Best Programming Laptops 2024: for coding and development

The best Programming Laptops will be thin and light, with power, portability, and flexibility all in one. This makes them easy for digital nomads to carry around, but still powerful enough to code on. These days there are a lot of laptops to choose from, so we’ve helped narrow it down to just the best ones for a range of needs. To do this, we personally tested each and every laptop on this page.

Whether it was the speed, performance, power, screen, or battery life, we made sure that every machine met the requirements for heavy coding work. The right laptop can make or break your programming experience, making hard sessions of coding easy or hard. Programming is becoming an important skill as the tech industry grows. Choosing the best Programming Laptops means finding the right machine for each person’s programming needs.

Importance of choosing the right laptop for programming

Getting the right laptop for programming is important for a number of reasons, including that it directly affects your work output, comfort, and quality. Here are some important reasons why you need to choose the right laptop for programming:

???? Performance: Running resource-intensive development environments, compiling code, and testing applications are all common parts of programming. These tasks can be done much faster on a laptop with enough processing power (CPU), memory (RAM), and storage (SSD). This lets you work more efficiently and cuts down on wait times.

???? Compatibility: Some programming languages, tools, and frameworks may only work with certain hardware or operating systems. By making sure your laptop meets these requirements, you can avoid problems with compatibility and have a smooth time developing.

???? Programmers often need to run multiple programs at the same time, such as code editors, browsers, terminals, and tools for keeping track of changes. A laptop with a lot of RAM and a fast processor can handle doing more than one thing at once without slowing down. This makes it easy to switch between tasks.

????️ Screen Size and Resolution: When programming, it’s important to have a screen size and resolution that you can look at for long periods of time. A larger screen with a high resolution gives you more room for code, documentation, and multiple windows. This means you don’t have to scroll as much, which makes coding easier overall.

⌨️ Quality of the Keyboard: Programmers type a lot, so they need a comfortable and responsive keyboard to stay productive and avoid strain. Many programmers like laptops with keys that are spaced out well, have good key travel, and give tactile feedback.

Best Programming Laptops Comparison Table

In the table below, you can compare the best laptops for programming tasks. It talks about important things like processing power, RAM, storage, screen quality, and battery life. This guide helps programmers choose a laptop that will help them code faster and better overall.

MacBook Pro 16-inch

The 16-inch MacBook Pro has been redesigned in subtle but significant ways. It measures 14.01 x 9.77 x 0.66 inches and weighs 4.7 pounds (4.8 pounds if you opt for an M1 Max model), which means it’s about the same size and just a bit thicker than the Intel-based 16-inch Pro it replaces. The 100% recycled aluminum chassis has a flatter lid than the previous model, with vents on both sides for improved cooling, and a redesigned 6-speaker sound system inside.

But the biggest changes remain hidden until you open the lid. Then you’re greeted by a big, beautiful 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display framed by edges that are a little more than 20% thinner on the sides and about 60% thinner on the top. That’s not counting the new notch, a rounded black rectangle that houses the Pro’s webcam and protrudes about 0.4 inches beyond the top bezel. Overall, it is one of the best programming laptops that you can buy.

Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop

The Acer Aspire 5 is not a looker, but it is a powerful PC with a clear LCD display and a long-lasting battery. It offers fantastic value for money and is a good choice for students. However, a side effect of the frame’s relative bulge is that there is plenty of room at the top for proper webcam positioning. Still, it is one of the best programming laptops that you can consider.

At least your zoom accomplices won’t have to suffer from the upward angle that becomes a problem on some laptops with a narrow bezel. Another design setback is the somewhat stingy plastic trackpad. Once you’ve tried one of the modern, larger trackpads with a glass cover, you’ll find it hard to part with. The Acer’s trackpad feels cramped, restrictive, and a bit cheap in comparison.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 4 is more of an evolution than a revolution. It combines improved components in the same slim, lightweight chassis that the Surface Laptop product line is known for. Microsoft hasn’t tried to sell it as anything different, but instead promises that this latest Surface Laptop will last longer and have more power under the hood than its predecessors.

The port selection on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 is pretty straightforward, for better or worse. On the right side is a Surface Connector for charging, while the left side has a USB-A port, a USB-C port, and a headphone jack. It’s nice to see a classic USB-A port on a modern device like this, and the combination with a USB-C port gives this laptop a good bit of flexibility when it comes to external devices. Easily one of the best programming laptops available on the market.

Microsoft Surface Pro 7

For the most part, that’s a good thing. The magnesium alloy design feels premium, and it’s a relatively compact and slim device. It measures 0.33 x 11.5 x 7.9 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.7 pounds a very portable device no matter how you slice it. By comparison, the XPS 13 2-in-1 measures 0.51 x 11.7 x 8.2 inches and weighs 2.9 pounds and shows up primarily as a laptop.

In itself, the Pro 7’s platinum-colored industrial look hasn’t aged badly, though we have grown fond of the Pro 6’s black paint job. The bezels are still quite thick, a fact that is becoming more and more obvious as almost all slim notebooks opt for paper-thin bezels. Of course, we’re not talking about simply transferring this design to the Surface Pro 7, or Microsoft would have done so.

The Pro X is an ARM-based device, while the Pro 7 uses an Intel chip, and the latter is a better-equipped traditional Windows PC. The Pro X’s components require less space and cooling headroom to function, which the thin design allows. If you need something closer to a tablet, the Pro X is a nice option, but it lacks the comprehensive functionality of a standard Windows laptop. Thus, this product is one of the best programming laptops available right now.

HP Envy x360 13

It’s a comfortable keyboard with a two-level backlight. The key labels are easy to read, and the function keys include the usual hotkeys for volume and screen brightness, as well as options to instantly mute the microphone and block the webcam for more privacy. A responsive fingerprint reader is almost hidden in the keyboard, sitting between the right Alt key and the left arrow key.

