Firstly, if you’re looking for where to read an article about the best laptop to get as a programmer, congratulations, you’re in the right place.
As a programmer, you need to get a good laptop because of the nature of your job. You will agree with me that many just buy a laptop without even reading the specifications. I know the joy that comes with having one’s personal new brand laptop but the question is does it fit in for what you want to use it for?
The joy of every laptop user is to see their laptop doing the work its meant for. Since the Covid era, many are working at home and 99% of people doing remote job are actually using laptop. Then, many were frustrated with their laptop as it doesnt make their work easier for them. Till now, most companies are still running remote work but the statistics has reduced compare to the Covid 19 era.
Infact, as a programmer, you’re likely to work remotely and you will need a very good laptop to work fine at home.
Having a laptop that’s good will make your job easier and faster and the faster it’ll be at compiling and testing code, and this can drastically speed up your workflow . You won’t like it when you’re in the midst of running a project for client and your laptop keeps on frustrating you.
So, what makes a good laptop?
There are lots of things to look out for when buying a laptop. You should look out for the screen size, display type, RAM&ROM, battery, storage capacity, brilliant keyboard that’s comfortable and responsive, etc.
The best laptops for programmer available now are :
01. MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021)
The best laptop for programming in 2022
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Apple M1 Pro 10-core – M1 Max 10-core
Graphics: Integrated 16-core – 32-core GPU
RAM: Up to 64GB
Screen: 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR displayStorage: Up to 8TB
REASONS TO BUY
+Extremely long battery life
+Powerful
REASONS TO AVOID
-Expensive
Right now, Apple’s large MacBook Pro 16-inch is the best laptop for programming. It’s every programmers dream to get this laptop. The Apple large MacBook Pro 16-inch comes with different choices ranging from Apple’s powerful M1 Pro or M1 Max chips, and because of this features present in it, compilation of code is easier and can run the most complex code ever.
More so, its large screen makes it so unique and you can see all pages and codes comfortably without straws.
02. Razer Blade 17 (2022)
The best laptop for game development
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: 12th-generation Intel Core i7
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
RAM: 32GB DDR5Screen: 17.3-inch QHD, 240Hz, G-Sync
Storage: 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
REASONS TO BUY
+Incredibly powerful
+Modern design with great keyboard
REASONS TO AVOID
-Very expensive
-Short battery life
The Razer Blade 17 is a good laptop for coding on if you’re working on games. So this laptop is good for games developer. This laptop has Nvidia’s latest Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti laptop GPU and this is a powerful features which can makes you work on animated and 3d games without stress. Also, programmers working on a huge project can consider this laptop as well . This laptop is worth considering. It’s very expensive.
03. MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021)
The best laptop for programming with a smaller screen
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Apple M1 Pro 8-core – M1 Max 10-core
Graphics: Integrated 14-core – 32-core GPU
RAM: Up to 64GBScreen: 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display
Storage: Up to 8TB
REASONS TO BUY
+Brilliant performance
+Best screen on a laptop
REASONS TO AVOID
-Screen may be a bit small for some
Not everyone like a big laptop, While some programmers may find having a larger 16-inch or 17-inch screen on their laptop makes coding more comfortable, easy to read and navigate, other people may find those laptops too big and bulky to easily carry around and some generallyklike something portable.
Because It’s powered by a choice of either the M1 Pro or M1 Max Apple chips just like the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) , it the feautues of MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021).
So if you’re looking for a portable and commutable laptop but with powerful for coding, then MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021) is your best bet.
04. Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
A renewed laptop for programming
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Apple M1 (8-core)
Graphics: Integrated 7-core GPU
RAM: 8GB – 16GBScreen: 13.3-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 Retina True Tone display (backlit LED, IPS)
Storage: 256GB – 2TB SSD
REASONS TO BUY
+Super fast and responsive
+Good price
REASONS TO AVOID
-Same design as previous model
-Fanless
It one of the best laptops for programming. It’s the same price as the first model which means that this new model (Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020) that has been boasted with a lots of features has the the same price as the previous model which is a plus for you.
