The backlit keyboard is not only highly attractive but also convenient at the same time. From games to accountants, everyone needs inspiration, and a suitable environment and keyboard backlit play an important part. Whether it is something fancy and colorful or simple elegant warm backlit, it is indeed become a necessity.
A backlit keyboard, without a doubt, adds a certain aesthetic appeal to your desk, and today this has become a key feature. Besides beauty, laptop users now work on their laptops anytime, eliminating the need for environmental lighting (artificial or natural). You can now type your way to success even in darkness because your laptop keyboard backlit shows you the way!
Do You Need Laptop With a Backlit keyboard?
If you are still unable to decide, do you need backlit or not? Here are two main reasons for you.
The primary reason is that you will never have to struggle to hunt for alphabets on the keyboard, especially in the dark. Unquestionably the best feature is, the laptop with a backlit keyboard has the sleekest and stylish look. Secondly, these laptops are appropriate for people of all budgets and all types. The overall appearance of the laptop becomes so much more striking, generating positive and productive vibes. Let’s just jump into the list of the best laptops with backlit keyboards (See our No.5 pick, it’s a cheap option).
6 Best Laptops with Backlit Keyboard:
Comparison Chart
HP Pavilion x360 14 Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop, 14” Full HD Touchscreen Display, Intel Core i5, 8 GB DDR4 RAM, 512 GB SSD Storage, Windows 10 Home, Backlit Keyboard (14-dh2011nr, 2020 Model)
2021 Newest Dell Inspiron 5000 Series 15.6” FHD Business Laptop, Intel Core i7-1165G7, 16GB RAM, 1TB PCIe SSD, Webcam, Backlit Keyboard, FP Reader, Windows 10 Pro, Silver
Acer Swift 3 Thin & Light Laptop, 14″ Full HD IPS, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U Octa-Core with Radeon Graphics, 8GB LPDDR4, 512GB NVMe SSD, Wi-Fi 6, Backlit KB, Fingerprint Reader, Alexa Built-in
ASUS ZenBook 13 Ultra-Slim Laptop 13.3” Full HD NanoEdge Bezel Display, Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB PCIe SSD, NumberPad, Windows 10 Home, Lilac Mist, UX325JA-AB51
- 6 Best Laptops with Backlit Keyboard:
- 1. Apple MacBook Pro with M1 chip – A beast for content creation
- 2. HP Pavilion Convertible 14 laptop – Multi-functional
- 3. Dell Inspiron 15.6″ laptop – All-rounder
- 4. Acer Swift 3 laptop – Best for content creation
- 5. ASUS ZenBook Ultra-Slim – Compact and lightweight
- 6. Lenovo Flex 5 IdeaPad laptop – Your everyday companion
- What to consider when buying a laptop with a backlit keyboard
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
1. Apple MacBook Pro with M1 chip – A beast for content creation
Apple Macbook Pro is the right choice to start with. Its keycaps are extended by 1mm to improve the tactile experience. The keyboard also has a backlit alone with a spring-back feature to ensure swift and easy typing. The best part is ESC key is located in a more convenient location than before. Also, the arrow keys allow you to flip through applications.
Display: This MacBook comes with a 4k display, making it diverse from previous models. Also, the minor increase in screen size (0.6″) makes a prominent difference.
Performance: In spite of its old model chipset, we found that the Apple MacBook Pro’s core performance is ten times improved than the previous version. Its onboard Intel chipset comes into action when your required visual performance is decreased, and its AMD chip boosts overall performance. One more great upgrade is the increased SSD capacity which was twice, up to 1TB and 512GB on upper and entry models. The touch bar, too, has seen an advancement; it adapts well to screen content.
Sound: You can hear crisp, room-filling sounds with deep bass and sharp treble sound with this laptop’s six-speaker sound system. Also, it comes with microphones (three of them) that allow you to make clear calls, video, and audio, with outstanding background noise cancellation. In comparison, we experienced improved sound fidelity with noise reduction than was found in the earlier MacBook.
Pros
- Improved speakers and keyboard
- Wireless connections
- Fast and durable
- Increased memory
Cons
- bulky laptop
- BTO updates are costly
- Pricey
2. HP Pavilion Convertible 14 laptop – Multi-functional
HP is recognized for its high-quality products; next on our list is one of its best is the HP Pavilion 14, a 14-inch convertible laptop with a backlit keyboard.
The HP provides two different integrations. On the left side, there is a 3.5 mm headphone/mic jack, a USB-A 3.1, a power button with an LED indicator (to identify the device is on), and a noble lock.
On the right side, there is an HD light (unusual because we don’t see it anymore), USB Type-C (for data transferring), a large SD card port for additional memory, HDMI and USB ports, and a power jack.
