Finding the best laptop for programming is not an easy task. As the best laptop for coding requires power, performance, and ability to be work. There are a significant number of notebooks for programming available in the market right now, some of them are expensive and some are budget-friendly. It all depends on what you really need to code on the go. So, what are the best laptops for programming and coding you should look for?
Here is our comprehensive guide to help programming students as well as developers to answer all your questions and help you to find out the best laptop for coding and programming.
But, before you proceed further with the list of best laptops for developers 2021, you need to check a few important things –
Important things to consider before buying a laptop for programming
When you are looking for a laptop for programming then the price tag is not enough. There are many things you should check. Here are some recommendations you should consider before buying a programmers laptop:
Processor – When looking for the best laptop for programming, considering the power of the CPU is extremely important. As you have to manage a heavy programming task, you need a laptop Intel i7 quad-core processor. If you don’t want an Intel processor, you can get a laptop that has a newer AMD processor. If you are a beginner programmer and have a limited budget the laptop with an i5 processor will get the job done.
Display – Unlike with a graphic design laptop, you’ll need a laptop with high resolution (i.e. 1920 x 1080) for programming and coding work. A laptop with an IPS panel is mostly preferred over TN boards. For convenient use, 15-inch screen size is ideal for programming and coding.
Graphics Card – For most programming purposes, the graphics card isn’t terribly important. A laptop with 2GB of dedicated graphics is enough for programming and gaming but if you are in gaming development then you need a powerful dedicated graphics card such as Nvidia.
RAM and Storage – More is the RAM and hard drive, the more programs you’ll be able to run simultaneously. For programming, we recommend at least 8 GB of RAM for programming laptop. 12GB+ RAM is preferred if you’re in gaming development. For the best coding laptop, we recommend the capacity of at least 1TB HDD or 256 GB SSD.
Battery Life – Battery is another crucial factor to consider when you’re buying a laptop for programming and gaming. As a programmer, you have to spend a lot of time coding, then you need day-long battery life. As an ideal programming laptop, it should have 12-14 hours of battery life so that you don’t need to spend most of your time near an electrical outlet.
So those are the things you need to know before look for the best laptop for programming and coding. We hope you might have got all your doubts cleared now. If you are ready, let’s start with the list of best laptops for programming and coding 2021.
Top 8 Best Laptops For Programming
1. ASUS ZenBook 13 10th Gen Laptop for Coding
ASUS ZenBook is the best option in our list of best laptops for programming for those who are looking for a powerful machine with a thin and lightweight design. The ASUS ZenBook 13 comes with sleek 2.8 lbs matte black aluminum body and tons of power for far less than high-end competitors like the 13-inch MacBook Pro. It is actually a gaming laptop with powerful hardware performance which makes it also suitable for programming and coding.
It is powered by a 10th generation Intel i7 processor with 16GB of DDR4 RAM to handle your multitasking. The laptop is also featured with 512GB of SSD and a 2GB dedicated graphics processor in the form of NVidia GeForce MX250. With a 13.3-inch backlit nano-edge display, it delivers HD resolution. Apart from this, the laptop offers a long-lasting battery life of up to 14 hours allows you to work without worrying about its charging. Overall, ASUS ZenBook is a perfect programming laptop for hard-core graphics programmers and avid gamers.
| Hardware Specifications of ASUS ZenBook 13 Laptop | |
| Processor | 10th Generation Intel i7-10510U Processor (Turbo up to 4.9GHz) |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 512GB SSD |
| Display | 13.3″ FHD IPS (1920 x 1080) 4-sided frameless nano-edge display |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce MX250 2GB Graphics |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Pro |
| Battery Life | Up to 14 hours |
| Weight | 2.8 lbs |
2. Acer Aspire 5 Best Budget Laptop for Programming
Whether it’s graphic designing, programming, or gaming, the Acer Aspire 5 all-rounder and the best affordable laptop available in the market. It is the best selling and most recommended laptop for students on Amazon. It is powered by the latest 10th generation Intel Core i5 processor which makes it capable of handling intense computations associated with programming. The laptop has 8GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD, and a powerful NVidia GeForce MX250 2GB DDR5 graphics card.
