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Top 10 Best Laptops For Programming – A One Stop Shop Guide

The 21 best Mac tools for developers Written by Matt Mayer on May 26th, 2015 October 26th, 2015 At the most recent CocoaHeads meetup in Shanghai, I presented 21 of my favorite tools which I use on my Mac. If you are planning to buy a 2018 MacBook Pro, then we have a list of exciting apps to help you get the most out of your device. In the section below, we have created a list of the best apps for your new MacBook Pro.

If you are just starting off with programming as a student or you are a software engineer for a well-established firm or you are an entrepreneur building something revolutionary by coding, a laptop is what you need to program all your ideas into reality. Buying the best laptop for programming is not an easy task. You have to check a lot of different things based on what programming language you use and what type of programming you do. So, what are those essential things to check on a programmer’s laptop? And, what are the best laptops for programming available to buy in the market?

Here’s the one-stop shop guide, to answer all your questions and help you to buy the best laptop for programming or coding for yourself.

Before we proceed with the list of best laptops for developers, let’s understand the –

5 Important Things You Should Know Before Buying a Laptop For Programming

Programming is a broad niche, and there are a lot of programming languages which you can use to code. So, a programmer’s laptop should be adequately specced to run all programming language compilers, interpreters, local servers, and code editors efficiently. But, what should be an ideal configuration of a laptop that will be used specifically for “programming”? or what are the essential things, that all programmers should know before they buy the laptop for coding and programming?

Well, here they are…

#1 What is the best Operating System for developers?

When it comes to coding and development, Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS have been the most used operating systems for years. The OS which we prefer most for the programmer’s laptop is – ‘Microsoft Windows’ because it supports most of the programming languages and also MacBooks are costlier than Windows laptops, so not everyone can afford it.

Well, If you are an iOS or any other Apple’s ecosystem developer or if you are planning to learn it and going to become one then you’ll have to buy a Mac for yourself. Because Objective C and Swift requires Xcode which is only available for Mac right now and Apple has no plans to make it available on any other operating systems yet.

Linux is also an excellent option for Python, Ruby on Rails and PHP developers, but Windows also supports them all. So, overall Windows is preferred OS for all programmers and developers work machines, but for Apple developers, the Mac is a must.

#2 Choosing processor of a laptop for programming –

‘CPU aka processor is the brain of every computer, ’ and whether you’re developing a website or a mobile app, you’ll undoubtedly need a laptop with a powerful processor to run all those demanding programs you use to code and to run that code. We think laptops with Intel i5 processor will be able to suffice requirements of most of the programmers, but if you are into something intensive like game developing or programming in graphics, then we recommend laptops powered by Intel i7 processor to you (hexa-core if you can afford).

For beginners in programming and budget buyers, even laptops with Intel i3 processor will get the job done but try to buy an Intel i5 powered laptop for programming if you can. That would make your purchase future proof.

#3 How much RAM should your computer have to run your code?

Well, that doesn’t mean you should spend all your hard earned money to get the most RAM on your computer. But, it’s always good to have more RAM on a laptop to efficiently run local servers, compilers, code editor and a web browser simultaneously. We recommend at least 8GB of RAM for programming laptop but again, if you’re into game developing or graphics programming then you’re going to need 12 or 16GB of RAM.

Recommended Read – Best High Performance Gaming Laptops Under $1500

#4 Hard Drive or Solid State Drive on a laptop for programmers?

Let’s keep it straight and simple, HDDs are slower (but completely usable) hence they are found mostly on cheaper laptops and SSDs are faster (a lot faster actually) than HDDs which are mostly found in laptops priced higher than $600. Well, if we talk about laptops for programming specifically, then SSDs are really beneficial to programmers. They significantly decrease the booting time of a laptop, and it also helps in quickly loading your previously saved project to continue work from where you left off.

