Read on for an in-depth look at each of these and the rest of our top 10.
01. Dell XPS 15 (2020)
02. Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
03. Huawei MateBook 13
04. Dell XPS 17 (2020)
05. Dell Inspiron 14 5000
The best laptops for programming are essential tools for any developer that wants a powerful machine to work on, while also being portable enough that they can take it out and about with them, and work almost anywhere.
While you don't necessarily need a powerhouse of a laptop to code on, if you need to compile your code, and test out the games you're working on, for example, then you'll want a laptop with plenty of RAM and a modern multi-core processor. They are able to compile code much more quickly. And, the less time you have to spend waiting for your laptop to complete complex tasks, the more time you have to do other things – such as take on more projects.
A graphics card will also be important for games developers working on graphically intensive projects. The best laptops for programming will help you test and run the apps, websites or games you've created with ease (jump to the in-depth what to consider section for more information).
Bear in mind that ergonomics make a big difference if you're going to be at your machine for hours on end – as most of us are. It's a good idea to complement your laptop with some top accessories too, to get the best out of it. Check out our guides to the best keyboard, the best mouse and best monitor.
The best laptops for programming available now
If you're after the best laptop for programming, then we can't recommend the Dell XPS 15 (2020) strongly enough. Dell's latest flagship laptop is about as close to perfect as you can get, packing some of the very latest components into a thin and light design that's as gorgeous to look at as it is easy to carry around.
It comes with a stunning 15.6-inch display, which can come in a range of very high resolutions, which makes it an excellent choice for graphic designers who are looking to buy a new laptop. It's got some of the most powerful mobile components on the market right now, including a discrete graphics card in some configurations, which means this can compile code incredibly fast - making it ideal for programmers, and that GPU will help any game developers as well.
Perhaps best of all, its battery life is excellent, which means you don't have to be tethered to a desk if you want to use this powerful laptop.
After a much-needed refresh, the has brought a number of great updates that make it one of the best laptops for programming in 2020. Although it’s not quite the powerhouse the MacBook Pro is (or some high-end Windows laptops), it now boasts the same Apple-made M1 chip as those bigger laptops, so it's not that far off at all!
The 10th generation Intel processors of the last 2020 model were much faster than the previous iteration, and the M1 does one better, so you're getting a super fast laptop with this MacBook Air. And at the same price!
All of this speeds up the time it takes to compile code - which will have a big impact on your workflow. The new MacBook Air is also as portable as ever, with a seriously lightweight design that makes it easy to carry around with you - and perfect for programmers who do a lot of travelling.
The is our pick for the best laptop for programming right now. Huawei stormed into the phone market with its excellent, competitively priced range of handsets, and now it’s done it again with laptops: this portable has great specs for coding work.
For a (relatively) modest asking price, you’re getting all the power of a Core i5 or Core i7, a crisp, bright, high-resolution 13-inch display, and loads of SSD storage. It makes Apple (and other high-end manufacturers) look like thieves. What’s more, it’s super portable too, weighing just 1.3kg and less than 1.5cm thick. This is worth a look before considering anything else.
For many programmers, having a large screen to work on is incredibly important, as it means you have plenty of space to have apps and windows open. Having to write lines of code in a cramped and small screen is never fun, and that's why the new Dell XPS 17 is in our view one of the best laptops for programmers. Not only does it offer a gorgeous 17-inch screen, and supports 4K resolutions (which we recommend), but its also got a brilliant thin and light design (much like its 15-inch sibling, the XPS 15), which means you don't have to lug around a hefty laptop just to enjoy a large screen. However, it is noticeably bigger and heavier than laptops with smaller screens, so do keep that in mind. Still Dell, has built a brilliant large screen laptop that's also packed with cutting edge components, so compiling code can be done in a flash.
The is a great all-round laptop for programming. There are three key things to look for if you want a great modern laptop – a Full HD (1,920x1,080) IPS display, a quad-core processor (at least) and speedy SSD storage. Aside from that, it’s easy to get fixated on bells and whistles when talking about laptops but many coding tasks don’t require anything particularly exotic.
Dell’s Inspiron 14 5000 ticks all these boxes, and guarantees great running performance and an excellent system for all computing tasks, including more taxing processing jobs. The starting specification gets you the aforementioned high-resolution display, a quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD, with a sleek build and a starting price that really isn’t too extortionate. Go up a level and there’s 1TB of storage and a Core i7 processor.
