This is a transcript from the video mentioned above: (please support the original creator by liking and subscribing to their channel!)
What’s going on, everybody? Benji Keyser here today talking about the best two and one laptops for graphic designers. I recently had a viewer come on and asked me if I can make this video. So this is coming out and response to that question [Music] and there’s a myriad of options when it comes to 2 in 1 laptops. And if you want to know my recommendations before we talk through all this, you can just head down straight into the description below and use those links. Those are affiliate links, so I will get a small commission but at no extra cost to you, and that’s what keeps this channel alive and these helpful videos coming your way, but if you do want to know why these are my top picks, if you do want to know the reason you’re buying a certain laptop that. I definitely recommend hanging on to this video to me. I like to be informed and educated when buying equipment and know why it’s a good buy for the specific task that I’m using it for so today with the 2 and 1 laptops were focusing primarily on photo editing, illustrators, digital painters and graphic designers. I really like to be kind of hands-on with their work, but still want the power of a computer. They’re not just kind of going to the tablet side of things. I know there’s a lot happening right now. In the industry, where Adobe is making some of their products primarily for tablets. But this is for a designer who still wants a computer, but what’s the option to use it like a tablet to use it like a drawing, Maybe a Wacom tablet, something along those lines so anyway, without further ado, we’re gonna jump into three areas that I think are super important to consider when buying a 2 in 1 laptop that’s going to be usefulness, performance and usability. The first thing is usefulness, so before we even jump in. I want you to think about this. What do you need this to and one laptop for? Is this just a new fancy gadget that you’re going to use in order to get that new great design set of skills that you just really didn’t have, but this computer is gonna make the difference. Don’t fall into that. How do you say? I need new gear to make me better mentality. I have often been famous for that. I think. OK, this camera this device. This tablet is going to be that really that next. Step for me! That’s going to take me be a piece of technology can truly never quite do that for you. So that’s your reason for getting a tool on a laptop and recommend that you just get a regular laptop and just stick to sketching or something this. This isn’t going to be the answer to all of your problems. However, if you’re somebody who’s already using their phone or maybe their iPad to sketch out ideas. And then you end up like, err dropping it or emailing it to your computer and you just want to cut down on all that extra work. If you want to streamline the process and you’re gonna be using this as a daily application and what I mean by that is you’re gonna be daily illustrating daily photo editing daily digital painting. Then this would be the best buy for you. So that’s why I talk about usefulness. That’s what I mean. Will you get the use that you really need out of this computer? And as we’re going to this video? If you have any questions, please comment below. I’d love to review other computers or answer some questions. You have if you’re interested in a two on one computer that I don’t have on my list. Please shoot those comments below. I’ll get back to you As soon as possible with recommendations or insights in my opinions on these computers as they relate to the graphic design industry. All right, now, let’s talk about performance. If you’re somebody who’s really just gonna be working In the core 3 as far as Adobe Softwares are concerned and that’s Photoshop, Indesign and illustrator, You really only need an i5 processor or an entry-level i7 8 to 16 gigs of ram, an integrated. GPU, something like the Intel 620 and a solid-state hard drive and that’s somebody who’s just working in Illustrator or Photoshop or InDesign with basic level tasks. Well, what am I basic, cuz? I don’t mean the creativity or the level of skill, but what I mean is how much power they’re gonna be using. Now if you’re somebody who’s going to be using more power with things like after effects or Premiere Pro or advanced Photoshop work. Then you’re gonna want to get a more powerful computer, so that’s gonna be an at least an i7 processor, maybe even an I-9, but I think an i7 is is well-equipped for what you’re gonna be doing as a graphic designer, a dedicated GPU like the Nvidia Gtx 1050 or the Radeon rx Vega Em. It’s a good AMD GPU. You’re gonna want a solid state hard drive and 16 to 32 gigs of Ram. That will be a really good, powerful computer. You’re gonna want to really take on all of those aspects and what I mean by that is Photoshop Indesign illustrator After Effects Premiere Pro so the full suite of graphic design and motion design software later in the video. I’m gonna discuss more of the exact models that I think would fit best for each user. So hang in there. And if you’re curious, we’re getting itchy. You can go down and check out those videos in the description below. Click those links and check those out. Now let’s talk about the usability of this computer. So what ports on the side do you need? Do you need to be slim? Gonna be a little thicker? How can it rotating turn and spin? And does it detach? Or does it stay connected? You know what will work for you? Most of the tuned ones on this list will be very, very good for on-the-go designers. So somebody who either goes to class has a lot of meetings around town as a freelancer who’s meeting in coffee shops all the time or is balancing from location to location to do design work. Most of these two-in-one’s laptops are built well and are lightweight. So that’s something you don’t have to be too concerned with, but something. I want you to consider is how you will be using this computer on the day to day for me personally. I like to have a lot of ports on the side of my computer. I’m hooked into multiple monitors. I often have to hook in a network. Jack to run live streams. I have to hook in my camera. I have to hook an SD card. I have a external Mouse. I do a lot with my computer and so for me. Ports are important, but maybe they’re not so important to you. I want you to go down. Click on some of these computers and cross-reference your day-to-day tasks with what these computers