7 Best Laptops for Photo Editing under $500

We have so many choices in the variety of laptops for Photo editing, that it can easily confuse any person who is planning to purchase a laptop for the same. Features such as Processor, Graphics, Storage, RAM, and Resolution become the key features to enhance the performance of a laptop for photo editing.

It is understood that if you plan to invest in each and all of these features at once then it is going to cost you a lot of money. In order to free you from the zone of doubt, we have selected some laptops on our list that are under a budget of $500 to give you an idea about the features and performance of a laptop that can ideally match your requirement.

Let’s check the list…

Best Laptops for photo editing under $500

Acer Aspire 5 – The Best Budget laptop for Photo Editing

Acer Aspire 5 is hands down the best laptop you can get under $500 for photo editing.

The value that it offers as a budget laptop is simply amazing.

Photo editing mostly depends on the quality of the processor and RAM. Acer Aspire excels in these features to top a list of best laptops for photo editing. First of all, you get AMD Ryzen 3 4300U Processor with a clock speed of up to 3.7 GHz.

This speed of a processor is well appreciated in the field of photo editing because it is very fast compared to other speeds. It accelerates the total speed of your work.

Next, you have 4GB DDR4 memory and 128GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage. This keeps your work buttery smooth. You have a standard 15.6 inches full HD screen with a resolution of 1920 X 1080.

A 1080p resolution is the best we can get in this budget of $500 for editing images and videos on a good screen. The viewing angles are also nice.

The beautiful Wide screen display is an LED Backlit IPS display and it is further powered by AMD Radeon Vega 3 mobile graphics. The laptop comes with several connectivity choices like 1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, 2 USB 2.0 ports & 1 HDMI port with HDCP support.

Needless to say, you get an integrated Wi-Fi connection and a backlit keyboard with a decent 7 hours of battery life. Do check this laptop out if you wish to obtain maximum precision in your work under a price range of $500.

While it is a good idea to use a laptop, we always recommend connecting a monitor, side by side, for better color reproduction. Check out this list for monitors for photo editing under a budget of $500.

Pros:

• AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Dual Core Processor
• Ample connectivity options
• Optimum RAM and Storage
• Full HD Resolution
• Fluid Fast Performance

Cons:

• Display could be better

ASUS VivoBook 15

I look at 2 things when I tend to buy photo editing laptops, the RAM and the CPU. The Asus Vivobook 15 stands out in both.

With its fast specifications and outstanding performance, the machine stands as one of the best budget laptops that can be used for photo editing.

That’s not It!

Many users have reviewed this laptop for versatile purposes.

With ample connectivity choices, the laptop leaves several options in front of you to share your data and allow further editing and transfers. It has got an Ergo Lift design, promoted especially for comfortable typing positions.

What I like about the laptop is a good combination of RAM and Storage. The hardware on the inside is impressive for the price.

The laptop comes with 8GB DDR4 RAM and 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD to accentuate the speed of editing besides giving you a huge place to store the raw and final forms of the videos and photographs.

This is why I can even recommend this laptop for professional photo editing as well, as I know it can take it off with ease.

Moving ahead, you get a good Powerful AMD Quad Core Ryzen 5 3500U Processor (2M Cache, up to 3.6 GHz) along with faster AMD Radeon Vega 8 discrete graphics.

The laptop is equipped with a 15.6-inch FHD 4 way NanoEdge bezel display with a stunning 88% screen-to-body ratio. If you are wondering what it does to your work then let us tell you that this feature neatly enhances the quality of pictures that you see on screen.

Overall like the previous choice, this is a great pick and one of the best laptop under $500 for photo editing.

Pros:

• Fast Processor
• Excellent Graphics
• Many connectivity options
• Good RAM and Storage
• Full HD Resolution
• Ergo Lift design
• NanoEdge bezel

Cons:

• Could have included or Thunderbolt 3 port for the price

Lenovo IdeaPad 3

Lenovo IdeaPad is a clever option if you want to purchase a good laptop for photo editing under $500. It is a complete value-for-money product in today’s list.

I even can say that this device can handle a professional longer duration of editing, be it photos or videos. All thanks to the processing power on the heart of the device.

The laptop is equipped with a 10th generation Intel Core i3-1005G1 Processor that has a clock speed of up to 3.40 GHz. This is a very reliable choice with a powerful performance.

We recommend this laptop for photo and video editing because of the 8GB DDR4 RAM that can run at 2666 megahertz. This will help you to run multiple programs and browser tabs all at once without any lags.

