A laptop is the most crucial element of a writer’s life. One cannot compete in the hustle bustle field of writing, journalism or even those who plan to become an author if he lacks a potential laptop. In this guide we have collected and tested the best laptop for writers that they can have in order to compete in this advanced world of writing.
When we say advanced world for writing, it means the traditional ways of jotting down the ideas and creative plan on a notebook is certainly something we have really left behind. Although there are many of us still prefer to keep a pen and a paper note in our pockets, but now as there are more flexibilities being offered and to those who don’t want to copy down their ideas afterwards in the form of soft copies, laptops are much more considerable now.
Although soothing down more creases; typewriters were also there but this device has also left our tables a long time ago. Thus if one is using that heavy device or counting on the paper notes, it is perhaps considered very insane for most of the folks.
For a writer, this is not only a matter of saving their time as well but there is a whole lot in the pipeline a simple laptop can bring to you. For instance, research and analysis, printing, layouts, format citation, way of writing, finding publishers, editing pictures, writing aids, professional writing assistant and a lot more is being followed for the convenience of the writer which couldn’t be given by the old methods of writing on a notebook while sitting in a coffee shop or travelling in a bus.
Let’s just put these cases aside for a while, even if your sole purpose to buy a laptop is to pen down your ideas or we may say writing only. Still your laptop has to be good enough to push your typing limits to the next level with maximum comfort, since typing for a writer always remains on demand no matter what the working hours of a writer would be.
First we want you to enlighten you with a few basic questions you might have while buying a laptop for writing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Best Laptop For Writers or Journalist
Why do we need a laptop for writing instead of a PC/desktop?
One thing is very much clear, a writer doesn’t have any choice other than to “write”. Whether it’s on a PC or a laptop or stretching it to tablets or iPads, he is always on a vicious circle to write down his jumbled up words on the screen in a sophisticated way.
For a PC or desktop, you are unable to switch from your working desk whereas with a laptop your freedom is in your hand wherever you want to sit whether its a couch, in a coffee shop or at office. Laptops have an upper hand on personal computers in terms of portability. Therefore, laptops are the most popular device among writers offering so much comfort and convenience.
Which operating system is best for writers?
There are three most demanding operating systems, namely, Windows, MAC and Chrome OS. Each of them have their own advantages, Windows offers a vast array of hardwares, drivers and compatibility with a number of software and applications. It is the most user friendly operating system widely used on a number of platforms. In particular, if being a writer you are also having extensive need of editing as well and do have the opportunity to fast your belt for gaming, then Windows OS is going to serve you much better.
On the other hand, MAC operating systems have their wide variety of applications and softwares which you can access from the huge collection displayed in MAC stores. MAC OS wasn’t given access to third party applications till last year, it wasn’t allowed to install any other un associated application to run on MAC before. Being a writer, indeed there are so many great tools and applications for writing there but remember MAC OS is not at all budget friendly.
Whereas talking about the ChromeOS, this system purely works on Google Chrome that means you can access your work if only you have an internet connection. The good part is, laptops with ChromeOS are not expensive compared to MAC OS and if your laptop met any accident that doesn’t stop you from reaching out your files and documents, you can always get them from anywhere any time. All of the work is saved on Cloud or Drive, hence losing your data and precious documents is a case out of the box. Not only this, ChromeOS offers so many great tools and free support for writing as well which minimizes the writing errors to zero.
The nutshell is, whichever operating system you pick is a matter of preference and your ease of work on them. If you have previous experience or want to try something new, it all depends on your choice you personally make.
What is the best configuration of the laptop for writing?
If you are exclusively looking for a laptop for writing/typing or dropping your precious ideas, where you believe you wouldnt encounter the need of editing videos and photos or a little bit of creativity is not going to come in your way of writing then following is the ideal configuration you must need to consider.
a) 8GB RAM (4GB minimum)
b) Intel i5/ i7 or AMD equivalent processor (2 cores CPU at least)
c) Integrated GPU is enough
d) 500GB SSD (250GB at least)
What are some best tools for writing?
