Best Laptops for Web Design & Development – Ultimate Buying Guide
Finding the best laptop for web design and development is no small task, which is why we’ve made it much easier for you with this buying guide. If you’re a web designer, developer (or both), you should have high quality tools to work with. It’s very common for web professionals to work remotely, so having a laptop is pretty much a must have. Laptops are great as a compact and efficient all in one solution for a computer: screen, cpu, keyboard, and trackpad. This can be incredibly useful whether you work at home, office, or on the go. So now let’s look at what specs to look for, followed by product reviews.
- Best Laptops for Web Design & Development – Ultimate Buying Guide
- What Specs are Good for Web Design & Development?
- Best Laptop for Web Design & Development – Quick List
- Best Laptop for Web Design & Development – Reviews
- 1. Acer Aspire 5 Laptop – Best Overall
- 2. Acer Spin 311 Laptop – Best Acer, Chromebook
- 3. Apple MacBook Air Laptop – Best Apple, Air
- 4. Apple MacBook Pro Laptop – Best Apple, Pro
- 5. HP 15 Laptop – Best HP, Windows 10
- 6. HP x360 14a Laptop – Best HP, Chromebook
- 7. Lenovo Legion 5 Laptop – Best Lenovo, Windows 10
- 8. Lenovo Flex 5 Laptop – Best Lenovo, Chromebook
- 9. ASUS VivoBook 15 Laptop – Best ASUS, 15.6 inch
- 10. ASUS L210 Laptop – Best ASUS, 11.6 inch
- Related Articles
What Specs are Good for Web Design & Development?
Generally, the 2 main specs to focus on are the RAM and CPU. 4GB will “get the job done” for many of your typical tasks and applications. But if you want to multi-task with multiple programs at once, and you want them all to respond quickly, you’re probably going to need 8GB of RAM or more. Regarding CPUs, you can “get by” with a single or dual core. But if you’re planning on using Photoshop, video editors, and more complex coding programs, you should get your hands on a quad core and up.
Best Laptop for Web Design & Development – Quick List
- Acer Aspire 5 – Best Overall
- Acer Chromebook – Best Acer, Chromebook
- Apple MacBook Air – Best Apple, Air
- Apple MacBook Pro – Best Apple, Pro
- HP 15 – Best HP, Windows 10
- HP x360 14a – Best HP, Chromebook
- Lenovo Legion 5 – Best Lenovo, Windows 10
- Lenovo Flex 5 – Best Lenovo, Chromebook
- ASUS VivoBook 15 – Best ASUS, 15.6 inch
- ASUS L210 – Best ASUS, 11.6 inch
Best Laptop for Web Design & Development – Reviews
1. Acer Aspire 5 Laptop – Best Overall
The Acer Aspire 5 is literally one of the best selling, highest rated laptops on Amazon right now… and it’s easy to see why. It has a good sized 15.6 inch FHD IPS screen, backlit keyboard, wifi, Miscrosoft Windows, and an up to date look and feel. It’s available in a wide range of RAM and HD configurations to ensure you find exactly what you’re looking for.
2. Acer Spin 311 Laptop – Best Acer, Chromebook
If you prefer Google’s suite of software over Microsoft, and you want a laptop with a little more versatility, then perhaps you’re looking for an Acer Chromebook 2 in 1 laptop. Google’s focus on the internet may be perfect for someone who works online. Many applications utilize the cloud such as WordPress, so it may not matter what OS you use.
An added bonus is that many of Google’s office software is free to use such as: Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Forms. Of course last but not least, is that this Acer has four modes to choose from: laptop mode, display mode, tent mode, and tablet mode.
3. Apple MacBook Air Laptop – Best Apple, Air
Macbooks have been synonymous with design for years, and the MacBook Air combines the power & precision they’re known for with a thin, lightweight frame. Web designers and graphic designers will love the 2560 x 1600 resolution, retina display. Pixel perfect precision for all of your projects, big and small.
