10 Best Laptops for Programming and Coding [2024 List]

Introduction to Laptops for Programmers

Hi guys! Before I start listing out the best laptops for programming, Let me tell you that when I look back upon my twenty years of experience as an IT consultant, I wonder how many options in the hardware we have today to choose from, especially in the laptops. I am glad that I can share my experience through this buying guide on how to pick the best laptop for programming. This is the year 2022 and laptop manufacturers are trying their best to set a new benchmark in terms of performance, features, and efficiency. I sincerely think that you cannot buy any laptop and use it for web development, android or iOS app development, python coding, Visual Studio, C#, or any other platform of software development of your choice.

Some programs need some minimum recommended specifications for smooth execution. If the compilation and test execution of code are sluggish, it can be irritating, waste a lot of time, and become a major deterrent.  Remember if you’re planning a career in coding or are looking ahead to become a successful programmer, your laptop is the key to success and a vital tool to achieve your dream career.

The Best Laptops for Programming to Consider

1. ASUS Zenbook 13

After buying this laptop, you are going to secure your next four years for sure. You get all that you need in a perfect laptop like portability, sleek design, security features, and the latest hardware. This is a top-of-the-line laptop that is powered by the latest 11th-generation Intel i7 1165G7 processor and 8 GB DDR4 of RAM.

The ASUS Zenbook comes with integrated Intel Iris-plus graphics that is enough for the smooth handling of any programming language or basic games. The screen is 13.3 inches in size with an anti-glare finish that allows you to code for late hours without hurting your eyes. The laptop screen has a maximum resolution of 1920×1080 pixels which is good enough for both work and fun.

It has an ergonomically designed chiclet keyboard for comfort and enhanced productivity. The touchpad is capable of multi-gesture inputs for better control. Other features include an IR camera and facial recognition for secure booting. The best part of this laptop is that it has been designed for optimized cooling and doesn’t heat up. 

Highly recommended, this latest beast from Asus is not only a budget-friendly laptop but is equally capable of running Python, Visual Studio, C#, or any other heavy APIs.

2. Lenovo ThinkPad E15

It is the best budget laptop that is known for its performance and speed. ThinkPad from Lenovo is a respected series among business professionals. Lenovo E15 has all the ingredients in it that make it a perfect laptop for programmers. Equipped with a six-core AMD Ryzen processor and DDR4 16 GB RAM, this laptop can handle software development including game or Android coding.

The ThinkPad is one of the most robust machines in the laptop industry that undergoes stringent quality, vibration, and dustproof testing. You can code for longer durations without feeling any heat on the innovative cool palm rest of ThinkPad. It has a full-size ergonomic keyboard with optimum key travel that provides the best feel while programming.

The laptop comes with 16 GB of RAm and the storage is taken care of by a high-speed 512 GB PCIe SSD. The other feature that makes it the best pick for coding is its anti-glare matte screen. Moreover, it has a 15.6-inch full HD display with a maximum resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. It comes with a pre-installed Windows 10 Professional 64-bit. With its great all-around performance, the Lenovo E15 is highly recommended for coding.

3. Dell Inspiron 15 FHD Laptop

If you are a student of computer science or IT, Dell Inspiron is the best value for the money. Reasonably priced, this laptop is equipped with all the high-end features of a flagship model. The laptop has a silver-grey body finish and is robustly built. You get a full HD non-touch with max. resolution of up to 1920×1080 pixels, which is great for crystal-clear views.

The Dell Inspiron is powered by the latest 11th generation Intel i5 processor and 8Gb RAM. 512 GB SSD storage is enough for your documents and media needs and for faster OS booting. Another feature that the programmers would like is its backlit keyboard. So they can work with lights off in the room without disturbing others’ sleep.

This sleek and compact beast weighs only around 5 pounds. You can easily carry it in a backpack without feeling any strain on your shoulders. This powerful and reasonably priced laptop is one of the best laptops for programming.

4. Acer Swift 5 Laptop

I won’t be wrong if I call it the best programming laptop of the year 2021 for coding and app development. Whatever you want to run on it, it will impress you with its speed and graphics. The Acer Swift 5 model is equipped with an IPS screen powered by an Intel UHD 620 graphics controller that meets all the demanding graphics needs of coding and programming.

