Portable for programming

Doing programming jobs is becoming more and more a good job opportunity. Most of the content that we consume, whether for entertainment or for work, is available through some type of software, and the software is created by programming. Although we can do it on desktop computers, or even tablets (I would not recommend it), I think the best option is to do it on a portable to program that we can use anywhere.

Choosing a good laptop to program can be a simple task. In part, it is like choosing any other laptop but, also like when we go to buy another computer, we have to make sure you mount the necessary components so that we can use it for our purpose. In this article we will tell you everything you need to know if you are considering buying a laptop to program.

Best laptops for programming

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800€


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Apple MacBook Pro

If you are looking for a balanced team, Apple is a safe bet. Your MacBook Pro has a 14.2 ″ Retina display that offers us an almost unbeatable image under any condition and regardless of the work or content that we want to see in it. On the other hand, it offers us a range of up to 10 hours, which is outrageous if we take into account that it is a team that offers good performance.

Inside, the MacBook Pro includes an Apple M3 Pro processor that is currently the best for any type of work, including programming. Their 18GB of RAM and the SSD hard drive, 512GB in its most basic version, together with the macOS operating system, assure us that everything we do we will do in a fluid, stable way and, why not say it, with great visual appeal.

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

Dell XPS 13 9315 Notebook

This Dell laptop is a great computer, but not because of its size, but because of its performance. Its 13.3-inch screen offers a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels, which is recommended if we want to work watching more content. So it is not a large computer either, it is because of its weight, since only weighs 1.2kg. On the other hand, it does offer great autonomy, more than 9 hours of use.

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

But good technology does not come cheap and to be able to manufacture this thin and light computer they have had to invest a lot in R&D, which means that if we want to use it we will have to pay a price of about € 1200.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G

The ASUS Rog Zephyrus G is touted as a gaming laptop, which often means that it includes advanced components. In this case, we have a computer with 14 inch Full HD screen in which we will see everything in good quality. But the benefits of this computer do not remain only on the screen. The best is inside.

This ASUS is powered by an AMD processor Ryzen 7 which outperforms its Intel equivalent. On the other hand, it includes about 16GB of RAM and an SSD hard drive (1TB in this case) that will make practically everything we do we do perfectly.

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.

For starters, we are talking about a 16-inch computer, the standard size that also means large. To continue, include a processor Intel Core i5 which will assure us that everything will open at a more than acceptable speed. The SSD hard drive, 512GB in this case, will also contribute to that speed. The package of main components for performance is completed by about 16GB of RAM that will ensure that we can have several processes open without the Windows operating system suffering too much.

But when we mentioned that it had everything, we did it mainly because it also accessories were included in the package like the Freebuds 3 headphones, a backpack and a wireless mouse that will help us to be more productive if we do not handle well with the touch panel. Complete, right? A pity that this pack is no longer available and now they are sold separately.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9

Microsoft's Surface is one of the best equipment we can buy if we want to use the Windows operating system. They are the company's own laptops and, how could it be otherwise, they come with a Windows operating system installed by default. What's more, it's about convertibles, which means that we can use them as a computer or as a tablet.

Inside, their 8GB RAM and SSD hard drive, 256GB in this case, they will assure us that we can work perfectly in most scenarios, but the i5 processor, without being the worst options, will make us have to have a little patience 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.

custom laptop configurator

Features of a laptop for programming

best laptop to program

Screen quality

If we are going to use a computer to work, and programming can be and is a job, it is worth paying attention to its screen. We are going to spend many hours a day looking at it, so it is worth it that it is a screen with good definition so that we do not have to strain our eyes. In addition, a good resolution will also allow us, in addition to seeing things clearer, to see more content on the screen. Therefore, it is recommended that we opt for a laptop whose screen is Full HD, that is, with a minimum resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels.

A good panel is also important. Whenever possible, it is best to see for ourselves the image that it can show, but if this is not a possibility, we have to take into account the maximum brightness it can display (nits), so that we are the ones who decide how much brightness we want and not a mediocre screen. Also, another thing that I would recommend is that the laptop we are going to buy has a screen from a world famous manufacturer; If we buy a poor quality one, it is likely that there are light leaks or even "burned" parts, which can be a problem depending on the task we are doing.

Also related to the screen are the extra screens, that is, that we can connect our laptop to other monitors to show more activity. Some of you are probably thinking that there is no need if what we do when programming is writing texts, but this is only half true. We can write these "texts" in more than one window, not to mention that we may need an extra monitor to be able to preview the work we are doing.

Keyboard comfort

Initially, you cannot program without writing. Therefore, one of the most important tools or components that we have to take into account is the laptop keyboard. Personally, I think the Comfortable keyboard layout is somewhat subjective. Gamers like keyboards with higher and harder keys, but programming is not playing. For me, since I tried a keyboard with low keys, that comfort is in a keyboard whose keys have a minimum of travel so that we notice that we have pressed them, which would also include noticing a small bump and a sound; I have tried some keyboards so quiet and thin that they were almost like typing on a tablet, not recommended.

As always, the best way to choose a keyboard would be to physically test it, but if this is not possible, I would opt for a computer from a fairly well-known brand. Of course, I would reject computers that have included a new key system that promise us the moon and end up presenting problems because innovation has failed them, at least if we have already heard news that there is a failure. Better something older than we know that offers good performance than something more modern about which we have no references.

RAM

program on a laptop

In principle and in theory, to program it is not necessary to work on a computer with a lot of RAM memory. But we already know that theory is one thing and practice is quite another. If we think that to write we will have 4GB of RAM left over, I think we will be making a mistake because that same memory will also have to move the operating system. In addition and as we have already mentioned in this article, programming can be much more than writing a plain text, since it is likely that we need to preview the content of a somewhat heavy app and, to make matters worse, do it on an external monitor.

The recommended thing if we are going to buy any computer to work is that we start looking at options from the 8GB of RAM. If the majority of our work is to write these "texts", we will do it quickly and fluently and we will only notice that it suffers a little if we also have to do editing tasks (video and music), something that we will probably never need. We and only we know the work that we are going to do and if we will need something greater than 8GB of RAM.

SSD

The hard drive of a laptop to program should not be one of the points that make us opt for one model or another, but something important must be explained: the SSD drives they offer a much higher read / write speed than that of HDD discs. This means that practically everything we do will be done much faster, especially opening programs (although the processor also has something to say for this) or large files.

Without a doubt, since I have tried computers with SSD drives, I recommend using computers with these drives. The performance difference is considerableTherefore, once the psychological barrier of the highest price has been overcome, I believe that we will gain in efficiency, and also in some health.

Graph

laptop to program

At first, the graphics card of a laptop to program it can be anyone. If we are going to write plain texts in software of this type, it is enough for us to have a card that allows us to see what we are writing, that is, all those that exist on the market. But, as we have mentioned several times in this article, writing is an important part, but not the only one. Choosing a more or less powerful graphic will depend on what we do with what is programmed, that is, if we are going to program to create video games, we will need a good graphic to be able to preview all the content. If we don't need anything special, we can forget about 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, among which we have many with graphical environments that have been designed to be stable and fluid. If you are one of those who think that they are not very compatible or difficult systems, my second option would be macOS. As you can guess, I am not a big fan of Windows, a system that I would only recommend if the computer has very powerful components and if the software that we are going to use is only available for Microsoft systems.


Looking for a cheap laptop? Tell us how much you want to spend and we will show you the best options:

800€


* Move the slider to change the price

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