Most of the laptops with hard drives will give you a 1TB of storage whereas laptops with solid state drives in same price range offer significantly less storage (256GB or 512GB) compared to hard drives. So, we leave this on to you. If you want blazingly fast storage and can work with lesser space, then go with SSD and if you want more storage space which operates at lower yet reasonably good speeds, then go with HDD. Simple!

#5 Do you need dedicated graphics for programming?

It’s good to have it but not necessarily because integrated graphics on new coffee lake and kaby lake Intel CPUs are more than enough to run most of the programs that you will be using for coding on your laptop.

Still, it’s good to have it, if you also like to play games occasionally on your laptop. 2GB dedicated graphics are enough for programming and gaming but again if you are into game developing or coding graphics, then you will need better graphics backed laptop for yourself.

Apart from these aforementioned 5 important things, a programmer’s laptop should also have a comfortable keyboard with decent traveling keys and good display (IPS recommended) to reduce eye strain while prolonged late night coding sessions. Good battery life and lightweight design will also be a huge plus in a laptop for programming.

Now, you might have got all your doubts cleared and questions answered about buying a laptop for programming yourself.

Before we proceed with the list of best laptops for developers, I would request you to select the operating system for your laptop.

Based on your favorite programming language or the programming language which you’ll be using on a daily basis, pick the right OS that’ll suit best to your programming needs. (Refer #1 point above to decide which operating system is best for you).

Pre-deciding this will help you to pick the best work machine for your coding requirements from below given list of laptops.

If you are ready, let’s begin with the list of best laptops for programming. Shall we?

Best Laptops For Programming – Top Picks

1. ASUS VivoBook F510UA Best Budget Laptop for Programming

ASUS VivoBook is the best option in our list of best laptops for programming for people who are running tight on budget. This laptop being the cheapest in the list doesn’t compromise in performance. It is powered by the latest 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8250U quad-core processor and it has got 8GB RAM to support all of your multitasking.

Although it doesn’t come with dedicated graphics, Intel’s integrated UHD 620 graphics does the great job to handle programming and casual gaming. It has bright and crispy 15.6-inch 1080p display which is anti-glare and it can get enough bright and dark to code comfortably from anywhere and in any lighting conditions.

The only downside of this laptop is, the keyboard on this laptop is not backlit, but it is comfortable to type and it also has numpad, just in case if that matters to you. All the required ports and slots are lined on either sides of the laptop, making ASUS VivoBook F510UA the complete all-round package for programmers.

2. Acer Aspire E 15 – Most Recommended Laptop for Coding

Whether it’s programming or gaming, Acer Aspire E 15 is an affordable all-rounder laptop that can handle almost everything you throw at it.

For $600, this laptop provides enough power to easily use this laptop for game development and graphics programming. It is powered by latest 8th generation Intel Core i5 quad-core processor which is combined with 8GB of RAM and dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX150 2GB DDR5 video memory. Enough said? It also has 256GB SSD storage making it the best high-performance laptop for programming and gaming in the segment.

Acer Aspire E 15 also has a really good keyboard with tactile backlit keys and it has a battery backup of 12 continuous hours! That was unexpected. Isn’t it? It also has an extra RAM slot and an empty disk bay to expand its storage in future, which is huge plus if you game on the laptop or plan to use this machine for some heavy development.

All these great features make the Acer Aspire E 15 our top choice of laptop for programming of 2019.

Read the full review of Acer Aspire E15 here.

3. Dell XPS 15 For Game Development and Graphics Programming

Dell XPS 15 is really a badass laptop when it comes to portability and performance. Being a 15 inch laptop, it is smaller and lighter, thanks to its bezel-less infinity touchscreen display and carbon-fiber design. With just 4.4 pounds heavy, this laptop is perfect choice for students of Computer Science or Information Technology major.

It has Intel Core i7 (6-core) coffee lake CPU and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU which makes this laptop perfect for power users like game developers and graphics programmers.

