Best Laptop for Programmers (September 2023)

By Manish Rajesh | Updated on 17-May-2023

When looking for a laptop specifically for coding, there are certain things you need to keep in mind. Ideally, you want a laptop that's easy to type on, and offers good performance and portability. While you could certainly get coding done on a basic laptop, you would be very limited. When you consider tasks like compiling or testing code, going for a more powerful processor makes sense. You would also want to go for at least 16GB of RAM as you may need to multitask and it should help you speed up your work as well. The display is also something you could consider, specifically the screen size, a larger display means you have more information on the screen at any given time. You may or may not need a graphics card as well, depending on what kind of project you're working on. If you're working with game engines or 3D rendering, then you will definitely benefit from a discrete GPU. In this list of the best laptops for programmers, we’ve got laptops starting at as low as Rs 40,000, going all the way to up to Rs 2.4 lacs. We’ve got a selection ranging from premium thin and light laptops like the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i, the MacBook Pro, and the Dell XPS 15, to laptops with discrete GPUs like the Alienware M15 and budget options like the Realme Book (Slim).

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Popular Topten

FUJITSU UH-X 2-in-1 Laptop

Windows 10
13.3" (‎1922 x 1080)
11th Gen Intel Tiger Lake Core i7-1165G7 | 2.8 GHz
1 TB SSD/16 GB DDR4

FUJITSU surprised everyone with their UH-X 2-in-1 laptop. The device is packed with features, has good build quality and performs well in almost every task. Powered by an Intel 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 quad-core processor, the FUJITSU UH-X 2-in-1 laptop delivers good performance in tasks ranging from video, photo editing to programming. The laptop also features a 2MP front lens and a 5MP rear camera to give a massive boost to your productivity. The laptop also has an amazing keyboard allowing you to easily type for hours without feeling strenuous. The FUJITSU UH-X 2-in-1 packs in a touch panel as well meaning you can use it as a tablet if the need arises. Needless to say, it is one of the best laptops for programmers in India.

MORE SPECIFICATIONS
Processor	:	11th Gen Intel Tiger Lake Core i7-1165G7 4 core processor with 2.8 GHz clock speed
Display	:	13.3″ (‎1922 x 1080) screen
OS	:	Windows 10
Memory	:	16 GB DDR4GB RAM & 1 TB SSD
Graphics Processor	:	Intel Iris Xe Integrated Graphics card
Body	:	‎30.9 x 21.5 x 1.7 mm dimension & 997 kg weight
Price	:	₹ 86,990

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i

Windows 10 Home
13.3" (2560 x 1600)
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7 | 2.80 GHz
1 TB SSD/16 GB DDR4

If you’re always on the move and want a programming laptop with high performance and ultra long battery life, then Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i fits your bill. The ultrabook is Intel EVO certified and hence delivers high performance and efficiency across a multitude of workloads including programming. The laptop has an ultra small form factor and an overall weight of just under 1kg, but don’t let that fool you because the laptop is made from military grade tested carbon fibre materials and an amazing keyboard and trackpad combination. So you can easily work on this laptop for hours without any issues.

MORE SPECIFICATIONS
Processor	:	11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7 4 core processor with 2.80 GHz clock speed
Display	:	13.3″ (2560 x 1600) screen
OS	:	Windows 10 Home
Memory	:	16 GB DDR4GB RAM & 1 TB SSD
Graphics Processor	:	Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics card
Body	:	32.1 x 20.8 x 1.5 mm dimension & 1.36 Kg kg weight
Price	:	₹ 104,499

MacBook Pro 13-Inch

NA
13.3" (2560 x 1600)
Quad-core 8th-gen Intel Core i5 | 4.1 GHz
256 GB SSD/8 GB DDR4

If you want the power of the M1 processor then the 13-inch MacBook is the device you want on your list. It is engineered to be perfect, like other Apple devices, and allows you to be part of the famous MacOS ecosystem. The MacBook Pro features a backlit Magic keyboard offering one of the best typing experiences on the market. The laptop also features up to 16GB of unified memory and up to 2TB of super fast SSD storage as well.

