Best Laptop For Drawing [Reviews 2021] – Full Buyer’s Guide
Looking for the best laptop for drawing and animation in 2021?
Are you an excellent artist and thinking of using a pen to sketch a drawing on your computer?
Stop searching; this is the right guide for you!
In this review, I will present the best laptops to draw like on paper!
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Best Laptop For Drawing
Are you an artist? Are you willing to draw something? Don’t tell us that you will grab paper, pens & colors & then you will draw it! Tech has never advanced this much before. Technology has evolved so much that now it helps in almost every aspect of life. So is the case with art & drawing. There are so many gadgets available making these drawing tasks like drawing, sketching, 2D & 3D animations much easier than ever. But since, the tech market is a vast ocean with so many brands, it is almost impossible for newbies to find a reliable brand or to find something as per their requirements.
As a newbie, customers are not well aware of the technicalities of these types of machines leading to buying worthless machines that are unable to run the required software and wasting their hard-earned money. There are something’s to be kept in mind while choosing a laptop.
A best laptop for drawing must have a heavy graphics processor of newer generations & the RAM capacity. The ideal laptop has a DDR4 dedicated memory slot. Let’s have a look at some of the best laptops for drawing in 2021.
Best laptop for drawing: New Apple MacBook Air
One of the most luxurious brands in the industry of smartphones, laptops & I pads, APPLE, the latest release of Apple named as New Apple MacBook Air. It is probably the best laptop for drawing. It comes with a 13.3 inches retina display and true tone technology. It also stands out in its competition when it comes to stereo effects. Talking about technical aspects, Apple stands out here too. Coming with a backlit keyboard, the keyboard is intelligent enough to guess your term without the efforts of you completing the keyword.
It has Apple M1 chips in two variants of 7-core and 8-core GPU. It has an 8 GB unified and storage of 256/512 GBs of SSD improving its performance. It has Intel graphics UHD 617 processor for extreme video performance. Its battery lasts upto 11+ hrs. Also, not to forget, it is a pretty & slim laptop having a height of 0.63 inches and weighing 2.8 pounds (1.3 kgs). Summing up, if you are looking for something luxurious and reliable, this is the right option for you.
Features of New Apple MacBook Air
- Processor: Apple M1 chip (2 variants; both with 8-core CPU and one with 7-core GPU, the other with 8-core GPU)
- 13 inches screen size
- 8GB unified RAM
- 256/512 GBs of SSD
- Weighs up to 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg)
- Mac OS
- Back lit Magic keyboard
- 2 thunderbolt/USB 4 ports
PROS
CONS
- 8GB DDR4 upgradable RAM.
- Ultra Smart Body
- Extra Thunderbolt USB options to connect third-party devices.
- Apple 8-core GPU
- Older versions heat up during multi-tasking.
Best laptop for drawing: Samsung Notebook 9 Pro 2 in 1
This laptop is a pretty cool option if you are looking for some awesome drawing machine. Coming with high processing capabilities, it’s 8th generation iCore 8565U processor is the competition for Microsoft’s Surface Book 2. This is also considered as one of the best laptops for drawing. It come with a 13.3 inches touch screen that will help you pointing out the images needed to be edited once a 2D sketch or animated image has been made. The screen can be accessed without using keyboard.
The 256 GB SSD makes it smoother and easier to process heavy files. Coming with a 360-degree flip-up and fold design for analyzing the image graphics resolution if any editing or addition is needed. So, you may take your time marking analyzing that needed to be re-edited. Along with its processor, it comes with a pre-installed graphics processor of Intel UHD graphics making it a premium selection for you. It comes along with a Thunder Amp audio system helping you with best audio output. It also has an Active Pen for drawing purposes. The pen is used to edit or draw a sketch or drawing in your system.
Features of Samsung Notebook 9 Pro 2
- Processor: Intel 8th generation Core i7-8565U
- Graphics: Intel UHD 620
- 256 GB PCIe SSD
- 13.3 inches ideal looking display
- Weighs 2.84 pounds (1.28 kg)
- Windows 10 Home
- 2 Type-C (Thunderbolt 3), 1 USB-C 3.1
PROS
CONS
- 16GB DDR4 upgradable RAM.
- 360° flappable screen
- Fingerprint security scanner
- 2 Thunderbolt and 1 USB Type C port
- Display could be brighter, Meh speakers
- Shallow keyboard, Frustrating function row layout, Inconsistent fingerprint scanner
Best laptop for drawing: Pavilion x360 from HP
The HP Pavilion x360 the best laptop for drawing is shown here. This system, which comes pre-installed with Windows 10, is ideal for any college student in need of something more than a tablet. However, due to the machine’s 360-degree flip and fold architecture, it may also be used as a tablet.