The glossy display is definitely a highlight. It has excellent colors and contrasts and is very bright at 400 nits. It’s not bright enough to get past reflections on a sunny day outside, but otherwise it’s great. The reduced bezels make it more comfortable to use on the arm as a tablets, and the display supports simultaneous pen and touch input and works with MPP 2.0 pens. Currently, this is one of the best programming laptops that you can buy right now.

Razer Blade 17

The Razer Blade 17 looks identical to the Razer Blade 17 (2021), but benefits from a number of refreshed hardware features, including a faster 12th-gen Intel Core i7 processor and a beefed-up RTX 3080 Ti GPU that combine for impressive performance. The latest version also has a generous selection of ports that any gamer would be happy to have.

Upgrades include larger keycaps for more comfortable typing and laser-cut speaker grilles that replace the ones used in the Razer Blade 17’s 2021 chassis. These are combined with more extensive hardware upgrades – 12th-gen CPUs for all new 2022 configurations and, in our review unit, an updated RTX 3080 Ti GPU and 32GB of DDR5 RAM – so kudos to Razer for adding useful upgrades over purely aesthetic ones. So, if you want one of the best programming laptops, we highly recommend this product.

Apple MacBook Air M1

The M1 MacBook Air looks, well, just like the Intel-based MacBook Air. You can argue that the design of Apple’s laptops has a classic appeal, with an aluminum chassis and a shiny logo (still no illuminated logo, unfortunately), but the MacBook Air largely resembles what Steve Jobs pulled out of an envelope all those years ago.

The base of the laptop is still a “wedge” with the front being much slimmer than the back, but offset by small “feet” underneath. On the left side are two USB-C ports that are USB 4.0 compatible, and on the right side is just a headphone jack. The speakers also flank the keyboard and offer impressive depth given the slim chassis they are housed in, and there is a TouchID fingerprint sensor in the upper right corner of the keyboard to unlock the device or use Apple Pay. Still, it is one of the best programming laptops that you can consider.

Razer Blade Stealth 13

The Stealth (and its 15-inch Razer Blade counterpart) are among the best-looking and best-feeling notebooks available, while also being very portable. The Stealth measures 0.6 x 12 x 8.3 inches (HWD) and weighs 3.1 pounds. It’s impressively thin and just right to pack in a bag for class or the commute. That puts it in good contention with the Dell XPS 13 (0.58 x 11.6 x 7.8 inches and 2.8 pounds) and the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro (0.61 x 12 x 8.4 inches and 3.1 pounds), especially considering the Stealth is gaming-ready.

One visible change is the new keyboard layout, which should address some persistent complaints about previous designs. The arrow keys were all normal size, which meant that on such a small notebook, the right shift key was only half the usual length. Now the up and down arrow keys are half the height, so the shift key can be full length. Easily one of the best programming laptops available on the market.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is ideal for gaming. It has a QHD 120Hz display with a fast response time to deliver a clear picture in fast-moving scenes, and it supports VRR to reduce screen tearing. The AMD CPU and GPU provide a smooth gaming experience in 1080p and 1440p, although you’ll have to turn down the settings a bit at 1440p to reach 60fps in some games. Unfortunately, it gets hot and noisy under load, and the GPU throttles slightly.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is well suited for school. It’s a compact notebook that’s easy to carry around, and it has more than enough processing power to handle demanding workloads, which is great for students in fields like graphic design or 3D animation. The display is sharp and bright, the keyboard is comfortable to use, and the touchpad is large and responsive. Battery life is just over 10 hours at low productivity, but you may still need to plug the device in if you’re doing CPU- or GPU-intensive tasks, and the power adapter is quite bulky. Currently, this is one of the best programming laptops that you can buy right now.

Microsoft Surface Book 2

You might not be able to tell by looking at it, but yes, this is a brand new notebook. Externally, the Surface Book 2 has barely changed from its predecessor, and it retains its biggest trick: It can be detached from the keyboard and turned into a tablet. It’s still made of gray magnesium with a reflective Windows logo embossed on the lid. And as befits a Surface Book, it can’t be closed because its hinge prevents it from doing so.

Lifting the lid reveals the 13.5-inch PixelSense display with a 3:2 aspect ratio and 3000 x 2000 resolution. Microsoft says the hinge is sturdier than on the first-generation Surface Book, but the thing still tipped a bit on my lap. The deck and keyboard are made of the same clean gray plastic, which is attractive but draws attention to the screen more than anything else. Easily one of the best programming laptops available on the market.

Tips for Optimizing Your Programming Laptop

Optimizing your laptop for programming can make you much more productive and improve your overall computing experience. Here are some tips that will help you get the most out of your machine:

???? Keep Your Operating System Up-to-Date: Ensure you regularly update your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux) to get the latest security patches and performance improvements.

???? Update Drivers: Ensure that all of the drivers for your hardware are up to date. This can improve stability and performance by a lot, especially for tasks that use graphics a lot.

????️ Install the Software You Need: Install a good code editor or integrated development environment (IDE) that fits your programming needs. Install important tools like a version control system (like Git), compilers, interpreters, and debuggers.

???? Manage Startup Programs: Turn off any startup programs that you don’t need to shorten the time it takes to start up and free up system resources. This can be done with the Windows Task Manager or the macOS System Preferences.

???? Get Your Files in Order: Keep your project files in order. Use a sensible folder structure to make your code easy to find and manage.

???? Use version control: Use systems like Git to keep track of changes to your code and work well with other people. Sites like GitHub and GitLab can be very useful.

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