10 Best Budget Laptops For Photo Editing 2025 in the United States

The 2025 Apple MacBook Air with the M4 chip offers a powerful and portable option for photo editing, especially for users comfortable with macOS. Its 10-core CPU and 8-core integrated GPU provide smooth performance when working with image editing apps, while 16GB of unified memory helps handle larger files and multitasking efficiently. The 256GB SSD offers fast storage, though this capacity might feel limited if you work with many high-resolution photos, so external storage could be needed.

The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display is a strong highlight, featuring 1 billion colors, high brightness, and sharp resolution—great for seeing fine photo details and accurate colors. Battery life is impressive, offering up to 18 hours of video playback, which means you can edit on the go without frequent charging. Weighing just 2.73 pounds with a slim profile, it excels in portability.

On the downside, the integrated GPU, while capable, is less powerful than dedicated graphics cards found in some competitors, which might affect performance with extremely large files or advanced effects. Also, the price point for a MacBook Air is generally higher than many budget Windows laptops, which could be a factor if a tight budget is a priority. This MacBook Air balances excellent display quality, good performance, and long battery life in a lightweight package, making it a solid pick for photo editors who value portability and prefer the Apple ecosystem, though its storage and GPU limitations might require some compromises.

The Dell Inspiron Touchscreen Laptop is a solid choice for photo editing on a budget. With its Intel i5-1155G7 processor, it delivers decent performance thanks to its four cores and boost clock of up to 4.5GHz. This should handle most photo editing software well, making it suitable for students or budding photographers looking to edit images without spending too much. The 32GB of RAM is a highlight, ensuring smooth multitasking, which is crucial when handling large files or using multiple applications simultaneously.

The display is another strong point. The 15.6-inch Full HD IPS screen offers vibrant colors and good viewing angles, essential for photo editing. The anti-glare feature reduces reflections, enhancing usability in bright environments. Storage is generous with a 1TB SSD, ensuring plenty of space for large photo files and quick access speeds, which is important when working with high-resolution images. Portability is reasonable too, weighing about 3.65 pounds and having a slim profile, making it easy to carry around. The laptop's design is sleek, suitable for both work and casual use, appealing to students and professionals alike. This laptop does a commendable job for budget-conscious individuals looking to edit photos, though those with more intensive needs may want to consider options with dedicated GPUs.

The Apple 2025 MacBook Air 15-inch with the new M4 chip is a strong choice for photo editing if you want a lightweight, portable laptop with excellent performance. The M4 chip offers a powerful 10-core CPU and 10-core integrated GPU, which means it can handle photo editing software smoothly, especially for everyday and moderately complex tasks. The 16GB of unified RAM supports multitasking well, and 512GB of SSD storage provides quick access to your files, though you might need extra external storage for large photo libraries.

The 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display is a highlight, delivering sharp, bright images with support for 1 billion colors, which makes your photos look vibrant and detailed — a key factor for editing work. Battery life is impressive, with up to 18 hours, so you can work on the go without frequent recharging. The MacBook Air is also very portable, weighing just over 3 pounds and featuring a slim design.

The graphics are integrated rather than dedicated, so while fine for photo editing, it may struggle with very heavy graphics tasks or video editing. This model tends to be priced higher than many budget laptops, making it best suited for those who want Apple’s ecosystem and reliability but still need solid photo editing capabilities without breaking the bank. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly laptop with excellent display and good performance for photo editing, this MacBook Air is a great pick, especially if portability and battery life are important to you.