Is it a good convertible laptop considering the price? That sounds quite pleasant. In particular, given the IPS display, the 8th Gen Intel Core CPU, and the attractive design.
You can choose between i3-1115G4 and i5-1135G7 processor, as well as numerous RAM and storage configurations. This HP Pavilion X360 is a top-of-the-line artist laptop.
It is powered by Intel’s latest quad-core Core i5-1135G7 mobile processor, which features a 6MB cache. This laptop computer’s core CPU operates at 1.2GHz and can be boosted to 3.6GHz with Intel Turbo Boost technology.
If you can locate the screws that hold the bottom panel in place, you’ll have simple access to everything you’ll need to upgrade. It’s fortunate that the HDD slot is not overlooked here, as the combination of SSD and HDD remains an excellent solution for maximizing both capacity and responsiveness.
The HP Pavilion x360 15 is stunning! Unfortunately, its build quality is lacking. The body is easily bent, the hinges are insufficiently secure, and the bottom panel is particularly scratch-prone.
Features of HP Pavilion x360
- CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, 11th generation
- Graphics Processing Unit (GPU): Intel Iris Xe
- 8GB DDR4 RAM
- 256GB PCIe SSD
- 14-inch full-HD multitouch display
- Gross weight: 3.55 lb (1.61 kg)
- Up to 8 hours of battery life
- Operating system: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
PROS
CONS
- Attractive construction quality
- The keyboard is excellent for typing on
- Exceptional quad-core performance
- Outstanding performance with Intel 11th Generation CPUs
- Exceptional audio
- The screen is uninspiring and muted
- Inadequate Power Delivery
Best laptop for drawing: Microsoft Surface Laptop
Among the laptop companies, Microsoft has always been one of the most trustable name. Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 is exceptional when dealing with drawing related executions. It comes with an 8th generation powerful and reliable processor of Intel® Core™ i5 or i7 with an Intel HD Graphics 620 for respective processors. It comes in different storage size of 8GB and 16GB RAM and also, SSDs can be of 128, 256, 512 GBs or 1TB, so you are free to choose as per your requirements. This is a quite reliable laptop and will not bother you while you run heavy software and files on it. No glitches will be encountered while running heavy tasks. It comes with a pixel sense touchscreen of 13.5 inches. It is also pretty thin, so if you are looking for something handy and useful, this is the ideal choice for you.
Features of Microsoft Surface Laptop 2
- Processor: 1.6GHz Core i5-8250U or 1.9GHz i7-8650U.
- Graphics: Intel HD 620
- 8 or 16 GB DDR3 RAM
- 128/256/512/1024 GBs PCIe NVMe SSD
- Outstanding 13.5 inches display
- Weighs up to 2.8 pounds (1.27 kg)
- USB 3.0 Type-A, Surface Connect, mini Display Port
PROS
CONS
- Bluetooth 4.0 + 802.11 ac Wireless LAN
- Intel HD graphics 620
- USB 3.0+ Mini display port, SD card slot available
- Windows 10 Home Compatible
- Windows 10 OS is not compatible with older version of software.
Best laptop for drawing: Dell XPS 13 9370 with 4K+ UHD
One of the most well-known and trustable brands Dell, too has a nominee for this list. The nominee is Dell XPS 9370. It comes with an amazing display with a 4k+ UHD resolution giving a best experience while performing intense graphical tasks like gaming. It runs heavy games and drawing software easily and smoothly.
Don’t worry about any lag as it comes equipped with an 8th generation Quad core processor unlocking the limits of speed and optimization. It has MaxxAudio Pro feature producing a stereo effect that stands out. It also has a carbon-fiber palm rest making it comfortable for you to work for hours. It comes with a 128 GB PCIe SSD providing a good amount of storage and 8GB LPDDR RAM to support background applications with ease. It comes a with a good screen size of 13 inches and its battery backup is fantabulous.
Features of Dell XPS 13 9370
- Processor: 3.4GHz Core i5-8250U or 3.6GHz i5-8350U or 4.0GHz i7-8550U or 4.2GHz i7-8650U
- Graphics: Intel® UHD Graphics 620
- 4/8/16 GB LPDDR3 RAM
- 128GB SATA, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB PCIe SSD
- 13.3-inch 4K Ultra HD (3840×2160) InfinityEdge touch display
- Weighs up to 2.68 lbs
- 2 Thunderbolt 3 with Power Delivery & Display Port (4 lanes of PCI Express Gen 3)
- 1 USB-C 3.1 which comes along with Power Delivery & Display Port
PROS
CONS
- 4k+ resolution infinity edge touchscreen of 13 inches
- Charges from 0 to 80 in an hour
- A pure multitasked
- Windows 10 Home Compatible
- Ethernet option is not available for older version of this laptop.
