The Best Laptops for Programming – Top 5 Picks

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When it comes to programming, the right laptop can make a difference. Programmers need a powerful machine that can handle complex tasks easily, is reliable and durable, and has a comfortable keyboard for long coding sessions. 

Whether you are building websites, developing apps, or analyzing data, here are some top laptops well-suited for programming in the current market.

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch

Apple 2021 MacBook Pro (16.2-inch, M1 Pro chip with 10‑core CPU and 16‑core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

Brand: Apple – Model Number: ‎MK183LL/A – Ram: 16GB – Hard Disk: 512GB – Screen Size: 16.2-inch – CPU: M1 Pro chip

Apple MacBook Pro 16 inch is a thin, powerful laptop workhorse with all the latest and greatest features. It’s perfect for designers, engineers, filmmakers, musicians, or anyone who needs to get things done on the go. It comes with some potent hardware. The CPU is now a 10-core beast, up to 2x faster than the previous model. The GPU is now a 32-core powerhouse up to 4x faster. 

The MacBook Pro 16-inch features a beautiful 16.2-inch (diagonal) mini-LED backlit Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion technology. This display is stunning and perfect for creative professionals or anyone needing a high-quality one. Finally, the battery life has been increased to 21 hours, meaning you can work all day without worrying about recharging.

The MacBook Pro 16-inch is an excellent laptop for programming. The CPU and GPU are extremely powerful and perfect for running complex software. The Neural Engine is also very fast, ideal for machine learning tasks. 

PROS:

  • Attractive design
  • Good battery life
  • Powerful performance
  • Excellent battery life
  • Superfast storage

CONS:

  • Expensive
  • Heavier than some laptops

Razer Blade 18 Gaming Laptop

Razer Blade 18 Gaming Laptop: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080-13th Gen Intel 24-Core i9 HX CPU

Brand: Razer – Model Number: RZ09-0484TEH3-R3U1 – Ram: 32GB – Hard Disk: 1TB – Screen Size: 18-inch – CPU: Intel Core i9-13950HX chip

Razer is a well-known gaming industry brand renowned for its innovative and high-quality products. The Razer Blade 18, their latest gaming laptop, has already created quite a buzz. It boasts a premium build quality with a sleek, professional finish in an anodized black aluminum case, complete with an illuminated Razer logo for added style.

The 13th Gen Intel Core i9 13950HX processor makes the Razer Blade 18 perfect for gaming and content creation, handling resource-intensive tasks flawlessly. The Razer Blade 18 comes with ultra-fast 5200 MHz RAM, providing seamless gaming and content creation with quick load times.

With the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series graphics, the Razer Blade 18 is one of the fastest laptops on the market. It can easily handle even the most demanding games and software, thanks to up to 175 W on the NVIDIA GeForce graphics card. Additionally, it offers expandable storage of up to 8 TB and upgradable RAM of up to 64 GB, giving you plenty of space to store all your files and projects.

PROS
  • High-resolution display with fast refresh rate
  • Premium build quality
  • Powerful graphics card and processor
  • Upgradeable RAM and storage options
CONS
  • Expensive price tag

Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop M3 chip

Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop M3 Max chip with 16‑core CPU, 40‑core GPU

Brand: Apple – Model Number: ‎MTL73LL/A – Ram: 8GB – Hard Disk: 512GB – Screen Size: 14.2-inch – CPU: M3 chip

The Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop, powered by the M3 chip, boasts an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU, providing exceptional performance and making it a game-changing device for work and play. This laptop features a stunning 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with Extreme Dynamic Range, delivering vibrant colors and exceptional clarity.

With over 1000 nits of brightness for HDR content and up to 600 nits for SDR content, it provides an unparalleled viewing experience. Additionally, the laptop comes equipped with a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, a studio-quality three-mic array, and a six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio, ensuring that you look and sound your best during video calls and presentations.

PROS
  • Powerful M3 chip
  • Stunning Liquid Retina XDR display
  • Impressive battery life
  • Advanced camera and audio
CONS
  • Limited storage space
  • Pricey

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15″ Touchscreen

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” Touch-Screen – AMD Ryzen 7 Surface Edition

Brand: Microsoft – Model Number: 5W6-00024 – Ram: 8GB – Hard Disk: 512GB – Screen Size: 15-inch – CPU: Ryzen 7 chip

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15″ Touchscreen is a powerful device that offers excellent multitasking power and speed. With an AMD Ryzen Microsoft Surface Edition processor, this laptop is perfect for doing what you want on the go. It has a sleek, light, and elegant design in two sizes and comes with a front-facing 720p HD camera for clear video and image quality.

The Omnisonic Speakers provide great sound for movies and shows, while the dual far-field Studio Mics make it easy to be heard during calls. You can also upgrade to Windows 11 for free. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15″ Touchscreen has various RAM and Storage options, so you can choose what works best. You can get 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB of RAM, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of Storage.

PROS:

  • Great speakers
  • Long battery life
  • Excellent performance
  • Light and portable
  • Good keyboard

CONS:

  • Webcam could be better
  • Only two USB-C ports
  • Surface Pen sold separately

Apple MacBook Air 13.3″ with Retina Display

Apple MacBook Air 13.3″ with Retina Display, M1 Chip with 8-Core CPU

Brand: Apple – Model Number: ‎Z124000FL – Ram: 16GB – Hard Disk: 512GB – Screen Size: 13.3-inch – CPU: M1 chip

The MacBook Air is the perfect laptop for people who value portability and affordability. It’s thin, light, and has a beautiful Retina display. You can unlock your MacBook Air with just a touch. And make secure purchases using Apple Pay. So you don’t have to enter your password every time.

The MacBook Air is perfect for programming because it has a powerful chip that sets it apart from other laptops. It has an M1 chip with an 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU. This makes it faster and more powerful than ever before. And it has 16GB of unified memory, which makes it perfect for multitasking. The 512GB SSD storage is enough to store all your essential files and documents.

MacBook Air also features all-day battery life, so you can work unplugged for up to 18 hours. That’s an extra hour of email, browsing the web, or watching iTunes movies compared to the previous generation. When powering up, connect your MacBook Air to the 30W USB Type-C Power Adapter. You can also charge other devices, like your iPhone or iPad, with it. 

PROS:

  • Excellent build quality
  • Lightweight and portable
  • Good performance
  • Long battery life
  • SSD storage is high-speed

CONS:

  • Expensive
  • Only USB-C ports

FAQs

Is 4GB RAM enough for a laptop?

Nowadays, the OS takes up too much RAM. So, you need more than 4GB to do some development. Many programming applications recommend 8GB of RAM, and some even recommend 16 GB.

Conclusion

When deciding, consider the specs of the laptops you’re interested in and your own budget and needs. We hope this guide has helped you narrow your options and find the perfect laptop for programming.

5/5 - (2 votes)
Solomen
Solomen

Solomen is the founder of MrHow.io, and he is happiest when working with technology and able to help others. In his free time, he often listens to Baroque music, swims or runs. Feel free to contact him on social media!

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