There are a number of writing tools available online to provide assistance to the writers which not only accelerate writing skills but also helps to eliminate any fault or error in the name of grammatical mistakes, sentence structures and ideas to put your imagination in more effective ways and much more. Most of these tools or softwares are free of cost so adding them in your PC or laptop wouldn’t pick a coin for you.
What are some useful tools for Journalists?
As you can see, journalism is a little bit diverse field compared to a writer, it not only includes a lot of writing but has its own digital tool box one must carry. Where there is less probability found for editing videos and audios for a writer, a journalist has these encounters more frequent.
Therefore if you are a journalist, not only word processing applications are mandatory, but editing videos and audios is handy as well. For this, you need a laptop with nice audio quality and built-in camera (which is always not as good as it is supposed to be through which you can stream, that’s why an external camera is the one and only choice to rely on, in case you are not having a full studio setup). Having said that, some popular voice recorders are Rev Voice Recorder, Wavepad Audio Editing Software etc. Whereas Rev Speech to Text Service, Dragon Anywhere & The FTW Transcriber are some professionally used transcribe tools.
Best Laptop for Writers of 2022
- Dell XPS 13 7390 – Best Laptop for writing and research
- Lenovo Legion 5 – Best Laptop for Blogging
- Asus ZenBook Duo UX481 – Best Laptop for content writers
- Apple MacBook Air – Best MacBook for writers
- Asus Zenbook 13 – Best NoteBook for writers
- Asus Tuf Gaming F17 – Best Laptop for blogging and photo editing
- Acer Aspire 5 – Best Laptop for travel blogging
- Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 – Best 2-in-1 laptop for writers
Best Writer Laptops of 2022 Reviews
1. Dell XPS 13 7390 – Best laptop for research and writing
Screen/ resolution: 13.4” touchscreen FHD (1920×1200) | Processor name: Intel i7-1065G7 | GPU: Intel Iris Plus Graphics | RAM: 8GB | Storage/ Hard drive: 256GB SSD | Operating system: Windows 10 Home
We have nominated Dell XPS for the first position as a best laptop for writers, authors, students and journalists. Its clean and finest look with thin form factor build is the most attractive feature anyone will ghawk on. Based on the 10th generation Intel i7-1065G7 4 core processor with 8 threads, 8MB Cache and 3.90GHz boost clock, it has Intel Iris Plus integrated graphics.
You can also have variants with 11th generation Intel i7 4 core processor with up to 4.70GHz massive boost processing with Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics that comes with up to 32GB RAM and 2TB SSD instead. Talking about its user convienieceness, it can be single handedly opened and the screen instantly glows up without pressing any key due to the Lid Sensor Technology.
The best part is, the power button and fingerprint reader both are integrated over each other, thus a single touch is required to get access without straining yourself with login hassles. Although it also supports Hello Windows Face Unlock, pretty useful in case you want extra security. It has a backlit keyboard with a wide trackpad, very easy to type rigorously. However, the webcam is lackluster and the battery lasts up to 4 hours only.
2. Lenovo Legion 5 – Best laptop for Blogging and video editing
Screen/ resolution: 15.6” FHD (1920×1080) | Processor name: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H | GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 2060 | RAM: 16GB | Storage/ Hard drive: 512GB SSD | Operating system: Windows 10 Home
You can have a solid grip on any type of editing, whether it’s your written content, videos or photos, you don’t have to rely on external sources to do this job in the presence of this laptop. It is very much capable of handling from basic level of content generating to high profile portfolios. Its configuration is based on 4th generation AMD Ryzen 7 4800H 8 core processor with 16 threads, 8MB Cache and 4.2GHz boost frequency.