4. Apple MacBook Pro Laptop – Best Apple, Pro
Even the Macbook Air has plenty of power and impressive specs, the MacBook Pro gives you even more. The MacBook Pro gives you more battery life, a bigger & brighter screen, 16GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, and the proprietary Touch Bar. It may be a little expensive for some buyers, but if you’ve got the money it’s well worth it.
5. HP 15 Laptop – Best HP, Windows 10
The HP 15 provides a great mix of performance and features that are useful for web design. The 8GB of RAM gives you plenty of speed for multi-tasking. The quad core, 4.2GHz CPU gives you plenty of processing power for more comprehensive applications like Photoshop or Dreamweaver. The integrated intel IRIS XE graphics provides enhanced visuals, while still maintaining a thin & lightweight profile. Overall, the HP 15 is perfect for someone that is looking for a great all-around, traditional Windows 10 laptop for web design and development.
6. HP x360 14a Laptop – Best HP, Chromebook
The HP x360 gives you good performance in a more versatile 2 in 1 laptop with Chrome OS. The HP x360 is ideal for web designers & developers just starting out, or someone looking for an affordable convertible laptop. The various display modes make it possible to interact and view your projects in various ways. Including prototyping and user testing laptop and tablet modes. The pre-installed Chrome OS makes everything more straightforward for online work and collaboration, thanks to the Google Workspace. Gmail, Meet, Chat, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and more are all at your fingertips.
7. Lenovo Legion 5 Laptop – Best Lenovo, Windows 10
The Lenovo Legion 5 legitimately combines specs & features that can be utilized for both web design and gaming. You can’t always be “all work and no play” right? The Lenovo Legion 5 has one of the highest amounts of RAM from this list with 16GB. With that amount of RAM you essentially don’t even have to worry about how many applications you have running. The 512GB SSD gives you plenty of storage for your favorite games as well as your project files. The “pièce de résistance” is the incredibly powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti. Combine all of the above with the integrated world class cooling tech, and you won’t ever want to stop using your laptop. It’s that good.
8. Lenovo Flex 5 Laptop – Best Lenovo, Chromebook
How about a high spec, 2 in 1, Windows 10 laptop that comes with a digital pen? The Lenovo Flex 5 is probably exactly what you’re looking for. It too has 16GB of RAM, which makes working on multiple projects worry free. Combining the different display modes with a digital pen is incredibly useful, especially if you’re a web designer or graphic designer. Just imagine yourself marking up all that needs to be done on a design project. Just like what’s pictured above.
9. ASUS VivoBook 15 Laptop – Best ASUS, 15.6 inch
A 15.6 inch laptop is currently considered a medium size, that the majority of laptop users prefer. The ASUS VivoBook 15 delivers exactly what most people want with a 15.6 inch NanoEdge Display. There’s plenty of RAM with 8GB, a backlit keyboard, and a fingerprint reader. For web designers and developers that want a well rounded, traditional laptop this is probably it.
10. ASUS L210 Laptop – Best ASUS, 11.6 inch
If you like the ASUS VivoBook 15, but perhaps you want something a bit smaller and even more portable, you should check out the 11.6 inch ASUS L210. It’s a fan favorite for students and beginner web designers and developers. All of your standard tasks and projects can get done with this laptop. Including: email correspondence, video meetings, browsing the web, online applications, word processing, photo editing, and more.
Related Articles
- Best Laptops Under $400
- Best Laptops Under $600
- Best Laptops Under $700
- Best Laptops Under $800
- Best Laptops Under $2000
- Best 2 in 1 Laptops Under $300
- Best 2 in 1 Laptops Under $400
- Best 2 in 1 Laptops Under $500
- Best 2 in 1 Laptops Under $600
- Best 2 in 1 Laptops Under $700
- Best Desktop Replacement Laptops
- Best Laptops for Graphic Design
- Best Laptops for Photo Editing
- Best Laptops for Programming
- Best Laptops for Streaming
- Best Laptops for Gaming Under $800
- Best Laptops for Gaming Under $1500