There are four types of laptops that manufacturers sell aiming at creative pros, but we’ve stuck to the most important two here: 13-inch laptop/tablet hybrids and thin/light 15-inch laptops (there are also more-traditionally sized 15-inch laptops and 17-inch behemoths).
Over the years, we’ve come to realise that a 15-inch screen is the sweet spot that balances being able to see enough of your work to create comfortably while still slipping neatly into a satchel that you don’t mind taking with you every day.
Traditional 15-inch laptops are still available, and have some advantages over their thin/light cousins – they support up to 64GB of RAM rather than the 32 GB maximum of most thin/light models, a couple of faster processors and can sometimes allow for more or larger storage. These can also be cheaper than thin/light models.
If you want the largest screen size, laptops with 17-inch screens are available – which often have even more storage options and have more ports, with Ethernet built in for fast networking (smaller models will usually use external USB or Thunderbolt adapters).
Unless you have the physique of Atlas, both these and traditionally sized 15-inch models are too bulky and heavy for most of us to carry around on a regular basis – so the choice is between a thin/light 15-inch laptop and something smaller.
A 13-inch screen is usually too small to work on – even with modern hi-res screens you can’t see enough of your work to work comfortably – but it’s something we’re willing to compromise on for something as light as Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4. However, using a combination of a stylus, our fingers and the attached keyboard is good enough. This – and models like it – isn’t anywhere near as powerful as even a thin/light 15-inch laptop, but it can be better if you have a desktop for your day-to-day work and want something that's just so easy to travel with in a small bag.
So what makes the perfect laptop for a designer or artist?
Here we’ll provide overall buying advice for what to look for in a laptop suitable for a creative pro. If you prefer, head straight to our choice of the 6 best laptops for designers and artists.
Comments
Post a Comment