7 Best Laptops for Photo Editing under $1000 in 2023

Feeling overwhelmed from researching countless laptops for photo editing? Worried about splashing the cash on an overkill device? Say no more. This article will help you resolve these dilemmas and more. 

Whether you’re a professional, a beginner, or an amateur photo editor, for an efficient photo editing workflow, you’ll need a powerful and reliable computer. But when it comes to choosing the right one, performance and reliability is not the end of the story. There are plenty of other factors that can make or break your decision to make a purchase.  

With all these things in mind, in this article, we’ll showcase some of the best mid-range laptops for photo editing that are just under $1000. Moreover, we’ll explain what makes each of them a solid investment.  

So, let’s explore.

Minimum & Recommended System Requirements

You shouldn’t expect a sub-$1000 laptop to pack the best specs possible. But you can realistically expect to get a decent mid-range device that is more than capable of handling photo editing software.  

To give you a general idea, in the table below, we’ve listed the minimum and the recommended specs you should aim for when searching for your next mid-range photo editing tool. 

A quick tip

The recommended specs from the table above are a good starting point if you’re also looking for a good laptop for web design and development.

Top 7 Laptops for Photo Editing under $1000

I don’t want to keep you waiting any longer. Let’s explore the best photo editing laptops for just under $1000.

1. Best Overall Under $1000: MSI GF63

MSI GF63

• CPU: 2GHz Intel Core i7-12650H
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Display: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)
• GPU: 6GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050
• Battery: Up to 7 hours

$845.00

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If you don’t like overspending but still want a capable laptop for photo editing, MSI GF63 is an awesome choice. Strong internals, crisp display, and solid build make MSI worth the investment.

For the price, GF63 packs a pretty impressive GPU. NVIDIA RTX 4050 belongs to the latest generation of graphic cards, and it will fly across GPU-intensive tasks like 3D rendering.

When it comes to photo editing, CPU is more important, and MSI doesn’t lack in this department either. A 12th Gen. i7 is a very capable processor, especially when you pair it up with 16GB of RAM. In other words, I wouldn’t worry about Photoshop lagging or crashing.

I thought the 15.6” display on GF63 is surprisingly colorful and crisp for the price. Like most gaming laptops, though, it’s not super color-accurate, so for sensitive photo-editing tasks, I’d plug in an external monitor.

What sets GF63 apart from other gamers is how thin and lightweight it is, even with beefier specs. At 4 lbs, this is one of the lightest gaming laptops on the market.

That being said, I would have liked a somewhat better battery. You can draw 7 hours with general tasks, but 4-5 hours of juice is more realistic for photo editing.

Still, for this price, you get a lot of good stuff with MSI GF63. It’s one of the most powerful photo-editing laptops on the list, with a very reasonable price.

2. Affordable for Photo Editing & Gaming: Acer Nitro 5

Acer Nitro 5

• CPU: 1.9 GHz Intel Core i7-11800H
• RAM: 8GB DDR4
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Display: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)
• GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti
• Battery: Up to 6 Hours

$831.00

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Few gaming laptops have been talked about like Acer Nitro 5. One of the most popular Acers, this gaming/photo-editing laptop brings fire to the tasks — along with a good cooling system and a price that won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

Powered by an 11th-gen. i7 and the dedicated RTX 3050Ti, Nitro 5 does very well in Photoshop benchmark tests, which means it will do great in other photo-editing software, too.

The 15.6” display is crisp, vivid, and bright enough. It also comes with a high refresh rate — typical for gamers — which won’t mean much for photo editing, though moving images will look smoother.

I also love Nitro’s design. The sleek, polished chassis feels very sturdy and looks compact. And then, there’s also the signature-red gamer keyboard, which is super comfy to type on.

That being said, the 5 lbs of weight might not be for everyone. Nitro is far from the heaviest laptop, but if you’re often out and about, you might like a lighter machine.

The bigger issue is the RAM. The initial 8GB RAM is a solid starting point, but since photo-editing programs eat up RAM, I’d upgrade to at least 16GB pronto.

Overall, for the asking price, Acer Nitro 5 is a sleek, powerful and sturdy laptop for photo editing that brings a lot of value to the table.

