BEST LAPTOP FOR WRITERS

Writing a book takes a lot of work but it’s also one of the most rewarding things that you could possibly take part in. Novelists can earn quite a bit of money if they play their cards write, so if you want to try getting into this field you might want to consider buying a laptop that has been optimized for this kind of task. You might think that any old laptop would do if you are looking to get into novel writing, but the truth is that there are certain laptops that might be better suited to this activity than you would initially expect.

In this article, we are going to be discussing a wide range of laptops that would cater to writers that belong to various niches.

Budget options will be discussed along with a few laptops that would be ideal for pros that are willing to make a sizeable investment in this regard. Before we get to the actual list, though, we would like to start off by shedding some light on the features that you should be on the lookout for.

What Features to Look For?

The best laptops for writers are different, You don’t need much power but the best keyboard (Am I right?), A good sharp display and battery, Here are more things you should consider before going further.

1. Budget

For those that are just starting out with writing a novel, it is important to find a laptop that fits a certain budget. You likely don’t have a lot of excess cash to spend at this stage of your career, so it can be useful to find something that falls within the $500-$700 range. This range provides laptops whose specs are more than adequate for writing books and articles.

2. Battery

A lot of writers prefer to work on the go, and if you have a tight deadline from your publisher that you need to meet it can often be a good idea to look into finishing things up when you are out and about. Adequate battery life is, therefore, a must-have for the up-and-coming novelist, and laptops for bloggers/journalists generally need to confirm this level of quality as well.

3. Keyboard

This is one of the more obvious features that you might want to explore if you’re thinking of starting a writing career. Durability is a factor that you should definitely consider here, and backlit keyboards can be useful too since they can make all-night writing sessions a bit more lively. You should also look for something that has soft keys to avoid straining your fingers.

4. Portability

As we have already mentioned before, writers need to be mobile in order to get their work done. A lot of your work might be done in coffee shops or parks so that you can get some inspiration, so opting for something that’s relatively compact and lightweight can be good. Lighter laptops are pretty powerful these days anyway so you won’t have to sacrifice on quality.

5. Screen

A writer’s needs when it comes to screens would be rather different from those of a designer or gamer. Screen resolution matters somewhat less than opting for something that would prevent your eyes from getting sore. Spending hours in front of your laptop would definitely result in quite a bit of eye strain, so it would be good to buy a laptop with an anti-glare display.

Best Budget Laptops for Writers

1. Asus VivoBook S15

Specs:

• 10^th Gen Intel i5-i7
• Intel UHD 620
• 8GB-16GB RAM
• 256GB-1TB SSD

It can be difficult to find a laptop that manages to provide an adequate screen size without being overly bulky. One reason why we like this laptop from Asus is that the 15.6 inch screen size is a major plus point, and what’s more is that the laptop weighs just under 4 pounds. While the graphics card isn’t anything to write home about, it allows the laptop to be priced at under $500 which makes it great for budget shoppers.

Writers don’t particularly need a good graphics card on their laptops anyway. A high-powered processing unit is much more desirable, and the good news here is that the VivoBook S15 offers an incredibly 10^th gen processor that can go from i5 to i7 based on which model you decide to purchase. Opting for a laptop that has a decent but not too fancy graphics card is perfectly acceptable, especially when it gives you the chance to get something with so much processing power at such an affordable rate.

One thing that we didn’t really like about the laptop was the battery life. Battery life is important for a lot of writers, but when you opt for budget machines there is a certain give and take that inevitably occurs. If you prefer processing power to battery life, this laptop can work quite nicely for you if you want something that costs less than $500.

2. Acer Chromebook

Specs:

• 1.6 GHz Intel Celeron N3160
• Intel HD Graphics 400
• 4GB RAM
• 32GB SSD

If you want a laptop that’s ridiculously cheap and can help you get some writing done, this Chromebook from Acer is perhaps the cheapest that you can go without getting something that’s utterly unusable. Coming in at around $200, this laptop might not give you all that much in the way of processing power, but if all you want to do is write this machine can be quite perfect and it will help you get started with the lowest possible expense.

The fact that you get to use Chrome OS is a bit of a plus point in our opinion. A lot of writers these days are starting to use Google Docs as their word processor of choice, so having that integrated into the overarching operating system that you are using can be great. It also helps that all of your work would end up getting saved automatically, thereby decreasing the likelihood of you losing it due to some freak accident.

The screen size rather small which is one issue that we feel some writers might not be able to tolerate. However, the fact that this laptop is so incredibly lightweight tends to compensate for that to some degree. Overall, while you do tend to get limited specs with this machine, writers that don’t have much money to start off with might be able to obtain a lot of value by purchasing this option.

3. Microsoft Surface Go 2

Specs:

• 8^th Gen Intel Core m3
• Intel UHD 615
• 4GB-6GB RAM
• 128GB SSD

Those writers that are looking for a budget machine that can also provide a little bit of style are in luck because this offering from Microsoft tends to fulfill this criterion quite effectively. The great thing is that you get a two-in-one deal when you buy this laptop since it functions as a tablet as well. Another aspect of this machine that a lot of writers might like is that it runs the Windows operating system, so if you’re looking for a multi-purpose budget tool that doesn’t force you to use Chrome OS this could work quite nicely for you.

The look of this machine as well as its touch capabilities are pretty great but bear in mind that you won’t be able to get this for quite as cheap as your run-of-the-mill Chromebook. While it’s certainly not expensive when you compare it to various premium laptops that might be out there, $400 is still a relatively hefty sum and it’s twice as much as a Chromebook would cost.

You also don’t get any significantly improved specs, so the main advantages here are the touch screen capability as well as the sleek aesthetic. Being able to use Windows is another major plus point for certain individuals, although it’s not quite appreciated universally which is why we had to bump this machine down a couple of spots.

