6 Best Laptops To Gift To A Graphic Designer This Festive Season

Getting someone the perfect tech gift is an ever-moving target. Between short supply around the holidays and a seemingly constant flood of new gadgets, there’s a lot to sort through before clicking that buy button. Shopping early will ensure that gifts arrive on time, and, of course, it helps to know which gifts are worthwhile among the sea of options.

Don’t worry if you’re not sure where to start your search. We have put together a list of the top laptops you can give to your loved ones this holiday season. Not only are these machines graphically powerful, but they also have fantastic screens for when detail and color accuracy are critical. So, no matter what your budget is, we have something for every type of graphic designer.

1. Asus VivoBook Pro 16X OLED

asus vivobook pro 16x oled laptop — Asus VivoBook Pro 16X OLED

Pros

Beautiful 4K OLED display
Long battery life
Useful DialPad tool

Cons

Design lacks flair
Lackluster webcam

You should think about purchasing the Asus VivoBook Pro 16X OLED because graphic designers require a high-quality display for their work. The 4K OLED display is absolutely gorgeous because it creates vivid colors and rich blacks. People who experience eye strain and tension headaches should consider it as well. If you’re going to stare at a display for hours, it might as well be top-notch. The VivoBook also performs admirably in terms of processing power.

The CPU is a Ryzen 9 5900HX, which should be plenty fast for basic graphic design and general use. It also includes 32GB of RAM and 1TB of PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage. That’s enough for multitasking or running multiple applications at the same time. There are a few drawbacks to be aware of, such as the subpar webcam and the temperamental fingerprint reader. However, these flaws are minor. Overall, the VivoBook Pro is an excellent machine that any graphic designer would appreciate.

2. MSI GF76 Katana

Pros

Decent CPU performance
Interesting design with plenty of flair
Comfortable keyboard and trackpad

Cons

Lackluster GPU performance
The display lacks brightness
Audio produces less-than-stellar bass

If you have a limited budget, the MSI GF76 Katana is the best bang for your buck. It has an Intel Core i7-12700H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050Ti GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of PCle 4 SSD storage. In other words, this machine should be able to handle most design tasks as well as daily workloads with relative ease. When running newer games, the GPU is a little underwhelming, but MSI offers up to seven different configurations, so you can always choose a more powerful option. The display is also a little dim, but at 17.3 inches, that’s a lot of screen real estate to work with. So, if you’re looking to save money, the GF76 Katana is a great option.

3. Razer Blade 17 (2022)

Pros

Huge 17-inch screen in a relatively compact laptop
Intel’s newest 11th-gen CPU and Nvidia RTX graphics

Cons

No USB-A port and no Gigabit Ethernet
Hybrid charging likely sacrifices a little performance

The Razer Blade 17 (2022 version) is our top pick for video game designers because of its Intel Core i7-12800H CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, 1TB of PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD storage, and beastly GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU, which is up to the task of graphically intensive prThe 17.3-inch QHD display is also stunning. It not only has an impressive 240Hz refresh rate, but its 26501440 resolution produces a crisp and colorful image. The Blade has a lot to offer, no doubt about it, but it’s extremely expensive. If you have the money to spend, this is an excellent purchase.

4. ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022)

rog zephyrus g14 2022 series — ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022)

Pros

Powerful CPU and GPU performance in a very compact design
AniMe Matrix screams unique
It has a webcam

Cons

Half-permanent RAM
Keyboard backlighting is subpar

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 is a unique device due to its small size and powerful internals. It only weighs a little more than three pounds, making it an ideal travel companion. It will also perform reasonably well thanks to the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU, AMD Radeon RX6800S GPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and 1TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. These elements make an excellent combination for heavy-duty design work. The keyboard, on the other hand, isn’t the best, as it feels a little soft and has poor backlighting. However, when it comes to a combination of portability and fast performance, the Zephyrus G14 is an excellent choice.

5. Asus Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED

Pros

Stunning primary display and easy-to-see secondary display
Excellent I/O options and wireless connectivity
CPU / GPU power meets the needs of content creators

Cons

The battery life is lacking for a productivity laptop
The trackpad is small and awkwardly placed
Rear orientated ports can be hard to reach

Why settle for one display when you can have two? With a 14.5-inch 4K touch OLED panel that outputs an ultra-bright 547 nits while covering 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, the Asus Zenbook Pro 14 makes this possible. The main display is impressive enough for even the most discerning designers, but the truly distinguishing feature is the secondary 12.7-inch 2880864 screen located just above the keyboard. Because Windows considers it a second monitor, you can use it for a variety of purposes, such as a second trackpad or displaying a panel of touch controls for certain Adobe apps. The Zenbook Pro 14 delivers solid performance as well, thanks to a Core i7 processor, GeForce RTX 3050 graphics, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and a 1TB NVMe SSD.

You might need to carry a charging cable if you intend to do any work on the go because of the device’s poor battery life caused by its powerful features. Nonetheless, the Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED is an excellent choice for graphic designers or other content creators, and the latest version of Asus’ dual-screen laptop is the best yet.

6. Asus ROG Flow Z13

Pros

Big performance in a small package
Bright, crisp display
Compatible with XG Mobile for GPU boost

Cons

Versatility doesn’t come cheap
Detachable keyboard poor fit for gamers

The Asus ROG Flow Z13 is one of the more out-of-the-ordinary models in this roundup. Simply put, it’s a gaming machine in the form of a folio. Simply open the kickstand on the back and you’re done! You have a clamshell laptop. You can also remove the keyboard and use it as a tablet with touch capabilities. Its adaptability makes it an appealing choice for creative work. It has an Intel Core i9-12900H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage. It’s powerful, that’s for sure. The 1200p IPS touch display delivers sharp, vibrant images as well. This level of adaptability, however, comes at a cost, so it is not the most cost-effective option. However, if you’re looking for something truly one-of-a-kind, the Flow Z13 is well worth it.

What factors went into selecting the best laptop?

These Windows laptops were put through a series of benchmarks that tested GPU and CPU performance, battery life, and other factors. The plan is to push the laptop to its limits before comparing it to others that have been tested. Below is a breakdown of each test and its relevance to choosing the best laptop.

PCMark 10: PCMark 10 determines how well a laptop performs in lighter tasks such as web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, and so on. Essentially, this is how we simulate everyday use.

HandBrake: HandBrake is more demanding than PCMark 10. It measures how long it takes a laptop’s CPU to encode a beefy 30GB file.

Cinebench: Cinebench is a short stress test of the CPU cores. It accomplishes this by rapidly rendering a 2D scene. A CPU with multiple cores divides the workload more effectively.

3DMark: 3DMark runs graphic-intensive clips to see if 3D performance remains consistent over time. We look for lag, screen tearing, and other issues.

Video rundown test: To test battery life, we looped a 4K video in Windows 10’s Movies & TV app until the laptop died. If you travel frequently, you’ll need something that will last longer than a full workday.