1. The list in brief
2. Best overall
3. Best keyboard
4. Best 2-in-1
5. Best high-end
6. Best graphics
7. Best value
8. How to find the right laptop
9. How we test
10. Why trust Laptop Mag
The best laptops for writers let you plop down on a couch and type away during any given workday, and there are plenty of options to get the job done, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. You'll generally want a portable laptop with a comfortable keyboard, and solid performance to run all your text editing and planning software with ease. Another must-have for writers is excellent battery life, so your laptop can keep up with your late-night or travel work.
Not all writers have the same needs, so we've picked a selection to best fit your individual demands. Maybe you need something that can balance both gaming and writing, or something that won’t break the bank with its price, or maybe even a 2-in-1 laptop for extra versatility.
Regardless, this list of the best laptops for writers will help in finding the right device for you.
Momo Tabari graduated with a bachelor's degree in Journalism & Media Studies at Brooklyn College and has been covering tech for four years. She has written over a hundred reviews and has plenty of experience testing and critiquing laptops.
Quick List
Best overall
The Macbook Air M2 has some of the best battery life, a satisfying keyboard, and performance that can keep up with anything you'll throw at it. On the Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits, the Macbook Air lasted 14 hours and 6 minutes.
Best keyboard
The X1 Carbon also boasts outstanding battery life, managing 13 hours and 45 minutes of runtime on the Laptop Mag battery test at 1080p (web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits). The keyboard is top-notch
Best 2-in-1
Delivering a gorgeous 2880 x 1880 OLED display with mouthwatering vibrancy, phenomenally loud and impactful speakers, superb SSD speeds, a satisfying keyboard, excellent productivity scores and decent battery life, this 2-in-1 impressed.
Best high-end
As the name suggests, this laptop takes everything that we like about the recent entries in the Galaxy Book line and then adds an Intel 13th Gen H-Series CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 40-series GPU, while keeping the laptop below 4 pounds.
Best graphics
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is the perfect gaming laptop for writers, boasting powerful RTX 4070-performance, a gorgeous display, sturdy build, and an exceptional keyboard for the average person who both plays and writes.
Best value
You don't need to break the bank to get a great laptop for writing — the $400 Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is proof. It includes everything a writer needs and more at a price that's easy for the average writer to afford, whether you're a pro or just getting started.
The best laptop for writers in 2024
Why you can trust Laptop Mag Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Best overall laptop for writers
The Apple Macbook Air M2 is one of our best overall laptops and we cannot recommend it enough. It provides performance, portability, and long battery life with a satisfying keyboard and stunning 13.6-inch display.
On the Laptop Mag battery test, a web surfing loop over Wi-Fi at 150 nits, The Macbook Air M2 averaged 14 hours and 6 minutes which is more than you standard work day. Ideal for writers who may be working long hours on the go. The springy and quiet keyboard will keep your fingers happy while typing the day away, and your documents will look fantastic on the 13.6-inch Retina display.
As for performance, the Macbook Air M2 decimated the premium laptop average when it launched and still holds its own today. The Macbook Air M2 also boasts quick SSD performance, spatial audio capabilities, and a smooth trackpad. All of these features make it a great overall pick for writers of all kinds.
See our full Macbook Air M2 review.
Best keyboard for writers
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon’s secret ingredient lies in its keyboard. And it hasn't changed much in years because the snappy, tactile key switches are a signature of the X1 Carbon line. The X1 Carbon Gen 11 also boasts an impressive battery life of 13 hours and 45 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test.
Like most ThinkPads, the X1 Carbon can survive harsh conditions, as it’s been tested against 12 military-grade durability tests. Don't go thinking this is a rugged laptop, as it weighs only 2.5 pounds and is just 0.6 inches thick. So it's a good choice for writers on the go. Although the X1 Carbon Gen 11 starts at a premium price, it’s worth it for the keyboard alone. Though the lightweight but durable design, solid performance, and decent battery life don't hurt.
See our full Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (11th Generation) review.
Best 2-in-1 laptop for writers
Lenovo's Yoga 9i Gen 8 is a serious improvement over the previous generation, with a gorgeous OLED display, excellent performance, and decent battery life. Which makes it a great option for writers who want a 2-in-1 platform.
The Yoga 9i Gen 8 also boasts a superb speaker system, quick SSD speeds, a satisfying keyboard, and a sturdy all-aluminum exterior. So it really is an all-around favorite. In fact, it is our Best 2-in-1 laptop.
The only complaint we have with this 2-in-1 is that the display could stand to be a bit brighter, but its easily one of the best laptops out there for writers who need a 2-in-1 that can keep up with all of their daily needs.
See our full Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 8) review.
Best high-end laptop for writers
Samsung's super-charged Galaxy Book 3 Ultra comes with an Intel 13th Gen H-Series CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 40-series GPU, all while keeping the laptop below 4 pounds. This portable powerhouse is the thinnest and lightest RTX 40-series laptop that we've reviewed so far, which does mean it has a bit less battery life than some of its competitors on this list.
