The best laptop for writers: the 10 best laptops for authors and journalists

If you’re a writer, or even if you’re a liberal arts student looking for the best laptop for college students, you’ve come to the right place.

In this list, we’ll dive into all the best laptops for writers, paying special attention to the specific needs that writers and journalists have when looking for their next laptop. Of course, this will include the best keyboards – you’re going to do a lot of typing – trust us, we know – so you should probably be comfortable while doing it. That’s not all though – a compact design, long battery life and an easy to read display are all important, too. 

You don’t need top-shelf hardware just to get some writing and research done – the top laptops for writers place comfort and value above all else. And, even if you don’t think you do a lot of writing, you probably do – the best laptops for writers will make emails, reports and presentations so much easier and less painful for your fingers and eyes.

The bonus here is that our exclusive price comparison tool will help you find the cheapest price, so you don’t have to waste precious time digging through the web. If you want to see a more comprehensive list of prices and retailers, all you have to do is click the ‘view all prices’ link on each widget.

The best laptops for writers:

If you’re looking for the best laptop for writers, but you want something with tons of modern aesthetic that’s portable to boot, you can’t go wrong with the Microsoft Surface Go. Sure, you’re going to have to buy the keyboard separate, but once you get it, you’ll have an insanely portable laptop that is a delight to type on. The gorgeous PixelSense display is great for watching some Netflix in your down time, too.

Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Go

Sometimes you just need a sleek machine that’s powerful and portable – and the Asus Zenbook UX310UA is a prime example of this. It’s one of the best Ultrabooks for writers – you’ll get a brilliantly performing notebook that you won’t need to upgrade for years. And, thanks to its ultra-slim design it’s easy to carry around, which will be great if you do a lot of writing while travelling. The keyboard is a decent size which makes writing on it a breeze. Like most laptops fo this kind, you can spec it out to be as cheap or as beefy as you need it to be. Whatever you go for, however, you’re getting one of the best laptops for writers. 

Read the full review: Asus Zenbook UX310UA

A Chromebook doesn't run Windows, Android or Apple's Mac OS. Instead it's powered by Google's Chrome OS - a super lightweight operating system based on the Chrome web browser. It's a great way to save money on a laptop, and if you're buying a laptop to use primarily for writing, it's a great choice, as Google Docs can be used as a word processor, and you of course also have the Chrome browser for research. The Chromebook Flip is the best Chromebook out there at the moment, offering truly premium build quality, a fabulous touchscreen and keyboard and excellent performance. All while offering great value for money too. 

Read the full review: Asus Chromebook Flip C302
See more like this: The best Chromebooks 2017

Even in the face of the best touchscreen laptops, sometimes you just want a powerful, traditional laptop that feels great to type on. And, while the Surface Laptop 2 does, in fact, have a touchscreen, everything else about it is the culmination of all the best laptops for writers. The    keyboard is tactile and comfy, the screen is the perfect size and resolution, and it’s got plenty of power for all the Chrome tabs you’ll have open while researching. One of the only things that holds it back is the lack of Thunderbolt 3, but with everything else this laptop does right, it’s easy to see why it’s one of the best laptops for writers.

Read the full review: Surface Laptop 2

When you’re going to an event or you’re traveling, you’re going to want to get your writing done on a device that’s both lightweight and capable. And, the Surface Pro 6 is the best laptop for writing on the go. It rocks the latest quad-core Intel processors and plenty of memory in a form factor that is intensely portable. It’s just a shame that you have to buy the keyboard separately. But, hey that’s what bundles are for, right?

Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Pro 6

Lenovo is known for making some of the best laptops for writers – once you use one of its keyboards, it’s kind of hard to go back. The Lenovo Flex 6 14 is no exception. For a bargain price, you’re getting respectable components behind a beautiful and responsive touch screen. And, it’s light enough that it’s actually bearable to use in tablet mode – more than can be said of some of the best 2-in-1 laptops. If you’re looking for the best laptop for writers that can get a lot of work done on a budget, look no further.

Read the full review: Lenovo Flex 6 14

If you’ve got the cash, the 2018 MacBook Pro is one of the best laptops for writers that we’ve ever used. Not only does it feature an improved keyboard that cuts down on noise and is more reliable, it’s also incredibly powerful. You can spec the 2018 MacBook Pro with a 6-core Core i9 processor and up to 32GB of RAM to power through anything you might think to throw at it. Though, for most writers, even the base model is going to be more than powerful enough to handle any workload you can throw at it. 

Read the full review: Macbook Pro
See more like this: The best Macs

If you have your eyes on a Surface Pro, but you don’t want to spend that much money, the Acer Switch 3 is definitely up your alley. It’s designed around the same basic concept as the Surface Pro and it’s only a little less capable. However, for most tasks, especially if you’re a writer, it’s a brilliant little machine. What’s more, to add further value, this 2-in-1 laptop/tablet comes with the keyboard upgrade which means little extras to pay for. As usual, it comes in several different versions, with USB Type-C, 8GB RAM, an IPS display and an Intel Core i3-7100U processor coming with the more expensive option. 

Read the full review: Acer Switch 3
See more like this: The best 2-in-1 laptops 2017 

The Acer Chromebook R11 is probably the best cheap laptop around at the moment, and it's a great laptop for wirters. Like the Acer Chromebook Flip higher up this page, this laptop runs Chrome OS so does away with all the overheads that Windows brings. Consequently it's able to run nice and fast on less powerful components, which means a very cheap price! Its touchscreen is decent, though it's only HD, and it will flip to become a tablet too. What's more, it'll run practically all day thanks to its excellent battery life. So if you're looking for a capable but very cheap laptop that you can whip out and begin writing on, then this one is your best bet.

Read the full review: Acer Chromebook R11
See more like this: The best Chromebooks 2017 

If you’re looking for a laptop that you can fold up and play with when you’re done writing for the day, look no further than the HP Spectre x360. Not only is this one of the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy today, but thanks to the keyboard’s stiff force curve, you’ll find typing is a breeze for any touch typist. And, thanks to its long battery life, you’ll be able to write all day on this comfortable keyboard without having to worry about scrambling for your charger. That’s not to mention the beautiful 4K display, which will make text look nice and crisp with no pixelation. 

Read the full review: HP Spectre X360 

• Want more choices? Check out our list of the best laptop 2018

December 01, 2018 at 03:40AM
Matt Hanson