The laptop comes with a 15.6-inch full HD display widescreen LED IPS display which gives you plenty of screen real estate to code complex applications. The Acer Aspire 5 runs on Windows 10 which makes it suitable for programmers and developers. It also has an extra RAM slot that you can expand according to your needs. Apart from that its 10 hours of battery life is a huge plus. All these features make the Acer Aspire 5 the best budget laptop for programming 2021.
| Hardware Specifications of Acer Aspire 5 Core i5 Notebook | |
| Processor | 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10210U Processor (Up to 4.2GHz) |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 512GB SSD |
| Display | 15.6″ FHD IPS (1920 x 1080) WLED-backlit Display |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce MX250 with 2GB memory |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
| Battery Life | Up to 10 hours |
| Weight | 3.97 lbs |
3. Dell XPS 9500 Best Laptop for Game Developers
This 15-inch coding beast is excellent for programmers in terms of portability and performance. The Dell XPS 15-inch laptop comes with a solid well constructed portable design. It comes with the latest 10th gen Intel Core i7 processor paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of Solid-state drive. The design is not different from Dell XPS 13 and its build quality is great although it’s designed with silver color aluminum chassis which gives it a premium touch. Dell is claiming that it is the only laptop with 100% minimum Adobe RGB display which makes it an ideal laptop for game developers and graphics programmers.
The laptop sports three thunderbolt multi-use port and two USB 3.0 ports that allow you to connect to multiple devices. The laptop also comes with a standard backlit keyboard, so you can do programming even in low-light or no-light rooms. Overall, the Dell XPS 9500 is perfectly fit for your every need and hence it is one of the best laptops for programming and developers.
| Hardware Specifications of Dell XPS 9500 Ultrabook | |
| Processor | 10th Generation Intel Core i7-10750H Processor (Up to 5.0GHz) |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 512GB SSD |
| Display | 15.6-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge Non-Touch Anti-Glare 500-Nit display |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti with 4GB GDDR5 |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
| Battery Life | Up to 10-hours |
| Weight | 4.0 pounds |
Dell G5 15 is another great laptop for programming. It comes with Intel Core i7-9750H Quad Core processor paired with 16GB of RAM, 1TB HDD + 256GB SSD drive and GTX 1650 graphics card. It has 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) anti-glare display. This laptop is best for game developers and graphics programmers. Click here to see full details.
4. Apple 13″ MacBook Pro Best Programming Laptop For iOS Development
Although MacBook Pro is an expensive choice if you are a true MacBook lover and want to take your programming experience to the next level then this Apple 15 MacBook Pro would be a great choice for you. This is the newest version of Apple MacBook Pro that comes with high-performance processors and cutting-edge graphics.
It is powered by a 9th-Generation Intel six-core i7 processor paired with the 16GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD. The Apple MacBook Pro 15 features a 15.4-inch IPS Retina display, and the screen resolution is 2880×1800 which gives you a better viewing angle on outdoor usage. As it runs on macOS Sierra, it means you get a smoother performance no matter what. The only down part of this laptop is that it sports only USB-C ports. You need to buy an additional USB-C SD reader to connect your SD card. But it does provide solid performance for coding and other needs.
| Hardware Specifications of Apple 15″ MacBook Pro | |
| Processor | 9th-Generation Intel Six-Core i7 Processor 2.2GHz |
| RAM | 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 |
| Storage | 256GB SSD |
| Display | 15.4″ FHD LED-backlit Retina (2880×1800) Display |
| Graphics | Radeon Pro 555X with 4GB of GDDR5 |
| Operating System | macOS Sierra |
| Battery Life | Up to 10-hours |
| Weight | 4.0 lbs |
5. Apple’s New MacBook Air 13 Best Mac for Programming Students
The newly launched MacBook Air is yet another powerful programming laptop from Apple developers. If you just want to stick with MacBook, the MacBook Air 13 is perfect for you. It has a unibody design that weighs only around 2.8 pounds. It is a perfect laptop for programming students who are looking for productivity and portability at the same time.
