I’ve been a computer programmer for decades and used enough development environments to understand what you need to have the best laptops for programming.
The first thing to know is: don’t spend too much on your laptop, you probably don’t need to. A laptop for software development doesn’t need to be that powerful, less than most people think.
But do make sure you get the right components to get a fast development environment!
What to look for in the best laptops for programming?
To get a developer’s laptop, you don’t need that much power. Surprisingly for some, developing software doesn’t require as much performance than an engineer’s or video editing laptop.
In a nutshell
- Choose a screen size of minimum 14-inch
- CPU: choose an Intel i5 or i7
- Get 8 GB of RAM or more
Processor
The processor is one of the most important components when buying the best laptop for programming. Everything you do while programming requires a good CPU. Compiling code, loading templates & assets, running the debugger, etc.
All this requires computing power. Get a good CPU.
I’d avoid laptops with the Intel i3 processor or anything slower than that. Not that it won’t allow you to program, but your laptop will definitely slow down when compiling code or debugging high-demanding applications.
An Intel i5 is enough for most programmers, but go with an i7 if you want the best performance
An Intel i5 laptop will be powerful enough for most programmers. Most development environments won’t require more than that, but if you’re developing high-demanding programs, you might want something more powerful.
If you really want to make sure that your system is going to perform no matter what, choose a laptop with an i7 processor. Compiling and running your software is definitely going to be faster with an i7. You can’t go wrong with that one, but of course it’s more expensive.
RAM
I don’t recommend buying anything with less than 8 GB of RAM, but 6 GB is still going to be sufficient for students or light development. Definitely don’t buy a programming laptop with 4 GB of RAM.
With 8 GB, you’re going to have enough RAM to comfortably program. Windows – and the backgrounds processes – take a bit less than 3 GB, so that leaves you 5 GB for the development environment, browsers and the rest. That’s enough for pretty much any standard programming interface.
But if you develop high-demanding applications that require many processes and different applications, go with 16 GB. Now I doubt you’ll use it all.
Hard Drive
Unless you’re looking for a budget laptop, get an SSD. It’s so much faster and developing relies so often on your storage that’ll it would be pointless to go with a standard HDD drive.
A hybrid hard-drive might also be a good idea to have more disk space but still have the benefit of a fast booting laptop, but they’re still not as fast as a real SSD.
How much space do you need?
I’d say that a 256 GB should be sufficient for most, but you might feel a little bit tight on storage. 512 GB is more comfortable but it might not be worth the price difference. Worse case, get an external hard drive.
Screen Size
What screen size should you get?
I definitely don’t recommend anything smaller than 13-inch. The screen is going to be too small for a real development environment and it’s going to get annoying working in such a crowded space.
For a developer’s laptop, go with a screen size of minimum 14-inch or go with 15-inch for a more comfortable environment. Of course a 17-inch laptop is even better, but they’re not really portable.
How do you know which screen to choose for your best programming laptop?
14, 15 or 17-inch?
If portability is important, go with a 14-inch.
If you’ll rarely move the laptop, you’ll appreciate a 17-inch.
Otherwise take the middle choice and go with a 15-inch. They’re still quite portable and offer enough screen space to develop & debug comfortably.
Screen Quality
You’re not a graphic designer, so the screen quality and the way it renders color is less important.
Get a decent-to-good screen so that your eyes don’t get tired. If you ever looked for a bug for hours, you know how tiring it can be. Don’t let a bad screen make it even more difficult.
Graphic Card
You do not need a powerful graphic card in your programming laptop. An integrated graphic card is going to be more than enough for most developers.
Of course, if you develop anything 3D or like to play games, you should get a dedicated graphic card, but otherwise it’s not mandatory.
Keyboard & Touchpad
Having a good keyboard is important.
All the laptops here have a good key travel and a comfortable keyboard so that you can worry about developing your software rather than being annoyed by typos.
Having a good touchpad is interesting, but here it shouldn’t be your priority… You’ll use a real mouse to develop anyway.
Price Range
To get the best laptop for programming, you really don’t need to pay too much.
Buy a mid-range laptop and you’ll have plenty of power. Some budget laptops will also do the trick, especially if you are a college student.
Of course, if money is no object, high-end laptops will be great for development, but I tried not to feature too many of them here since they’re a bit of an overkill.
Recommended for you:
Specs for the Top 10 Best Laptops for Programming
Graphics 14 & 15-inch Processor Intel i5 & i7 RAM 8 to 16 GB Storage 256 to 1000 GB Battery life 5 to 13 hours OS Windows 10, Windows 10 Pro Thickness / Weight 0.6 to 1.2″ / 2.4 to 5.69 lbs Price Range $$$ to $$$$
Top 10 Best Laptops for Programming
1 – Asus Zenbook Pro UX501VW – 15″ QHD
“Great Value & Maximum Power”
If want a programming laptop that will perform no matter what, go for this one. It’s really tough to find better more power, quality & better value. It’s a powerful 15-inch with its i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM and NVIDIA GTX 960M. Basically you’ll probably have too much power, but at that price just take it. If you want to spend less, choose the HD version at around $1000 (see ‘other version’ below). It’s one of the laptop on the market that has the best value.