are equipped with. I think this will be very helpful to you in your decision making process. These are things that I can’t decide for you. I can’t recommend a computer on my own experiences. Specifically, it’s something you have to decide on. Alright, now to jump in and get started with the laptop recommendations we’re gonna start at a budget and slowly move our way to more expensive machines. Now these first machines are not for people like. I said doing motion design or video. Editing these are for people doing the core 3 Photoshop, InDesign and illustrator and using these computers with the touchscreen capabilities. The first one. I want to look at is the Lenovo Yoga 7 13 This is a 15 inch computer and Lenovo. Yoga is a well-built machine. It has a 5 processor. It has eight gigs of Ram and as the Integrated Intel 620 graphics processing unit and it has the solid-state hard drive, so it’s a very good base computer and for curious about the exact price and go down and check out that price in the description below the next one we want to look at is the Dell Inspiron 5000 now this is a step up from the Lenovo Yoga. It has an i7 processor. This one can be equipped with 8 to 32 gigs of Ram has a solid-state hard drive and once again, it has the integrated Intel 620 graphics processing unit Now, like I said, these are not computers built for motion design or video editing because they don’t have that dedicated graphics processing unit. The next one we want to look at is the Lenovo idea. Flex 5 now. This one is built very well and it’s the first one with the dedicated. GPU, this has the MX 150 graphics processing unit comes with 16 gigs of Ram and it has the i7 processor. This is a great medium budget computer. It’s slowly creeping up in price, but still what I would consider as a budget for graphic design computers. Alright, these next two computers share a lot of the same functionality, but they both have their pros and cons so. I want you to pay attention because we have these surface Pro 6 here, and I like this computer a lot because it’s lightweight, and it doesn’t have a connected keyboard and what it means by that is well, it can be connected, but you can easily disconnect it, so it’s not like a 2 & 1 where it folds all the way around. You just simply remove it, and then you can basically carry around somewhat of a very large iPad, and so that makes it really nice for illustrators. Who want to have that really free feeling? We don’t have that keyboard weighing you down. This one does come in a myriad of options. I’m not going to walk through all the options. So if you want, you can go down in the description below. Click that check out the different options. It’s got basic budget level pricing as well as all the way up to getting like an i7 and some maxed out solid-state hard drive. Each of any of those options in between will be a good fit for graphic designers. If you want more power, obviously, you’re going to increase the price a little bit. All right, so this next computer. I really consider what I would buy personally if I was gonna go for a 2 in 1 laptop, and this is the Microsoft Surface book – this computer is stacked and I like it because it’s got really great features on all categories, so it is detachable. So you have your keyboard and you have your screen. They can be connected or they can be separated, which makes it great for illustrators to be on the go and just take the screen with them and use Another feature isn’t as two batteries, one of the keyboard and one in the screen, so they rate this for 16 hours of battery life, which is probably one of the best battery lives on the market. Most of the computers you’ve seen so far are gonna last, you know, from maybe four to six hours doing graphic design tasks, so it really blows that out of the water. And if you’re gonna be using this for graphic design, maybe that 16 hours would turn into more like 10 to 12 but still, that’s phenomenal. The second thing that’s really good about this computer is the GPU. It has a really powerful dedicated GPU opposed to the surface pro six, which does not. So that’s where you kind of get. These changes the surface Pro 6 If I’m not mistaken, has the integrated Intel. Ya has the integrated Intel 620 so you can have a lot more power a lot more capability for motion design, you know, a lot more capability for video editing with the surface book – the last feature that I find extremely beneficial for me personally would be all the ports on this side of the computer. It has a bunch of different ports, and that allows for me personally to connect two monitors to plug in SD cards to have Mouses and USB ports and all kinds of different things. And so I find that very beneficial and perhaps you would – like I said this machine is definitely the most diverse and most powerful in the – and one lineup and – that’d. Be my personal. Pick, all right, The next machine. We’re going to talk About. Is the spectre x360 This is a fantastic machine. And as the i7 processor 16 gigs of Ram, It has the AMD Radeon RX Vega EMA graphics processing unit, which is comparable to the Nvidia Gtx 1050 GPU, which I find is a great base level for video editing and for motion design on the go, It also has a solid state hard drive. This is a really well equipped computer for the two in one category screen doesn’t disconnect, but it has that fold around 360 option and that is very helpful for illustrators. The Dell Xps 15 is my final computer that I’m bringing into this list. I personally have had great experiences with Dell Xps 15 and I think it was a really great build reason. Benas as an all aluminum bezel has the carbon fiber top build quality. Is this computer’s? Biggest asset in my opinion has very similar specs to the spectre x360 which is the 16 gigs of Ram, The Radeon RX Vega M Graphics processing unit. It has the i7 processor and it has a solid state hard drive so performance on these two latest computers that I just talked about are very comparable. I just personally like the build quality on the Dell Xps 15 a little bit better than the spectre x360 but that’s where it comes down to your preference and your needs. I really hope this video has been helpful today. If you have any questions you for me to review other computers, that’s why. I’m here, it’s what I love to do and keep an eye out. Subscribe for more videos coming your way, helping you get started and also get scaled in the graphic design industry. I’m Benji Kaiser of Benji Kaiser. Comm and Ill. See you here on the next video [Music] you [Music]!