Pros

Significantly improved performance gains.
Incredible battery life.
Excellent display and sound.

Cons

Only two USB-C Ports.
iOS and iPadOS app experience needs work.

MORE SPECIFICATIONS
Processor	:	Quad-core 8th-gen Intel Core i5 quad-core core processor with 4.1 GHz clock speed
Display	:	13.3″ (2560 x 1600) screen, 60 refresh rate
Memory	:	8 GB DDR4GB RAM & 256 GB SSD
Graphics Processor	:	Intel UHD Graphics 620 Graphics card
Body	:	1.49 x 30.41 x 21.24 mm dimension & 2.3 kg weight
Price	:	₹ 119,900

Alienware M15

Windows 11 Home
15.6" (1920 x 1080)
12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H | 3.5 GHz
512 GB SSD/16 GB DDR5

If you’re looking for a serious gaming laptop with high performance and a good keyboard on which you can type for hours, then Alienware M15 R7 can be one of the best laptops for developers. It features a 12th Intel Core i7 CPU which should be plenty to handle coding and other related tasks. The laptop also comes equipped with an Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU with 6GB GDDR6 VRAM, 16GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD storage. The laptop’s keyboard is a delight to use, it is a little bit noisy but if you can look past that then the Alienware M15 is one of the best laptops for programmers in India.

MORE SPECIFICATIONS
Processor	:	12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H 14 core processor with 3.5 GHz clock speed
Display	:	15.6″ (1920 x 1080) screen, 165 Hz refresh rate
OS	:	Windows 11 Home
Memory	:	16 GB DDR5GB RAM & 512 GB SSD
Graphics Processor	:	6 GB DDR6 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Graphics card
Body	:	356.1 x 272.5 x 23.8 mm dimension
Price	:	₹ 178,990

Apple MacBook Air M2

iOS
13.6" (2560 x 1600)
Apple M2 | NA
512 GB SSD/8 GB NA

The new 13-inch MacBook Air powered by Apple's new M2 SoC is the stuff that's redefining what people should expect from modern-day laptops. Besides exceptional battery life, you're also getting uncompromising power with the M2 processor, which is perfect for a developer. It also has Apple's new keyboard which we think is amongst the best in the market and is very comfortable to type on.

MORE SPECIFICATIONS
Processor	:	Apple M2 8 core processor
Display	:	13.6″ (2560 x 1600) screen, 60 Hz refresh rate
OS	:	iOS
Memory	:	& 512 GB SSD
Body	:	304.1 x 215 x 11.3 mm dimension & 1.24 kg weight
Price	:	₹ 106,990

Realme Book (Slim)

Windows 10 Home
14" (2160 x 1440)
11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 | 3.0GHz
256 GB SSd/8 GB DDR4

A lot of laptops on this list have a great keyboard to type on. Having a good keyboard always helps with typing long codes and that’s exactly why we’ve decided to add the Realme Book (Slim) on this list. On top of that, this particular laptop also has an aspect ratio of 3:2 which allows the users to have more vertical screen real-estate.

MORE SPECIFICATIONS
Processor	:	11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 processor with 3.0GHz clock speed
Display	:	14″ (2160 x 1440) screen
OS	:	Windows 10 Home
Memory	:	8 GB DDR4GB RAM & 256 GB SSd
Graphics Processor	:	Intel Integrated UHD Graphics card
Body	:	307.2 x 228.9 x 15.5 mm dimension & 1.38 kg weight
Price	:	₹ 32,990

Acer Swift 3

Windows 10 Home
14 inch" (1920 x 1080)
Ryzen 5 4500U | 4.0Ghz
512 GB NVMe/8 GB LPDDR4

The Acer Swift 3 powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 4500U based on TSMC's 7nm process. This is a 6-core processor paired with up to 16GB memory, a combination more than capable of taking on your demanding compiling needs. It's also got a slim form factor, making it super comfortable to carry around and use in, say, a cafe. It also comes with a full-sized keyboard which is great for typing.