At such an amazing price, the Swift series laptop provides enough power for programming and designing needs. It is powered by an 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor with 8MB cache and DDR4 RAM of 16GB. To further boost the performance, the laptop is equipped with 512Gb SSD for responsive performance.

Acer Swift 5 comes with a full-size backlit keyboard with tactile keys that are well-separated for comfortable and speedy typing. You can work unplugged for the whole day since the battery offers a whopping backup of 10 hours. Other features include a USB 3.1 Type C port, an HD webcam, and an FHD 15.6” screen.

This laptop undoubtedly has all the premium features at a budget price and is highly recommended for students pursuing Computer Science or Information technology degrees.

5. Apple 2024 MacBook Air New 

If you wish to code with Swift or Objective C, you need to buy a Mac laptop. This model from Apple is the latest launched MacBook you must seriously consider for developing iOS apps. Weighing less than 3 pounds, it is one of the lightest and most sleek design MacBooks, you can’t resist.

Apart from the mind-boggling looks, this MacBook is a powerful machine equipped with the latest Apple M3 chip and 16 GB RAM. On the graphics front, the laptop has an Apple 10 core GPU and a 13.3-inch anti-reflective screen with a maximum of 2560×1600 resolution.

This latest MacBook is priced in the mid-range and also features 512GB SSD and is pre-installed with the latest Mac OS. The laptop’s hardware is enough for optimum performance while programming and coding.

6. Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch Laptop

If you can spend a little more, this is a high-end model that is powered by the latest Apple M3 chip and 16 GB RAM for powerful performance while reducing power consumption compared to other laptop models. With 8-core GP, the coders will be delighted with a crisp and clear on-screen display.

The MacBook Pro comes equipped with a PCI-e-based flash drive that has a capacity of 512 GB and speeds up the loading of apps and OS by at least 22 times. Talking about the battery backup, it offers a whopping 20 hours of backup. Said that the MacBook has an intelligent power-saving technology that automatically switches the graphics settings as per the needs.

Whether you multitask or run resource-intensive coding apps, this is a machine you must pick for all-around high performance and durability. 

7. ASUS Vivobook Full-HD Laptop

Productivity and Portability are what this Asus Vivobook offers. The sleek profile with a thin bezel and a metallic body gives it a premium and eye-catching appearance. It provides great efficiency as it is powered by the latest 11th-generation Intel i5 processor that is capable of handling any demanding workload. The processing is done in such a way that the power is consumed in an optimum way to save the battery life.

A 2TB SSD and 36 GB RAM ensure lightning-fast booting of Windows OS and quick launch of applications. The 15.6-inch screen is full HD with a max resolution of 1920×1080. The screen has an anti-glare matte finish and the eye care mode reduces the blue light that is responsible for eye fatigue.

Instead of a conventional Li-Ion battery, the Asus Vivobook’s battery is made from Lithium polymer which gives it a 2.5 times more battery lifespan. The latest Asus laptops are always equipped with ice-cool technology and the Vivobook is no exception. It lets you carry out programming tasks comfortably without any heating issues.

8. Acer Swift Go

Whether you intend to work on the Android Studio, IDLE, or C #, this is an affordable and efficient laptop to consider seriously for programming. The Acer E15 comes with premium features and an incredible design that is beyond expectations for a budget machine.

High performance is supported by a powerful Intel i7 processor (13^th generation), 16 GB RAM, and a lightning-fast Solid State Drive of 512 GB capacity. The icing on the cake is that there is an easy-to-open window at the backside for upgrading the RAM and SSD.

Other features that need a mention here are it’s up to 10-hour battery life for all-day coding without plugging it into a power source. For clear and crisp visibility, the laptop has 15.6 inches of HD widescreen with a max. resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

Buy this obsidian black beauty from Acer packed with powerful features and you won’t regret it.

9. Dell XPS 9310 Laptop

This Dell Laptop has a thin profile with a bezel-less display screen. Dell XPS 15.6″ is a great replacement for a MacBook for all-around enhanced performance. With stunning looks and high-end features, this is the best laptop for coding and computer science students.

You can’t get a better display than the Dell XPS with an FHD display (1920×1080) that provides a clear view even at a wide angle of 170 degrees. With a 100 Adobe RGB color, you can work in brad-day light without any hassles.

