Finishing touches while on the go: The best laptops for photo editing in 2024

The OLED display certainly didn’t pass us by in our review of the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED laptop. Considering that this machine comes with an ASUS Pen and touchscreen, photo editors will love the sheer number of ways to use it. We particularly love the clarity of the screen for high-resolution images. They have exceptional true-to-life vibrancy and deep blacks - perfect for editing high-quality photographs. 

Equipped with an Intel i7 processor, 32 GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, it excels in handling complex photo editing tasks. Altogether, apps like Photoshop and the like work smoothly and accurately. It is worth mentioning though that anyone who already uses a pen and art tablet might not like the feel of using the ASUS Pen on the glassy screen.

With a decent battery life and lightweight yet sturdy build, the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED stands out as our best pick for photo editors in search of a powerful yet portable creative tool.

We think that this ASUS Vivobook 15 is a superb laptop for the money - making it one of the best budget laptops of the year. Despite only having a Full-HD resolution screen, under the chassis of the ASUS Vivobook 15 is a reliable Intel i7-1255U CPU, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, giving you plenty of hardware potential to adjust your photographs. It may not be a total powerhouse, but it'll run apps like Adobe Lightroom. It's hardy too, sporting military-grade durability - making this ideal to throw in with your camera gear for trips away.

As a laptop under £500, the value of the ASUS Vivobook 15 is undeniably excellent, but if you are on a very tight budget you could go for the same model with 8GB of RAM which is fine for light editing tasks.

Despite having a slightly no-frills design and plain aesthetic - we cannot deny how much value this is for the money - especially considering you have that 15.6-inch display to work on.

The 2022 MacBook Air may be a couple of years old, but it represents a typically compact design that balances computing power and affordability. When it comes to portable photo editing. The M2 processor is more than capable of handling these needs, despite not having the latest M3 chip.

Its portability and remarkably slim profile truly live up to the 'Air' moniker. With a weight of just 1.24 kilograms, it's astonishing how Apple has managed to pack a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage into such a slender frame. We think you'll need to invest in a large external storage drive though, as this is a little light on space.

But, how good will this be for editing your photos? Well, we're happy to see that the 8-core CPU, integrated GPU, and 8GB of unified memory can run your choice of mid-level image editing applications. Apple's usual array of extras are onboard too, such as the FaceTime HD camera, a three-microphone array for crystal-clear audio, and a quad-speaker surround sound system. Additionally, the MagSafe charging port simplifies connectivity, eliminating the hassle of cable management. Take this little beauty with you on your next photography trip and you'll hardly notice you're carrying it.

When it comes to innovation, performance and convenience, we think you can't do much better than the ASUS Zenbook Duo. It's a real contender for the ultimate photo editing laptop thanks to its brilliantly innovative dual touchscreen design. If you like to tweak and adjust your shots without various panels getting in the way, that slim second display just above the keyboard is what you've been waiting for. Design-wise, the ASUS Zenbook Duo is something of a looker too, with a robust yet lightweight chassis and a premium feel.

Spec-wise this is certainly no lightweight. Multitasking has never been smoother and more seamless thanks to the Zenbook Duo's Intel i7 CPU and 16GB of RAM. All in all, that means a super-fast response time for any photo editing program you choose. But, in the end, we're drawn back to the Zenbook Duo's dual-screen design.

Designed with creative professionals in mind, it tilts up to seven degrees for ease of use. You can control your photo effects simply and effectively with phenomenal precision - although the second screen may take some getting used to, as it's oriented horizontally. And they're touchscreens too, giving you even more direct control. The added ASUS Pen is a welcome addition for any in-depth image editing.

Although this isn't the only FHD laptop on our list, we think it represents the best value compared to our high-end photo editing laptop choice. The Acer Swift X is a 16-inch machine with some serious power to bring to your applications and more. With a solid 512GB SSD for super-fast load speeds and storage, the Intel Core i7-11390H CPU and 8GB of RAM only serve to speed things up even more. But, it's the stunning screen that really delivers for photographers here.

The stated battery life of 7.5 hours is a little below average though, so plan your power needs accordingly if you're planning on taking this off-grid on a shoot. Power aside, editing your high-res shots on a screen this good is a must-have for all serious photographers.