Lenovo Legion 5 contains a discrete video card, that is the Nvidia Geforce RTX 2060 6GB graphics card with GDDR6 memory bandwidth. It is a VR ready GPU and also enables the user to play Real Time Ray Tracing Gaming. It has 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD, both are upgradable. Handling processor intensive high applications is too easy with it without crashes or lag. This is a great laptop for Engineering students who have to do secondary level of CAD/CAM accelerating data.
Even for journalists, who have to deal with audio profiles and sometimes have to generate their own, this laptop is a pretty good option for them too. It has dual loud speakers with Dolby Atmos feature, you wouldn’t need any external speakers at all. Moreover, there is a 720p built-in webcam which has a physical privacy shutter, very useful to maintain your privacy when needed. It has a backlit keyboard, although the keys are mechanical with loud stroking sound.
3. Asus ZenBook Duo UX481 – Best laptop for content creator
Screen/ resolution: 14” touchscreen FHD (1920×1080) | Processor name: Intel i7-10510U | GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 620 | RAM: 8GB | Storage/ Hard drive: 512GB SSD | Operating system: Windows 10 Home
Here we have a laptop with not any one screen but dual screens to extend the level of creativity, so you can perform without limit. The Asus ZenBook Duo is equipped with all the latest and innovative features anyone would longed for. First it has a 10th generation Intel i-710510U 4 core processor with 8 threads, 8MB Cache and the fastest 4.9GHz boost clock with UHD Intel Graphics 620 integrated graphics card.
A sense of accomplishment with great level of satisfaction has to be delivered at any cost, that’s what this laptop is meant to be. There are two significant features which are not designed to serve everyone of us and that is the second screen known as ScreenPad Plus situated just right next to your main screen although above the keyboard and the trackPad located in the most right corner. If you want to make some experiment by trying a new version of a laptop then it might be good for you.
But for a regular typist with no room to explore unusual trackpad and keys locations, then he might not spend time and effort learning them, especially if you don’t have much time to spare this machine to get accustomed to. However, if that’s not the case and you are open to try its dual touchscreen displays and right most trackpad then this is indeed an incredibly nice laptop to give a chance.
There is a front IR camera for face recognition to login instantly by just opening the lid. All of the useful applications are just a touch away without even need to rummage for them or to search them. Another good part is the tilt keyboard which is extremely helpful for rigorous typing speed. It is backlit too, though the keys are a little compressed together leaving too less space among each of them.
4. Apple MacBook Air – Best MacBook for writers
Screen/ resolution: 13.3” QHD (2560*1600) | Processor name: Apple M1 Chip | GPU: Apple 8 core GPU | RAM: 8GB unified memory | Storage/ Hard drive: 256GB / 512GB SSD | Operating system: MacOS
You are literally going to get blown with the processing speed this Apple MacBook Air is offering you with the latest M1 chip 8 core processor and 8 core GPU. It is a super fast and incredibly powerful laptop. We are afraid you even need this machine being a writer unless you are buying it for other high end processing tasks too, other than for simple word processing. MacBooks are known for their lasting period, MacBook Air M1 is also a perfect long term investment if you intend not to buy a laptop for more than a couple of years.
There is a vast variety of applications you can pull out from the Mac store, extremely useful for writers to organize your writing and engineered to perfection. For instance, Ulysses, FocusWriter, Scapple, Typora, First Draft, Final Draft and many more others. Apart from the softwares for text formats, layout, writing styles etc, MacBook Air is so good for 3D/2D modeling, data accelerating, high level of computation, editing videos and photos and what not.
Whereas talking about the keyboard, this latest model consists of a built-in Magic Keyboard, the most favourite one among typists. It is white LED backlit of which you can control the brightness too. It has a glass trackpad which is ultra responsive and very precise for pinch and zooming in or out, getting special liking to this smooth scrolling. Moreover there are features like Face Recognition login, fingerprint reader and Touch ID.
