Which Laptop is the Best for Photographers?

If you’re a photographer, or an aspiring photographer, you’re certainly going to be using photo editing software. You’re also going to want that software to be accessible on the go, so you can edit while you’re shooting. With that in mind, the photographer’s best friend is their laptop. Which laptop is the best for editing on the go? Read on to find out our favorites! 

Dell XPS 15 

Dell’s XPS 15 is a great non-Apple choice for photographers. If you want a laptop that excels for photo editing and runs on Windows, this one is a great choice. It sports InfinityEdge technology, meaning it has a huge screen size for how small of a machine it is. Its display is color-accurate and has a 4K resolution, meaning your photos will look accurate while you’re editing.  

The XPS 15 is a bit expensive, although that’s par the course for laptops with displays strong enough for photo editing. It retails for around $1,000, but you can often find it on sale for around $750. Consider this one if you heavily prefer Windows over Mac OS. 

Apple Macbook Pro 13 inch with Retina 

Unsurprisingly, Apple’s flagship laptop remains a fantastic choice for photographers. If you needed any reminders: Retina display is amazing, the battery life is great, and Mac OS was made with content creators in mind. Unsurprisingly, the Retina display remains the best laptop display on the market. With the best colors, contrast and saturation available on a laptop, you won’t be disappointed in this choice. 

On the negative side, the Macbook is pretty expensive no matter where you go. It can be found anywhere from $900-$1,000, depending on sales and the like. It also doesn’t have a great deal of storage, which is a bit disappointing for photographers. That said, this is still a great pick. 

Our Favorite Laptop for Photography: Apple Macbook Pro with Touchbar

The step up from the older Macbooks, this new one sports the handy new touchbar technology. The touchbar is an OLED display above the keyboard that allows for quick access to tons of shortcuts. The toucbar has a number of applications across the OS, like suggested word selection and scrolling. The great use for photographers is the shortcuts in Photoshop, making Adobe’s robust suite even easier to use. Additionally, all the positives about the previous Macbook still apply, with the exception of the battery life. 

Unfortunately, battery life isn’t nearly as impressive on this one; it seems the touchbar really saps the power from the laptop. Jokes aside, it is markedly lower than its predecessors. Additionally, this one is tremendously expensive: you can usually find it around $1,500.