I have been a freelance photographer and light video editor based in Accra...

I have been a freelance photographer and light video editor based in Accra for about four years now, and I swear by the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3. I know it is not the flashiest option, but for the price (I got mine for around 3500 cedis, which is about 300 USD), it handles Lightroom and basic DaVinci Resolve edits without crashing. The key for me was upgrading the RAM myself to 16GB. Most budget laptops here come with 8GB soldered, but the IdeaPad lets you add an extra stick cheaply. That single change made it feel like a much more expensive machine.

If you can stretch your budget a little, look at the HP Pavilion x360. A friend of mine in Kumasi uses it for vector art and digital painting with a stylus, and the touchscreen is great for sketching on the go. He got a refurbished one from a shop in Circle for about 4500 cedis last year, and it still runs strong. The hinge is solid, which matters when you are moving between co-working spaces.

Also, do not forget about battery life. Many creatives in Africa deal with power cuts. I keep a 20,000 mAh power bank that can charge my laptop via USB-C. That saved me during edits for a wedding last dry season. Check if your laptop supports USB-C charging first.

Sign in to post a comment.

---

Sign In

---

Pooler Aria @ariapooler3520

wait, you can actually upgrade the ram on the slim 3?? i've been eyeing it for months but everyone told me to go for a more expensive dell. i mainly do lightroom for events in accra too, and my current laptop crashes every time i try to export. kinda wish i knew this before i bought my current machine. also that power bank tip is gold—my place loses power like 3 times a week, do u have a link for the one you use?
2 days ago

---