Programmers are like magicians. Just that they perform their tricks with code instead of a black hat and a rabbit.

Most of the programmers would prefer a desktop for their work. 

But why? Desktops are more powerful and versatile. 

Multiple screens with different orientations can be a coder’s heaven to write code as well as debug it all at once. 

After leaving the office, having the luxury of an office desktop setup is not always guaranteed. That’s why a good laptop comes in handy.

What should you, as a programmer, expect in a laptop? 

A powerful enough processor to run the emulators and IDE’s, a comfortable keyboard to code fast and accurately, and a decent battery life that won’t affect your productivity on the go – right?

In this article, we’ve shortlisted the twelve best laptops in India that might be an interesting purchase to you as a programmer.

Note: The price shown are the once when we reviewed the products. However, as the promotional offers changes on the given E-commerce sites, the price may vary. Bettershark is supported by it’s readers and when you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

1. Apple MacBook Air M1

Overall Best Pick

• Apple M1 chip
• Long-lasting battery life
• Vibrant QHD display

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Apple is a trillion-dollar company known for manufacturing top quality premium products with an expensive price tag.

The Apple Macbook Air M1 is a much-awaited laptop that brings mobile computing performance to a whole new level powered by Apple’s all-new M1 chip.

Design and Build Quality

The MacBook Air M1 from Apple sports a unibody aluminium chassis that gives this laptop a premium look and feel, furthermore, it also helps reduce the overall weight.

The laptop lid has a smooth matte finish and a logo of Apple stamped in the centre, which is the signature design of Apple laptops.

Weighing at just 1.29Kg, this machine is a delight to carry around. Thanks to its small 13-inch form factor, the MacBook comfortably fits inside regular backpacks.

With its excellent weight distribution, you can open the lid with a single hand and there is no annoying sound when you open/close the lid.

Surprisingly, there is not even a single fan inside the hardware. So whether you run your heavy code or do excessive programming, you won’t hear even a slight humming sound.

Connectivity Features:

The Apple MacBook Air M1 features the following I/O ports:

• 2 x Thunderbolt 3 ports
• 1 x 3.5mm audio jack

If you want to use a USB 3.0/3.1 device with this laptop, you will require a compatible adapter which can be easily found on e-commerce sites but note that original Apple adapters are very expensive.

Processor and Performance

The Apple MacBook Air M1 is powered by the new Apple M1 octa-core processor that rivals the Intel and AMD processors when it comes to raw performance. 

This chip from Apple is so powerful that it can handle everyday computing and multitasking without breaking a sweat. 

The 8GB DDR4 RAM onboard is adequate for most purposes including resource-intensive tasks such as video editing and graphics designing. For programmers, you will be able to run multiple IDE’s at once without any lag or stutters. 

In terms of storage, the base model of the Apple Macbook Air M1 comes with a 256GB SSD. As expected this SSD has excellent read/write speeds and significantly improves the overall system performance. 

Speaking of the GPU, it has a 7-core GPU that is efficient enough to run games like Fortnite with 50-60 fps.

Display

The Apple MacBook Air M1 features a 13.3-inch Quad HD backlit IPS display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels.

This 13-inch small size panel has slim bezels and a pixel density of 227ppi, thanks to this you will get to see clean, crisp and detailed visuals and text. 

The colour reproduction of this panel is vivid and the true tone technology of Apple is another reason why the display colour looks so vibrant.

You can use the panel indoors and outdoors comfortably as the display has a peak brightness level of 400 nits.

Miscellaneous

The Apple Macbook Air M1 comes with macOS Big Sur on board which is faster and secure than ever.

The tenkeyless magic keyboard on the deck provides a pleasant experience on typing and with the backlit enabled you can code in dim-lit conditions.

The MacBook Air M1 also features a touch ID so you can unlock the machine with the touch of your finger and it helps protect your important documents as well.

The trackpad is centrally positioned and is quite big compared to any other Windows laptop.

The trackpad supports all gesture action and the response on tracking is accurate. Moreover, there is enough space on the trackpad side to land your palm if you are tired of typing your code.

The webcam on the top offers a good quality over video conferencing and meeting.

Battery Life

This is one of the top reasons why professionals prefer the MacBook. The Macbook Air M1 is powered by a 49.9Wh lithium battery. Since both software and hardware are optimized the battery backup you can expect from this machine is somewhere around 10 hours.

The 30W USB Type-C bundled charger will juice up the battery from 0-100 in 2:30 hours.