Best laptop for drawing: LG Gram 17Z90P
There are very few 17-inch computers available, and even fewer that are as light as this one. LG Gram 17 is unusual in that it is more powerful than ever while maintaining mobility. If budget is not a concern and you’re looking for a surprisingly portable and powerful laptop with a large screen, the Gram 17 is a one-of-a-kind machine. The LG laptop is a high-quality laptop that is suitable for artists. The LG Gram 2-in-1 laptop is a compact, inexpensive, and durable notebook with excellent performance. This LG Gram 2-in-1 laptop is one of the greatest options for creative professionals.
This LG Gram 2-in-1 best laptop for drawing is powered by an Intel Core i7-1165G7 11th-generation processor, which improves the laptop’s performance and power efficiency.
The 2560×1600 display offers the most vibrant colors and can accentuate even the tiniest details. As a result, individuals who work with visual content and those who love amusement are provided with a satisfactory viewing experience.
This LG Gram 2-in-1 best laptop for drawing will not fail you when it comes to battery life. When used intensively, it may last approximately 15-16 hours on a single battery (72Wh), but when used sparingly, it can last up to 20 hours. Please note that, despite the high load, there will be no heating or lagging of the system.
Although this CPU is quite powerful for digital art and other travel-related tasks, it is not ideal for demanding gaming. The processor’s base clock speed is 1.8 GHz and it supports turbo boosting.
The only concession you make is to the speakers, which are louder but offer less bass. The remaining functions are useful for budding artists; they enable you to carry out routine chores.
Features of LG Gram 17Z90P
- Processor: Intel Core i7-1165G7 11th Generation
- Intel UHD Graphics • 16GB DDR4 RAM
- 2TB (1Tb x 2) SSD storage
- 17-inch Full High Definition (2560 x 1600) IPS LCD
- Gross weight: 2.98 lb
- Up to 20 hours of battery life
- Operating system: Windows 10 Home
- Illuminated Keyboard
- Thunderbolt 3 interface
PROS
CONS
- Exceptionally lightweight for a 17-inch laptop
- Sleek appearance
- A new shade of black
- Affordably priced keyboard with a numeric keypad and an expanded touchpad
- Magnificent QHD display
- There is no touch screen.
- There are no configuration options
- Aesthetically unappealing audio quality
Best laptop for drawing: Lenovo Flex 5 14″ 2-in-1
The Lenovo Idea Pad Flex 5 is scheduled to be released in November 2020. It is a dual-purpose device that may be used as a best laptop for drawing or a tablet. It is regarded as one of the most powerful and versatile laptops available in the technology community. The construction quality is excellent, with a robust plastic body and a metallic-looking upper surface. Although the build quality is not exceptional, it is pretty acceptable at this price point. It is straightforward in terms of design. The laptop weighs 3.64 pounds, which is rather light.
It features a touch screen and a 14-inch LCD panel. The screen viewing angles are adequate; typically, laptops at this price point have an average viewing angle. The sRGB coverage is 75%, which is reasonable given the price.
Keyboard — In general, Lenovo laptops’ built-in keyboards are comfortable to type on. Additionally, this laptop keyboard is not exceptional in this regard. The keyboard is quite familiar to type on due to its excellent key travel. Because it is a backlit keyboard, typing is also possible in dim light.
In everyday use, the Ryzen 5 4500U delivers blazingly fast performance. The benchmark results are significantly higher than those of the Intel i7 10th Generation. Furthermore, it is a performance enhancer. The system boots in 3-4 seconds (about).
Apart from performance, it is also exceptionally well-equipped in terms of battery life. With normal use, it readily provides 7-9 hours of continuous battery backup, based on the 8-12-hour average battery run time. Media editing, streaming, web browsing, keyboarding, and gaming are all examples of general usage (around 1 hour). As a result, battery performance will very depending on the mode of operation.
There is no separate GPU; instead, graphic-intensive activities are handled by the processor’s built-in GPU.
Due to the soldered nature of the RAM, manual expansion is not possible.
The stylus is also provided with the laptop. No need to invest in a stylus.
Features of Lenovo Flex 5
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 4500U
- 16GB DDR4 RAM
- 1TB (512 GB x 2) SSD storage
- 14-inch Full High Definition (1920 x 1080) IPS LCD Touch Screen
- Gross weight: 3.64 pounds
- Up to 20 hours of battery life
- Operating system: Windows 10 Home
- Illuminated Keyboard
PROS
CONS
- Battery life of up to a day
- High-quality construction
- Numerous ports
- Slow recharging
- Aesthetically unappealing exhibit
Best laptop for drawing: Lenovo Yoga Book
If Lenovo as a brand is your utmost priority, then none other than Lenovo Yoga Book is the ideal option for you. It comes with a dual display making it the most popular reason among its buyers. Its screen is 360° convertible. It comes with an Intel Atom x5-Z8550 Processor CPU. It is solely made for drawing and designing professionals. It comes with a digital E-ink, It can be used for taking notes, drawing a 2D or a 3D image, redesigning the animated figure, etc. The on-screen touch keyboard has a 22% increased typing speed than the previous versions. The keyboard is customizable depending upon the preferred language and format.
