Best Touchscreen Laptops for Drawing

by Demi

Looking for a concise guide on the Best Touchscreen Laptops for Drawing?

Read on…

A brush, pencil, canvas and paint used to be the conventional materials for every artist. But we now live in an era where using a pen or pencil to sketch out your designs on a canvas or paper is considered outdated. There are now gadgets for doing everything art and these make drawing, sketching, and designing tremendously easier.

 

If you’re an aspiring artist, digital artist or even just an art student, you can agree that working on a tablet gives you a good feel. But a lot of professionals enjoy using touchscreen laptops that combine the features of a tablet and a laptop as well as one that comes with a stylus pen. Unarguably, the best touchscreen laptops make your work a lot less stressful.

 

However, the number of touchscreen laptops available in the market can leave you feeling overwhelmed. With so many appealing features and specifications, getting a laptop for your art can get you confused. In this article, we’re making the work easy for you by providing you with the best touchscreen laptops for designing and drawing.

 

Let’s dive in!

 

 

The Best Touchscreen Laptops for Drawing

With a good touchscreen laptop, you can draw, create animations, make 3d as well as 2d art and also create graphic art. Here, we’ve provided you with a few of the best touchscreen laptops to help improve your artistic prowess;

  • Hp 15
  • Surface Pro 7
  • Acer Spin 3
  • Hp Spectre x360
  • Asus Zenbook Duo 14
  • Lenovo Ideapad 5
  • Dell Inspiron 14
  • Microsoft Surface Pro 8
  • Samsung Chromebook Plus

 

 

Hp 15

Hp 15 is a great laptop for students and professionals. It’s very affordable and very compact and so, can be easily carried about. It comes with both high productivity and a touch screen. It is a 3.92lbs, medium-weight laptop that has 12GB RAM which allows art students, illustrators and graphic designers great multitasking capacity. This laptop has a minimalist but elegantly compact design, seemingly peculiar to the HP brand, with a silver chassis.

 

The Hp 15 has a comfortable 15.6-inch, micro-edge bezel, FHD touch screen with a 1366 x 768 resolution. It also comes with a Windows 10 Pro edition that has inbuilt security features that are great for designers. The keyboard is full-sized and comfortably spaced. This is vital for art students and other art professionals. It also has a wide enough and smooth touchpad for comfortable hand gestures.

 

Hp comes with about 4 ports including 2 x USB Type-A ports, 1 x USB Type-C port and 1 x HDMI 1.4b. This laptop also has a 64GB flash stylus that is important to transfer data and designs. It comes with a multi-format card reader as well as WiFi-5 and Bluetooth 4.2 for your wireless connectivity.

 

Specifications

  • CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-1135G7
  • Storage: 512GB SSD + 1TBB HDD
  • Battery: Up to 5 hours
  • GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Xe

 

Pros

  • Full HD Display with Touch Screen
  • Very Affordable
  • Compact and Lightweight
  • Good Performance

 

Cons

  • Short Battery Life
  • Plastic Used for the Body

 

Surface Pro 7

The Surface Pro 7, which is a laptop from Microsoft, is an upgrade from the Surface Books but with some new and interesting features. This laptop is Microsoft’s flagship touchscreen laptop for both amateur and professional artists including architects. It provides a long term and reliable addition to your artistic devices.

 

This laptop has become one of the most popular laptops among its other competitors for writing, drawing and designing. It’s not only because it has an amazing display and great performance but also because it has a super-fast CPU that runs heavy software, apps etc.

 

It’s a 2-in-1 series that has a 1.3GHz 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor as well as the Intel UHD i3 coprocessor that allows you to launch heavy applications on your system. The front camera of this laptop has extraordinary image resolution quality. And its Intel Iris Plus GPU allows you to draw with smooth accuracy.

 

The Surface Pro 7 has an 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD storage that prevents lag and no lag means you can design and draw easily at an incredible speed. It also allows for additional storage capacity of up to 1TB which can store a large amount of downloader exe run files. These storage features also mean you can perform multiple functions on the laptop with ease.

 

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 comes with a signature magnesium-alloy design. It has a slim  and the bezels are thick. This model is thin and versatile and weighs just about 1.7 pounds, making it easy to carry and transport. It has a 12.3-inch display with a 2736 x 1824 pixels resolution.