Verdict

This Apple Macbook Air M1 checks all the boxes for a programmer’s need – it comes with the best-optimized software and hardware that provides you terrific performance for the price you pay.

Priced just at Rs.92,990, this Apple machine would be worth investing in especially if you believe in a one-time investment.

2. LG Gram 14

Runner-up Pick

• Thin and lightweight
• 11th Gen Intel processor
• Wide-viewing colourful display

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LG Gram series laptops are mid-range premium ultrabooks designed for travellers who seek performance on the go.

The LG Gram 14 is an extremely lightweight laptop that you would love to take to your office and it is priced at Rs.87,999.

Design and Build Quality

As mentioned earlier, this machine is extremely lightweight and you will be surprised to know that it only weighs 0.99Kg or 999 grams.

The chassis of this premium ultrabook is forged from the magnesium-aluminium alloy that is robust but thinner.

The issue is that flex in the body is significant; however, LG has ensured durability with military-grade certification, so there shouldn’t be any problem.

Our advice is to avoid applying excessive force on the laptop body and do not put any kind of heavyweight on it.

This laptop also looks great with black colour and there is a gram logo in lowercase letters.

Connectivity Features:

The LG Gram 14 features the following I/O ports:

• 2 x USB-C ports/Thunderbolt 4
• 2 x USB 3.2 ports
• 1 x HDMI port
• MicroSD card reader
• 3.5mm combo audio jack

Processor and Performance

The LG Gram 14 is powered by the Intel i7 11th generation quad-core processor with a turbo clock speed of 4.7GHz.

This laptop also meets all the requirements for Intel EVO badge certification – ensuring excellent performance and battery life. 

Inside the LG Gram 14, there is a 16GB DDR4 RAM clocked at 4266MHz that provides insanely fast performance on multitasking. You can switch between dozens of different tabs in chrome to find solutions for your code and still not face a lag.

This hardware configuration is capable enough to run Android Studio without a problem.

Since we are talking about programming here, not having that upper edge of a dedicated graphics card is not that of a deal-breaker.

The one that will load your programming software blazingly fast is the 512GB SSD and having an SSD will also accelerate the process of code compilation.

Display

The LG Gram 14 sports a 14-inch WUXGA IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels.

This machine has a wide and tall aspect ratio of 16:10 and the bezels on the sides are minimal which provides you with an immersive wide viewing experience.

You will love programming on this machine while sitting in an office or a coffee shop.

The display gets bright enough for most use case conditions; the one recommendation we like to give is to avoid sitting where sunlight can directly hit the panel.

LG has made this panel colour accurate as well so while designing an application interface you don’t have to look for external displays here and there.

Thanks to the IPS technology, the viewing angles are great so analyze your code conveniently even if you lay down a bit.

Miscellaneous

The LG Gram 14 comes pre-installed with the Windows 10 Home OS.

The tenkeyless keyboard on the deck has fairly large keycaps which are well spaced and they provide tactile feedback on keypress, thanks to the 1.65mm key travel distance.

The trackpad is positioned in the center so you will get enough space on its sides for palm rest.

Also, the touchpad tracks the finger gestures correctly.

The webcam on this one is providing good quality on video calls in brightly lit conditions.

The power button doubles as a fingerprint scanner and works with the Windows Hello login so you can log in to the system safely and quickly.

Battery Life

The LG Gram 14 includes a massive 4-cell 72Wh lithium battery that will provide up to 8 hours of backup on a full charge, what else do you need?

The bundled 65W charger recharges the battery level of this laptop from zero to full in 2:30 – 3 hours.

Verdict

The LG Gram 14 is an excellent laptop for programming under the price of Rs.90,000.

You will get the promised performance, excellent battery life and with easy portability.

3. ASUS VivoBook K15

Feature-rich Laptop

• Intel i5 11th Gen processor
• Vivid FHD OLED display
• Durable and reliable

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Asus has been a core laptop manufacturer for many years and Vivobook series laptops are one of their most popular consumer electronics products.

The Asus Vivobook K15 comes with a premium quality display and it offers good everyday performance.

Design and Build Quality

The Vivobook K15 looks similar to the Ultra series laptops but build quality is more improved on the K15 – it comes with a metallic lid that has almost little to no flex and the C-deck chassis is made out of plastic.

It’s a hybrid chassis but there is no noticeable fault in it; however, that doesn’t mean you should use a laptop recklessly.

About the look of this laptop, silver finish is getting common in most laptops and this one looks eye-catching with a flat finishing and an adoring branding of Asus Vivobook on the center-left side.