5. Asus Zenbook 13 – Best NoteBook for writers
Screen/ resolution: 13.3” FHD (1920*1080) | Processor name: Intel i7-10510U | GPU: Nvidia Geforce MX250 | RAM: 16GB | Storage/ Hard drive: 512GB SSD | Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
There are so many NoteBooks in the market with great features and are user friendly both in cost and convenience for writers to offer. Asus ZenBook 13 is one of the best laptops for writers, comes with dual screens, first the main screen and secondary is built on a screen pad which is touch featured. Its configuration includes 10th generation Intel i7-10510U 4 core processor with up to 4.9GHz processing speed.
It contains a Nvidia Geforce MX250 dedicated graphics card with 2GB video memory. Moreover it has 16GB RAM and 512GB local storage, a very feasible hardware for writers who have highly intensive writing softwares to handle, editing applications and more. The touch trackpad named as ScreenPad 2.0 enables the user to perform to the next level of multitasking.
Customizing the apps on the secondary screen allows accessing them within a blink of an eye and performs like a pro. The colors are super gorgeous and sharp, good for creating content in real time. It has plenty of battery to offer even on the go. Despite all, the built-in camera is not as good as it supposed to be and the speakers are also not loud enough for streaming or generating audio profiles.
6. Asus Tuf Gaming F17 – Best laptop for writers and photographers
Screen/ resolution: 17.3” FHD (1920×1080) | Processor name: Intel i5-10300H | GPU: Nvidia Geforce GTX 1650 Ti | RAM: 8GB | Storage/ Hard drive: 512GB SSD | Operating system: Windows 10 Home
Screenwriting is not just specified to the typing but requires more or less multitasking including dealing with the softwares which needs a good amount of processing and sometimes a discrete graphics card also comes into serving its role. Asus Tuf is the best laptop for writers with the same level of multitasking including gaming. It contains a 10th generation Intel i5-10300H 4 core CPU with 8 threads, 8MB Cache and a boost clock up to 4.5GHz.
Further its configuration consists of a Nvidia Geforce GTX 1650 Ti dedicated graphics card with 4GB GDDR5 memory speed. It’s very compatible with Adobe Photoshop and similar softwares which requires a nice GPU to run editing tasks smoothly. Not only this, for designers, software engineers, Architects and for all the potential fields of studies from students to professional grades, this is a very suitable pick for all of them.
As for a writer, bloggar or on screenwriting tasks, the keyboard it has is very feasible for them. It is RGB backlit with four different modes other than completely turning it off, i.e. the strobe, blink, change in colors and breath. The keys are durable and give a soft clicky sound. Moreover it has speakers which supports DTS X Ultra with 7.1 Surround Sound, with superb bass and is loud enough too.
7. Acer Aspire 5 – Best laptop for travel blogging
Screen/ resolution: 15.6” FHD (1920×1080) | Processor name: Intel i7-1165G7 | GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics | RAM: 16GB | Storage/ Hard drive: 512GB SSD | Operating system: Windows 10 Home
Writers work remotely more frequently than sticking to a usual working table or office. We believe, the train of thoughts shouldn’t be blocked by your travelling and you can keep your fingers on the keys regardless of being in a situation on the go. For this Acer Aspire 5 is quite eligible to carry it around easily. It is 0.7 inches slim and 3.6lbs light in weight in the same 15.6 inch widescreen.
The configuration of AcerAspire 5 consists of 11th generation Intel i7-1165G7 4 core processor, 8 threads, 12MB Cache with 2.8GHz base and 4.7GHz boost frequency. It has an Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics. Whereas if you intend to play games, then there are other flexible options in the list to consider because this laptop is purely dedicated to bloggers, writers and all the light graphic intensive tasks. However it does have the ability to do basic level of editing too.
It has an 82.5% screen to body ratio with thin bezel which is very attractive. It’s all in silver color including the keyboard which is backlit. The keys are comfortable enough and give a very nice stroke of soft clicky sound. The lid is single handedly openable, lifting up the keyboard towards the user due to the ergonomic design specially to comfort the typist. There are dual stereo speakers which support Acer TrueHarmony Technology.
8. Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 – Best convertible laptop for writers
Screen/ resolution: 14” touchscreen FHD (1920×1080) | Processor name: AMD Ryzen 7 4700U | GPU: AMD Integrated Graphics | RAM: 16GB | Storage/ Hard drive: 512GB SSD | Operating system: Windows 10 Home
Combined features of a laptop and a tablet in a single device is extremely beneficial for the users who attend conferences, workshops and classes. Jotting down the main points of the lectures on the screen just by touching the screen silently instead of typing it via keyboard is very helpful. These properties are found in Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 convertible laptop. It contains AMD Ryzen 7 4700U 8 core processor with 8 threads, 8MB Cache and up to 4.1GHz boost clock.
It has a 720p built-in webcam with privacy shutter, though the quality of the video is not as good as it supposed to be, however nice enough for casual video calls. This laptop for writers is 3.6lbs. Light in weight, good for travellers and students who have to move from one class to another. The keyboard is not mechanical but is smooth with silent clicks which is a good thing if you want to work silently in a non secluded place.
Furthermore, the memory is upgradable, it has an extra slot to expand it in future. Although the present configuration is highly feasible for writers though. This laptop can handle most popular word processing softwares, applications to help writers and writing aids pretty well. Besides if you intend to play games, this laptop is not an ideal pick in this perspective and obviously you have to pull back your hand if you have room for intense graphic acceleration tasks in the future.
How to choose the best laptop for writers, journalists, bloggers and freelancers?(Buyer’s Guide)
It might look very easy going purchasing a laptop for writers, yes somehow it is true that the procedure is not as complicated as it might seem. But if you are a dedicated writer with a professional level of writing, where you are required to stick in front of your screen more than anything and keep typing along with complex multitasking as well, then you can figure out what type of laptop can bring ease and comfort and how it is different from any standard laptop.
Therefore, a writer’s life becomes super smooth and easy going if you make a checklist of the few properties you must need to consider while buying a best laptop for yourself, these are given below.
- Your budget
- Keyboard
- Touchscreen laptop
- Configuration
- Screen size and resolution
- Battery life
Budget or No budget laptop
You have to peek into your pocket before buying a laptop for yourself than doing anything else. A laptop could cost you as minimum as from $200 to $2000 or above. For a writer and all those possible activities circulating your main writing job will define the type of a laptop you need to buy and this analyzing will decide how much you are supposed to spend on the machine.
There are three main operating systems you need to opt from, they are, Windows OS, Mac OS and Chrome operating system. Out of these, MacBooks (Mac OS) by Apple is the expensive one, whereas Windows laptops are also high in cost but still lie under the budget if downscaling the extra features a laptop could offer and most importantly the graphics cards they come up with. However, ChromeBooks with Chrome OS are the most cheaply and widely used laptops among elementary school students.
Now back to the spending limit you have, being a writer, pulling out more than $1500 for a laptop is certainly an overspending, since most of the complex tasks if not simply typing can easily be done with a laptop under this price tag. Although if you are writer rich enough to spend a fat wad of cash irrespective of your main writing concern, then there are plenty of options you can have in the market.
Keyboard of a laptop for a writer
The most painful thing that could happen with a writer is having a bad keyboard. Where there is most of the time the person spends on typing, a laptop with a keyboard which doesn’t fit well ultimately fails the whole purchasing of the consumer and he will end up having an external keyboard instead.
Specifically for typing, you need not to buy a laptop with a keyboard having mechanical keycaps but a silent one with soft clicky sounds. As you can see typing is a continuous task and pulls more of the energy from your fingertips, a comfortable, reachable and not very noisy key is a suitable one.
