1. Quick list
2. How to choose
3. How we test
4. Top picks
▶ Best overall
▶ Best budget
▶ Best 15-inch
▶ Best Ultrabook
▶ Best 5G
▶ Best academic
The best laptop for writers requires a unique blend of features, prioritizing portability, long battery life, and a comfortable keyboard over high-end performance specs.
Unlike typical requirements, writers benefit from laptops designed for ease of use and durability for on-the-go creativity. Our expertly curated list, tested by writers for writers, includes top picks across categories to suit various preferences like our top pick, the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch with M3 chip.
If you're looking for a more budget-friendly option (we are writers, after all), the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook might be exactly what you need, while the premium Lenovo Yoga Book 9i offers an innovative dual OLED design that is perfect for writers in academia or anyone researching their next book.
We've tested all of the selections on this list extensively, and we're here to ensure you find the perfect match for drafting your next masterpiece, combining comfort, functionality, and reliability.
Quick list
The best laptop for writers overall
Apple's latest version of the MacBook Air proves that you can improve on perfection. It retains the stunning design of the last model but with a cheaper price and more powerful hardware.
The best budget laptop for writers
This 2-in-1 Chromebook offers incredible value for money, with a stunning OLED display and a decent keyboard for a detachable laptop, especially for the price.
The best 15-inch laptop for writers
The MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) excels for writers, featuring a larger screen for better visuals and workspace, comfortable typing, quality audio, and powerful performance.
The best ultrabook for writers
The Dell XPS 13 (2022) continues its legacy with impressive performance, ultra-portability, and a competitive price, despite a controversial redesign and fewer ports.
The best 5G laptop for writers
The Surface Pro 9 5G enhances portability and power, featuring 5G connectivity, Windows 11, an excellent webcam, and long battery life, despite some ARM chip growing pains.
The best laptop for academic writers
Due to its unique dual-screen design, the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is an innovative laptop that's a godsend for writers in academia who move back and forth between writing and research
How to choose the best laptop for writers for you
When choosing the best laptop for writers, there are several key factors you'll want to consider when weighing up your options. First and foremost, have a budget in mind. Given the wide range in costs, this could immediately whittle down the options, allowing you to focus only on those you're able and willing to afford.
Next, consider any platform preferences you have. Used to working with Windows? Will you only consider Apple? Happy to go for Google? This factor will ensure you're only looking in the right place.
After that, consider what you'll be using it for. Generally, writers may not necessarily need the fastest processing speeds or largest storage options. Still, journalists who are also expected to store and edit imagery may need more powerful machines.
If so, consider features like CPU, graphics, RAM, and storage capacity. Finally, think about other features you might find useful. Those regularly on the move may want something robust but light, while others may find use in the versatility provided by laptops that can convert to tablet form, too.
The best laptop for writers: How we test
With a wealth of options for the best laptop for writers, we've aimed to provide a thorough rundown of the top options on the market. We've done this by pitting each laptop's key features against each other, analyzing speed, power, storage, graphics, and screen size.
Given the particular requirements of writers and journalists, however, we've also made a point to note other factors that could prove key in your decision-making. As many writers spend a lot of time in front of their screens, we've looked at what each laptop's display offers, including whether additional considerations like blue light filers are included.
For the same reason, we've also considered ease of use and comfort, trackpad performance, port and storage options, and - for those regularly on the move - we've also tested each laptop's battery life and portability.
The best laptop for writers: our top picks
The best laptop for writers in 2024
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Below you'll find full write-ups for each of the best laptops for writers in our list. We've tested each one extensively, so you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.
The best laptop for writers overall
The Apple MacBook Air (M3, 2024) emerges as an unparalleled choice for writers, blending state-of-the-art design with functionality. This latest iteration presents a slim, lightweight form factor, enabling writers to easily carry it wherever their stories take them. Its modern aesthetics are complemented by a larger, vibrant display, achieved by reducing bezel size, which not only enhances the visual appeal but provides a delightful writing and reading experience.
Performance is where the MacBook Air truly shines for writers. With rapid boot times, seamless app performance, and the ability to handle multiple tasks effortlessly, this laptop ensures a smooth writing flow. The redesigned keyboard, in particular, offers a comfortable typing experience, making it perfect for long writing sessions without fatigue.
Battery life is impressive, with the MacBook Air lasting 16 hours on a single charge, outlasting many of its predecessors and ensuring that writers can work through the day without interruption. While the price is slightly higher than the M1 model, the advancements in design, display quality, and the more powerful M3 chip make the MacBook Air (M3, 2024) a more valuable choice for writers. It strikes an ideal balance between price, performance, and portability, standing out as a superior tool for writers seeking a reliable, high-performing laptop designed to cater to their specific needs.
