The laptops for animation come in many sizes and shapes. Today, many laptops can handle animation tasks smoothly with large screens while being compact.
There are various models available in the market, and you may be wondering, “What are the best laptops for animation?” and “Which one is best for me?”
We have tested hundreds of models available in the market to come up with a list that includes the top ten laptops for animation. So let’s take a look at them!
1. Razer Blade 15
Important Specifications
- Screen Size: 15.6″
- RAM: 32GB
- Hard Disk: 1TB
- CPU: Intel Core i7-12800H
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
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What We Like
- Lightweight
- Classic Razer Styling
- Cutting-edge hardware
- Fantastic gaming performance
Things To Consider
- Expensive
- Dreadful battery life
Product’s highlights
From our testing, the Razer Blade 15 is the fastest laptop for animation because of its excellent GPB. Thanks to Intel Turbo Boost Technology, this model can let you handle the demanding AAA games and various creative works like animation.
Lastly, condensation drains heat and internal fluid evaporation, allowing it to run smoothly and cool even under heavy load.
So, if you are looking for a high-end model for your animation works, the Razer Blade 15 should be your best bet.
2. MacBook Pro
Important Specifications
- Screen Size: 14.2″
- RAM: 8GB
- Hard Disk: 1TB
- CPU: M3 chip
- Graphics Card: Integrated
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What We Like
- Plenty of ports
- Long battery life
- Brilliant performance
- Best screen on a laptop
Things To Consider
- Overkill for a regular user
- The screen may be a bit small for some
Product’s highlights
When it comes to great laptops for animation, it would be remiss to ignore the 14-Inch MacBook Pro.
This model features an M3 unique chip from Apple, allowing it to deliver impressive performance while keeping its lightweight and thin design.
You will be amazed at what this small laptop can bring to you. Generally, it will make your animation processing easier than ever.
Also, one of the things that we appreciate so much about it is its superb battery life. We think it has the longest battery life we’ve ever seen for a MacBook. It can let you work all day and still have the battery left.
3. Acer Predator Helios
Important Specifications
- Screen Size: 15.6″
- RAM: 16GB
- Hard Disk: 512GB
- CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
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What We Like
- Competent thermal design
- Easy to open up and upgrade
- Good FHD or QHD screen options
- Solid performance across the board
Things To Consider
- Poor audio
Product’s highlights
This model features the 11th Generation Intel Core i7 processor. So, you can expect to get the speed, intelligence, and power you need to do your job.
Furthermore, new Tensor cores, Ray Tracing cores, and streaming multiprocessing are included in the new NVIDIA GeForce 30 Series graphics cards, driven by the award-winning Ampere architecture. Thanks to that, your multitasking will be amazingly smooth.
Last but not least, it features high-speed gameplay, made possible by the display’s 144Hz refresh rate, keeping up with your flawless Full HD visuals.
4. Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
Important Specifications
- Screen Size: 13.5″
- RAM: 16GB
- Hard Disk: 512GB
- CPU: Intel Evo i7
- Graphics Card: Integrated
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What We Like
- Lightweight
- Affordable rare
- Beautiful touchscreen
- Comfortable keyboard
Things To Consider
- Not enough ports
Product’s highlights
If you want a stylish model with Apple-like build quality but don’t want to use macOS, the Surface Laptop 5 is the way to go.
Although Microsoft is known primarily as a software company, it has put out a few great laptops, including this model. It’s light, thin, and portable.
We appreciate its PixelSense touch screen, which comes with advanced integrated graphics from Intel, depending on your configuration.
It also has amazing battery life. In our testing, it lasted about 15 hours, making it perfect for long work sessions.
5. Acer Nitro 5
Important Specifications
- Screen Size: 15.6″
- RAM: 16GB
- Hard Disk: 512GB
- CPU: Intel Core i5-12500H
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
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What We Like
- Low price
- Good port selection
- Generous RAM/SSD
- Steady gaming performance
Things To Consider
- Thick and heavy
- Short battery life
Product’s highlights
This has an Intel Quad-Core i5 processor and an excellent CPU. Combined with a RTX 3050 graphics card, this model is perfect for anyone looking to do some animation on the go.
Its processor is powerful enough to let you multitask and has enough power to run most software programs without any problems.
Its storage space is 512GB, which is more than enough for most people, and with the addition of 8GB of RAM, the model lets you multitask without any problems.
This laptop has a 15.6″ FHD 144Hz IPS display and an excellent backlit keyboard. With a great graphics card, it is perfect for both animation and gaming.
6. Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14
Important Specifications
- Screen Size: 14″
- RAM: 8GB
- Hard Disk: 128GB
- CPU: Intel Core i3-N305
- Graphics Card: Integrated
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What We Like
- Highly portable
- 360 hinge design
- Touchscreen display
- Fantastic battery life
- Powerful 13th-Gen Intel CPU
- 16:10 display perfect for note-taking
Things To Consider
- Pen not included
Product’s highlights
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is more affordable than most other models on this list. It’s a 2-in-1, allowing you to use it like a traditional laptop or turn it into a tablet-like device.
Using it as a tablet is beneficial in terms of productivity. You can use a stylus to draw on a touchscreen with a 16:10 aspect ratio. Unfortunately, like most other laptops, the Acer stylus pen is not included.