Display: Moving ahead to its display features, we have a Jam-packed HD resolution (1920×1080p) and a multi-touchscreen with excellent contrast and colors. (If you love watching movies, this laptop is definitely the one to consider.) One issue we noted with the display is its low brightness when used outdoors.
Keyboard: The backlit single-colored keyboard answers perfectly, Why backlit Keyboard? The key travel and spacing are resulting in improved tactile feedback and relaxed typing. Also, the precision touchpad is responsive, allowing precise cursor movements.
Features: Since this laptop is convertible (or 2 in 1), it can be placed in four different modes together with tent mode (appropriate for when you’re in the kitchen following cooking videos) and tablet mode, which is perfect for taking notes or doing artwork.
Pros
- Sleek design and quality build
- Fast speeds
- Keyboard has great tactile feedback
- Great sound system
Cons
- Significantly lower memory/RAM
- Low battery life
- Lacks Ethernet
3. Dell Inspiron 15.6″ laptop – All-rounder
If you are still thinking, do you need backlit? Behold! Here comes the most amazing laptop which will surlily make your mind. The Dell Inspiron is a perfect machine for students, freelancers, and office workers. It is fairly durable and features 16GB RAM and hardware up to 1TB M.2 SSD, which defines reliability and performance.
Display: It comes with a 15.6-inch Full-HD (1920×1080) resolution (perfect for folks who do visually intensive work like photographers) and an HD webcam with a dual-microphone range that is housed in the screen’s medium-sized bezels. It also features Intel Iris Xe Graphics that delivers highly immersive visuals no matter you are playing games or editing videos.
Connectivity: For numerous connectivity options, this Inspiron offers 3.1 Gen1, USB 2.0, RJ-45, 3.1 Type-C, HDMI ports, an SD card reader, and headset inlet (input/output microphone combo). Additional features include a wireless connection (Bluetooth and Wi-Fi), DVD input, and Windows 10 home.
Keyboard: Its keyboard has increased key travel and backlit; however, the loose integration of keys can interrupt typing. In contrast, its trackpad is responsive and precise, designed for exact movements on the screen.
Overall, this laptop bargains usage in various areas (hence the title of “all-rounder”) which is seamless for people who like to do a little bit of everything.
Pros
- Excellent display quality
- Fast and productive performance
- Fingerprint reader supported
Cons
- No dedicated graphics
4. Acer Swift 3 laptop – Best for content creation
Cheap laptops with the backlit keyboard are also really useful in business work, one that travels well (i.e., not bulky or heavy), this laptop from Acer might be it. The Acer Swift 3 is top of the line because of its lightweight and metallic design that makes it both stylish and durable.
Display: It has a 14-inch widescreen with petite bezels and an 82.73 screen to body ratio, which identifies that you will not experience greater visuals interruptions. This laptop’s graphics aren’t appropriate for gaming; however, it’s great for office or schoolwork.
Performance: With this laptop, you will be able to run numerous apps at the same time and have a group of browser tabs open without glitching or lagging. This is possible because of the AMD Ryzen 4000 processor, which advances performance and user experience. Compared to Intel core, AMD offers 31% more accelerated and multithreaded operation. The backlit keyboard bargains dual modes switched off or on, and it feels super comfortable with brilliant tactile feedback. The battery lasts 11.5 hours when fully charged battery. The care center app ensures long battery life; it charges the battery up to 80% and then stops. So, you don’t have to worry about plugging it out.
Sound: This Acer’s sound system is decent for everyday stuff (watching YouTube videos, work, Netflix videos, streaming, etc.), but if you need HD sound quality, we recommend substituting with add-on Bluetooth speakers.
Pros
- Slim, light and durable design
- Responsive trackpad
- Fast processor
- Long battery life
Cons
- Reduced brightness level
- Not suitable for gaming
5. ASUS ZenBook Ultra-Slim – Compact and lightweight
The ASUS is slim and compact designed especially for professionals. When held, the ZenBook senses amazingly light, and according to ASUS, this 13.3″ laptop is the most compact laptop wide-reaching. Despite having a slim design, this laptop comes with multiple connection ports, including standard USB Type-C ports, a full-size HDMI, and a micro-SD card inlet. This latter feature will be very convenient because the storage capacity (256GB) of the ASUS ZenBook is somewhat on the inferior end of the spectrum. The ZenBook also comes with a cooling system that disperses heat without making any sound coming from the back fence-like opening.
Display: This laptop has a 13.3-inch screen which ASUS succeeded in keeping full-size/Full-HD by adjusting it with short bezels. To give you a clear picture: the frameless Nano Edge (the screen) comes with a 95% screen-to-body ratio.
