The 5 Best Laptops for Art Students Reviewed
There are a few things that you need as an art student. Of course, there are the more obvious things like pens, pencils, and other art supplies. But you will also benefit from getting one of the best laptops for art students.
What should you be looking for in a great laptop as an art student? It depends on the style of art you are doing. At the minimum, you need something that is fast enough to get your research done but with the capability to have editing and design software. Much of the work will be saved onto the internal memory of your laptop too.
Getting a reliable laptop as an art student is essential. A lightweight and sleek design are ideal from both an aesthetic point of view and ease of use. When buying a laptop as an art student, you have to know what the machine will do for you and how it will make your life easier.
Best Laptops for Art Students
Below you will find the pros and cons of 5 different laptops that are great for art students:
1. HP ENVY 13
The HP ENVY 13 might need just the ideal Apple Macbook Air replacement. It is lightweight, aesthetically pleasing, and very affordable. The display is vivid, which means you will be able to see all of the tiny details within artwork you art studying or the works you are creating. It has an incredibly long battery life if you pick up the 1080p version too. There are two main options when it comes to choosing your HP ENVY 13 as an art student.
You could choose the 1080p touch screen, Core i5-8265U CPU, 8GB Ram, and a 256GB SSD. You have the option to upgrade the UHD 620 graphics card to an Nvidia GeForce MX250, as well as expanding the memory.
The power button is ultra-slim and has a simple LED strip. It also has a fingerprint sensor, which is ideal as an extra layer of protection.
As for the weight, you have s 0.6 inches and only 2.8 pounds of weight. Making it ideal for art students that are carrying a pile of other materials too.
The HP ENVY 13 has a 13.3 inch 1080p non-touch display on the base version, but on the 4k version, you will find the touch screen options. The FHD is more vivid, though, so you will want to opt for that one if details matter.
The keyboard is comfortable if a little compact, but for more people, after a few uses, it will be no problem at all. The speaker ar crips if you like to listen to music while you work and don’t use headphones. The Bang and Olufsen software is preinstalled, and it has equalizer controls, so it is easy to adjust the bass and get the sound you want.
What it comes down to is that you need to choose the right model for your needs.
- Cutting-edge security: State-of-the-art security features include webcam kill switch and integrated fingerprint reader
- 4K display: 13.3-inch diagonal 4K IPS micro-edge WLED-backlit touchscreen with durable protective corning(r) Gorilla) Glass nbt(tm) (3840 x 2160) to stand up to everyday bumps and scrapes. 8.2 million pixels bring your content to life in mesmerizing quality with 178-degree wide-viewing angles
- Bios recovery and protection: Automatically checks the health of your PC, protects against unauthorized access, secures local storage and recovers itself from boot-up issues
- Distinctive design: high-quality, durable, all-metal case built to last, with premium design features including a brilliant backlit keyboard and geometric pattern speaker grill
- SuperFast processor: 8th Generation intel(r) core(tm) i7-8565u, quad-core, 1.8 GHz Base frequency, up to 4.6 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology (8 MB Cache)
2. Acer Spin 3
This laptop feels and looks more like a table – but with some excellent additions. The Acer Spin 3 is ideal for art students on a tight budget and don’t need to run heavy software – but want the option to get creative on their hardware. There are two real options when it comes to you Acer Spin 3, the base of intel core i5-1035G1 CPU, integrated Intel UHD graphics, 8GB RAM, 1920 x 1080 display, and 256GB SSD. If you throw some extra money at it, you can have an Intel Core i7-1065G7, Intel Iris Plus graphics, and a handy 512GB SSD.
The design is sleek enough, but the real power of this is you can use it however you like. Swapping to and from a standard laptop, by swinging the 360 hinges around, and you have a tablet. The keyboard is reminiscent of an Apple Macbook, with well size bold black keys and a nice sized touchpad. And if you are a stickler for details, then you will be happy to hear that the chassis is fingerprint-resistant. It offers 8 ports in total, including a DC-in jack, and HMDI 2.0 port, and a MicroSD reader. Of course, you will also find the stylus dock.
The stylus has 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, so if you often use drawing software, you will get the differentiation you are looking for in pressure. The palm rejection isn’t the best, though, so that is something you will need to account for.
The audio quality isn’t there on this model, but if you are going for portability, pocket friendly and pretty – you won’t mind using headphones.
The battery life is 7 hours and 56 minutes, which is pretty good. And the stylus only needs 15 minutes of charge in the laptop port for over an hour of use.
This is a mid-priced laptop that sits somewhere between a powerful tablet and a midrange laptop. It is a great option on a budget and for those who want a tablet with added fun stuff.
- 8th Generation Intel Core i7 8565U Processor (Up to 4.6GHz)
- 14 inches Full HD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen LED backlit IPS Multi Touch Convertible Display
- 16GB DDR4 Memory & 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Rechargeable Active Stylus; Thin 0.38 inches Bezel; Dual Front Facing Speakers; 802.11acWi Fi featuring 2x2 MU MIMO Technology
- Just 0.78 inches Thin, 3.75 pounds and Up to 12 Hours of Battery Life
3. Lenovo Flex 5
Another convertible laptop, making the tablet to laptop swap seamless. The Lenovo Flex 5 is robust and has a durable chassis, so it is ideal for carrying between home and classes. The 360 hinges, much like the Acer Spin 3, give this something more than just being a standard clamshell. Although this isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing to look at, it still has a great performance for the price point. It is also worth noting that you get some decent hardware inside too.
You get a 6-core Ryzen 5 4500U and 16GB of RAM – which for the price is a great value. You can add some upgrades to the SSD and pump it up to 512GB and upgrade the Ryzen 5 to a Ryzen 7 4700U. But even the top of the line for this is less than $1000 but quite some miles.
