Best laptops (2026)

Laptops for developers, sysadmins and anyone who lives in a terminal. Ranked on performance, memory, screen, battery life and Linux support. Compare all laptops side by side

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

updated 24 Oct 2026 · ranked by score, value and age

New to laptops? What they are and what to look for

A portable computer with a built-in screen, keyboard and battery.

Do you need a laptop? Almost everyone needs one computer; a laptop suits you if you work in different places.

What to look for

16GB of memory for comfortable everyday use
A real-world battery life of 8 hours or more
Enough ports, or budget for a USB-C hub

Unsure about a word? Jargon explained

This list is still filling up

A Top 10 list goes live once we have reviewed at least 5 laptops. We have 4 so far.

Questions

How much RAM does a developer laptop need?

16GB is enough for an IDE, a browser and a few containers. Go for 32GB if you run VMs, a local Kubernetes cluster or local AI models; most thin laptops can't be upgraded later.

Is a MacBook good for development?

For most web, mobile and scripting work, yes, and battery life is excellent. Check your tools run on ARM, and note that x86 VMs and some Docker images need emulation.