Do you need the best laptop for programming? A top-of-the-line laptop for coding? You’ve arrived at the right station.
Any programmer knows that a good laptop for writing code is the best device in his profession. I’ve updated for you a list of the incredibly comfortable laptops for programming that will be your best buy in 2024.
Criteria for choosing the best
If you approach it very superficially, almost any modern laptop can meet 80-100% of the programmer’s needs for his work. But do we like this sort of approach?
In any case, I put the technical characteristics first: the ability of the laptop to perform a wide range of developer tasks quickly, without freezing up.
The second criterion is design. A programmer’s coding laptop should be lightweight and, believe me, elegant. In addition to the fact that you have to be comfortable working on it, it is also important whether you can comfortably carry it around. And when showing it to a customer or a project partner, it is important to put a modern, beautiful laptop in front of them, which will add to the positive emotions of working with you. A small thing, but pleasant and sometimes important.
The third criterion is price. As I wrote above, you can also write codes on a bulky engineering computer or a gaming laptop. But it will be an extra cost for features and functions you won’t need. The price should be commensurate with the tasks and functions you need from the laptop.
Durability (reliability). Also an important criterion for a programmer’s laptop. Loss of data due to a laptop crash is a big deal. And if you carry it around with you the risk of a crash is much higher. That’s why I included this parameter in my review.
Top 3 Laptop for Programming and Coding: Best in 2024
Silver medal
HP 17z
Golden medal
Acer Swift 3
Bronze medal
Lenovo IdeaPad 3
Realizing that those who have been coding processes and applications for a long time have their own favorite brands of laptops, I tried to make it easier for them to choose a new laptop by highlighting the top two models from each manufacturer. I hope this sorting will find acceptance and benefit many programmers.
Best Apple Laptop for Programming
MacBook Pro
- Up to 10-core CPU delivers up to 3.7x faster performance to fly through pro workflows quicker than ever
- 16-core Neural Engine for up to 11x faster machine learning performance
- Longer battery life, up to 17 hours
- 14.2-inch (diagonal) mini-LED backlit display
MacBook Air
- 8GB unified memory with 7-core GPU
- 512GB SSD storage
- MacBook Air 13.3″ with Retina Display
The quality and convenience of Apple laptops is known and, one might say, is not negotiable. Especially we would like to mention the huge potential of the MacBook Pro, which is able to solve the most complicated tasks on the software level. However, the high price relative to analogues from other brands was for me an important criterion that MacBooks did not make it into the top 3 of my review. However, if you are already a confident programmer, then buying a MacBook Pro will be a new step forward in your work.
Thousands of programmers rightly consider the macbook Pro the best developer laptop.
Best Acer Laptop for Programming
Acer laptops are among the most suitable for developers and programmers. It is almost a perfect combination of price and quality. In my experience, this laptop can last for many years and remain comfortable and fast for the vast majority of tasks faced by a programmer.
Acer Swift 3
- AMD Ryzen 7 5700U Octa-Core Processor with Radeon Graphics run your most demanding apps with lightning-fast responsiveness and hyper-efficient battery usage
- Immerse yourself in consistently rich and bright visuals on the 14″ Full HD widescreen LED-backlit 100% sRGB display with 85.73% screen-to-body
- Good for Python, JavaScript, Go, Java, C / C++, C#, R, Ruby, Kotlin, Swift, SQL, etc
Acer Aspire 5
- Great performance meets long battery life with the Intel Core i5-1135G7 Processor – up to 4.20 GHz, 4 cores, 8 threads, 8 MB Intel Smart Cache
- 8GB DDR4 Memory (Expandable to 20GB) and 256GB NVMe SSD
- Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6 | Acer Fingerprint Reader | Backlit Keyboard | Up to 8.5 Hours Battery Life
- Is another powerful representative from Acer for programmers and freelancers. Convenient, fast, stylish and lightweight.
- Good for Python, JavaScript, Go, Java, C / C++, C#, R, Ruby, Kotlin, Swift, SQL, etc
The Swift 3 is a great laptop for coding at a professional level. This is one of the best modern laptops for web development and programming. And it is my leader among the models from Acer. Second place I gave to the Acer Aspire 5, which is not much inferior to the Swift 3. Both laptops have a good technical rest that exceeds the basic requirements as a programming laptops. It’s hard to find a better and more work-friendly device from the Acer brand than one of these two.
Best Dell Laptop for Programming
Dell Inspiron I3000
- Intel Core i5-1135G7 Processor, 2.4 GHz base frequency, up to 4.2 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology
- 16GB 2666MHz DDR4 Memory
- 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-glare LED Backlight Touchscreen Narrow Border WVA Display
- Windows 11 Pro available
Dell Latitude 3310
- Dell 13.3″ Latitude 3310 2-in-1 FHD WVA (1920 x 1080) Touchscreen
- Intel Core 8th Generation i5-8265U Processor
- 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports | 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port (supports DisplayPort Alt Mode) | 1 x HDMI | 1 x Headphone/microphone combo jack | 1 x microSD card reader
Fans of Dell laptops will not be disappointed. Coding and programming on an excellent modern Dell laptop will be a fun experience. The Inspiron and Latitude are both good for programmers. However, I put the Inspiron in first place because of the slightly larger and more usual display size. However, if 13.3″ is a viable option for you, I’d suggest the Latitude. In any case, you have a choice of two gorgeous laptops.
