. The tablet has everything scaled down from what was packed inside the Surface Pro 7.
good battery backupportable16GB RAM is goodkeyboard cover included
integrated GPU is averagea little bit expensive
The tablet packs a 10.51-inches PixelSense Display with a Full HD resolution of 1920×1280 and an aspect ratio of 3:2. The display is also protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, making the tablet a bit more durable. As for memory and storage, the Surface Go 2 comes with up to 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 64GB (eMMC)/128GB (SSD). Talking about its processor, the tablet has an 8th gen Intel Core M3 processor. It is a 14nm-based Amber Lake Y processor that operates at a base clock speed of 1.1GHz along with a turbo boost frequency of 3.4GHz. It is a 2-core/4-threads processor and hence is enough for all the tasks of art students. As for the graphics processing, the tablet is relying on the integrated Intel Intel UHD Graphics 615 graphics. The Surface Go 2 also has a 10 hours rated battery backup which is a good thing. As for the connectivity ports, the Microsoft Surface Go 2 has 1x USB-C, 3.5 mm headphone jack, 1x Surface Connect port, Surface Type Cover Port, MicroSDXC Card Reader, and a Nano-SIM tray for cellular connectivity.
11. Microsoft SurfaceBook 3
The last laptop on our list is the Microsoft SurfaceBook 3. It is a laptop whose screen can be detached from its keypad and hence is also great for tablet mode usage. It is a premium laptop and promises a nice and long-lasting companionship.
quit affordableGorilla Glass 3 protectionportable and lightweight
processor could be betterkeyboard cover not included
The laptop comes in two display variants: 13-inches and 15-inches which is a good thing. The precise measurements of the displays are 13.3-inches and 15.0-inches with a resolution of 3000×2000 and 3240×2160 respectively. The displays are obviously touch screens with up to 10 point multi-touch. As for the memory and storage, the laptop offers up to 32GB of 3733Mhz LPDDR4x RAM and up to 2TB PCIe pure SSD storage. Talking about the CPU of the laptop, there is up to 10th gen Intel Core i7-1065G7 which is a 10nm-based Ice Lake processor. It has 4-cores and 8-threads with a base and turbo frequency of 1.3GHz and 3.9GHz respectively. The graphics processing area is also pretty strong in the laptop. The Surface Book 3 goes up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q with 6GB of GDDR6 VRAM. The battery of the laptop goes up to 10.5 hours when connected to the provided keyboard base. Lastly, the I/O ports of the laptop consist of 2x USB-A (version 3.1 Gen 2), 1x USB-C (version 3.1 Gen 2 with USB Power Delivery revision 3.0), 3.5mm jack, 2x Surface Connect ports (one on keyboard base, one on tablet), and a full-size SDXC card reader.
What is the best Laptop for Art students?
The best laptop for art students must have an excellent display with best-in-class color accuracy and if it’s a touch screen then that is even better in the case of those who draw. Also, the artist’s laptop should be compact and easy to carry with decently powerful internals like at least 8GB of RAM, fast SSD storage, and a minimum of a 2-core/8-thread processor. Also, a good battery backup of at least 8 hours is a must.
detachable laptop keyboardbig multi-touch screendedicated GPUgood battery backup
expensivesome users complaint battery swelling
What laptop do artists use?
Artists use a laptop that has a color-accurate display, a good battery backup, and is powerful enough to handle apps like adobe illustrator, photoshop, etc. They also give priority to a compact form factor because it makes them easy to carry their workstation anywhere.
What should I look for in a laptop for digital art?
If you’re into digital arts then a laptop that is a 2-in-1 convertible with a vibrant color-accurate multitouch screen is the one you should look for. Other aspects like good battery backup, powerful specifications, and compactness also matter a lot.
Is MacBook good for art students?
Yes, MacBooks are known for their battery backup and powerful software. If your requirements don’t ask for a windows laptop the MacBook comes out to be a great choice for art students.
How much RAM is needed in an Art student’s laptop?
Art students usually perform multitasking and hence a RAM of at least 8GB of DDR4 type is a must. However, going up to 16GB RAM would be a good option for futureproofing.
Do an art student need to have a GPU in its laptop?
The art students’ workflow asks for more RAM and fast internal storage and most of its work can be handled by the integrated GPU, provided with the processor. However, if you have plans to do gaming in your free time then you can consider a laptop with a discrete GPU in it.
Should a laptop for art student have a touch screen?
Art students are those who do creative stuff and having a good touchscreen will definitely increase productivity. Hence an art student should definitely priorities a good touch screen if possible.
Is 8GB RAM enough for digital art students and professionals?
In most cases, it’s a yes. The 8GB high-speed RAM of at least DDR4 type is sufficient for most of the digital art workload. However, in some cases, situations occur when you need to do a lot of multitasking. In that case, an 8GBof Ram might bottleneck your laptop.
Bottom Line
So these were the top 11 laptops for art students and can even be considered by professional digital artists. Each listed laptop has its own set of different features to match the needs of different students’ use cases. Some are good for battery backup, some are for heavy graphics performance, some are portable and convertible. I am pretty sure that you’ll definitely be able to find a laptop that fits your specific needs. Let me know if this article helped you in making your decision. Also, mention any of your personal recommendations that you think deserve to be on this list of best laptops for art students.
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