Portable for programming

Programming is becoming an increasingly attractive career path. Most of the content we consume, whether for entertainment or work, is available through some type of software, and software is created through programming. While we can program on desktop computers, or even tablets (though I wouldn't recommend it), I believe the best option is to program on a laptop that we can use anywhere.

Choosing a good laptop for programming can be a simple task. In some ways, it's like choosing any other laptop, but also, as when buying any other computer, we need to make sure it has the necessary components to use it for our purpose. In this article, we'll tell you everything you need to know if you're considering buying a laptop for programming.

Best laptops for programming

Apple MacBook Pro

If you're looking for a well-rounded computer, Apple is a safe bet. Its MacBook Pro has a 14.2-inch Retina display that offers a near-perfect image under any conditions, regardless of the work or content you want to view. Furthermore, it offers up to 10 hours of battery life, which is remarkable considering its high performance.

Inside, the MacBook Pro features an Apple M3 Pro processor, currently one of the best for any type of work, including programming. Its 18GB of RAM and 512GB SSD in the base model, combined with the macOS operating system, ensure that everything we do is smooth, stable, and, why not say it, visually stunning.

Of course, a good laptop from a brand like this comes at a price, and not a cheap one: we can get it for approximately €2500.

Dell XPS 13 9315 Notebook

This Dell laptop is a great computer, not because of its size, but because of its performance. Its 13.3-inch screen offers a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, which is recommended if you want to work while viewing more content. It's also not a large computer because of its weight, as it only weighs 1.2 kg . Furthermore, it offers excellent battery life, with over 9 hours of use.

Inside, this laptop has 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, which will ensure that we can have many processes open without the operating system, Windows 11 on this computer, suffering too much.

But good technology doesn't come cheap, and to manufacture this thin and light computer they have had to invest heavily in R&D, which means that if we want to use it we will have to pay a price of around €1200.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G is marketed as a gaming laptop, which usually means it includes advanced components. In this case, we have a computer with a 14-inch Full HD screen where everything is displayed in good quality. But the advantages of this computer aren't limited to the screen. The best part is what's inside.

This ASUS laptop is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 processor that outperforms its Intel equivalent. It also includes 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, ensuring that virtually everything you do will run flawlessly.

The computer comes without an operating system, which contributes to its lower price than you might expect.

Huawei MateBook D16

If you are looking for a good computer to program or carry out any other task without having to spend a lot of money, you are interested in taking a look at the Huawei MateBook D 16. It has everything, and everything it includes, which is not little, is offered for a price attractive to be so professional.

To begin with, we're talking about a 16-inch laptop, the standard size which also means large. Furthermore, it includes an Intel Core i5 processor that will ensure everything opens at more than acceptable speeds. The 512GB SSD hard drive in this case will also contribute to that speed. The core performance package is rounded out by 16GB of RAM, which will ensure we can have several processes open without the Windows operating system suffering too much.

But when we said it had everything, we meant it mainly because the package also included accessories like the Freebuds 3 headphones, a backpack, and a wireless mouse that will help us be more productive if we're not comfortable with the touchpad. Complete, right? It's a shame this bundle is no longer available and the items are now sold separately.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9

Microsoft's Surface devices are among the best computers you can buy if you want to use the Windows operating system. They are the company's own laptops and, as expected, come with Windows pre-installed. Furthermore, they are convertibles , meaning you can use them as a laptop or as a tablet.

Inside, its 8GB of RAM and the 256GB SSD hard drive in this case will ensure that we can work perfectly in most scenarios, but the i5 processor, while not one of the worst options, will make us have to be a little patient when, for example, opening some applications.

Taking into account that this is a convertible and that it is official Microsoft hardware, the price is not as high as it seems, but it is not for all pockets.

Features of a laptop for programming

Screen quality

If we're going to use a computer for work—and programming can be, and often is, work—it's worth paying attention to its screen. We'll be spending many hours a day looking at it, so it's important that it has good definition to avoid straining our eyes. Furthermore, a good resolution will allow us to see more content on the screen, in addition to seeing things more clearly. Therefore, it's advisable to choose a laptop with a Full HD screen , that is, with a minimum resolution of 1920x1080 pixels.

