These days, many of us divide our work lives between office and home, and this means that laptops are becoming more important than ever, allowing you to easily work just about anywhere. While you don’t always need a powerful laptop to code, investing in a laptop with cutting-edge components can still pay off. The more powerful the laptop, the faster it will be at compiling and testing the code, greatly speeding up your workflow. In this article, we’ve rounded up the best laptops for programming enthusiasts or students.
A Look at the Best Laptops for Programming
- Apple MacBook Air
- Apple MacBook Pro 14 inch
- Google Pixelbook Go
- HP Specter x360
- Microsoft Surface Book 2
- Microsoft Surface Pro 8
- Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme
- HP Pavilion x 360
- Asus VivoBook X507
- Dell Inspiron 5379
Apple MacBook Air
The Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020) is not only the best laptop Apple has ever produced, it’s also one of the best laptops for programmers. Thanks to the revolutionary ARM-based Apple M1 chip that powers the new MacBook Air, it’s a thin and light laptop with incredible battery life while delivering great performance. Easily manage over 11 hours on a single charge, this is a laptop you can easily take with you to work or school.
Apple MacBook Pro 14 inch
The MacBook Pro 14-inch is not only great for creative workflows, but also for programming. Taking the MacBook Pro to the next level, this M1 Pro or M1 Max powered laptop definitely beats the rest with breathtaking power, equally breathtaking battery life and a peak brightness XDR display of 1600 nits. An SD card slot, an HDMI port and three Thunderbolt 4 ports ensure you have all the peripherals you need.
Google Pixelbook Go
Google’s Pixelbook Go is currently the best Chromebook money can buy, and it’s also a great laptop for programming. Coming with a more affordable price tag than its predecessor, the Pixelbook, Google’s latest Chromebook packs many premium features that came with the original, with fantastic battery life and one of the best keyboards we’ve used on a laptop.
HP Specter x360
The HP Specter x360 (2021) 2-in-1 laptop has a major refresh and spec boost with 11th-gen Intel Core processors and Intel Iris Xe graphics, as well as a seamless 2-in-1 design. -Cut case means this version is on the top of the best laptops among programmers. The HP Specter line has always consisted of stunning devices. Not only is this one of the most beautiful laptops on the market right now – with its stone-cut design and sleek profile, it’s also solid internally.
Microsoft Surface Book 2
The Microsoft Surface Book 2 is a great choice for any coder, as it makes one of the most powerful 2-in-1 laptops in the world. After all, it has components strong enough to tackle just about anything you can throw at it. If you’re looking for a bigger screen, there’s also a 15-inch model with more powerful components, despite the higher price tag.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8
The Surface Pro 8 comes in a completely new design, but with built-in features that are faster than ever. As such, it’s not only ideal for illustrators, graphic artists, and other creative professionals, but there’s also something else to love here, like the two Thunderbolt 4 ports and 2-in-1 design. Its larger screen with a 120Hz refresh rate is also a nice upgrade, providing more room for a smooth workflow.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme
This laptop gets our vote as one of the best Lenovo laptops for many reasons. It comes in a variety of configurations depending on your needs and budget, but at its most basic, it’s pretty strong, packed with a solid graphics card in a solid carbon fiber and aluminum package that will survive in any office or space.
HP Pavilion x 360
The laptop brings an 8th generation core i3 processor paired with a 1TB hard drive along with 4GB of RAM and an 8GB SSHD. The only downside here is that the laptop has 4GB of RAM instead of 8GB. Other than that, the 8th-gen processor won’t allow gaming for most programming needs, and unless you’re looking for very processor-intensive tasks, this laptop is a pretty good spec.
Asus VivoBook X507
The newly launched Asus VivoBook X507 laptops are no different, offering an excellent set of hardware along with an attractive price tag. Along with the 6th generation Intel i3 Processor, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, the VivoBook performs perfectly. In fact, the RAM in this laptop is clocked at 2666 MHz as opposed to the standard 2400 MHz frequency, which is a big plus. With zero compromise, you get a 15.6-inch Full HD display along with a full-size keyboard.
Dell Inspiron 5379
The Dell Inspiron 5379 is a great 2-in-1 device with a 13.3 inch display portable body, Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB hard drive storage and Intel UHD Graphics 620. The laptop weighs just 1.68kg, making it one of the most portable laptops on this list. The two-in-one factor comes into play if you plan to use this laptop not only for coding but also as your primary entertainment device. The ability to fold the laptop into tablet or tent mode gives users many different ways to consume media.