The new MacBook Air is also portable, with a seriously lightweight design that makes it easy to carry around with you. It’s perfect for programmers who do a lot of travelling and like taking their laptop with them.
05. LG Gram 17 (2021)
The best large-screen laptop for programming
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: 10th-generation Intel Core i7Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 SeriesRAM: Up to 64GBStorage: 1TB SSD
REASONS TO BUY
+Incredibly light
+Long battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
-Expensive
-Not the best touchpad
For programmers who loves to code on a large screen, this laptop is for them. The screen is so big that is gives programmer a lots of workspace. Because of the large screen, there is higher resolution.
06. Dell XPS 15 (2020)
A great Windows laptop for programming overall
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: 10th-generation Intel Core i5 – i7
Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics – Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti
RAM: 8GB – 64GBScreen: 15.6″ FHD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS – UHD+ (3840 x 2400)
Storage: 256GB – 1TB SSD
REASONS TO BUY
+Fast performance
+Eye-catching design
REASONS TO AVOID
-GTX 1650 Ti is a little weak
-15-inch screen might be too large for some.
For the windows laptop lovers, be it window 10 or 11, Dell XPS 15 (2020) is the best for you. It’s a 15- inch laptop. It’s very light it weight which makes it suitable to carry out. Dell XPS 15 can compile codes faster – making it suitable for programmers. The battery life is good which makes it last longer.
07. Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020)
A brilliantly powerful laptop for programming on
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Apple M1 chip with 8‑core CPU
Graphics: Integrated 8-core GPU
RAM: 8GB – 16GB unified memory
Screen: 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600 LED-backlit Retina display
Storage: 256GB – 2TB SSD
REASONS TO BUY
+Huge battery life
+Great performance
REASONS TO AVOID
-Still lacks ports
It’s also a good laptop for coding. It compiles code easily and run apps with ease. Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) can run any programming tools without any issues, one of the unique features it has is that, it comes with the Touch Bar across the top of the keyboard, which will give you quick access to tools and shortcuts. The MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) has a long battery life as well.
08. Microsoft Surface Laptop 4
Windows programming on Microsoft’s own hardware
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: 11th-generation Intel Core i5 – i7 /AMD Ryzen 5 – 7
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe / AMD Radeon
RAM: 8GB – 32GB
Screen: 13.5-inch PixelSense (2,256 x 1,504) touch
Storage: 256GB – 1TB SSD
REASONS TO BUY
+Comfortable keyboard
+Beautiful screen
REASONS TO AVOID
-Not enough ports
-Alcantara fabric might get gross over time
This laptop is mainly designed for the window 10 users. A programmer working on windows 10 apps can give laptop a go. It’s made by Microsoft and definitely, window 10 apps will work on it perfectly. This model comes with a choice of 11th generation Intel Core processors, or AMD’s finest mobile CPUs, as well as up to 32 GB and a speedy SSD.
09. HP Spectre x360 (2021)
The best 2-in-1 laptop for programming
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: 11th-generation Intel Core i5 – i7
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
RAM: 8GB – 16GB
Screen: 13.3″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS BrightView micro-edge WLED-backlit multitouch – 13.3″ diagonal 4K (3840 x 2160) UWVA BrightView micro-edge AMOLED multitouch
Storage: 256GB – 2TB SSDTODAY’S BEST DEALS
REASONS TO BUY
+Powerful Intel Whiskey Lake processors
+12-hour battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
-More powerful than some users will need
The HP Spectre x360 (2021) has a very powerful batter life, therefore you can work comfortably with it 24hrs without thinking of the battery span. It’s is called 2-in-1 laptop because the design means you can use it like a traditional laptop, but you can then fold the screen back and use it as a tablet as well.