The hinge mechanism gives enough friction so the lid can be open and closed without any excessive effort.

This 15-inch machine weighs 1.8Kg and the first-time user might find it heavy but trust us, carrying it on your shoulder is not as tough as you think.

Connectivity Features:

The Asus Vivobook K15 features the following I/O ports:

• 1 x USB 3.2 port
• 1 x USB-C port
• 2 x USB 2.0 ports
• 1 x HDMI port
• MicroSD card reader
• 3.5mm combo audio jack

Processor and Performance

The Asus Vivobook K15 is equipped with the Intel i5 11th generation quad-core processor that has a turbo clock frequency of 4.2GHz.

To ensure a smooth multitasking experience, Asus has given 16GB of RAM on this laptop.

This laptop comes with a hybrid SSD+HDD storage setup. You will get a 256GB of fast-paced SSD and 1TB of HDD that saves your money on buying an external hard drive. In short, you are getting the best of both worlds, performance and storage.

Speaking of its GPU, the machine has integrated Intel Iris Xe GPU that is better than Intel UHD counterpart but is still not powerful enough to run AAA title games. You can run Adobe Photoshop and basic video editing software without a problem.

Display

The Asus Vivobook K15 sports a 15.6-inch Full HD OLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. This is the first laptop in this price range to feature an OLED panel.

This panel produces vivid and punchy colours where blacks are inky deep. The display is perfect for photo and video editors as they now don’t have to invest in an external monitor.

Moreover, the slim bezels on the sides make this panel look bigger so the multimedia experience will be memorable on this one.

With the peak brightness of 400 nits, you will be able to see display visuals in most lighting conditions.

Miscellaneous

The Asus Vivobook K15 comes pre-installed with the Windows 10 OS and you will get the update for Windows 11 sooner.

The full-size backlit chiclet keyboard has 1.4mm of key travel and the typing feedback is clicky also, you can work in dim-lit conditions effectively.

The precision trackpad reads the multi-finger gesture input correctly and inside it, there is also a fingerprint scanner.

The laptop is equipped with Wi-Fi 6 card so you can experience a fast internet connection.

The webcam placed at the display top chin is not the best one in the segment but you will get decent quality in brightly lit conditions.

Battery Life

The Asus Vivobook K15 is powered by the 3-cell 42Wh lithium battery and it will provide up to 5 hours of battery life on routine use.

The 65W bundled charger will juice up the laptop battery from 0 – 100% in 2 – 2:30 hours.

Verdict

Priced under Rs.70,000, the Asus Vivobook K15 offers excellent user experience and performance.

This machine is an excellent pick for photo/video editors, working professionals, and media enthusiasts.

4. HP Pavilion 14

Best Productivity Laptop

• Powerful Intel tiger lake processor
• 16GB of onboard RAM
• Vivid FHD display

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HP is a tough contender for brands such as Lenovo, Acer, Asus and MSI. With decades of experience in the Indian market, HP is currently one of the strong contenders here in this part of the world. 

The Pavilion 14 is a thin and lightweight 14-inch laptop priced under Rs.70,000 ideal for use with travellers and students alike. 

Design and Build Quality

The new HP Pavilion 14 is built from hard plastic materials with decent quality. The silver-grey finish of the display lid might be mistaken for an aluminium build but it’s plastic in reality. 

The metallic silver paint job all across the chassis with the chrome HP logo in the center gives this laptop a premium feel. 

The full-size hinge mechanism lifts the display lid smoothly and holds it tight to prevent wobbling while working under fans. 

Weighing at just 1.41Kg, not only is this 14-inch laptop thin and lightweight but also compact enough to fit comfortably inside most regular sized bags. 

The bottom firing dual speakers on this laptop offers decent sound quality, but the loudness is not the best. 

Connectivity Features:

The HP Pavilion 14 sports the following I/O ports:

• 2 x USB 3.1 ports
• 1 x USB-C port (Power Delivery, Display port, Charging)
• 1 x HDMI port
• Multi-format SD card reader
• 3.5mm combo audio jack

Processor and Performance

What runs the show on HP Pavilion 14 is the latest tiger lake Intel i5 11th generation quad-core processor with a turbo clock speed of 4.2GHz.

This laptop has 16GB DDR4 RAM clocked at 3200MHz which is more than sufficient to run multiple applications at once without any lags or stutters.

The Intel integrated Iris Xe graphics assists the CPU to deal with graphics-intensive tasks and it does a good job at that, much better than its predecessor UHD counterparts. 

Storage-wise, the HP Pavilion 14 comes loaded with a 512GB SSD characterized by excellent read/write speeds. 