Thus, you won’t have any sort of trouble when it comes down to edit photos.

In fact, if you upgrade the ram to 16GB or above, I am pretty sure it can give some serious competition to a lot of video editing laptops, when it comes to video editing.

You can use apps like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator without lags. If you want something special for illustrator, check the best laptops here.

Users have given a lot of positive reviews for this laptop starting from gaming freaks to business people.

It has a 15.6 inches HD display that has a 1920 x 1080 resolution with native 1080p support. This will help you to showcase your games and HD movies with impressive colors as well as clarity.

The display comes with Anti-glare technology to play safely on your eyes. The laptop does not miss out on good graphics support because it comes with an Intel UHD Graphics card.

It has 8GB DDR4 RAM and 256GB SSD storage where you can store all your photographs and even other files of your choice.

For connectivity options, you have Bluetooth, USB, and HDMI. Also, the display of the laptop is very responsive and sensitive to multiple touches at a time.

Pros:

• i3 Gen 10 Fast Processor
• Good RAM and Storage
• HD display
• Bluetooth, HDMI and USB connectivity
• Fast Performance

Cons:

• Could have a Full HD display

Microsoft Surface Go

If you do not mind using a laptop that has a slightly smaller display, compared to other options in the market which is “10 inches”, this laptop is pretty much a decent option for photo editing.

All you need to do is just spend 15 to 25 dollars extra and grab this laptop to carry out your work most smoothly at a good speed. This is none other than little but smart Microsoft Surface go. It has a high-resolution, 10 inches PixelSense display that lets you view each and every detail of the photo for editing to match better clarity and accuracy.

The 10 Point Multi-Touch option can be a really fun fact among the other magical specs of the laptop. Most importantly the laptop comes with 9 hours of battery life which is fit for an entire day’s use. It has superior performance with an Ambient Light Sensor.

The laptop also includes a USB C port. Apart from these, the important specs of this laptop are an Intel Pentium Gold processor, 8GB RAM, and Intel Ultra HD graphics card along with a Stylus pen. We would mostly suggest this laptop for a beginner photo editor who wants to get an introduction of the field done with a better start.

Pros:

• Fast Processor
• Lightweight
• Good RAM and Storage
• 10 Point Multi Touch
• Lightweight

Cons:

• Memory could have been better.

ASUS VivoBook F412DA

Next, we have the ASUS VivoBook F412DA on our list.

The photo editing laptop has got amazing configuration and equipment to please all the photo editors looking for a good option at an affordable range of under $500.

I am not HYPING it all up.

What you get is an AMD Ryzen 5 processor that keeps your work at speed.

The display is a 14-inch Full-HD display, with a resolution of 1366 x 768. The laptop has also got an HD webcam which can be used to interact with friends, family, and official interactions.

Moving ahead, the laptop features 256GB SATA Solid State Drive along with 8GB DDR4 RAM and together they make a decent combination for the price.

In case you’re worried about the laptop being capable or not running on Windows 10 home, then yes you can upgrade it from Windows 10 in S mode to Windows 10 home.

It is such a lightweight and portable laptop that you can carry it almost anywhere you want, without having to feel the weight of the laptop.

Next, you get a good set of connectivity ports that include USB, HDMI, and micro-SD ports. While you certainly have the Wi-Fi 5 option, the laptop is capable of running various applications on it.

Wrapping up for this product, it is a good one for getting your job done at an affordable cost.

Pros:

• Good Processor
• Lightweight
• Good RAM and Storage
• Full-HD display
• Windows 10 Home

Cons:

• Battery drains fast

HP X360: Best 2-In-1 laptop for photo editing under 500

Here comes another affordable laptop that can get your photo editing job done without draining your pocket. It is the two in one HP Chromebook.

This laptop is worth every penny you pay for it, as it comes with some selective yet powerful specs and quality features to maintain the overall work quality.

The best part for buying this laptop is that you can easily use it like a tablet as well. Thus, if you travel a lot, it might be the best photo editing laptop for travel.

The display size of the laptop is 14 inches and it has a resolution of 1920 storage pixels. It has also included a 2.1 GHz intel core 2 Duo processor in its configuration along with 8GB RAM and 64GB eMMC flash memory.

Note: For some weird reason, you may find, the description on Amazon mentioning that the laptop has a 64GB SSD, but it is not accurate. It has a 64GB eMMC flash memory.