Best Laptop for Professional Writers

1. Macbook Air 2021

Specs:

• Apple M1 Chip
• 8 Core GPU
• 8GB Ram
• 256-2TB SSD

Apple products are always top-notch in terms of quality, but most people tend to avoid them due to their high price range. However, if you can afford to buy one a Macbook Air can be the best writing tool that you would ever purchase. Looking at it as a long-term investment can make the expense seem a bit more reasonable, and this laptop certainly does provide a number of features that make it a worthwhile purchase.

A major advantage of using this laptop is the 12-hour battery life. You can work an extremely long workday with a full battery, and that makes it great for a lot of writers since they need to be able to get to writing at a moment’s notice even if they don’t have a power supply nearby. The anti-glare screen is also a huge benefit to using this machine, as it can facilitate extended work sessions that wouldn’t place an unnecessary amount of pressure on your eyes.

This is also one of the lightest laptops that you could possibly find. Coming in at around 2.7 pounds, it would feel like next to nothing in your backpack, and the keyboard is very soft and easy to use as well. This machine is made for writers in a lot of ways which is why we feel like pro writers would benefit a lot from buying it.

2. Dell XPS 13

Specs:

• 11^th Gen i7
• Intel Iris XE Graphics
• 32GB RAM
• 2TB SSD

If you want a premium laptop but for some reason don’t want to buy from Apple, Dell is an option that might be even better in some respects. You’ll have to pay through the nose for it, but the XPS 13 has some truly phenomenal specs that make it one of the most premium laptops out there. The display is quite large and crystal clear, and writers can actually benefit a lot from this if they are finishing up a chapter and want to be able to read through it while keeping a large amount of text in view.

The display in particular is something that makes this laptop a top-notch buy, with the anti-reflective screen making it so that you wouldn’t have to deal with any frustrating lighting that might block out certain portions of the display. This is a feature that generally costs a pretty penny, but it is highly advantageous for writers so many pro writers are often willing to spring the cash in order to get it.

 While this laptop might not be quite as lightweight as the Macbook pro, it’s still relatively portable which means that it can work wonders for a writer that doesn’t want any restrictions in their movements. If you’ve just nabbed a valuable book deal it might be time to treat yourself to a powerful new machine, and this offering from Dell might just be the perfect way to spend that extra cash.

3. HP Elite Dragonfly

Specs:

• 8^th Gen Intel i5-i7
• Intel UHD Graphics 620
• 8GB-16GB RAM
• 256GB SSD

We feel that ultrabooks are generally a good option for writers to explore since they offer quite a bit in the way of portability. The great thing about the HP Elite Dragonfly is that you won’t have to sacrifice any features for this portability either. The processor is pretty solid, offering an 8^th Gen version of Intel’s i7 although you can swap this for an i5 if you want to save a bit of money.

This laptop offers an excellent combination of a sleek, lightweight design, solid battery life as well as a decent keyboard that has a soft touch to it. The backlighting on the keyboard is a nice touch too, although we feel that the laptop tends to lag behind Apple’s offerings in certain respects such as the rather mediocre graphics card.

While most writers won’t really have much use for a high-end graphics card, it’s still a nice thing to have especially when you are shelling out this much money for your machine. Regardless, some consumers prefer to avoid Apple products for a wide variety of reasons, and if this might be the case for you then opting for this ultrabook from HP can work just as well too. You get some pretty solid speakers at least which is a nice touch and can help you stay energetic by listening to some music while you write.

Best 2 in 1 Laptop for Writers

1. Lenovo Yoga 9i

Specs:

• Intel i7
• Intel Iris XE
• 16GB RAM
• 512GB SSD

Having a laptop that can double as a tablet is great. Whether you need something that can allow you to quickly video conference with your editor or publisher in the middle of a writing session or if you just like to use tablets in your writing process in general, the Lenovo Yoga 9i is definitely something that’s worth taking into consideration.

A primary benefit of using 2-in-1 laptops like this is that they tend to be really light, and this offering from Lenovo is no exception. Weighing just 3 pounds, this machine is incredibly portable but it is also spectacularly powerful which is something that you just don’t get with regular tablet computers.

The extremely long battery life of 11 hours is another major plus point, and for the most part, this machine can serve all of the needs of a busy writer. The fact that the screen is only 14 inches means that portability is highly optimized but it’s not so small that you’d struggle to properly read what you have written.

We also really loved the display with its vibrant colors, and you might also find a use for the stylus as well. Physically writing with your hand might not be in fashion these days, but you can still experiment with it and see if it works for you when you purchase this machine.

2. Acer Chromebook Spin 713

Specs:

• Intel i5
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB storage

Beginner writers might find a 2-in-1 laptop useful as well, and the misconception that these kinds of machines inevitably end up costing a significant amount of money often discourages young writers from looking into them. This offering from Acer costs under $700 which isn’t exactly cheap but calling it expensive might be a bit of a stretch. You get some pretty solid specs for the price too, enough that you can get all your writing done and also use it for a bit of entertainment in your spare time.

This laptop ticks most of the boxes that a writer might be looking for. It’s lightweight, it provides a stellar battery life and it’s also quite fast thanks to the i5 processor. The 13.5-inch screen is pretty much perfect for the needs of a writer if you value portability above all else, and the display tends to be bright and offers a relatively realistic color palette for you to enjoy.

The fingerprint sensor can be great for writers who want to keep their work safe and private. That said, there is one thing that a lot of writers might take issue with and that is the keyboard. It’s a bit too shallow for some, and this can make typing somewhat of a chore. Depending on your priorities this laptop can be a great buy for you, however.