A good screen is also important. Whenever possible, it's best to see the image it can display for ourselves, but if that's not an option, we need to consider the maximum brightness it can show (in nits), so we can decide how much brightness we want and avoid a mediocre screen. Furthermore, I would recommend that the laptop we buy has a screen from a world-renowned manufacturer; if we buy a poor-quality one, there's a likelihood of light bleed or even burn-in, which can be a problem depending on the task we're performing.

Also related to the screen are extra displays, meaning we can connect our laptop to other monitors to show more activity. Some of you might be thinking there's no need for this if all we do when programming is write text, but that's only partly true. We can write that "text" in more than one window, not to mention we might need an extra monitor to preview our work.

Keyboard comfort

Initially, you can't program without typing. Therefore, one of the most important tools or components we need to consider is the laptop keyboard. Personally, I think the design of a comfortable keyboard is somewhat subjective . Gamers like keyboards with taller, stiffer keys, but programming isn't gaming. For me, ever since I tried a keyboard with low-profile keys, true comfort lies in a keyboard with enough travel to feel when you press the keys, including a slight click and a click. I've tried some keyboards so quiet and thin that it was almost like typing on a tablet—not recommended at all.

As always, the best way to choose a keyboard is to try it out in person, but if that's not possible, I'd opt for a computer from a reasonably well-known brand. Of course, I'd reject computers that have incorporated a new key system that promises the moon but ends up having problems because the innovation has failed, at least if we've already heard reports of any issues. It's better to use something older that we know offers good performance than something newer that we have no references for.

RAM

Initially, and in theory, programming doesn't require a computer with a lot of RAM. But we all know that theory is one thing, and practice is quite another. If we think that 4GB of RAM will be more than enough for writing code, we're mistaken, because that same amount of memory will also have to run the operating system. Furthermore, as we've already mentioned in this article, programming can be much more than just writing plain text, since we'll likely need to preview the content of a somewhat resource-intensive app, and to make matters worse, do so on an external monitor.

If you're buying a computer for work, it's advisable to start looking at options with at least 8GB of RAM . If most of your work involves writing texts, you'll be able to do so quickly and smoothly, and you'll only notice a slight slowdown if you also have to perform editing tasks (video and music), something you'll probably never need. Only you know what kind of work you'll be doing and whether you'll need more than 8GB of RAM.

SSD

The hard drive of a laptop for programming shouldn't be the deciding factor when choosing one model over another, but it's important to explain something crucial: SSDs offer significantly faster read/write speeds than HDDs. This means that practically everything you do will be much quicker, especially opening programs (although the processor also plays a role) or large files.

Without a doubt, since I've tested computers with SSDs, I recommend using them. The performance difference is considerable , so once you get past the psychological barrier of the higher price, I think you'll gain in efficiency, and maybe even some longevity.

Graph

Initially, any graphics card in a laptop for programming can be used . If we're just writing plain text in this type of software, a card that allows us to see what we're writing is sufficient—in other words, any card on the market will do. But, as we've mentioned several times in this article, writing is an important part, but not the only one. Choosing a more or less powerful graphics card will depend on what we're doing with the programmed content. For example, if we're going to program to create video games, we'll need a good graphics card to be able to preview all the content. If we don't need anything special, we can disregard this specification.

Stability

Not experiencing problems while working is very important. Nobody likes to be in the middle of a task and see a message that something is not responding or closes unexpectedly. To avoid this, we can take into account several aspects, such as buying a computer with advanced components (RAM, CPU and hard disk), but also choosing an operating system that is more stable and fluid.

Personally, I would recommend using a computer with a Linux-based operating system , many of which offer graphical environments designed for stability and smooth performance. If you're concerned about compatibility or complexity, my second choice would be macOS. As you might guess, I'm not a big fan of Windows, and I would only recommend it if your computer has very powerful components and the software you'll be using is only available for Microsoft systems.