There's also a 2-in-1 version of this machine, but that's not what we're referring to here.
With this model, Lenovo has taken the kind of computing experience most of us assume is only possible with a desktop workstation housed in a large box under a desk, and not only made it portable, but squeezed it into a thin design.
It's ideal for those that need workstation power. The offers professional-grade Xeon processors, with up to six cores, an Nvidia Quadro T2000 graphics card and up to 64GB of memory.
You can stuff it with up to 4TB of nVME SSD storage, and opt for a 15.6-inch 4K display that’s not only touch-sensitive but colour-accurate too. It’s a great general-purpose workstation, capable of all kinds of visual design work and heavy lifting processor-intensive tasks.
Of course, it works great for coding as well. That’s partly thanks to Lenovo’s excellent keyboard design, but in general, the ThinkPad P1 is superbly built, including a semi-rugged chassis that can survive light knocks, and a very healthy selection of ports.
As it comes from Microsoft, the effectively offers a pure Windows 10 experience, making it a benchmark for testing and developing Windows software. It has a great design, a solid aluminium shell and a very comfortable keyboard. The newest version comes in matte black and offers fairly meaty specifications, with a Core i7, up to 16GB of memory, 1TB SSD storage and a high-resolution 13.5-inch screen that works with Microsoft’s Surface Pen stylus.
There are a lot of other variants, too, meaning you can get the power that you want. It isn't as cheap as some options out there but you do get a superb laptop, now with USB-C.
While Apple's is the most portable Apple laptop, the is a great choice for working with Xcode to develop apps for iOS and macOS when on the go.
New tenth-generation Intel CPUs are now an option, delivering across-the-board performance improvements, making this MacBook both portable and powerful. While it might weigh slightly more than the aforementioned MacBook models, the performance boost will be worth it when running taxing processing tasks, such as heavy-duty coding projects.
And since Macs can run Windows just fine via Boot Camp or in a virtual machine such as Parallels, you’ll be able to use your Mac to develop apps for any platform on Earth.
The latest is a great pick for programmers. HP recently made big changes to this popular 13-inch laptop by reducing the size and weight. Coupled with a high-quality touch-sensitive display, it’s both powerful and super portable. But perhaps the most noteworthy change is the stunning all-metal design, covering the keys and around the screen area that absolutely earns this laptop the ‘Envy’ moniker.
The keyboard has plenty of travel, with page up and down keys, and the trackpad is large enough to be extremely comfortable - both critical aspects of a laptop for long coding sessions.
For Android developers, a Chromebook might seem a natural choice for the best possible integration with Google’s software and services, with full support for running Android software natively. However, many Chromebooks are designed to be highly affordable, with lower-spec features and performance suffering to bring the price down.
The Go is an upgrade from more basic models, designed to compete with the bigger laptop manufacturers. It still runs ChromeOS, which supports Google’s Android Studio development tools, but the hardware is right up there with a standard Windows laptop. You can also run Linux apps as well.
The Pixelbook Go is certainly the best Chromebook ever made. It packs some impressive hardware, including an Intel Core i7 processor, a choice of 8GB or 16GB RAM and a large and vibrant 1,920 x 1,080 screen or 4K touch screen if you really want to show off.
Best laptops for programming: What to look for
Programming can be done on many different types of machines but many programmers want something more than just a basic laptop.
Screen size is really important when selecting a top laptop for programming. You'll get more on a 15-inch screen than a smaller one, for example, so it's easier to read through code and make GUI adjustments. Of course, with a bigger display you sacrifice portability.
Memory is also key. Heavyweight development environments such as Visual Studio will run better with a healthy dollop of RAM and we'd recommend considering a minimum of 8GB but 16GB ideally.
Also consider getting an Intel Core i5 processor as a minimum – that level of power isn't exceptional but it will guarantee you enough performance, especially if you're doing things like working with complex website layouts that have a lot of background code. Large, complex programs compile faster with a faster processor.
Graphics can also be key depending on the development work you're doing. If you're working with game development in an environment such as Unreal Engine or Unity then you need to consider the graphical requirements of those apps.
And remember it's a good idea to use an operating system that's aligned with your goals. Want to develop in Xcode for the iPhone, iPad and Mac? Then you're going to need a Mac.
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