Display

The HP Pavilion 14 features a 14-inch Full HD anti-glare IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

This relatively smaller display with the FHD resolution delivers crisp and clean visuals as well as text without any pixelations whatsoever. 

The narrow bezels around the display help it to achieve an impressive screen to body ratio, resulting in an immersive media consumption experience. 

This display has a peak brightness of 250 nits, adequate to be visible indoors, even under brightly lit environments, quite effortlessly.

Miscellaneous

The HP Pavilion 14 comes pre-installed with the Windows 10 Home OS. The laptop also comes pre-loaded with the MS Office Home and student 2019 which you can use for a lifetime.

The tenkeyless natural silver backlit enabled keyboard provides good typing feedback and you can work under dim lit conditions tirelessly as it has LED backlighting.

The trackpad is of high quality and it supports multi-finger gestures, thanks to the Microsoft precision driver support. 

The Pavilion 14 from HP features a fingerprint reader on board which works in conjunction with the Windows Hello feature for secure and seamless one-touch login. 

Battery Life

The HP Pavilion 14 is powered by the 3-cell 43Wh lithium-ion battery that is rated to last up to 5 hours on a full charge.

The bundled power adapter takes almost 2:15 hours to juice up the battery levels from 0 – 100%.

Verdict

If you are looking for a high-performance laptop for work, then picking HP Pavilion 14 is a no brainer.

5. Mi Notebook Pro

Value for Money Laptop

• H-series Intel 11th Gen processor
• Pixel-rich colourful display
• Good battery life

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Xiaomi is a Chinese manufacturer known for providing feature-rich smartphones and the brand debuted in the laptop industry almost a year and a half ago.

After its initial release, Xiaomi has updated its newer model and for a budget under Rs.75,000, you will have no regrets buying this laptop.

Design and Build Quality

The Mi Notebook Pro now looks more premium and durable compared to its predecessor. The entire body of this machine is forged from aluminium and has been given a sandblasting surface treatment.

All efforts have been paid off this time with regards to the build quality. There is almost minimal to no flex on the body and with the simple design, this machine has a professional look.

It’s a lightweight laptop weighing just 1.4Kg, making it easy to carry this laptop around wherever you go. 

The lid of this laptop can be opened with a single hand thanks to the excellent weight distribution.

Connectivity Features:

The Mi Notebook Pro features the following I/O ports:

• 1 x USB-C port (Regular)
• 1 x USB-C port/Thunderbolt 4
• 1 x USB 3.2 port
• 1 x USB 2.0 port
• 1 x HDMI port
• 3.5mm combo audio jack

Processor and Performance

The Mi Notebook Pro is powered by the Intel i7 11th generation H-class quad-core processor with a turbo clock speed of 4.8GHz.

A capable CPU is always good for programming work and this H-class Intel CPU offers a reliable performance while consuming less power.

Moving to the RAM module, it has 16GB RAM onboard which is more than enough to run your IDEs and other coding related applications.

Programmers are intense multitaskers and don’t worry this machine will not disappoint when it comes to multitasking.

The 512GB SSD loads coding software swiftly and speeds up the compilation process as well.

Display

The Mi Notebook Pro sports a 14-inch Quad HD anti-glare display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels.

This display has an aspect ratio of 16:10 and a pixel density of 215ppi. This wide viewing pixel-rich display is excellent for work and binge-watching. Furthermore, it has a 100% sRGB wide colour gamut meaning the visuals will have vivid and punchy colors.

The anti-glare coating on top of the display will minimise the light reflection and help reduce the stress on the eyes so you can code tirelessly for hours.

The display has a peak brightness of 300 nits which should be sufficient for home and office use.

Miscellaneous

The Mi Notebook Pro comes pre-installed with the Windows 10 Home and Mi has announced that an upgrade for Windows 11 will be available shortly.

The tenkeyless scissor mechanism backlit keyboard has a 1.3mm of vertical key travel distance and it offers decent feedback on keypress and is relatively silent.

The trackpad is large compared to the trackpads of similarly priced machines in the market and it supports multi-finger gestures.

The power button doubles up as a fingerprint scanner and offers you a safe one touch login experience.

Thankfully, they provided the webcam at the top chin of the display and not separately. However, it’s not the best but under good lighting conditions, you will get decent video call quality.

Battery Life

As per the advertisement, the Mi Notebook Pro is supposed to provide 12 hours of backup but in real-life use, it varies significantly. You can expect the battery to last up to 5-6 hours.