If there's something that Apple continually gets right it's their proprietary integrated chips that power their laptops. This 2024 MacBook Air has the latest M3 chip with its 10-core GPU and 16-core neural engine for AI-driven power.

Install your favourite image editing applications on this and you'll enjoy a seamless and smooth experience. And that 15-inch Liquid Retina display can support over a billion colours, so you can always be assured of colour accuracy. It runs as quad-HD resolution too, so it's ideal for working on those detailed high-res shots. Apple claims that the battery life is an astounding 18 hours under average use, but we think that you should expect less when using intensive photo editing applications.

As Apple Macs go, for us this one strikes the right balance between price and functionality when it comes to editing photos on the go.

If you're hovering between getting a tablet for the portable touchscreen experience, and a laptop with serious power and impressive battery life, the Microsoft Surface Pro (11th edition) is for you. We love the way this can transform into a standalone tablet with a stylus for more hands-on convenience.

But it's the internal spec that really steals the show here - as it may look like a tablet, but it's a laptop on the inside. As it's running Windows 11, you can expect to install your favourite professional photo editing apps. Best of all, you have a 10-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus CPU and a massive 16GB of RAM to play with. 

All that said, where this is more like a tablet than a laptop is the screen size - at just over 13 inches it may take some getting used to for those who are used to editing on a PC. But, if you're happy to have a more portable photo editing studio in your bag, the Surface 11 is for you.

Gigabyte is a premium computer brand, and this AERO 16 OLED laptop is a typically well-built and specified machine to join its range. As with many top-of-the-line laptops that are well suited for intensive graphics work, this is labelled as a gaming laptop. And that's certainly no bad thing - other than the extra weight involved. At over 2kg we don't think that this is the sort of machine you'd take with you in a backpack on a long photography trip, but it's portable enough to provide serious editing power no matter where you take it.

For us, the star features here are the amazing 4K OLED display panel and the blisteringly fast Intel i9 processor. So, you have a 16-inch screen packed with over a billion colours, stunning contrast and a massive resolution to play with. And you can do it all with enough power to support professional applications.

We have to say that, as good as the internal components are here, there are other laptops out there with a similar spec for a little less money. But, when you factor in the Gigabyte build, gorgeous 16-inch OLED display and the sheer processing power on offer here, we find this an ideal photography powerhouse.

For some photo editors, a 14 or 15-inch laptop isn't quite roomy enough. But this offering from Lenovo - the Yoga Pro 9i - has a little more room and some real plusses for photographers. The 3.2K resolution may not quite be full 4K, but it's still a massive advance on many others. Also, the panel itself is mini-LED technology - which means it's better than a standard screen for colour accuracy and contrast levels. Another plus is the inclusion of the Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card - if you're a photographer who may aspire to videography, this would also make a great editing suite.

Spec-wise, the CPU is a super-fast Intel Core i9 - and it's joined by 32GB of RAM, so this laptop will support professional apps and RAW photo editing with ease. And that's backed up by the tuning of the machine to suit software like the Adobe Suite.

The battery life is a little wanting though, at only 6.5 hours - so, if you are planning to take this on a long off-grid trip, plan for your power needs. Lastly, we love the overall look of this laptop - it's smart and solidly built. It's weighty, but reassuringly so for a machine with this much raw power.

While the Acer Aspire Vero AV15-53 might not be the slickest laptop on the market, it is one of the most reliable and environmentally friendly. But it achieves this without cutting corners when it comes to power. We're happy to see that this offers excellent hardware in an environmentally sustainable design - something few laptops do. And that's thanks, in large part, thanks to its brilliant 11th-generation i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and a whopping 1TB of SSD storage. That means you'll be running heavier applications like Adobe Photoshop without a hitch. It is, though, a little heavier than some at

Where this laptop truly shines, however, is its upgradeable design, manufactured to allow for complete disassembly. Should you grow tired of the Aspire Vero's CPU and fancy an upgrade, you certainly have the option.

This sustainable, environmentally-friendly design is fantastic for reducing tech waste and lessens the need to upgrade every couple of years or so, it's a real win-win - for you and the planet. But, best of all, the Acer Aspire Vero undoubtedly delivers ample performance for your photo editing needs.