Photo editing is a complex process where you have to use lots of editing software such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, and many more.
All of these require a heavy-duty laptop that comes packed with a powerful processor, good graphics units, a high memory, and smaller features that you would require for other work.
In this article, we will be covering how to find the best laptop for photo editing under 1000$.
Such an amount is more than enough to be able to score a laptop that comes with all these exceptional features, along with others that you could use for leisure or entertainment.
While you do require an advanced camera and other gear, the kind of laptop used can affect the final edit by a lot. Take a look down below to see all the features needed as well as the laptop models that own these features.
Comparison Chart For Top 10 Photo Editing Laptop Under 1000
| Image | Name | Resolution | CPU | GPU | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Acer Aspire E 15 | Full HD (1920 x 1080) | 8th Generation Intel Core i5- 8250U | NVIDIA GeForce MX150 | Check Price |
  | HP ENVY 13 | 4K (3840 x 2160) | 8th Generation Intel Core i7- 8565U | NVIDIA GeForce MX250 | Check Price |
  | Lenovo Yoga 720 | 4K (3840 x 2160) | 7th Generation Intel Core i7- 7700HQ | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 | Check Price |
  | ASUS VivoBook S15 S532 | Full HD (1920 x 1080) | 8th Generation Intel Core i5- 8265U | NVIDIA GeForce MX250 | Check Price |
  | Acer Aspire 5 | Full HD (1920 x 1080) | 10th Generation Intel Core i5- 10210U | NVIDIA GeForce MX250 | Check Price |
  | Microsoft LGP-00001 Surface Pro 6 | 2736 x 1824 | 8th Generation Intel Core i5- 8250U | Intel UHD Graphics 620 | Check Price |
  | Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 | 2256x1504 | 8th Generation Intel Core i5 | Intel HD Graphics | Check Price |
  | HP Pavilion 15 | Full HD (1920x1080) | 8th Generation Intel Quad-Core i5-8250U | Intel UHD Graphics 620 | Check Price |
  | Latest_Dell Inspiron 7000 | Full HD (1920 x 1080) | 10th Generation Intel Core i5- 10210U | Intel UHD Graphics 620 | Check Price |
  | Microsoft Surface Pro 7 | 1280 x 800 | 10th Gen Intel Core i5 | Intel Iris Plus Graphics | Check Price |
Best Laptops For Photo Editing Under 1000$ Reviews
1.Acer Aspire E 15
The Acer Aspire E15 is designed for effortless multi-tasking, which is something crucial when it comes to editing photos. For the display, you get a Full HD widescreen and 15.6 inches of space to work on, and the Nvidia GeForce MX150 graphics card.
While the HD display alone does a brilliant job, the graphics unit helps to bring the display to life where you see minimal difference between photos on screen and the real thing.
Good internal mechanisms are also required, and for that, the Aspire E15 has the 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8250U processor with a speed up to 3.4 GHz. It comes from one of the latest generations and has an impressive CPU speed too which helps it to run programs simultaneously without freezing up.
For smooth multitasking and photo editing, there is 8GB RAM. Plus, the 256GB SSD makes sure that the laptop stays lightweight and can contribute enough power to run all the high-end editing software.
If you are worried that some of the specifications might not be enough for long-term use, you can change the hard drive and the memory when you feel like you need an upgrade.
Highlighted Features
- 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8250U processor
- 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics unit
- Includes 15 hours of battery life
2.HP Envy 13
The HP Envy 13 is a premium laptop that comes with impressive features and a stylish exterior which makes it a fine choice for people who want a good-looking laptop alongside top-notch features.
Security is a big concern today for which you get features that help increase data security with functions like the BIOS protection and the Killswitch.
For the processor, you get the 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8565U processor with an incredible clock speed that goes up to 4.6 GHz. This allows you to run through edits as the software works fast and smooth.
Plus, the Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics unit adds to this power so that you can have a flawless display and performance.
Another factor that affects multitasking is the memory for which you get 16 GB RAM. Alongside that, you have the 512 GB SSD. As we all know, the SSD allows for efficiency, and hence you can work much faster with applications since it requires lower loading and booting times.
Coming to the display, you get a 4K resolution that produces the most impressive colors on screen.
With such a high number of pixels and a highly responsive touchscreen, editing becomes much easier as you get to see and take in the details and work on them directly.
Highlighted Features
- 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8565U processor
- 512GB SSD and 16GB SDRAM
- NVIDIA GeForce MX250 graphics unit
- Includes 12 hours and 45 minutes of battery life
3.Lenovo Yoga 720
If you are on the market for a convertible laptop that gets the job done as a photo editor, and the Lenovo Yoga 720 might appeal to you.
Boasting a 15.6-inch 4K display, you can flip this laptop all the way around to create a tablet when you need to work with high precision and accuracy.
It comes with a stylus, which lets you work directly on the edits, which professionals tend to prefer over using the touchpad or a mouse.
You also get the 7th Generation Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor. If you notice you the end of the model number, it says HQ. This means you get a 4-core processor that provides a ton of power, and a 3.8 GHz boost speed.
Besides a powerful processor to keep you going, the Yoga 720 includes the Nvidia GeForce GTX1050 graphics card. This happens to be one of the higher-end graphics units and it allows you to achieve a flawless display where you can find out even the tiniest of details and experience a full range of colors.