Keyboard on this laptop is also perfect for programmers. It is a backlit keyboard and it has 1.5mm travelling keys which gives really satisfying code typing experience. The ports included on this laptop are 2 x USB 3.0 ports, 1 x USB Type-C Thunderbolt port and 3.5mm headphone jack. It also has built-in memory card reader. However, its design is too thin to fit in the DVD drive.

Dell XPS 15 comes in variety of customizable options with touch and non-touch display and specifications as per your requirements. This model particularly features the 512GB SSD for storage and 16GB of RAM. So, it is pretty maxed laptop which just flies over everything you throw at it, hence Dell XPS 15 is the perfect programming laptop for game developers, hard-core graphics programmers and avid gamers.

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Dell XPS line up of laptops are also available with pre-installed Ubuntu Linux operating system so for all the programmers who prefer Linux as primary OS for their programming needs can directly buy the Dell XPS laptop with pre-installed Ubuntu OS from Dell.com

If you want to buy the linux laptop for programming, then you can check out our guide to buy the best linux laptops where you will find other good linux laptops which you can buy for coding.

4. Apple MacBook Pro 15 Powerful Programming Laptop For Apple Developers

For all the Swift lovers and Objective C coders, MacBook Pro is the best laptop for programming for you to make apps and games for iOS and macOS. This is a newest 2018 15″ MacBook Pro that comes with touch bar and very high-end specs inside.

It is powered by coffee lake i7 six-core processor paired with the 16GB of RAM and dedicated AMD Radeon Pro 555x graphics. Togetherly it outputs enough performance to fire up all your local servers, code editors, Safari browser with 15 tabs and still you will have enough room left to open up other programs and run them simultaneously! Impressive isn’t it?

That’s because macOS Sierra is perfectly tuned with the hardware of this laptop which ensures smoother performance no matter what. For storage, this laptop provides 256GB SSD which should suffice most of the programmer’s requirements.

MacBook Pro 13 without Touchbar

Everything is pleasant about the MacBook Pro. Isn’t it? Well, check out its price!

This MacBook Pro 15 is available for $2,149.99 on Amazon and I know, not everyone would be able to afford it. For them, the new MacBook Pro 13 without touch bar should be the perfect option at $1,299 from Amazon. It comes with a dual-core 7th Gen i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and 128GB SSD. If you need more power, there’s also an option for 8th Gen quad-core Intel Core i5 processor and Intel Core i7 processor and you also get the touch bar on it. It may not be as powerful as 15-inch variant but it does provide solid performance for programming and other needs.

5. Apple MacBook Air 13 An affordable Mac for programming

The 2018 MacBook Air is a powerful and sexy looking laptop for Apple developers with around $1000 budget. It has unibody design which weighs less than 3 pounds and not to mention, that it is one of the best-looking laptop currently available in the market.

It has got 13.3-inch Retina display with anti-reflective coating and impressive viewing angles and it also has a backlit keyboard with butterfly mechanism. On the hardware front, this laptop is powered by dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD storage. It outputs enough power to easily run all your programming softwares, emulators etc. and despite having a fanless design, it manages to keep laptop always at comfortable temperatures.

The only letdown with the new MacBook Air is, just like the new MacBook Pros it also comes only with the USB Type-C ports, so if you have to connect peripherals frequently to your laptop then you’ll have to start living dongle life.

The 2018 MacBook Air 13 is currently the most affordable MacBook you can buy and we think it is the best laptop for programming for people who are looking for ultra-portable, good looking and a decent specced laptop for iOS and macOS apps and games development.

6. Asus VivoBook S Powerful Thin & Light Laptop

Asus VivoBook S14 is one of our favorite all-purpose laptop with powerful high performance hardware which we think is also suitable for programming and coding. From build quality to performance, Asus has done really a great job to make this laptop perfect in all ways.

It is powered by quad core Intel i7 processor combined with 8GB of RAM to handle all your multitasking and for storage, this laptop has lightning fast 256GB of SSD. Asus VivoBook S14 also has the dedicated graphics processor in the form of Nvidia GeForce MX150 GPU.