For those looking to buy a 2 in 1 laptop for programming the Dell Latitude 3310 is a great choice.
Best HP Laptop for Coding and Programming
HP 17z
- 16GB DDR4 SDRAM memory size for enhanced high bandwidth to easily switch back and forth between open applications
- AMD Ryzen 3 5300U (up to 3.8 GHz, 4 MB L3 cache, 4 cores, 8 threads)
- Up to 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive and 2TB Hard Disk Drive
HP Envy X360
- Latest Intel Core i7-1195G7
- Convertible 2-in-1 Design
- 15.6″ diagonal, FHD (1920 x 1080), multitouch-enabled, IPS, edge-to-edge glass
- 12GB DDR4 RAM
- Up to 512GB NVMe PCIe SSD
I should note that HP has made a significant breakthrough in the production of laptops in recent years. It is not so much about technical characteristics (almost all brands can offer this), but about design and convenience. I was very impressed with the 17z. The combination of all the necessary features, extremely nice design and color made it my Top 1 choice for HP. However, if the Envy X360 is slightly inferior to the top spot, not much at all. And, admittedly, for programming there are no problems noticed. Both laptops will run “like clockwork” with the most complex coding options.
Best Lenovo Laptop for Programmers
Lenovo IdeaPad 3
- Driven by the AMD Ryzen 5 5500U mobile processor, 8GB DDR4 memory, and 512GB SSD storage
- 15.6-inch FHD display
- a built-in webcam, dual microphone, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0; ports include USB-C, USB 3.2 and 2, HDMI, an SD card reader, and an audio jack
- Perfect for programming
Lenovo Flex 5
- Powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U mobile processor with Radeon graphics, 16GB DDR4 RAM and 256GB NVMe SSD Storage
- 14″ touchscreen laptop with the IPS FHD (1920 x 1080) display
- Integrated 2×2 WiFi 6 (802.11AX), Bluetooth 5, 2 USB-A ports, 1 USB-C with PD to support power charging, HDMI, a 4-in-1 card reader, and an audio jack
Five years ago Lenovo was considered a young brand, but now it has become one of the fastest, most affordable and reliable laptops. All of this makes it safe to say that both IdeaPad 3 and its more sophisticated “buddy” Flex 5 can be the best choice for coder work in whatever language you have to program, whether it’s frontend or backend environment.
Best ASUS Laptops for Programming
ASUS ZenBook S
- Intel Evo Core i7-1165G7, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
- 13.9” 3:2 (3300 x 2200) Quad HD+ Glossy Touch Screen display
- new edge-to-edge keyboard and innovative ASUS NumberPad 2.0, a dual-function touchpad with LED-illuminated numeric keypad
ASUS VivoBook 15
- 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- 15.6 inch IPS Full HD NanoEdge bezel display
- AMD Ryzen 7 5700U Processor (8M Cache, up to 4.3GHz, 8 cores)
The offered ASUS laptops will undoubtedly be suitable for programming and developer’s work. The power, convenience, and reliability are enough to compete with other brands. In some ways they may even be superior to the competitors I cited above. However, I am confused by the rather high price. Well, if you are a fan of ASUS and paying a couple hundred bucks more is not a problem for you, you will get a top-of-the-line device at your service.
The most lightweight laptop for programming
Choosing a fast laptop with a programmable display and at the same time lightweight is not so easy. But I found a great option, which weighs only 2.58 lbs! It’s the ASUS ZenBook 14 Ultra-Slim Laptop, which impresses with its speed, design and affordable price. Coder Society, take a look at this beauty.
What do other websites recommend for programming?
It seemed to me that you deserve to have the full picture when choosing the right laptop. To do this, I turned to other websites that have also reviewed laptops for programmers and selected their leaders. And here’s what I came up with:
The MacBook Pro was considered the best for programming by TechRadar, LaptopMag, Livescience, MyLaptopGuide, ByteScout, and ComputingForGeeks. However, they disagreed on the choice of display size. There were options from 14″ to 16″.
Note: I’m not arguing that it’s a great option, it’s the king of laptops for advanced developers. But I didn’t suggest it for one significant reason: it costs 2-3 times as much as the laptops from the other brands I cited. Although, if paying 2,000-2,500 for a MacBook Pro is a higher priority for you, I’ll support you.
But PCGuide showed originality and the editorial choice fell on the HP Spectre x360.
Also a great laptop from HP with a price tag of over $1,500.
The MSI WS75 was chosen on the laptop251 blog.
Here, too, I should note that the choice is made in favor of an expensive alternative to laptops, which I suggested in my review. The price is off the $2,000 mark.
Conclusion
The laptops noted above are best laptop for web advancement along with good laptops for coding/programming. What, the choice is yours. I’ve tried to make it so that you spend between $500 and $1,000 on a laptop, which I think is optimal for a programmer’s working machine. However, if you can afford a $2,000 to $3,000 laptop, then do it. You are unlikely to regret your decision.
So, if you are preparing to start your career in the field of programming and web development, then simply begin it by bringing a good laptop for programming home from the above list of best programming, coding and web development laptops of 2024.