Best Lightweight Laptops for Developers in 2024: Top Picks for Performance and Portability
As a professional, having a small laptop that combines productivity, portability, and battery life is helpful for coding. With a wide variety of small laptops designed for developers in 2024, finding the right balance between performance and portability is easier than ever. Whether coding, running virtual machines, or developing software, these laptops offer high performance at your ease.
In 2024, many laptops stand out for their balance of size, power, and utility. Here is a roundup of some of the best small laptops for manufacturers:
Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2024)
- Weight:7 lbs (1.24 kg)
- Processor: Apple M2 chip with 8-core CPU and GPU
- RAM: 8GB (configurable up to 24GB)
- Storage: Starts with a 256GB SSD (up to 2TB).
- Battery life: Up to 18 hours
Why It’s Great: The MacBook Air’s M2 chip, long battery life, and high-quality Retina display make it a great choice for developers working on macOS or iOS applications.
Dell XPS 13 (2024)
- Weight:8 lbs (1.27 kg)
- Processor: Intel Core i5/i7 (13th generation)
- RAM: 8GB/16GB (Configurable)
- Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB SSD
- Battery life: about 14 hours
Why It's Great: The XPS 13 boasts a stunning InfinityEdge display, rugged build, and compact design, delivering powerful performance in a lightweight package that's perfect for web development and planning services.
ASUS ZenBook 14 (2024
- Weight: 2.58 lbs (1.17 kg)
- Processor: Intel Core i5/i7 (13th generation) or AMD Ryzen 5/7
- RAM: 8GB/16GB (Configurable)
- Storage: 512GB/1TB SSD
- Battery life: Up to 15 hours
Why It’s Great: With its sleek chassis and high-performance features, the ZenBook 14 is great for multitasking and productivity. It also has a bright display and offers good port options for developers.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 (2024)
- Weight: 2.48 lbs (1.12 kg)
- Processor: Intel Core i5/i7 (13th generation)
- RAM: Up to 32GB
- Storage: Up to 1TB SSD
- Battery life: Up to 15 hours
Why It’s Great: The keyboard is known for its uniqueness and known for its exceptional keyboard quality and sturdy build, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is perfect for developers who prioritize typing comfort and reliability, with strong performance.
HP Spectrum x360 14 (2024)
- Weight:95 lbs (1.34 kg)
- Processor: Intel Core i5/i7 (13th generation)
- RAM: 8GB/16GB
- Storage: 512GB/1TB SSD
- Battery life: Up to 12 hours
Why It's Great: The Specter x360 has a nice convertible design, which allows you to use it in tablet mode. Its touch display and solid display make it great for responsive applications and design work.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (2024)
- Weight:79 lbs (1.27 kg)
- Processor: Intel Core i5/i7 (13th generation)
- RAM: 8GB/16GB/32GB
- Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB SSD
- Battery life: Up to 18 hours
Why It’s Great: The Surface Laptop 5 is known for its beautiful design, vibrant display, and intuitive performance for easy development and increased productivity, making it a viable choice for developers.
Razer Blade Stealth 13 (2024)
- Weight: 1.4 pounds (1.4 kilograms)
- Processor: Intel Core i7 (13th generation)
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Battery life: up to 10 hours
Why It's Great: While it's marketed as a gaming laptop, its compact design and powerful internals also make it suitable for development work, especially for those working on game development or heavy graphics.
Conclusion
When choosing a lightweight laptop for 2024, consider the functional specifications for your specific programming needs. For instance, the type of application you work on, whether you need a macOS or Windows environment, your portability needs for each laptop, its functionality, configuration, and usability. Ensure you can find just the right fit for your development project.