This high-end specced laptop can run all your programming softwares pretty easily and you can also play all the latest gaming titles on this laptop. Apart from this, it is also a very smart and ergonomically designed laptop. Its intelligent dual fan design provides robust cooling to keep this laptop always at normal temperatures while gaming and heavy multitasking.

With 14-inch of full HD anti-glare display, a backlit keyboard and long lasting battery life, Asus VivoBook S14 stands strong among all other contenders in the same price range. Hence, it’s here in our top picks of best laptops for programming and coding.

7. Dell G5 Series Laptop Best High Performance Laptop for Programming

Dell G5 series has been referred as one of the best budget gaming laptops in our guide to buy gaming laptops under $1000 and we think because of its ergonomic backlit keyboard and decent battery life, it can also be used for programming, especially by the game developers and graphics programmers.

It has 15.6 inch full HD LED-backlit IPS display which is preferably good for coding and its backlit keyboard is perfect for typing and playing games. It is rocking inside 8th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU which produces throttling power from all the six cores to handle all your bulky programming softwares and apps pretty easily. It has got 16GB of RAM which can be further expanded up to 32GB and it has also got hybrid 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD drive inside which is also upgradable.

Dell G5 being such a high-performance laptop weighs around 6 pounds, making it good enough travel with it in a backpack if you are a student.

It comes in various different variants with varying specs and prices. This particular model with 16GB RAM,six-core coffee lake i7, 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD and GTX 1050 Ti comes at $1,099 from Amazon. However, if you want a better graphics backed laptop then you can go with the variant which offers Intel 8th Gen quad-core i5 processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU. Dell is also selling a touchscreen variant of both these laptops with UHD resolution display which we think is not necessary for programming and 4K touchscreen will also eat more power, resulting into poor battery life of the laptop.

The Acer Predator Helios 300 is another option in $1000 price range for game development or for programming that requires powerful graphics performance. It is the best-specced laptop you can buy for around $1000 right now. It is powered by the Intel Core i7-8750H processor and comes with Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU with 6GB DDR5 graphics memory. The power of CPU and GPU is paired with 16GB of RAM and rather small yet speedy (and easily upgradable) 256GB SSD. Moreover, it has 15.6-inch full HD display with a 144Hz refresh rate. So, overall, it’s an excellent package for those who want a power packed and feature loaded machine for under $1000. However, don’t expect its battery to last longer. During our tests, the Acer Predator Helios 300 delivered the battery backup of just 4 hours, so you’ll have to keep the charger of this laptop with you wherever you go. | Check Price on Amazon

8. Acer Swift 3 Best Value for Money

Acer has got some of the best value for money laptops in its portfolio, and this Swift 3 14-inch notebook is one of them. It is one of the best sellers globally and comes with new design and all current generation hardware. Speaking of the new design, it adds more professional looks to the laptop, and its aluminum chassis finished in sparkly silver color makes it look appealing and feels premium in hands.

The performance of this laptop is also top-notch. It has 8th generation quad-core Intel Core i7 processor inside and 8GB of RAM for multitasking. It also has dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX150 graphics which makes this laptop suitable for game developers and heavy multitaskers.

For icing on the cake, the Acer Swift 3 also comes with a backlit keyboard which is ergonomically designed to deliver the most comfortable typing experience. Even its display is eye-friendly, and it is programmed to reduce eye fatigue. So overall the new Acer Swift 3 is a complete all-around performing laptop for developers, and it is among the few laptops right now which come with all the latest set of hardware specifications that too with a relatively affordable price tag.

9. Lenovo ThinkPad T590

Lenovo’s ThinkPad line of laptops is well-renowned among businesspeople because of its business proof design and powerful performance which comes paired with security features that one can rely upon. The recently updated ThinkPad T590 looks similar to its predecessors but its display now has tiny bezels, and there’s ThinkShutter on the webcam which can be used to cover the webcam when not in use.