MORE SPECIFICATIONS
Processor	:	Ryzen 5 4500U 6 core processor with 4.0Ghz clock speed
Display	:	14 inch″ (1920 x 1080) screen
OS	:	Windows 10 Home
Memory	:	8 GB LPDDR4GB RAM & 512 GB NVMe
Graphics Processor	:	AMD Radeon Graphics Graphics card
Body	:	21.8 x 32.3 x 1.6 cm mm dimension & 1.2 kg weight
Price	:	₹ 61,475

Dell XPS 15

Windows 10 Home
15.6" (3840 x 2160)
8th Generation Intel Core i9-8950HK | 2.9 GHz
1 TB SSD/32 GB DDR4

The premier laptop from Dell’s portfolio, the Dell XPS 15 comes equipped with the latest Intel Core i9, 32GB RAM, and even a powerful GPU, all paired with a gorgeous 4K display. The XPS 15 is an absolute powerhouse, making it ideal for coders who want to develop world-class apps or even develop games. The keyboard and trackpad on the XPS 15 are some of the best in the industry and have been loved by practically everyone who has used it. The XPS 15 is also slim enough to get into any kind of a backpack and despite that, packs a fairly good battery life. The total combined power of the components inside the XPS 15 makes it a great choice of laptop for game developers too, given that it should be able to compile code as fast as you’d like.

Pros

Top-notch performance
Display calibrated to multiple colour spaces
Slim and light making it very portable
Offers good 1080p gaming experience
Very good keyboard and trackpad

Cons

Only single Thunderbolt 3 port
The GPU acts as a bottleneck on some GPU intensive tasks
Cannot run games well at 4K
Average battery life
Awkwardly placed webcam

MORE SPECIFICATIONS
Processor	:	8th Generation Intel Core i9-8950HK 6 core processor with 2.9 GHz clock speed
Display	:	15.6″ (3840 x 2160) screen
OS	:	Windows 10 Home
Memory	:	32 GB DDR4GB RAM & 1 TB SSD
Graphics Processor	:	4 GB DDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti Graphics card
Body	:	11 x 357 x 235 mm dimension & 1.8 kg weight
Price	:	₹ 239,000

HP ENVY 15

Windows 10
15" (1920 x 1080)
Intel i7-10750h 10th Gen | 2.6 GHz
1 TB SSD/16 GB DDR4

The HP Envy 15 is powered by the latest Intel Core i7 processor and comes with up to 16GB DDR4 memory and a great display. When it comes to coding and compiling, you get all the horsepower you need in Envy 15. HP's Envy series is also known to have some premium notebooks, so you will get your money's worth with this laptop. Not to mention, it also has a really good keyboard, which as we've mentioned earlier, is a must for coding.

Pros

Elegant Design.
CPU-GPU do not throttle.
Handles video editing very well.

Cons

Keyboard surface can get hot.
No charging over USB-C.

MORE SPECIFICATIONS
Processor	:	Intel i7-10750h 10th Gen 6 core processor with 2.6 GHz clock speed
Display	:	15″ (1920 x 1080) screen, 60Hz refresh rate
OS	:	Windows 10
Memory	:	16 GB DDR4GB RAM & 1 TB SSD
Graphics Processor	:	Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660Ti Graphics card
Body	:	23.7 x 35.8 x 1.8 mm dimension & 2.14 kg weight
Price	:	₹ 115,000

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Manish Rajesh

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About Me: Manish can usually be found fervently playing video games of all kinds or… no wait he’s pretty much always playing games Read More about Manish Rajesh

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List Of Best Laptop For Programmers

Product Name	Seller	Price
FUJITSU UH-X 2-in-1 Laptop	Amazon	₹ 86,990
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i	Amazon	₹ 104,499
MacBook Pro 13-Inch	Amazon	₹ 119,900
Alienware M15	N/A	₹ 178,990
Apple MacBook Air M2	Amazon	₹ 106,990
Realme Book (Slim)	Flipkart	₹ 32,990
Acer Swift 3	N/A	₹ 61,475
Dell XPS 15	Amazon	₹ 239,000
HP ENVY 15	Amazon	₹ 115,000