These RAM recommendations are based my experience doing on doing 2D illustration using Krita and Clip Studio Paint.
4GB
NOT ENOUGH. AVOID.
8GB
OK. Should be fine basic 2D art. Good place to start for a beginner.
16GB
GOOD. The average person will be fine here and will be able to handle a decent workload.
32GB
EXCELLENT.
Before you buy a laptop, please ensure that you are clear how you intend to connect it to your pen display. More here: Connecting a pen display
I recommend that you get a laptop with at least 1 USB-C port that supports DP-alt mode (any thunderbolt 3 or thunderbolt 4 port will so). Ideally, a laptop should have two such ports. See: USB-C DisplayPort alt mode
If you want to connect to a pen display with a single USB-C cable, you should really this document to ensure you understand the requirements for ports and cables: Connecting a pen display with a single USB-C cable.
Pen tablets don't draw much power at all from a laptop, so it won't diminish your battery time.
Pen displays on the other hand draw a lot of power and if your laptop is powering your pen display, then it is going to limit the time your laptop can work on battery power.
For a pen display, you should either
Keep the laptop connected to power from the wall.
Or, connect the pen display to get power from another source.
If you are getting as pen display it essential willa ct as another monitor.
So you should verify your laptop can handle that many monitors.
Some laptops for example can only handle two displays: their built in display and external monitor.
Some laptops can handle 3 displays simultaneously
And a few laptops can handle 4
2023 M3 MacBook Pro - 7P notes: 2023 M3 MacBook Pro
Surface Laptop 5 & 6 (but NOT 7 - see the note on Windows on ARM Below)
Check the reviews for these laptops
Surface Laptop Studio
Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360
Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360
ASUS ProArt PX13
ASUS ProArt P16
IMPORTANT: DO NOT get a Surface Pro that uses an ARM processor (example: Microsoft Surface Pro 11). ARM-based Windows machines do not work with drawing tablets at the moment. More here: Windows on ARM.
I don't recommend Chromebooks for use with drawing tablets. I don't think drawing tablets work well with Chromebooks. More here: Using a drawing tablet with a Chromebook.
Brad Colbow - Top 5 Laptops for Artists 2021 2021/11/19
Ergojosh - 4 Reasons Why I Switched to Mac! [Digital Artist] 2021/11/12
Please make use of the community (for example on reddit) to get feedback and guidance on a laptop for your needs.
Reddit: r/SuggestALaptop
Reddit: r/DigitalPainting