Although most of us are used to getting satisfaction only when we hear that loud clicky sounds comes from the spring suspensions built in those mechanical keys, which is mostly found in gaming laptops. But for long time working on these keys, you need to keep in mind the ergonomic design as well in order to accelerate the typing speed with comfort.
Other than that, a backlit keyboard is a good element to add, for those who work in dim lights of the room or sometimes even in the darkness. Similarly, the Hand Detection Technology is a plus, it will light up the keys just before you touch them in the darkness. Moreover, for a writer, your laptop keyboard should be spacious enough so that your fingers can reach them easily.
Touchscreen laptop for writers
As told you earlier, the scope of writing may stretch up to many of the other tasks as well, for instance, editing videos and photos, audio profiles etc. and if you are a freelancer with more of the creative works to deal, a touch screen laptop helps immensely. We don’t say it is a compulsory feature you must need to add, since it will also add up the cost too therefore picking a laptop with touch screen feature depends on your preferences and of course the amount you are having to spend.
Configuration for the laptop for writers
In this guide we have not only covered the best laptop for writers but for authors, journalists, bloggers and freelancers can also take advantage of it. Having said that, we have to categorize the laptop configuration for simple writing tasks and to the complex one which includes not only typing or word processing but also need to do some editing, graphic designing, audio profile generating or even programming, never mind the gaming as well.
For the extremely simple typing on word processors like Microsoft Word, Excel Sheets etc. requires no more than a two core processor, integrated graphics, 4GB RAM and 256GB hard drive. Whereas if you are a freelancer or a student who need a laptop for both your studies and part time online work, which may includes editing, graphic designing and some of the high end gaming, you need a Intel i5 or i7 with 4 or more cores, 8GB RAM, a dedicated graphics card and 500GB local storage in SSD.
Size and resolution of the laptop for writers
Writers are remote workers, for this the laptop you buy should be light in weight so that you can carry it long anywhere without feeling any extra weight in your backpack. In the same way, the size of the screen shouldnt be too big as it will add up extra pounds which might not be important to you being a writer.
Most of the writers usually prefer a NoteBook laptop and chromebooks as they are compact and light in weight, very easy to carry from one place to another. But the case might reverse if you are holding passion for gaming. This is because for gaming, laptops come with a dedicated GPU with up to 15.6 inches wide screen, that tends to be heavy compared to the 14 inches NoteBook or a 12 inches ChromeBook.
Consequently, the nature of your work defines too many of the properties of that particular laptop, on which sometimes consumers have no choice other than to let this go. Besides, being a writer, the resolution of the laptop is least important but if you are a graphic designer or a video editor, where you have to deal with too much color variations to generate the content with very right color combinations, then you have to scale up your priority from 1080p laptop to 1440p or even 4k laptops considering the future possibilities of your work too.
Battery life of the laptop for writers
Most of the laptops come with a battery life of 5 to 6 hours running time and less if browsing. As for writers, who don’t have a fixed place or working station, a long battery life of the laptop is very important. The gaming laptops have less running battery life compared to MacBooks and ChromeBooks. In this case, you are supposed to try to get a laptop offering maximum hours of battery life in order to avoid inconvenience if you are using it at a library, coffee shop or somewhere there is no power supply directly available to you.
Conclusion
Writing is not just a profession but a passion first, if you are the one who feels that sense of joy when your fingers touch the keys as the ideas keep flowing, you can understand how a good laptop is highly important in this matter. Whether you are a beginner, a professional writer, author, bloggar or a content writer, all you need is a laptop which contains the ability to keep you engaged for hours of painless typing without even letting you know and your train of thoughts can be poured marvelously on the screen.
The aforementioned best laptops for writers are tested unbiasedly and turn out to be the best companion for you if you are a dedicated writer and know the hidden glitches a writer often finds in their laptops after making their purchases. Nevertheless we have saved you from this trouble and tried to shed those clouds before you make any decision. We hope you end up with the right one on your lap at the end of this guide, if not, then we are just a knock away to assist you.