 

This laptop provides you with a sense to automatically adjust based on the light or darkness in your surroundings. It also allows a balance of brightness and colors. Although the keyboard and stylus pen doesn’t come as part of the package and you’d be required to purchase both separately, the keyboard is backlit and quite sturdy. And it provides an effective and comfortable typing experience.

 

The Surface Pro 7 comes with two ports; a USB-C port and a USB 3.1 Type-A port. It charges very fast and also has a battery life of up to 10-11 hours, meaning, your creative juices can keep flowing without you worrying about low battery.

 

Specification

  • CPU: 1.3GHz Intel Core i5 1035G4
  • Storage: 8GB RAM + 256GB SSD
  • Battery: 11 Hours Durable Battery
  • GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Plus

 

Pros

  • 3 Inch Touch Screen Display
  • Slim design and portability
  • Good CPU and GPU Capacity
  • Long-Lasting Battery Life

 

Cons

  • Stylus and Keyboard Come Separately
  • It’s Expensive

 

Acer Spin 3

Acer Spin 3 is one of the best convertible laptops. It provides both accuracy and durability for drawing enthusiasts. This quiet 2-in-1 model has an array of specifications that are perfect for tech-savvy artists. This laptop has quite a sophisticated look with its double-toned interiors in black and grey around the bezels and deck. It’s also quite resistant to accidental falls.

 

This 3.7-pound machine provides a very powerful and speedy processing system with its 1.1GHz Intel Core i5-1035G1 CPU processing power. Artists are drawn to this laptop because of its Integrated Intel UHD 620 GPU that allows for its smooth performance.

 

It has an 8GB DDR4 RAM and a 512GB PCle NVMe SSD internal storage that allows you to run drawing and editing apps such as Premiere Pro or Photoshop without worrying about lagging. Its 14-inch touchscreen provides good color vibrancy and this feature also allows you to draw pain on a large screen because its bezel is narrow. However, it doesn’t have a wide brightness range.

 

The Acer Spin 3 comes with an array of ports, such as; a USB 2.0 port, a USB 3.0 port, an SD card slot, an HDMI port, a charging port, a stylus charging port, a headphone jack and a Kensington lock port. It comes with a sturdy and responsive keyboard with backlit features which provides a smooth typing experience.

 

The battery life on this machine is also very impressive. The laptop can last up to 12 hours which will allow for a hassle-free experience while working for a long time.

 

Specifications

  • CPU: 1.1GHz Intel Core i5-1035G1
  • Storage: 512GB SSD + 8GB RAM
  • GPU: Integrated Intel UHD 620
  • Battery: 12 Hours Battery Life

 

Pros

  • Fast Performance Due to SSD Storage
  • Comes With a Built-In Active Pen
  • Very Good Battery Life
  • Not Expensive

 

Cons

  • Heavy and Not Portable

 

 

Hp Spectre 360

This laptop is one of the most widely recommended touchscreen laptops for artists. This is because the HP Spectre 360 was designed especially for artists and has a lot of drawing features and can run graphic-intensive tasks. With this laptop, Hp has produced a top-notch convertible that can efficiently serve all your needs.

 

The HP Spectre 360 has a CPU that has been upgraded to quad-core and so its 4GHz Intel Core i7-10510U processor adds an extra advantage to its performance. With the added power of the NVIDIA GeForce MX330, this laptop becomes a power-house for all your drawing, painting and designing.

 

This laptop has a 16GB LPDDR3-2133 SDRAM that regulates and stabilizes the speed output. You can also multitask and also don’t ever have to worry about your system lagging while working because this system comes with a 512GB SSD + 32GB Intel Optane. This allows your apps to run fast and with ease.

 

This Hp laptop has a unique square-cut, sharp design. And it has an aluminum base and skid resistance that makes it a hardy device to work with. It is a convertible laptop that can bend up to 360 degrees, making work in tablet mode. It also weighs about 4.3 pounds, making it an average laptop.

 

As for the ports on this machine, it comes with a USB Type C port, a Thunderbolt 3 port, an HDMI port, an audio jack, a microSD card reader and a fingerprint reader. It has a 4K UHD display and a 3840 x 2160 pixels resolution. It has a wide brightness range and color display with an IPS micro-edge 15.6 inches touchscreen. This provides ample smoothness for creating designs and drawings.

The keypad that comes with this laptop has incredible spacing between the keys which improves your experience while typing. It also has a very good battery life which lasts up to 14 hours. All these features are what make the HP Spectre 360 one of the best laptops for drawing and design.