Watch our Acer Nitro 5 Review

This YouTube review was created by the Not Just Laptops team. The specs may slightly differ from the laptop in the article.

3. Thin and Powerful Photoshop Companion: HP Victus

HP Victus

• CPU: 3.2GHz AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Display: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)
• GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
• Battery: Up to 5 hours

$1,049.99

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HP Victus is another budget gaming laptop that’s great for photo editing. With strong specs, quite an elegant design, and an elevated display, Victus has most of the Curves set right.

HP’s brainchild runs on a powerful Ryzen 7 CPU and an RTX 3050 Ti, which is quite similar to Acer Nitro 5 in performance. As such, Victus works great with photo-editing software.

Unlike Nitro, Victus already comes with 16GB RAM, which is awesome for photo editing since after the CPU, RAM is the first thing to look up. 16GB is quite enough for most photo software and will ensure that there are no lags, stutter, or crashes while creating your masterpiece.

I also love what HP did with the design. It’s an unusual thing, a gaming laptop this elegant, yet the chassis looks really sleek and compact.

And the body gives way to the elevated 15.6” display above the compact keyboard. The panel is great for focusing on the work, but I did notice some screen wobble when you accidentally bump it.

Like most gaming laptops, Victus isn’t really big on portability. At 5 lbs and roughly 5 hours of battery life, it’s like Nitro 5. If you need something more portable, I’d look at LG gram or Acer Aspire 5.

Still, if your heart is set on an elegant, compact, powerful laptop for photo editing, Victus definitely fits the bill — and leaves money to spare.

4. Most Portable 17″ Laptop: LG gram 17

LG gram 17

• CPU: 2.9GHz Intel Core i7-1195G7
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Storage: 1TB SSD
• Display: 17-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
• GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Xe
• Battery: Up to 13 hours

$980.00

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Stepping aside from the gaming beasts and into productivity laptops, the LG gram 17 is an ultraportable, powerful laptop for photo-editing with an amazing display.

To start with, I don’t think there’s a photo editor who wouldn’t like the 17”, hi-res, high-quality display with DCI-P3 standard and great color accuracy. Seriously, the WQXGA panel is gorgeous to look at, and amazing for photo editing.

That’s why the weight is even more impressive. This 17” laptop weighs under 3 lbs, which is just crazy — and super practical if you’re out and about.

Plus, the well-optimized energy consumption means that the battery lasts long. In gram’s case, I got around 12-13 hours of battery life, so I wouldn’t worry about running out of juice mid-editing.

Gram 17 packs a 12th-gen. i7 and the integrated Intel Iris GPU, along with 16GB RAM. It’s a powerful combo for photo editing that will zap brushes, strokes and yes, even the liquify tool. The Iris Xe might be a bit of a bottleneck if you’re doing GPU-intensive tasks.

There’s also 1TB of SSD storage, which is more than enough space for loads of images and PSD files.

The latest gram 17 is a sleek and elegant machine, although the thin profile does make it a little flimsy, so make sure to handle it with care.

With gram 17, you get one of the best productivity laptops on the market and an amazing machine for photo editing. It is easily one of the top picks in this category.

5. RAM & Storage Monster: Lenovo V15 G3

Lenovo V15 G3

• CPU: 1.3GHz Intel Core i5-1235U
• RAM: 40GB DDR4
• Storage: 4TB SSD
• Display: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)
• GPU: GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX
• Battery: Up to 8 hours

$839.00

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When choosing a laptop for photo editing, you should always pay attention to RAM and storage. Lenovo sure did: their V15 G3 is a champ in this regard.

With a whopping 40GB of RAM and a monstrous 4TB of SSD storage, Lenovo takes the cake as one of the most well-equipped photo-editing laptops. Seriously, this thing just flies across the Photoshop tasks, and 4TB would be enough even for a standalone video-editing laptop, let alone hi-res photo projects.

The design reminds me of Lenovo’s IdeaPad series, which I happen to quite like. It’s an inconspicuous yet elegant chassis that weighs only 3.75 lbs. If you move a lot, you won’t have any issues carrying it with you.

Along with low weight, V15 also comes with a good battery life. I got around 7-8 hours of battery on a single charge, which rounds up the portability side quite nicely.

