How to choose a laptop for programming

To work with code, a programmer needs a quality tool, which is often a laptop. But how to choose the right model if you have just entered the industry and do not fully understand what challenges you will face? Let's try to give general recommendations that will simplify the choice of a laptop for programming.

What to look for

Display and keyboard

A developer writes hundreds of lines of small code every day, so the screen and keyboard are the most important factors when choosing. A 13-inch display won't be enough. The aspect ratio is also important: laptops with 16: 10 or 3: 2 screens can fit more lines.

For long-term use of the keyboard, the backlight, the large size of the keys and the travel depth of at least 1.3 mm are useful. However, the issue of convenience is always subjective, so it is worth printing a couple of paragraphs on a laptop text before the purchase.

It is also important to avoid atypical layouts. For example, on Razer laptops manufactured before 2020, the right Shift is shallow and located behind the arrow block, making it difficult to type quickly.

Some development environments like PhpStorm and IntelliJ often use the F1 – F12 buttons. In modern laptops, they are also used as hotkeys to adjust brightness, volume, and other settings. It is important that they can be switched to functional mode for use in development.

Dimensions and weight

When choosing a laptop, the programmer is guided by the issues of convenience and portability. And while a large screen and keyboard are extremely important, keep in mind that you will probably have to carry all of this with you.

Laptops weighing more than 2 kg are inconvenient for constant carrying. It's also worth looking at the USB Type-C models. Chargers of this type are found everywhere, which will allow you not to carry a bulky adapter with you.

operating system

When you need a tool for iOS programming, the MacBook is the only right choice. Also, Apple products are suitable for development for Linux-servers, since macOS is based on the Unix kernel. This means that the code running on the laptop will run on the server without any problems.

In addition, a huge number of programs have been made for macOS aimed at web development, which is also an important plus. Finally, optimized fonts allow MacBooks to display more lines of code than Windows laptops of the same screen height.

However, sometimes Apple devices do not provide the required level of performance, and work tasks do not require a specific operating system. Then it makes sense to choose among laptops on Windows: some of them are not only more powerful than MacBook, but also equipped with a better keyboard and a rich set of ports.

Processor and memory

The speed of code compilation is important for the programmer, and this determines the requirements for the processor. It should provide high performance in Turbo Boost mode, that is, a short-term increase in frequencies. The performance of a single core is also important, as many development tasks do not involve multithreading.

Compiling the code puts a load on the CPU for short periods of time, between which the laptop runs less intensively. Therefore, the cooling system and constant power are not as important here as in video processing and 3D modeling. Also, many developers do not need a powerful video card, although in some areas, for example machine learning, things are different.

But you need a lot of memory for programming. This is especially true of RAM, which is spent on development environments and running the written code. 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of permanent memory is the absolute minimum, below which you should not go.

Moreover, in a number of tasks, a developer needs a huge amount of RAM and ROM, for example, for analyzing big data. And although these are special cases, it is better to choose models with sufficient memory.

Battery and charging

Battery life is one of the most important parameters in notebooks. When choosing, many look at the capacity of the battery and, based on it, estimate how long the device will last until it is discharged. But this is not quite the right approach.

The autonomy of a laptop depends not only on the capacity of the battery, but also on the consumption of resources by the internal components. Ultrabooks use energy-efficient processors and video adapters. This is why the MacBook Air with a 50 Wh battery can last up to 12 hours of active screen, while the MacBook Pro 13 with 58 Wh only lasts about 9 hours.

As we said, notebooks with USB Type-C charging are the best solution in terms of versatility and mobility. However, the USB Power Delivery standard has its drawbacks, such as the inability to transfer more than 100W of power, which limits performance.

If your tasks require large computing resources, you will have to choose among models with bulky adapters and inconvenient charging connector. It should also be borne in mind that performance Windows-Laptops crashes when running on battery power, while MacBooks deliver similar power from both mains and battery power.

Which laptop to buy for programming

Apple MacBook Pro 16 ″

Pros: Crisp Retina display with 16: 10 aspect ratio, macOS operating system, industry-leading touchpad, redesigned keyboard.

Cons: short key travel of 1 mm, lack of physical F1 – F12 keys, impossibility to independently replace the SSD soldered on the motherboard.

Price: 199,990 rubles.

Buy

Huawei MateBook X Pro

Pros: High-definition 3: 2 aspect ratio screen, excellent keyboard and touchpad, 16GB of RAM memory, 1TB onboard memory, Intel Core i7-10510u processor with high performance single core and Turbo Boost.

Cons: a webcam built into the keyboard, inconvenient for video calls.

Price: 129,990 rubles.

Buy

DELL XPS 15

Pros: high-quality assembly, small size, excellent screen, very powerful Intel H.

Cons: 4K display is only available in older configurations.

Price: 164,290 rubles.

Buy

Honor MAGICBOOK PRO

Pros: large screen, comfortable keyboard, good performance, low price.

Cons: 8 GB of RAM, built-in webcam in the keyboard, inconvenient for video calls.

Price: 59,990 rubles.

Buy

Lenovo ThinkPad E14

Pros: Great keyboard, 16GB of RAM, Intel Core i7-10510u processor with high performance single core and Turbo Boost, rich set of ports.

Cons: Not the best display quality.

Price: from 98 600 rubles.

Buy

Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro 15.6 ″

Pros: large screen, decent hardware, comfortable keyboard.

Cons: Not the most efficient cooling solution for a 15 "laptop.

Price: 90,037 rubles.

Buy

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15

Pros: Large 3: 2 aspect ratio screen with many lines of code excellent keyboard and touchpad.

Cons: proprietary charging.

Price: 144,990 rubles.

Buy