 

Specifications

  • Storage: 512GB SSD + 32GB Intel Optane + 16GB RAM
  • Battery: Up to 14 Hours Battery Life
  • GPU: 2GB NVIDIA GeForce MX330
  • CPU: 1.8Hz Intel Core i7-10510U

 

Pros

  • Very Impressive Battery Life
  • Includes Thunderbolt
  • Very Good Speed
  • Quality Multitasking Slots to Connect with Third-Party Devices

 

Cons

  • Expensive to Purchase
  • Spaces on Keyboard are Too Wide

 

 

Asus Zenbook Duo 14

The Asus Zenbook Duo 14 combines two high-quality screens in one laptop. It’s powered by an 11th generation processor. It’s also created with Asus new Active Aerodynamic System Plus that uses the ErgoLift hinge mechanism. It also has a tilting ScreenPad Plus that helps the overall cooling airflow by about 50%.

 

This laptop has a multi-threading quad-core processor in Intel Corei7-1165G7 and NVIDIA GeForce MX450 which helps balance the work of the dual-screen and also delivers silky-smooth visuals. It combines a 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD which works hand in hand with the processor that allows it to run design applications. It also runs on Windows 10 Home edition.

 

The Asus Zenbook Dou 14 has ultra-slim bezels and a 15.6 inches FHD touch screen display. Its primary screen has a 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution with stylus support and the secondary screen has a 4K resolution. The laptop is powered by a new ScreenXpert 2 software which makes it easier to multitask and be creative.

 

The laptop comes with several built-in apps and a Control Panel app that allows you to draw and design with ease. With the Control Panel, you can easily switch your brush size, layer opacity, saturation etc. You can also use buttons on the Control Panel for Adobe After Effects, Lightroom, Premiere Pro and Photoshop.

 

The system comes with a very spacious keyboard but doesn’t have a numeric panel. The infrared camera that is built with it keeps your log in quick and easy for online classes and video conferences.

 

The Asus Zenbook comes with two Thunderbolt ports, four USB Type-C ports, a card reader, an audio jack, one USB 3.2 Type-A port, and an HDMI port. It also has WiFi-6 and Bluetooth 5. It, however, doesn’t have ethernet but that is substituted by the WiFi-6. Its 70WHr 4-cell battery allows it to last up to 10-11 hours even with the dual-screen.

 

Specification

  • Battery: Up to 10 Hours Battery Life
  • GPU: 2GB NVIDIA GeForce MX450
  • Storage: 1TB SSD + 16GB RAM
  • CPU: 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7

 

Pros

  • WiFI 6
  • Backlit Keyboard
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 4

 

Cons

  • Doesn’t Come with an Ethernet Port

 

Lenovo Ideapad 5

The Lenovo Ideapad 5 is a newer model that has a better performance than its predecessors in the Ideapad family. This laptop has a power of a 10th generation quad-core processor that was designed for both work and play. The 45WHr battery of this device can last up to 11 hours giving you ample time to let the inspiration flow.

 

With its 12GB RAM, the laptop can handle high-quality work that is large. It allows you to handle computations of large data and codes. It uses Windows 10 Home which loads faster with its 512GBSSD storage. It also uses Intel Core i7-1165G7 which has four multi-threading cores that can process up to 4.7GHz for intensive design software.

 

The Lenovo Ideapad’s Integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics allows you to design and draw with accuracy and ease. It has a 15.6inch FHD Touch Screen to buttress the shortcoming of the 1920 x 1080 pixel display. It weighs just about 4.44 pounds which makes it light and travel friendly as well as a 180-degree flexible design.

 

As for the keyboard, it has a full-sized keyboard with a special numeric pad with sufficient key travel and a good response so you can work for a long time without any hassle. The laptop comes with an array of ports ranging from two USB Type A 3.1 ports, one USB Type C 3.1 port, a card reader, a 3.5mm audio jack as well as one HDMI port. It also comes with a WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

 

Specification

  • Storage: 512GB SSD + 12 GB RAM
  • CPU: 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7
  • Battery: Up to 11 Hours Battery Life
  • GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Xe

 

Pros

  • Very Affordable
  • Uses WiFi 6
  • Battery Lasts Long
  • Travel Friendly

 

Cons

  • No Ethernet port
  • Display isn’t Bright

 

Dell Inspiron 14

Dell Inspiron is unarguably one of the best laptops for designers, educators and graphic designers. This is your go-to laptop if you’re working with a budget and it doesn’t compromise in its quality and ability to perform. The laptop has four modes including, modes for typing, gaming, entertainment and a tablet mode for writing or drawing.