Lenovo houses a 12th-gen. i5 processor and the Intel Iris GPU which translate to good overall performance in photo-editing programs, especially when coupled with RAM.

While I love the overall specs, I am puzzled why Lenovo opted for a TN panel. Sure, it’s a large, 15.6” display, but TN panels are getting outdated — they lack in brightness and color accuracy. So, for best results, I’d plug the machine into an external monitor.

With this price and specs, Lenovo V15 G3 is one photo-editing laptop that should be considered. It’s got amazing power, worthy of professional photo-editing tasks.

6. 4K UHD Touchscreen: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i 14

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i 14

• CPU: 2.9GHz Intel Core i7-1195G7
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Display: 14-inch UHD (3840 x 2160)
• GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Xe
• Battery: Up to 10 hours

$899.00

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Maybe you care about the display quality the most. If that’s the case, Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i is an awesome touchscreen laptop for photo editing, along with great specs and super-low weight.

A 4K touchscreen display is almost unheard of at this price range, yet Lenovo did just that with Slim 9i. The 14” panel has very high resolution, great color accuracy, and responsive touchscreen capabilities. Want a superior display? This is it.

Plus, with an 11th-gen. i7, Intel Iris Xe GPU, and 16GB RAM, this machine can handle all the photo-editing tasks. Sure, you may not be able to tackle 3D modeling stuff, but for everything else — you’ve well-covered.

The 14” screen works wonders for portability. In my tests, Slim 9i lasted 9-10 hours, which is more than enough for any photo editor’s workday. And since it weighs 2.65 lbs — lower than a MacBook Air — you can take your virtual brushes wherever you want.

Slim 9i carries on the great Lenovo tradition of well-designed budget-to-midrange laptops. The body looks sleek and polished, and actually feels more premium than some other expensive laptops.

The display size might not be for everyone — after all, what we want in display varies a lot. 14” is smaller, but at this resolution, it’s so good.

If you don’t mind the screen size, Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i has the best display you can get in a photo-editing laptop at this price. It’s an amazing, portable laptop bursting with colors and great visuals.

7. Reliable and Powerful: Acer Aspire 5

Acer Aspire 5

• CPU: 2.1GHz Intel Core i7-1260P
• RAM: 16GB DDR5
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Display: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)
• GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050
• Battery: Up to 7 hours

$1,000.58

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Acer Aspire 5 is one of the most popular productivity laptops and great for photo editing. The machine brings awesome mid-range specs, good overall portability, and a large display.

Aspire packs a 12th-gen. i7 and a dedicated RTX 2050. It’s a powerful combo for photo editing that will let you tackle even GPU-intensive tasks. While 2050 is a lower-end card, it still beats all the machines with Intel Iris. 

I also like that Acer opted for 16GB of next-gen. DDR5 RAM, which is super fast and works amazing with multiple layers, multitasking, and continuous brush strokes.

Even with all the power, Aspire 5 is still reasonably portable. The body weighs under 4 lbs and I got around 7 hours of battery life.

For all you peripherals geeks, Aspire 5 comes with a great selection of ports: HDMI, three USB-A and a USB-C that supports connection to a 4K monitor.

Speaking of ports, you might want to take me up on that 4K thing. I like that Aspire has a 15.6” display, but the colors seem washed out. Still, this is an IPS panel, so it beats the likes of the Lenovo V15.

Overall, Acer Aspire 5 brings some of the best photo-editing features together — and for the drawbacks, this laptop has very viable solutions. If you don’t mind connecting to external monitors for color accuracy, it’s an amazing machine that will serve you for years.

Buying Guide for Laptops for Photo Editing under $1000 in 2023

Since you already know how much you are willing to spend on a new laptop, you’re one big step closer to finding your ideal match. But before I reveal our favorite photo editing options for under $1000, let’s discuss a few key things. 

1. You Should Prioritize CPU Performance 

In terms of performance, a CPU is the number one thing you should focus on when selecting your next photo editing laptop. Simply put, a powerful processor with multiple cores and higher clock speeds translates into a smoother photo editing experience. 

On that note, with a budget of under $1000, aim for a laptop with a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU or an AMD Ryzen equivalent. As you’ll soon find out, there are several options on our list that are packing these processors. 