Read the full review: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)
The best budget laptop for writers
The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 OLED Chromebook is a top choice for writers seeking affordability without sacrificing quality.
Its standout feature for flexibility—morphing from laptop to tablet with a detachable keyboard—paired with an impressive battery life exceeding 16 hours, ensures uninterrupted writing sessions.
Writers will appreciate the high-quality, Ultrabook-standard keyboard for comfortable, long-term typing, and the option to add a Lenovo Active Pen stylus for note-taking or editing. The Duet 5's performance is reliable for all writing needs, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen2 processor and 8GB of RAM, ensuring smooth operation across web browsing and content creation tasks.
Its 1080p OLED display delivers stunning visual clarity, making it easier on the eyes during extended writing periods. Despite a price initially higher than its predecessor, the Duet 5's value has increased over time, offering unparalleled value in the 2-in-1 Chromebook market. This makes it an ideal, cost-effective solution for writers looking for a dependable, versatile, and portable writing companion.
Read the full review: Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook
The best 15-inch laptop for writers
The MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) is a dream for writers who prioritize screen space, offering an expansive display without significantly increasing weight or compromising on design.
Its larger screen provides more pixels for an immersive writing and editing experience, making it ideal for those who work with extensive documents or require multiple windows open side-by-side.
Despite sharing the same performance specs and design aesthetics as its 13-inch counterpart, the 15-inch model boasts enhanced typing comfort with larger palm rests and additional speakers for improved audio quality, adding value to the writing process.
While it matches the smaller model in battery life, the inclusion of a potent M3 chip ensures that this laptop remains a powerful tool for writers. Priced competitively, especially when considering the savings compared to higher-end models, the MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) stands out in the market for offering a perfect balance of functionality and portability for writers seeking a larger visual workspace.
Read the full review: Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3, 2024)
The best Ultrabook for writers
The Dell XPS line has been putting out bangers for years, and the 2022 version of the compact XPS 13 ultrabook is no exception - even if the aesthetic redesign from the 2020 model proved somewhat controversial within the TechRadar team.
In any case, this is still a fierce productivity laptop for students or fast-moving professionals, ultra-portable thanks to its lightweight chassis and 13.4-inch display, now loaded with even better performance thanks to Intel's 12th-gen laptop CPUs.
The webcam is only 720p (unlike the superior 1080p ones found in many modern ultrabooks) and its compact design means it sacrifices physical ports for a thinner frame, but with an entry price of just $899, it's very hard to argue against the Dell XPS 13's price-to-performance offering. This is without a doubt one of our favorite compact laptops right now.
Read our full Dell XPS 13 (2022) review
The best 5G-connected laptop for writers
Microsoft's Surface Pro 9 5G builds on the design changes that the Surface Pro 8 introduced for an even more powerful and portable experience. .
As a 5G system, the Surface Pro 9 5G stands ready to keep you connected at home and on the go without the need for a Wi-Fi connection, making this an ideal solution for writers on the go. It also comes with the new Windows 11 operating system pre-installed and one of the best webcams we’ve used on a laptop.
With its bigger screen, nested and slim pencil, and day-beating battery life, the Surface Pro 9 5G moves Microsoft's Surface line in the right direction, but the custom ARM chip brings with it a host of hiccups.
Read the full review: Surface Pro 9 5G
Check out our Microsoft promo codes to get the best deal on your next purchase.
The best laptop for academic writers
The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i stands out as an exceptional tool for academic writers, offering a unique dual-screen functionality that enhances productivity and multitasking without adding bulk.
Its innovative design allows for a versatile work environment, mimicking a multi-monitor setup for expansive research, writing, and editing tasks. This design versatility ensures that academic professionals can find the most comfortable and efficient setup for their work, whether drafting articles, compiling research, or juggling multiple tasks simultaneously.
Powered by the Intel Core i7-1355U processor, the Yoga Book 9i balances robust performance with efficiency, avoiding overheating common in slim laptops, making it ideal for long writing sessions.
Despite its dual OLED screens, the laptop offers up to 9.5 hours of battery life, extendable to over 12 hours with one screen turned off, ensuring it can last through extensive work sessions.
While the Yoga Book 9i is priced at a premium, its cutting-edge features, from the dual-screen setup to its portable design and efficient performance, justify the investment for those in academia looking for a laptop that can keep up with their demanding, multi-faceted workflows.
Read the full review: Lenovo Yoga Book 9i
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