 

This device runs on a quad-core Intel Core i7-1165G7 at a speed of 1.2GHz to about 4.7GHz which is quite impressive compared to other laptops in its price range. The GPU’s Intel Iris Xe Graphics allow you to smoothly run applications like Art Weaver, Corel Painter etc.

 

The 12GB SDRAM and 512GB SSD supports the processor to enable easy and seamless boot-ups and processing. This helps the laptop cope with various drawing and design demands.

 

Dell Inspiron 4 uses Windows Pro which comes with security features like BitLocker, allowing designers to work remotely easily. It boasts of a display of 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution on a 15.6 inches screen which can turn landscape. The FHD also has a very good array of colors.

 

The laptop has a full-size keyboard with good key spacing and depth. It also comes with an S-Pen and has a large touchpad which also serves as a wireless charger for your phones. It packs a number of ports including a USB Type-C port, an audio jack, a USF/MicroSD combo port and an S-Pen about 3.39 pounds. It lacks an ethernet port but makes up for it with WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.

 

The Dell Inspiron has a 4-cell battery that lasts just about 6 hours. Its compact design and light weight make it portable and travel-friendly. It’s also incredibly flexible due to its dynamic, narrow-border design. Summarily, the Dell Inspiron 14 is one of the best budget touchscreen laptops to handle all your drawing needs.

 

Specification

  • GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics
  • Battery: Up to 6 Hours Battery Life
  • CPU: 1.2GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7
  • Storage: 512GB SSD + 12GB RAM

 

Pros

  • Flexible Design Up To 360 Degrees
  • Uses Thunderbolt Support
  • Not Expensive
  • Provides Very Fast Performance
  • Travel-friendly

 

Cons

  • Short Battery Life
  • Lacks Proper Ventilation

 

Microsoft Surface Pro 8

Microsoft recently launched one of its largest upgrades of its Intel-powered Surface Pro; Surface Pro 8. This model is one of the best laptops if you’re looking to draw architectural designs. This upgraded version boasts an 11th gen Intel Core i5 super-fast CPU that allows you to run heavy software and apps.

 

The laptop comes with a premium design with a standard matte black color that just oozes sophistication. You can even use this device in both tablet mode and studio mode. It has bezels that are quite thick compared to the other models but with its 1.96 pounds weight, it’s very easy to carry around.

 

The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 has an impressive 13 inches PixelSense display with a vibrant 2880 x 1920 pixels resolution. It has a range of colors provided by the sRGB color gamut that will just blow your mind if you’re particular about your accuracy while drawing. The battery on this laptop can last up to 11 hours.

 

The laptop comes with an Integrated Iris Xe Graphics GPU. And to add to the beauty of the Surface Pro 8, it’s configured with an 8GB RAM and a 128GB SSD storage. This prevents interruption while working on your projects. The keyboard comes with a 1.3 mm key travel with a thin Type Cover.

 

This device has a touchpad that allows precise navigation and responds to multi-touch gestures very well. However, the Thin Type Cover has to be bought separately. The Surface Pen which adds to the power and precision of the laptop also has to be bought separately. The Pen is incredibly sensitive and has an eraser at the top.

 

It also features two Thunderbolt 4 ports as opposed to the USB-A port and microSD car feature the other models have. The Thunderbolt 4 ports allow the laptop to support 4K displays with a 60Hz refresh rate or an 8K monitor at 30Hz.

 

Specification

  • GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics
  • Storage: 128GB SSD
  • CPU: 2.4Gz Intel Core i5-1135G7
  • Battery: Up to 10.5 Hours

 

Pros

  • Up to 11 Hours Battery Life
  • Very Strong Processor
  • Portable Design
  • Two Thunderbolt 4 Ports

 

Cons

  • Expensive to Purchase
  • Surface Pen Has to Be Bought Separately

 

Samsung Chromebook Plus

The Samsung Chromebook Plus is the first of a new generation of Chromebooks that run Chrome OS. This Chromebook supports Android apps and also works better on tablets. It also accepts stylus input. This Chromebook is suitable mostly for students and upcoming artists.

 

The Chromebook’s Intel Celeron 3965Y has dual cores that operate at 1.5GHz. This is adequate to run Android applications like Sketchbook, Painter etc. The Intel HD Graphics 615 GPU helps to process images and videos easily. Although, the Chromebook only has a 4GB RAM which might hinder its ability to run multiple operations, it can adequately handle the optimized load.