For enhanced usability, the keyboard is powered by a backlit to enable you to type in dimly lit areas. Dell XPS is capable of handling all the programming languages. It is powered by the 11th generation i7 processor and 16 GB RAM. The storage needs are taken care of by an ultra-fast 512 GB SSD. The battery life of 10 hours is also worth mentioning.

Dell XPX is highly recommended for students looking for portability combined with performance. The laptop has got high star ratings around the globe for its astonishing features.

10. HP Zbook- Overall Best laptop for Programming

This is again a mid-range workstation with a 15.6-inch display screen. This compact and sleek Zbook from HP is quite popular among students and travelers. The sturdy body of the Zenbook comes with a grey finish that adds to the premium looks of this laptop. Apart from its durable construction, the Zenbook comes with some impressive specifications.

Asus Zenbook is powered by an 11th generation i7 processor, 16 GB RAM, and a 512 GB SSD for faster loading of apps and OS. The laptop has a full HD (1920×1080) 15.6-inch screen for clear images and graphic-intensive apps.

The laptop is rightly priced and the features are perfect for those looking for software development work. The full-size keyboard is comfortable to work with 1.5mm key travel. It is pre-installed with Windows 10 Pro.

A budget Ultrabook with a thin profile, stunning performance, and 14-hour battery backup is enough to consider it one of the best laptops for programming.

5 Features to Look in the Best Laptop for Programming

Laptop-built

Well, whatever high-end configuration laptop you own, if it is not robust then everything you do can fall apart. Do not go by the looks or sleekness of the laptop. The material of construction used in making its external body, the quality of hinges, and keyboard quality are important features to look for. Portability is required for some programmers or coders but it should not be compromised on the sturdy build of the laptop. In short, get a laptop that may not be sleek and smart but is well-built to bear rough and tough usage.

Heating

The laptop should be resistant to being heated up for an extended period of time. The best laptops to be used for coding must have an effective cooling system installed on the CPU and GPU chips of the motherboard. There are some laptop models, I have come across in the past that have heat dissipation vents on the lower (base) side. You should avoid buying such laptops and look for laptops with heating vents on the side of the laptop. Dissipating heat in a proper manner is the key to a cool and long-running coding laptop.

CPU

The central processing unit is not the only one but one of the features you should take care of when buying a laptop for programming students. Look for a laptop with a minimum Intel i5 processor. This is an intermediate between of i3 and the latest i7 processor. Considering the budget and the future software updations, I think the i7 would suffice all the programming needs. Remember, the processor is responsible for multitasking. The higher the processor specs, the more applications you can run simultaneously.

Memory (RAM)

The RAM determines how fast the applications open and run. Although 8GB will meet all the coding requirements considering the future releases of the programming languages, you can go for 12 GB or 16 GB if your budget is flexible.

Storage

SSD (solid-state drives) are much faster than SATA hard drives. So, I would recommend SSD over HDD. If you really need extra storage capacity for games or movies, you can go for a hybrid (SSD+HDD) storage option. But, if you want to use the laptop only for basic programming and coding assignments, a single SATA drive is more than sufficient.

Graphics

The graphics or the GPU determines the screen resolution of the screen. You have the option of either the onboard integrated display chip or the dedicated graphics chip with memory. See, the latest integrated graphics provided by Intel are not bad and can handle all the graphics requirements of a computer programmer or a developer. If you want to run some games along with your work, then definitely go for a minimum of 2Gb video RAM GPU. But be ready to pay more since this option will increase the price of the laptop.

Check for a minimum of 1366×768 pixels of resolution. One more important tip, always buy an IPS display screen and not TNT. The IPS display is cool to the eyes whereas TNT technology is cheap and can strain your eyes in a short time.

Operating system

You have the option of going for Mac, Windows, or Linux depending on your software needs.  If you are looking to work on X-code or iOS development, then an Apple laptop is the only option. Windows supports most of the other programming platforms and software.

Buy the Best Programming Laptop Now

This is a list of the top 10 laptops that are best for all programming or coding needs. I hope the buying guide and reviews of the hand-picked laptops will help you make the right decision while picking the best laptop for programming.