| Graphics | 15.6″ QHD screen (3840 x 2160) with NVIDIA GTX 960M |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 512 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Expect 5 to 7 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.8″ / 5.1 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
less expensive version with 15-inch HD + NVIDIA GTX 960M
2 – Acer Aspire E5-575G-53VG – 15″ HD
“Great budget laptop for programming”
I’ve recommended the this Acer Aspire again and again for a good reason: you’ll hardly find a laptop at that price that packs so much value. It’s not the lightest nor the slimmest notebook, but for a budget laptop it is to be expected. It has one of the longest battery life you can find, packs an i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM, an SSD drive and a dedicated graphic. At that price, you’ll hardly find better. Read our full review.
| Graphics | 15.6″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) with NVIDIA GT 940MX |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 12 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 1.2″ / 5.27 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$ |
3 – Asus VivoBook Pro M580VD – 15″ HD
“Value 15-inch with powerful dedicated graphics”
This Asus VivoBook packs enough power to run most development software, has a nice quality body and they’ve put a powerful dedicated graphic card. All that at a mid-range price. That’s a lot of value! It has a pretty good matte screen and the keyboard is comfortable enough so that you can type for hours. With its powerful NVIDIA card, it’s a good laptop if you are in the gaming industry.
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 15.6″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) with NVIDIA GTX 1050 |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 or 512 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Expect 4 to 5 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.76″ / 4.8 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
the less expensive Intel i5 + 8 GB RAM
Recommended for you:
4 – HP Envy 15t – 15″ HD
“Portable 15-inch”
If you’re looking for a 15-inch that you can carry around often, the HP Envy 15t might just be your best choice as a programming laptop. It’s one of the most portable 15-inch you could get at 4.3 pounds and packs a lot of power with an i7 processor and 12 GB of RAM. The battery life is long so no need to carry the power cable everywhere and the price is very interesting. If you prefer a bigger display, it also comes in a powerful 17-inch version.
| Graphics | 15.6″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 11 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.71″ / 4.3 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
17-inch HD + NVIDIA GT 940MX5 – Dell Inspiron i7559 – 15″ QHD
“4k Screen Powerhouse”
Don’t buy this laptop if you intend to carry it everyday, but if you’re looking for a mid-range laptop that packs a 4k screen and is a powerhouse, this is it. With its i7 processor, 8 GB of RAM & a dedicated graphic card, you’ll hardly need more power. The hybrid drive is nice if you need both speed and storage space, but it won’t be as fast as a real SSD. It’s a great laptop for a programmer that also likes to play the occasional game.
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 15.6″ QHD screen (3840 x 2160) with NVIDIA GTX 960M |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 8GB + 1000 GB Hybrid |
| Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 1″ / 5.69 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
Intel i7 + 8 GB RAM, 15-inch HD + NVIDIA GTX 960M
# 6 to 10 Best Laptops for Programming
6 – Lenovo Ideapad 510s – 14″ HD
“Affordable programming laptop”
The Lenovo Ideapad 510s should be your choice if you’re looking for an affordable 14-inch notebook that is powerful enough and portable. It is a slim and lightweight laptop that’s going to be perfect for students that needs their laptop all the time. The battery life is not the longest and I’d have preferred an SSD drive, but otherwise it’s a great value laptop. Read our full review.
| Graphics | 14″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 1000 GB HDD (5400 rpm) |
| Battery life | Expect 6 to 7 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.76″ / 3.7 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
15-inch HD + NVIDIA GT 940MX7 – Acer Swift 5 (2017) – 14″ HD
“Most portable 14-inch laptop for development”
If you’re looking for a programming laptop that you can carry around easily, choose the Acer Swift 5. This middle-range laptop is an ultra-thin notebook equipped with an high-definition 14-inch. The specs are on par with the rest of the best programming laptops, but at 2.9 pounds, it’s much more portable than most. It’s definitely an interesting laptop for a developer.
| Graphics | 14″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 13 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.6″ / 2.9 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
Intel i7 + 8 GB RAM, 
the less expensive Acer Swift 3
8 – Lenovo ThinkPad T460s – 14″ HD
“Sturdy Quality”
The ThinkPad T460s is a 14-inch business laptop that is built to be sturdy. Drop it on the floor or spill water all over it and it’s still going to work. Perfect for those long night with Pizza & Coke. It’s also very powerful and portable. The keyboard is one of my favorite on the market and the battery life lasts quite long. It’s really one of the best laptops for programming.
| Graphics | 14″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 Pro |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.74″ / 3.3 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
Intel i5 + 8 GB RAM9 – LG Gram 15 – 15″ HD
“The Powerful Ultra-portable”
The LG Gram are one of lightest laptops on the market without sacrificing on the performance and quality. They make great laptops for programmers that are often on the road but also need a big enough screen. The quality is there, especially with the newer versions. Read our full review.
| Graphics | 15.6″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256+ GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.66″ / 2.4 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
Intel i5 + 8 GB RAM, 
14-inch HD + Integrated
10 – Acer Aspire F5-573-58VX – 15″ HD
“Powerful Budget Laptop for programming”
Acer produced again a laptop that delivers everything you need to get the best laptop for programming. The i5 and 8 GB of RAM is perfect for most development environment. It’s not the lightest laptop, but it has a long battery life and, for an integrated card, the Intel 620 graphic card will render 3D quite well.
| Graphics | 15.6″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 1000 GB HDD (5400 rpm) |
| Battery life | Up to 12 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 1″ / 5.29 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$ |
Erik is the owner and main editor of lptps.com. He has been working in computers and information technology for more than 20 years. He’s a business analyst, developer, and avid traveler.