The chassis is clunky in order to protect the hinges. And it isn’t the lightest unit at 3.3 pounds. But it also has a decent amount of ports – yet there is only one USB-C port.
The screen isn’t as bright as you might hope for, but it isn’t the worst either. The audio could be better too, but the strength of this laptop is in the price, flexibility, and the ability to run a range of creative software – and some gaming software too.
The battery life can last for more than 16 hours if you aren’t using it heavily, but that is due to the dimmer than the average screen.
For art students with a need for a workhorse that can last the day, has the ability to switch between a laptop and tablet, and a tight budget, the Lenovo Flex 5 is ideal.
- STUNNING FHD DISPLAY: Laptop has a Full HD (15.6") IPS touchscreen display, so you’ll be able to watch movies and browse the web in vivid detail from nearly every angle;No numeric keyboard
- FINGERPRINT READER: Log in to your Flex 5 laptop instantly and securely with our fingerprint reader, and with the support of Windows Hello, you can make secure purchases at participating retailers with one touch of your finger.
- POWERFUL PROCESSOR: Equipped with the latest 8th Gen Intel processor and a 256GB PCIe SSD, this 2 in 1 laptop has lightning fast boot-ups and transfer times, plus plenty of memory for more apps and large files without the slow down.
- TOUCHSCREEN LAPTOP: Turn thoughts into action with the new Windows Ink features that let you write, type, and touch directly on your laptop; pair with the Lenovo Active Pen (available separately) which emulates a natural pen-on-paper writing experience.
- LONG-LASTING BATTERY: This 15-inch laptop has an epic 10 hour battery life to fuel a day full of creativity without worrying about finding a charging station.
4. Microsoft Surface Pro
The Microsoft Surface Pro will always be one of the big names in windows tablets, and that is because it stays true to the features that make a difference for its users. The Surface Pro 4 was much adored, and the Microsoft Surface Pro has built on those features. Delivering something that makes a difference to users in the right way.
The base Microsoft Surface Pro has enough features and capability for art students for the most part. If you need more than that, it is worth going up the scale in the capabilities tree and splurging for the Intel Core i5 processor with the 256 GB SSD and 8GB of RAM. The base version will get you a Core m3 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.
If you want to use this as a laptop, you’re going to need to by the Type Cover, and you will need the Surface Pen too. But all in it makes the Microsoft Surface Pro fun to use and pretty powerful.
With medium usage, the battery can last up to around 8 hours, which is fine for traveling to and from classes and using – of course.
The design is sleek, looking beautiful and something you wouldn’t mind being seen with. There is, however, no USB-C slot, but you can get an adapter, so that isn’t a deal-breaker by any stretch.
The display is stunning, bright, clear, and sharp. Making it ideal for art students who are either designing on their Microsoft Surface Pro or looking at other artwork details for inspiration.
The Surface Pen has been upgraded for this model and has 4,096 levels of pressure, as well as increased sensitivity. It’s fluid and nice to use. Great for those who want to design on their laptop.
The Microsoft Surface Pro is a solution to the tablet or laptop solution and is bright, great to use, sharp, and worth splashing the cash.
- The latest Microsoft Surface Pro Features a 7th generation Intel Core i5 Processor, 256 GB of storage, 8 GB RAM, and up to 13.5 hours of video playback
- Our fastest Surface Pro ever* thanks to a powerful Intel Core laptop grade processor
- Go all day with up to 13.5 hours of battery life. * 50 percent more battery life than the previous generation
- Our lightest Surface Pro yet*, starting at 1.69 lbs (m3 model). Wireless: Wi Fi: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible,Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 technology
- Surface Pro Signature Type cover and Microsoft Surface Pen sold separately
5. Lenovo Yoga 710
This pocket-friendly piece of kit is ideal for students. Even though it is now 2 years old, it has a strong performance. It has a neat 14-inch display and a bright 1080p display. The Nvidia graphics card bolsters the display and makes it a super attractive purchase.
In general, the design looks much more expensive than it is, and the aluminum chassis is sturdy. The touch screen is supported by a tiny bezel, giving you much more screen for your money. It does come in at 3.4 pounds in weight, which isn’t insignificant. It has all of the essential ports that you will need, including a headphone jack.
For the battery life, you can expect to be able to use the Lenovo Yoga 710 all day without an issue. Around 9 or so hours of life with continuous web surfing. For more intensive usage, there is likely to be between 6-7 hours usage.
The base model comes with Intel Core i5-6200U CPU, Nvidia GeForce 940MX GPU with 2GB of VRAM, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a 1080p display. But you can upgrade to Intel Core i7-6500U CPU. It’s not really required, though.
This feels premium and behaves in a premium way but is budget-friendly.
- 11.6-inch Full HD IPS 10-point multitouch screen, 1920 x 1080 resolution Widescreen LED, Convertible 360° flip-and-fold design
- Intel Pentium processor 4405Y dual-core processor 1.5 GHz boosts multitasking capabilities for reliable Internet browsing, e-mail and everyday productivity. Intel HD Graphics 515
- 4GB DDR3 SDRAM, 128GB Solid State Drive, NO Optical Drive, Built-in HD webcam with two microphones
- Bluetooth 4.0, Next-Gen Intel Wireless-AC connectivity (1x1, 433 Mbps) 802.11AC, 1 USB 3.0, 1 Micro HDMI, Headphone/microphone combo jack.
- Windows 10 64 bit, 4 cell battery up to 9 hours, Weighs 2.36 lbs. and measures 0.6" thin, Aluminum chassis, Color Silver
Laptop Vs. Studio for Art
Can Laptops handle the rigors of creating art? Check out this video to see the answer:
Conclusion
So there you have 5 of the best laptop for art students who are likely on a budget but need something that will be as creative and innovative as they are.