Laptop for coding and for photo and video editing

People who code keep the editor open, the browser with the documentation, the terminal and, often, a database, an emulator or containers. Each one takes a piece of the RAM, and memory is what freezes first. The Radar’s rule for this use: 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB and a mid-range processor. It’s an editorial choice, not a standard.

A dedicated graphics card only counts if your work uses the card: machine learning, gaming or 3D graphics. For web development, apps and data, the graphics built into the processor are enough.

Photos call for memory and a processor to open large files and apply adjustments without waiting. Video calls for more: a strong processor, plenty of memory, a big SSD to store the files and, in the heaviest editing, a dedicated graphics card. The Radar’s rule for this use: 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB and a high-end processor.

The specs rarely list the screen’s color accuracy, and the Radar doesn’t measure it. If color matters for your work, see the screen in person and check the color coverage with the manufacturer before you buy.

A integrada shares the chip with the processor: it uses less battery, runs cooler and makes the laptop cheaper and lighter. The dedicada is a separate chip with its own memory: it speeds up video editing, 3D modeling and gaming, and it costs more and weighs more.

The Radar shows the graphics card in each model’s specs and uses our own table of families and generations for the performance score. It is not a bench test and doesn’t say how many frames per second the laptop delivers.

Screen. For coding, more inches and more pixels mean more code on screen at once: Full HD is the floor, and 15.6 inches or more helps. For editing, size and resolution count, but color accuracy, which the specs rarely list, counts more.

Ports. People who work at a desk usually plug in a monitor, a keyboard and an external drive. Check in the specs whether the laptop has the video output and the USB-C or Thunderbolt ports your monitor and drives use.

The Radar’s spec sheet score compares processor and graphics card families and generations using our own public table. It does not measure doesn’t measure real performance in coding or editing, temperature, fan noise, or whether performance drops after an hour of use. Two laptops with a similar score can perform differently in your routine.

Use the score to compare laptops for the same use and at the same price. For the final decision, read the score calculation and compare two models in the comparison tool.