On the Laptop Mag web surfing battery test, the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra averaged 9 hours and 3 minutes. But it will absolutely crush any task you can set before it in that time, though heavy GPU use will mean even less battery life. So if you need to travel or work long hours this may not be the best laptop for your workflow.
The only other problem with the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is its starting price. Beginning at $2,199, this light-weight high performance laptop can easily break the bank. For writers, we've found that this beast boasts more than enough power and portability to be a great pick for those can afford it.
See our full Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra review.
Best Graphics for writers
The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is not only one of our favorite budget gaming laptops, but it is perfect for writers. Boasting superb RTX 4070 performance that outperforms its many competitors without a sweat, alongside excellent productivity scores to satisfy your needs in everyday tasks.
The Legion 5 Pro also boasts one of our favorite keyboards, with a number of tweaks that make it phenomenal for writers. Between the touchpad, the arrow key nook, and only 1.5mm of key travel, it stands out and excels as one of the best.
While the Legion 5 Pro doesn't have the best display, it is surprisingly high quality for a laptop at this price point. It also has a surprisingly powerful audio system. And with an AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, this laptop has excellent gaming and non-gaming performance.
See our full Lenovo Legion 5 Pro review.
Best value laptop for writers
While premium features are nice, really all you need to write is a great keyboard and enough processing power to comfortably run some of the best writing tools. You can get all of that and more without emptying your wallet. The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is just $399, making it one of the most affordable laptops for writers out there.
Don't let the Chromebook Plus 515's low price fool you. This budget-friendly laptop delivers packs in a lot of value and more than enough performance to keep up with a writer's demands. The display is bright, clear, and vivid and you've got plenty of ports for things like a mouse or external hard drive. The top-firing speakers are also perfect for writers who need a little background noise to get in the zone.
The chiclet keyboard might not be fancy, but it delivers an excellent typing experience. The keys are snappy and responsive with white backlighting and comfy but clear lowercase white legends. Overall, it's hard to go wrong with the Chromebook Plus 515. The only downside was its battery life, which could have been higher but still lasted over 8 hours in our tests.
See our full Acer Chromebook Plus 515 review.
How to Choose the best Laptops for writers
Do your intensive daily workloads require more RAM than the average Joe? Are you a video editor who needs extra storage? Are you a power user who wants a beefy GPU? Sorting through the best laptops to fit your lifestyle is a tricky business.
To make your shopping process a little easier, our Editor-in-Chief Sherri L. Smith has put together some tried-and-true guidelines to help you choose the best laptop.
Budget: What you get for the money.
You can find decent Windows laptops and high-quality Chromebooks for under $500. However, better mainstream laptops usually cost more than $700 and premium Ultrabooks can run over $1,000. The best gaming laptops can cost $2.000 and up, but you can play the latest titles at decent frame rates on gaming laptops under $1,000.
Screen Size: 12 to 14 inches for Portability
Knowing a laptop's screen size tells you a lot about its portability overall. If you want to use your computer on your lap or carry it around a lot, go for one with a 12, 13 or 14-inch display. If you want to use the computer on tables and desks and won't carry it around much, a 15-inch model may give you more value. Some gaming rigs, media machines and workstations even have 17 or 18-inch screens, but those are hardest to carry.
2-in-1 or Clamshell?
More and more of today's laptops are 2-in-1s with screens that either bend back 360 degrees or detach so you can use them as tablets. If you like the idea of using your laptop in slate mode for drawing, media consumption or just using it standing up, a 2-in-1 could be for you. However, you can often get better features or a lower price by going with a traditional clamshell-style laptop.
Battery Life: 8+ Hours for Portability
Unless you only plan to use your laptop on your desk, battery life matters. Even within the home or office, having plenty of juice enables you to work on the couch or at the conference table, without being chained to the nearest outlet. For the best portability, we recommend getting a laptop that lasted over 8 hours on the Laptop Mag Battery Test. The longest-lasting laptops endure for over 10 hours.
Specs: 1080p / Core i5 / 8GB Are Best Bets
You can spend a lot of time delving into specs, but here are the key components to think about. If you just want really good mainstream performance, go for a Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and a 1080p screen.
How We Test the best laptops for Writers
We put each laptop through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers and heat management.
In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and sRGB color gamut of the laptop's display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 4.3 and 5.0 and 3DMark professional graphics tests.
To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to duplicate a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is the Dirt 3 benchmark with medium settings at 1080p resolution.
We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 10 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered for longer than 5 hours deserve praise.
These tests are complemented with extensive hands-on testing from our reviewers who critique everything from the laptop's materials to the feel of its touchpad.
See this page on How We Test Laptops for more details on our benchmarking procedures.
Why Trust Laptop Mag
Laptop Mag reviews over one hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.
We are 100% independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades, and we continue to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.
Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.
Our editorial trustworthiness is enforced by one of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.