We also recommend you to check out the best 2 in 1 laptop under $500, if you are willing to buy only a 2-in-1 laptop.

Since Video and Image editing boils down a lot to the graphic card, let’s talk about it.

The graphics support is Ultra HD graphics. It is rare to get such a fast processing speed at an affordable cost. The flexible set of features allow a user-friendly work process.

The full HD resolution is going to let you have a detailed view of each and every flaw in the photographs and in turn lets you do the job in a more precise manner. Overall it is a good laptop to add in a finish to your work and hence it is not a bad idea to invest in it.

Pros:

• 2 in 1, 360° rotatable
• Fast Processor
• Super Lightweight
• Proper RAM and Storage
• Full HD display
• Bluetooth connectivity

Cons:

• Storage is not sufficient

Dell Inspiron 2-in-1 Chromebook: Best Budget ChromeBook for Photo Editing

Unlike other windows laptops on this list, there might be some students who are looking to purchase a Chromebook for editing their photos.

We are adding this to our list at the end because you will have to spend a few dollars extra. But by doing so, you will be many steps closer to your ideal laptop.

If you do not mind spending more or less a hundred dollars extra, then you can get your hands on Dell Inspiron 2 in 1 convertible laptop; that has got some modern features and specs to best suit your requirement at present.

Let us quickly reveal the features of this laptop one by one.

First of all, it has a 14 inches full HD display that has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

The laptop comes with a True Life LED-Backlit Touch IPS Display with EMR Pen Support. It is equipped with an 8th Generation Intel Core I3 processor that has a clock speed of 2.2 gigahertz. Further, the laptop has 4 GB system memory and 128 GB MMC flash memory.

I recommend that you upgrade the ram by adding a 4GB stick to be future-proof.

Both of these are going to prepare the laptop for multitasking. Next, you have a 360-degree flip and fold design of the laptop that can help you store it on your tables or backpacks in a comfortable way. Talking about its graphics, then you do have Intel Ultra HD graphics 620 support.

For connectivity options, it has Bluetooth HDMI, USB, and Wi-Fi 5 connection support. You would love to work on its backlit keyboard with a comfortable set of keys. You can even interact with your friends, family, and official people through the integrated webcam. We believe it to be a fair deal at an affordable cost.

Pros:

• 2 in 1, flip and flop design
• Intel i3 Processor
• Good RAM and Storage
• Full HD display
• Various connectivity options

Cons:

• RAM could be better

Specs important for picking a laptop for Photo Editing:

• Processor: We hardly need to explain the quality of the processor and its importance. The quality of the processor always matters the most among all features. Especially when we are talking about a job that requires heavy processing applications and fast performance, the significance of a good processor is going to have a stronger impact. Ideally one should invest in the best possible processor that one can purchase, but since here we have a limited budget scope- we cannot spread our Wings freely to purchase whatever we want. So for a budget of $500 we can suggest a decent Intel i3 or i5 processor you are good to go with your job.

• Graphics: A standard graphics support can not only share the load of the processor but it can also help in providing good support for better image quality.

• RAM: Honestly speaking, we do need 8GB RAM to run the photo editing applications smoothly on our laptops. 4GB DDR4 RAM is going to work well. But make sure to invest in good RAM if you do not want hiccups and lags while you are running software programs on your laptops. Also, good RAM is important to support high-speed work on the laptop.

• Storage: We are sure you know that photo editing requires a laptop that has a good storage space because after all, you need to store The raw files along with the edited and the files which are under process. A lack of storage can result in very slow performance or it can even invite several freezes while you are working on the laptop.

• Display Size: Though the size of a display is a personal choice, that varies from person to person; we absolutely do not suggest anything less than 10 inches. If you want to be able to view your photographs in a refined and detailed way then you have to go in with a 14 inches screen and at least 10 inches.

• Resolution: Nowadays we get several varieties of resolution that enhance the quality of the display. A good quality resolution is going to present a pixelated and detailed photograph on the screen of the laptop. That in turn enables you to see the photographs closely and point out the flaws easily. You can next edit the photographs with comfort and convenience. A full HD resolution is going to work well for photo editing.

Conclusion

Photo editing is a skill that takes a lot of time and talent. With the best laptops for photo editing under $500, you can start editing the best photos in the least time without putting in a lot of effort. Use the guide mentioned above to check out all the necessary points to look out for in a laptop.

Happy Shopping!