Highlighted Features
- 7th Generation Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor
- 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics unit
- Includes 8 hours of battery life
4.ASUS Vivobook S15 S532- Best Laptop For Photography Under $1000
This ASUS Vivobook S15 S532 can be considered as one of the finest you can get under 1000$ because it prioritizes interaction between the user and the laptop, which happens to be a big factor when it comes to editing photos.
What makes this laptop stand out from the others is Screen Pad 2.0. It acts like a second screen instead of the typical touchpad that you get.
You can use this to switch modes, write directly using touch instead of typing, you can personalize hotkeys using a quick key feature which allows you to access most used applications in a faster manner.
Using the app navigator, you can view all the apps open in the laptop simultaneously, and many similar shortcuts are possible with this feature.
Coming to the main display, you get a four-sided NanoEdge display for an almost frameless display. This is great to have because you get to see larger pictures on screen without having to scroll unnecessarily.
Besides the Full HD display and the Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics units come together to give you a lifelike and a vibrant screen that makes editing photos and enjoyable task.
Internally if you also get the 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8265U processor, the 512GB SSD storage and 8GB memory, which come together to provide a speedy device. Thanks to the high memory, multitasking is made much easier while the SSD storage ensures efficiency.
Highlighted Features
- 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8265U processor
- 512GB PCIe plus Optane M.2 SSD and 8GB RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce MX250 graphics unit
- Comes with a unique ScreenPad 2.0 as touchpad
5.Acer Aspire 5
The Acer Aspire 5 provides a lot of advantages to photo editors, from beginners to professionals everybody can work on this.
Thanks to the 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10210U processor there is an exceptional amount of power. And with the clock speed of up to 3.9 GHz, you can be assured that you’ll never have to face a slow laptop again.
For the display, you get a full HD screen with narrow bezels for a wider view. But it doesn’t end here.
As a photo editor, you want to see perfect color reproductions on the screen to be able to edit them and thanks to the Acer Color Intelligence feature you get to see color reproductions at their finest.
The laptop also makes sure to include the Acer BlueLightShield feature. This prevents eyes from getting strained from all the staring because we know that happens a lot, especially when you’re going through hundreds of pictures.
To further improve upon the display, you get the NVIDIA GeForce MX250 GPU. This paired with the IPS screen and the exceptional resolution altogether provide you with a lively screen which makes editing photos much less tiring.
Highlighted Features
- 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10210U processor
- 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD and 8GB DDR4 RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce MX250 graphics unit
- Includes 9 hours 30 minutes of battery life
Photo Editing Laptop Under 1000$ Buying Guide
Processor
The processor of a laptop plays a big role in the performance overall. For this job, you will need a good and powerful processor since most of the software used will be high-power demanding.
You should look for processors with the Intel i5 or i7, and preferably one from the one of the latest generations. Processors from the 7th Generation onwards would be most suited and will be able to serve you for a good while in the future.
If you are on a super tight budget you can go for the Intel Core i3, but then again you would need the upgrade as you start to work with more complicated edits and features which makes investing in a Core i5 worth it.
RAM
The best photo editing laptop under 1000$ needs to have a good memory. Photo editing is the kind of job where multitasking is a given. You will be working on multiple photos, using multiple software on the same photo, and many such instances would occur.
To ensure that all of this runs smoothly you should get a memory of at least 8 GB RAM. Chances are that you will need more power as you grow and increase workload, which is why you should look for higher memory.
And if you cannot invest in a high RAM at this moment check to see if you can upgrade it when required.
Storage
As a photographer, you will understand the importance of storage space. Photographers click hundreds of pictures in the same frame, have multiple edits and versions of the same picture, as well as lots of videos and editing software that also need storing.
All of this points to the requirement for a very high storage space. Ideally, you should get a laptop that has a 1 TB of hard disk space. This way you can keep all files secured in one place. However, with a hard disk, you don’t get as much speed for which you should look to a solid-state drive.
If you prefer speed over storage space, which you should since you can store files in an external drive, go for the latter and make sure that you choose the 512GB SSD to be able to store a decent number of files and editing software in the laptop.
If you want the best of both worlds, you can get a good combination of both the HDD and SSD.
Graphics
Dedicated graphics cards are a must-have for photo editing. Although you can get the job done with integrated graphics cards, there is a significant difference in the visuals which would make a huge difference in editing quality for professionals.
The MX and GTX line from Nvidia provide great graphics cards that are highly suitable for editing photos and videos, especially in high resolution.
Display
When you are working on photos you should have a large screen, which is why it is ideal to opt for screens that range between 15 and 17 inches. As for the resolution, always aim high.
If you can stretch the budget up to 1000, you can easily score a 4K resolution display. If the budget is lower you can go for a Full HD display. However, you should not go below this.
Conclusion
If you are looking for the best laptop for photo editing under 1000$, you have a lot of options to go for. But personal preferences also come into play when choosing the right device.
Even though every laptop here is well suited for the job, some are larger than the other, while others have a better battery life. These things might not affect the exact job, but choose them accordingly so you can score an all-rounded laptop.
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