It is equipped with 1.1 GHz Intel Core i3 dual-core processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD which is powerful enough to run all your coding software and emulators easily. The laptop comes with a 13.3-inch screen retina display that gives you plenty of screen real estate to code complex applications. The laptop has two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports and one USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 port which makes it a complete package for programming and development. In our list, it is one of the best laptops for programming you can buy at an affordable price.
| Hardware Specifications of Apple New MacBook Air 13.3″ Laptop | |
| Processor | 10th-generation Intel Core i3 1.1 GHz Dual-core Processor |
| RAM | 8GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 RAM |
| Storage | 256GB SSD |
| Display | 13.3” Full HD (2560×1600) LED-backlit Retina Display |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Plus Graphics |
| Operating System | macOS Catalina |
| Battery Life | Up to 12 hours |
| Weight | 2.8 lbs |
6. Lenovo Ideapad L340 Latest Version
The Lenovo Ideapad L340 is another mid-range gaming laptop available in the market with powerful features. The laptop comes with the latest 9th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and 512GB of SSD. The configuration points to a laptop that is suitable for the beginner as well as professional programmers. It also comes with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 which makes it an ideal laptop for programming students.
This Ideapad L340 model has 15.6-inch full HD IPS display with 1920 x 1080 resolution which gives you clarity from wide viewing angles. It also comes with a backlit keyboard which lets you get stuff done whether it’s day or night. The battery delivers 7 hours of runtime, and the Windows 10 operating system helps to improve workflow and increase productivity. All-in-all, this affordable laptop is extremely well equipped for programmers and developers.
| Hardware Specifications of Lenovo Ideapad L340 Laptop | |
| Processor | 9th Generation Intel Core i5-9300H Processor (Turbo at 2.4GHz) |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 512GB SSD |
| Display | 15.6″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen IPS display |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 with 4GB discrete memory |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
| Battery Life | Up to 7 hours |
| Weight | 4.84 lbs |
Recommended Read – Best High-Performance Gaming Laptops Under $1500
7. HP 15-dy1036nr Notebook
We are including this laptop in this list because we are satisfied with its high-end performance. This HP Pavilion series laptop comes with the latest 10th generation Intel Core i5 processor with a clock speed of 1.1GHz. With Intel UHD 620 graphics, this machine is capable of giving quality results. It has 8GB of DDR4 RAM and 256GB of solid-state drive so you can store and retrieve information quickly.
The laptop has a 15.6-inch full HD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution. With the IPS display, the screen is clearly visible from any angle with a clear image. The laptop sports full backlit keyboard which is designed for comfort and especially useful for the long hours needed for programming codes. It is portable and allows you to work from anywhere. With its long battery life, you can stay productive for long hours. Hence it is a good laptop for coding and developers as well.
| Hardware Specifications of HP 15-dy1036nr Notebook (2020 Edition) | |
| Processor | 10th Generation Qual-Core Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor, 3.6GHz |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 256GB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 15.6” Full HD WLED-backlit (1920 x 1080) anti-glare Display |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 620 |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Battery Life | Up to 10 hours and 15 minutes |
| Weight | 3.75 lbs |
8. ASUS VivoBook K571 Ultrabook
This ASUS Vivobook K571 is a powerful gaming laptop with premium and sleek designs that double as some of the best laptops for programming. If you are looking for a laptop with a mixture of aesthetic brilliance and value for money in terms of performance, this ASUS Vivobook is the best choice for you. It is powered by the 9th generation Intel Core i7 processor paired with 16GB of RAM which is good enough to handle multitasking for you.
For storage, the laptop comes with a faster SSD of 256GB and 1TB of the hard drive. Speaking of the keyboard, it is an excellent one considering a 15-inch lightweight ultrabook. It runs on the latest Windows 10 operating system which makes it compatible with all types of programming software applications. The other features include 1 x USB Type-C, 2 x USB 3.1, HDMI, and a built-in card reader which makes it a complete package in all ways.
| Hardware Specifications of ASUS VivoBook K571 Ultrabook | |
| Processor | 9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750H Processor (Turbo up to 4.5GHz) |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD |
| Display | 15.6” Full HD (1920×1080) IPS Display |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Battery Life | Up to 9 hours |
| Weight | 4.3 lbs |
Picking the one ‘best laptop for programming’ would be unviable. It all depends on your own experience and usage whether a machine is the best fit for you or not. With a premium display, HD graphics, fast processor, it perfectly sums up what best laptops for programming should offer.
We think our short review of programming laptops will help you to find the best machine. If you still need any suggestions or guidance related to the laptops, feel free to ask and leave a comment below.