Features of Lenovo Yoga Book
Features
- Processor: Intel Atom x5-Z8550
- Graphics: Integrated_graphics
- 4GB LP DDR3 RAM
- 64GB SSD
- 10.1″ LCD and E-ink displays with respective resolution of 2560×1600 and 1920×1200)
- 1.52 pounds
- 2 USB 3.1 Type C ports
PROS
CONS
- The best on-screen touch keyboard currently
- 22% increased typing productivity
- 2 USB 3.1 (Gen. 1) Type C slots
- A bit costly than other options available.
Best laptop for drawing: Acer Chromebook Spin 11
The Acer Chromebook Spin 11 is a very interesting convertible laptop with a good quality/price ratio. Given its configuration, it could even be considered a high-end computer. It will be almost impossible to find a laptop that is as solid and durable at this price.
The interaction between the supplied Wacom pen and the screen is remarkable. It is precise, fluid and controllable.
Its 11-inch HD screen offers good brightness (not necessarily the best on the market) and good color contrast.
With its Intel Celeron N3350 Dual-Core Processor, all programs run smoothly. You will be able to use all the drawing software and let your creativity express itself!
The Acer Spin 11 is one of the best budget Chromebook computers for drawing and for artists in particular.
Features of Acer Chromebook Spin 11
- Processor: Intel Celeron N3350 Dual-Core Processor
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 500 GPU
- 11.6″ HD IPS 10-point multi-touch screen (1366 x 768)
- 4GB DDR4
- 32GB eMMC
- Google Chrome
- Wireless Communication : 802.11ac
PROS
CONS
- Excellent quality/price ratio
- multi-touch screen
- Only 2.76 lbs
- Only applications available on Android
Frequently Asked Questions
Which laptops are the best for drawing?
The following best laptops for drawing models perform admirably when used to run drawing applications:
- Hewlett-Packard Envy 13
- The flagship Dell Inspiron with a 15.6-inch display
- Acer’s Predator Helios
- Asus TUF Gaming notebook
- Surface Pro 7 by Microsoft
- Apple’s new MacBook Pro Air
Which laptop is best for digital art?
A laptop that is suitable for digital art must have a powerful graphics processor and CPU. Additionally, the model must be multi-tasking in order to handle graphically intense activities. It should perform equally well when running graphic design, drawing, and 3D and 2D modeling apps. Among these laptop models are the following:
- Surface Book 2 by Microsoft
- MacBook Pro by Apple
- Surface Pro by Microsoft
- HP’s ZBook
- Apple’s MacBook
You can also read my article: The Best Laptops for Digital Art
Are touchscreen computers the best option for sketching?
Laptops with touchscreens are ideal for drawing. That is because the laptop models designed for drawing were developed by artists, graphic designers, and architects. The ultra-sensitive stylus pen enables you to create, edit, and modify animated or two-dimensional (3D/2D) graphics on your laptop. The same upgrade, which includes specific technical elements, may assist you in re-sketching the same designs if necessary.
Can a drawing tablet be used with a laptop?
Yes, a drawing tablet can be used with a laptop. You can use your ultra-light, thin laptop/cum tablet in conjunction with a drawing tablet to work independently. The pen may assist you in changing the design and further modifying the structure based on the client’s permission. Thus, a drawing tablet combined with a best laptop for drawing is always a fantastic choice if you’re in the market for a laptop for drawing 3D/2D or animated figures.
How much RAM is required to create digital art?
RAM memory of 8-16GB is suitable for performing digital art. The 32GB model is a fantastic choice. The DDR4 RAM memory, which is large enough to fetch large data files, executable game application files, and graphics-intensive heavy tasking files, among others, is ideal for quickly accessing a part of a massive mass of data files with a single click.
Running large installation files, downloader files,.dll/.run/home files for the purpose of opening a large digital art application becomes simple with a RAM memory of at least 8-16 GB.
Some Key Takeaways
If you’re looking for the best laptops for drawing or doing digital art, it’s prudent to get a dependable laptop model capable of launching such resource-intensive apps. As a result, you’ll find a variety of laptops suitable for running digital art-based drawing software on the market.
All you need to do is find a laptop capable of smoothly running digital art-based drawing software. Unfortunately, as a novice buyer, this is not an easy task.
To broaden your purchasing options, it’s usually a good idea to spend some time browsing the various product listings available on the market. Once you’ve identified a product that meets your technical specifications and budget, it’s only prudent to purchase it!
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