The changes are mainly on the inside which means the ThinkPad T590 comes with the latest Whiskey Lake 8th Gen processors and provides options to select RAM and storage up to 32GB and 1TB PCIe based SSD respectively. Moreover, there’s also an option of entry-level dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX250 GPU. So, it’s pretty capable on the hardware front making it good enough for all sorts of computer programming and development work.

It comes with all the ports and slots, including traditional USB 3.1 ports, HDMI, Ethernet, USB Type-C Thunderbolt port and it also has an SD card reader. What’s surprising though is, its battery lasts up to 14 hours on a single charge! So, it’s easily one of the best laptops for programming you can buy right now. It has powerful innards, beautiful 1080p display and not to forget a class-leading ThinkPad keyboard which is hard to find replacement of.

10. HP Spectre x360 13″ Convertible Laptop

If you are looking for the most premium looking laptop for coding, then the 2019 HP Spectre x360 laptop will end your search here. With all-metal chassis finished in dark ash silver color with gold accents and sharp cut edges, the HP Spectre x360 is the sexiest looking laptop you can buy right now.

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The laptop scores full marks in the design segment but it doesn’t lack behind in performance either. It comes in two sizes 13 and 15 inch. The 13-inch models can be configured with the newest 8th Gen Whiskey Lake Intel processors while the 15-inch variants are powered by a powerful Coffee Lake six-core Intel processors with dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q GPU. Performance wise both are excellent, but if your programming work demands more power, then 15-inch would be a better option.

Speaking of its battery life, the 13-inch variant averages around 12 hours and for 15-inch variant its 9 hours which is rather great considering the kind of power they pack inside. Moreover, its keyboard is also excellent with the perfect layout, and its keys provide nice feel and feedback while typing. So, all in all, the HP Spectre x360 is a great convertible laptop that checks most of the boxes of the requirements of programmers. It has great looks, powerful and newest hardware and all-day battery life as well. However, it doesn’t come with the traditional ports. To achieve this sleek look, HP Spectre x360 accommodates just USB Type-C Thunderbolt ports and 3.5mm audio jack so if you don’t mind carrying and using dongles; then the HP Spectre x360 is one of the best convertible laptops for programmers who like to keep their style game on point.

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ASUS Chromebook Flip

If you are creative enough to find a workaround Chrome OS, then ASUS Chromebook Flip is an excellent budget option that costs under $500. You can use it as your secondary machine to edit code on the editors available on the Chrome web store or Android’s play store, or install a lightweight Linux operating system and use it as a computer to write and review code on-the-go. It’s a great affordable alternative to the Windows laptops or MacBooks that costs an arm and leg. You can get the ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 which comes with Intel Core m3-6Y30 processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB eMMC storage for $449.00 on Amazon. The newer model which comes with larger display and 8th Gen Intel Core m3-8100Y processor is available for $549.99 on Amazon.

LG Gram 17 Best 17-inch Laptop for Programming

LG Gram 17

For those who are looking for a large screen laptop, there are a lot of options available actually, but our top pick for programming is the LG Gram 17 which is the lightest 17-inch laptop available right now weighing just 2.9 pounds. It sports a 17-inch IPS display with tiny bezels and it’s a bright and colorful panel. It is powered by the newest Intel Core i7-8565U processor along with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD. So, it’s a pretty capable machine and can handle heavy multitasking with compilers, code editors and browser loaded with tabs without any hiccups. | Check Price on Amazon

These are our top picks of laptops for programming which are handpicked by our team of laptop professionals by keeping all the requirements of programmers in mind. Thanks to all the programmers in our team because their opinions helped us a lot to understand and pick best laptops for programming and coding for you.

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We hope our extensive research and hard work which we put in to make this guide, help you to buy the best laptop for programming for yourself. Keep visiting for more such guides, tips and suggestions to buy your new laptop.