By all means, I’m not saying that a lower-tier Intel Core i5 (or AMD Ryzen 5)  wouldn’t get the job done. But if I’m spending a thousand bucks on a laptop, I’d prefer an i7.  

As for the GPU, it is not an absolute necessity to go overboard with a powerful graphics card for photo editing. However, if you also like to dabble with video editing or 3D modeling, investing in a laptop powered by a dedicated GPU is a must. With this in mind, we included a couple of models that feature some excellent graphics cards for the price. 

Finally, if you’re wondering if gaming laptops make a good fit for photo editing, we have already covered that story. The short answer is — yes.

2. RAM and Storage Are Also a Vital Piece of the Puzzle 

Besides a powerful processor, having enough RAM is vital for a smooth photo editing workflow. 

Of course, for light photo editing, even as little as 8GB RAM could be enough, but it may not be the best idea if you want your laptop to perform well for several years. After all, you’re not purchasing a new laptop every year, and for the price range of around $1000, an 8GB RAM laptop feels a little questionable.  

So, for the best balance between price and performance, and for future-proofing, I’d advise you to shoot for at least a laptop with 16GB RAM. 

As for the storage, you probably already know this, but photos can stack up real quick. This makes the storage capacity a crucial component when selecting your next photo editing tool. 

And how much storage you would really need ultimately depends on you. But for the price range, I wouldn’t settle for anything less than a 512GB SSD. And if that’s not enough, you can upgrade later or get external storage. 

3. Pick a Color-Accurate Display 

Now that we cleared things on performance, we need to discuss the display you’re getting. I don’t care what size and resolution you pick. Those should be more of a personal preference, and there are plenty of sizes (14 to 18-inch) and resolutions (FHD, QHD, UHD and others) to choose from.

But the most important thing you must be careful about is color accuracy. That said, look for the highest possible percentage of sRGB or DCI-P3. And if you can’t find those in the specs info, I suggest you check the user reviews about the laptop’s visual quality. 

Finally, if you have a soft spot for aesthetically appealing displays, you can always look into thin-bezel laptops.

4. Consider Portability and Battery Life 

If you plan to do some photo editing on the go, consider getting a portable laptop with a good battery life. Unfortunately, powerful laptops dedicated to graphic content creation and gaming are generally beefy and drain the battery quickly. This is mainly due to the powerful internals they are packing.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t get a decently portable laptop for photo editing. Just take a look at the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim from our list. 

As for the other options, they are somewhat less portable and have poorer battery life. But they do excel in other areas that make them a great fit for photo editing. 

5. Look for Ports and Connectivity Features 

I’m not a photo editor myself, but I’m pretty sure you’ll be doing a lot of USB and SD card transfers. 

So make sure you get two things right. First, pick a laptop that includes those ports, and second, make sure those are some of the latest generations of USB and SD card readers for taster data transfers. 

HDMIs, DisplayPorts, and Thunderbolt ports may also be useful if you need to connect your computer to external monitors for improved multitasking workflow. 

So, these are just several brief tips on how to choose a good laptop for photo editing. If you’d like to pick up more detailed information about laptops in general, check out our in-depth buying guide.

FAQs about Laptops for Photo Editing under $1000

Let’s answer some of the most common questions people ask us when they need a new laptop for photo editing.

Verdict

Hopefully, we helped you clear things up a bit about what makes a good mid-range laptop for photo editing. Of course, any of the reviewed models are solid investments for the price range.

But while they are similar in performance, they are different in one way or another. So, which one is the right option for you pretty much depends on your specific taste and requirements. 

Still unable to pick? Let’s break it down a bit: 

• In terms of the best CPU/GPU combo for the price range, we singled out the MSI GF63 as the best overall. This beast is not only great for photo editing but also more graphically intensive tasks like video editing and 3D modeling. 
• If you prefer a large, high-quality display but don’t want to compromise portability and battery life, the LG gram 17 is your ideal pick. 
• And if you ever feel worried about running out of RAM and storage — with the Lenovo V15 G3, I guarantee you won’t.

Now, over to you. Which laptop are you getting and why? Let us know in the comment section below. Before signing out, in case you’re considering investing in something more powerful than any of these machines, check out our favorite laptops capable of 4K video editing.