 

It also has a storage of just 64GB eMMC flash memory. However, it still allows your system to boot fast as well as boots your applications quick. The display of the Samsung Chromebook plus boasts a 12.2 inches FHD display screen with 1920 x 1200 pixels resolution. With a weight of just 3 pounds, you can easily travel with this device.

 

The laptop has a very spacious keyboard with adequate key travel but lacks a numeric pad. The touchpad is also spacious and can accommodate multi-hand gestures. It has one USB 3.0 port, one USB Type-C port, a headphone port and a card slot in case you need additional storage. It, however, has no Ethernet or HMDI port.

 

The Chromebook also has space for the stylus and comes with WiFi 5 and Bluetooth. And the battery lasts up to 10 hours thanks to the light processor.

 

Specifications

  • CPU: 1.5GHz Intel Celeron 3965Y
  • Storage: 64GB eMMC + 4GB RAM
  • GPU: Integrated Intel UHD 615
  • Battery: Up to 10 Hours Battery Life

 

Pros

  • Very Affordable
  • Lightweight and Easy to Transport
  • Built-In Pen
  • Good Battery Life

Cons

  • Has No Ethernet Port
  • Very Small Storage Capacity

 

Buyer’s Guide-How to Choose the Best Touchscreen Laptops

When you’re trying to get a good touchscreen laptop for your work or yourself, it’s important to consider a few important factors. These factors help you to narrow down your search seeing as there are so many options available in the market. Use the following tips to when next you’re purchasing a laptop for drawing;

 

Wide, High-Resolution Screens

As an art enthusiast or professional you need a screen that’s wide enough for you to go crazy with your art on. A small screen can limit your designs and can get you frustrated trying to fit the whole design to no avail.

 

The resolution and brightness range are also very important. This allows you to have bright and crisp colors and details while working.

 

Good Graphics Card

A good GPU is very important because it can manipulate and process a large number of pixels at once. The graphics card helps improve the graphics and video experience as well as helps to free up memory. It also helps improve your gaming experience if you’re also a gamer.

 

Travel-Friendly

If you’re an artist that likes to travel or you’re a student or professional always on the go, a laptop that is portable and lightweight is your best bet. Such laptops come in various sizes and weights, make sure you find the one that’s right for you.

 

Strong Processor

While working with your laptop, it can be quite frustrating to have to wait for a few minutes or seconds for it to load or process. Having a laptop that lags can be very annoying when your creative juices are flowing. So, it’s important to get a laptop with a very good processor that can keep up with your creative demands. And one that can easily run software like Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, etc.

 

Strong Battery Life

A laptop that you always have to charge every few hours can hinder your progress while working. Especially if you’re always on the go. Therefore, make it a point to get a laptop that has a very strong battery life: at least 8-10 hours battery life if you can afford it.

 

FAQs

  1. Can you draw on a touchscreen laptop?

You can draw on any touchscreen laptop provided it can read an external pen such as Stylus, Windows Ink or Lenovo Pen. The gestures of the pen will help you draw efficiently on the laptop’s screen.  You must also make sure that the external pen is compatible with its display.

 

However, note that the level of work you can do depends largely on the compatibility of the applications.

  1. Can I use a Stylus on any touchscreen laptop?

Because your laptop has a touchscreen doesn’t mean that a stylus will automatically work with it. So, the simple answer is that you can use a stylus on any touchscreen laptop as long as it’s Windows compatible. The good thing is that some touchscreen laptops come with a stylus.

  1. What is the best processor for laptops for drawing?

The best processors for drawing laptops are Intel i5 or i7 CPU configurations. These configurations produce the best drawing outputs on the laptop and they help increase the speed and performance of your laptop. This helps ensure good productivity and efficient work for art enthusiasts and professionals.

 

Bottom Line

While trying to get the best laptop for your art and designs, you should make sure you look for a product that can efficiently run digital art-based software. To ensure you don’t get confused take your time to read through each laptop’s specifications before you make a decision.

 

AUTHOR’S BIO – Naomi Oseni is an irreverent freelance writer who covers lifestyle and tech-related topics. When she isn’t using her words to help people live a stress-free life, she’s serving as an event assistant with Tix Africa.

Contact Naomi for content-related gigs and projects via email – naomioshoke@gmail.com

 

 

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