Keyboard: One of this laptop’s extraordinary features is its number pad which is amalgamated with the trackpad. The backlight displays the number pad on the trackpad, which is not something you see on many laptops. Similarly, typing on this laptop’s single-colored keyboard is easy; it has excellent essential traveling and tactile response.
Pros
- Aluminum casing
- Multi-functional screen
- Portable
- Fast Fingerprint processing
Cons
- The right shift key is a bit small than the left one (okay, maybe not a “con,” but we thought we’d mention it)
- No touchscreen
- Not enough RAM
6. Lenovo Flex 5 IdeaPad laptop – Your everyday companion
The first noticeable feature about this Lenovo is, it can also be used in four different modes similar to the HP Pavilion mentioned above. The second noticeable feature is the fast start-up/single fingerprint login.
Display: It has the equal resolution as the HP Pavilion (1920×1080p); however, contrasting the latter, it comes 250 nits of brightness instead of 280 nits. The 14-inch screen has an IPS display with varying colors and contrast, which will work great in daily use; However inappropriate for making content or video editing due to reduced color selection.
Features: It comes with a neat pen holder, which, apart from being suitable, helps protect the pen. It has a single-colored (white) backlit keyboard with a tactile response that will provide hours of relaxed typing. Talking about the touchpad, it’s plastic, but that doesn’t appear to disturb its responsiveness, i.e., it makes accurate cursor movements.
Finally, if you get fed up and want to play a game on this laptop, you’ll know that you can only play old games on it. Why? Well, it doesn’t feature the essential hardware required of contemporary games. Of course, it’s unexpected, but it is necessary to mention it here so you can make the right choice.
Pros
- Enhanced performance
- Excellent, top-quality build
- Webcam with privacy shutter
- Good selection of ports
Cons
- 250 Nits of brightness
- Bulky
- Not for gaming
What to consider when buying a laptop with a backlit keyboard
We have tried our best to tailor a guide to answer all your queries, including Why backlit keyboard and do you need backlit? To assist you further in making the right choice, we have listed all notable features, which are:
Type of Laptop
Presently, there are many laptop producers offering various features you desire, from convertible premium machines to gaming laptops. All must be able to recognize your need and don’t just end up buying a laptop whose keyboard does not fit your requirement.
Keyboard Design
It is kind of a habit of the backlit keyboard to be user-friendly while giving you a comfortable distance and key travel layout. You may either choose between a traditional, closely packed arrangement or a modern-style keyboard having more space around the keys.
Adjustable Lighting
Some may prefer constant keyboard lighting, while others go with adjustable light. Whichever your choice might be, it is an essential factor. You might want a laptop that comes with the feature of adjusting the keyboard brightness automatically or manually according to ambient light.
Potential backlighting problem
Some laptops do show up backlight bleeding problems in the long run. This might happen due to poor design. Therefore, it is better to check it appropriately. It can be better determined by checking buyers’ reviews.
Performance
Whether a laptop has a backlit keyboard or not, it must be powerful enough to perform the most common tasks. There are some very powerful laptops available with up-to-date technology, which are curated into a very versatile design.
Battery Life
Anywhere between 7 and 8 hours is the decent battery life, but don’t be surprised to come across laptops that feature an “all-day” battery life which can last up to 18 hours on a single charge. Of course, battery life will be subject to your usage.
Storage
Even though laptops are very handy now, you still want a decent amount of space so you can keep them. But it would help if you also considered the storage type. SSD is the most convent storage option which offers a much faster speed as compared to HDD.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Most Common Categories of Laptop Backlit Keyboards?
The most typical backlit keyboard features a single illumination that can be adjusted accordingly. There are backlit keyboard categories that offer colors, breathing/ flashing effects, and even coated or waterproof keypads. Depending on the manufacturer and type of laptop, you will have to closely review each keyboard.
Can Backlit Keyboards come with Changeable Colors?
Most professional laptops don’t offer a changeable color, but you will find a backlit keyboard in gaming laptops such which can change colors. It’s a modish feature often used in gaming laptops to make them stand out.
Are Backlit Keyboards consume A Lot More Battery Than Standard Keyboards?
Yes, backlit keyboards consume battery, but it’s not something noticeable that will drain your battery out. However, when you don’t need the backlit during the day –it is obvious to dim it or turn it off.
Conclusion
A backlit keyboard laptop will not only give you a decorative and classic-looking laptop but also relieve you from sourcing for external lighting to work in darkness, thus enhancing your productivity. You have all the excellent choices available, jump up and pick yours.