Thanks yall! Right now my biggest enemy is file transferring and maintaining photo quality. I think that's the RAW image but I need to double check. Also my phone, camera, and computer monitors all display differently so it's hard to tell what the "true" image is. Can I get a good monitor and attach it to my shit laptop?
Sure can. Just make sure you get a monitor with the right connections or you may need an adapter. Newer stuff is all HDMI I think but I have an older monitor so I needed a VGA to HDMI adapter for my laptop.
Also, my SO is a professional photographer and this is a major complaint of hers. Things look different on every device. There's a product called a ColorMunki that helps you calibrate your monitor to match real life/your camera display as well but it's kinda pricey if I recall