The touchscreen display gives you full features, which can help you with your animation work and artwork.
With a battery life of 8 hours, it is one of the models that allow you to immerse yourself in long working sessions.
7. Acer Nitro 17
Important Specifications
- Screen Size: 17.3″
- RAM: 16GB
- Hard Disk: 1TB
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050
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What We Like
- Lots of ports and features
- Rock-solid Nvidia graphics core
- An incredible Full HD IPS display
- Versatile and powerful AMD processor
Things To Consider
- Frequently noisy
Product’s highlights
The Acer Nitro 17 is one of the most potent models for creative tasks. It has an AMD Octa-Core processor and one of Nvidia’s best GPUs.
This processor is also a more robust and Ryzen 7 generation, allowing you to multitask without any annoying issues.
Featuring an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS processor, this model is also perfect for animation software like After Effects or Adobe Photoshop. It also has an ideal graphics card to display images quickly.
Overall, it’s a great model, and we recommend it to anyone who wants a powerful computer for animation.
8. Razer Blade 16
Important Specifications
- Screen Size: 16″
- RAM: 16GB
- Hard Disk: 1TB
- CPU: Intel Core i9-14900HX
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070
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What We Like
- Incredibly powerful
- Modern design
- Plenty of ports
- Great keyboard
Things To Consider
- Very expensive
Product’s highlights
The Razer Blade 16 combines excellent build quality and some of the most powerful components you can get. For example, it will give you the most powerful GPU you can get from a laptop without breaking the bank.
We found that even the most complex 3D animations run smoothly and brilliantly during testing. However, for those doing 2D animation for the web, it can be overkill.
The Razer Blade 16 is available for a premium price, but you’ll get some of the best techs out there, making it great value for money.
9. Acer Aspire 5
Important Specifications
- Screen Size: 15.6″
- RAM: 20GB
- Hard Disk: 1TB
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3350U
- Graphics Card: Integrated
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What We Like
- Solid build
- Budget-friendly
- Competitive price
- Decent battery life for the price
Things To Consider
- Modest performance
Product’s highlights
This 15.6-inch laptop is an affordable laptop that offers respectable performance and battery life for the price. This very budget-friendly laptop is more than good enough to run most 2D animation software.
It comes with 20 GB of RAM and the latest generation of AMD Ryzen processors.
So there is no denying that the Acer Aspire 5 is a simple yet powerful model, making it well worth its price tag.
Its storage is also quite good for the price, and the battery life is even better than some of the more expensive models. So if you are someone on a tight budget, this device is perfect for you!
10. ASUS ROG Strix G16
Important Specifications
- Screen Size: 16″
- RAM: 16GB
- Hard Disk: 512GB
- CPU: Intel Core i7-13650HX
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060
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What We Like
- Lightweight
- Beautiful design
- Colorful 165Hz panel
- High level of performance
Things To Consider
- Missing hard drive
- Average battery life
Product’s highlights
The ASUS ROG Strix G16 provides the power you need to work with most graphic design programs comfortably. It is made of plastic and metal with a bold gaming design.
Its screen has a diagonal of 16 inches and a resolution of 1920 × 1200 pixels with a density of 141 PPI. In addition, this model also uses NVIDIA G-SYNC dynamic update technology.
This powerful laptop comes with a fantastic Core i7-13650HX processor with fourteen cores and twenty threads, allowing you to work with your animation projects seamlessly and smoothly.
Buying Guide
Before buying a laptop for animation work, you should prioritize the model with the best CPU. The reason is that a good processor will effectively support your creative needs by allowing you to run multiple programs at the same time without any problems.
GPU
The graphics card is one of the essential parts for animators since it helps them to see their work in real-time.
You should choose something that comes with a decent GPU that features VRAM. As a result, you can work on many large projects with no slowdown or lag.
RAM
If you need to work with many large projects and files, you will need a laptop with plenty of RAM. Ensure the model you choose has at least 8GB of RAM to keep many programs running smoothly, without freeze or lag.
A model with 8GB of RAM will work fine in many cases. But if you want to do some severe rendering or editing, you may need more.
Storage
Your selected laptop should have enough storage to store all the files you are working on. Make sure your model has at least 256GB, which allows you to work on multiple projects without crashing or shutting down unexpectedly.
Display
You should also look for a model with a high resolution and color accuracy display. In that way, your laptop allows you to see every detail in your work and ensures that the colors are as accurate as possible.
The model with a screen resolution of 1920×1080 would be a good starting point, and sometimes you’ll need even higher resolutions than that.
Ports
One of the things that you shouldn’t miss is making sure your chosen model features available ports to connect all your peripherals.
As an animator, you should favor laptops with multiple USB ports, allowing you to connect to devices at once without having to switch them out constantly.
Battery Life
Last but not least, the model that you have chosen should have good battery life. As a result, you can work continuously for long periods.
We recommend aiming for a model that can last at least 6 hours per full charge so your work won’t be interrupted.
Conclusion
You’ve got the best laptops for animation. Each product in the above list is great in its own way. They all come with great features, including high-quality graphics cards, powerful processors, and amazingly smooth keyboards.
Besides, their battery life is okay as well, perfect for those who want to work on long projects without wanting to be interrupted.
After reading our detailed reviews and helpful buyer’s guide, you should be able to make a decision. Let us know which one you will choose!