The bundled 65W power adapter will juice up the battery up to 50% in 34 minutes.

Verdict

The Mi Notebook Pro is a completely feature-packed notebook laptop available for purchase with a price tag of Rs.75,000.

6. Asus ZenBook 14

Best Ultrabook Laptop

• Intel 11th generation processor
• Gorgeous FHD display
• Comfortable backlit keyboard

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Asus is a Taiwanese company and is very popular amongst Indian youth for its affordable Vivobook laptop lineup and high-performance ROG gaming machines.

The Zenbook 14 is the mid-range premium laptop equipped with the latest Intel tiger lake processor that is promised to deliver a stellar performance.

Design and Build Quality

The Asus Zenbook 14 features an all-metal chassis that makes this laptop durable and reliable for years to come.

The machine lid has a textured whirl design and the adorning logo of Asus on the side makes this laptop look aesthetically pleasing.

This is one of the slimmest laptops we have across, the Zenbook 14 is 13.9mm thin yet Asus still manages to provide a few of the useful connectivity ports.

The machine weighs 1.17Kg and feels like carrying another notebook along with your existing ones.

The ergo lift hinge mechanism raises the C-deck from the ground level when you open the lid, it provides a comfortable typing posture and space for the atmosphere air to travel inside the machine to prevent thermal throttling.

Connectivity Features:

The Asus Zenbook 14 features the following I/O ports:

• 2 x USB Type-C port (Thunderbolt 4)
• 1 x USB 3.2 port
• 1 x HDMI port
• MicroSD card reader

Unfortunately, they did not provide the audio jack, but they do give a converter (USB Type-C to 3.5mm audio jack) which you can use.

Processor and Performance

The showrunner of the Asus Zenbook 14 the powerful Intel eleventh-generation quad-core processor with a maximum clock frequency of 4.2GHz.

The 8GB DDR4 RAM onboard is clocked at 4267MHz which is the fastest and it offers an agile performance on everyday use and multitasking.

The 512GB NVMe SSD inside elevates the performance to the next level. The system boots up quickly and the programs load faster.

The integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics will assist the processor with intensive graphical tasks.

Display

The Asus Zenbook 14 features a 14-inch Full HD LED-backlit anti-glare IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

The machine has an sRGB coverage of 100% that ensures vivid and punchy visuals with natural colours.

The display has minimal bezels on the sides which helps it achieve an impressive screen to body ratio of 90%.

The panel has 300 nits of brightness level which is ample enough for indoor home and office use.

Thanks to the IPS technology, there is no colour shift when you watch the panel from an angle.

Miscellaneous

The Asus Zenbook 14 comes pre-installed with the Windows 10 Home operating system. You will also get to use Microsoft office home/student 2019, this is the licensed version and to activate it just log in to your Microsoft account.

The tenkeyless keyboard has a 1.4mm key travel distance which offers a decent typing experience and the numpad is illuminated into the trackpad. To use the numpad just press the icon located on the top right corner of the trackpad and you will have your numpad for adding value to your code.

The backlit keyboard will let you code effortlessly in dark rooms.

The trackpad is positioned in the centre to support multi-finger gestures and around it and there is adequate space for the palm rest.

The machine has an IR webcam on the display top chin to unlock the laptop using face recognition, even under low-light conditions.

Battery Life

The Asus Zenbook 14 is powered by a 4-cell 67Wh lithium battery and is rated to last up to 10 hours on a single charge.

The bundled 65W charger will juice up the battery quickly and since the laptop supports fast charging, reaching 0-60% in just 50 minutes.

Verdict

The Zenbook 14 is a premium affordable ultrabook that is a delight to carry and offers excellent performance.

7. HP Pavilion Aero

All-round Performer

• Bright and colourful display
• Power-efficient AMD Ryzen 5 hexa-core CPU
• Robust build quality

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HP is the first brand name to hit any Indian consumer’s mind when it comes to buying a laptop for the first time.

The HP Pavilion Aero is a new portable ultrabook laptop that’s available for purchase in the Indian market with a price tag of Rs.76,990.

Design and Build Quality

The HP Pavilion Aero has a unibody aluminium chassis that makes this laptop durable and with the fine surface treatment, it looks aesthetically pleasing as well.

This laptop weighs just 0.97Kg and if you travel with the laptop every day there is no better option than this one.

The weight distribution is excellent and you will be able to lift the lid with a single hand.

This machine is perfect for office goers and students – it can be used in silent environments without disturbing anyone in your surroundings as the fan inside does not make noise while pushing the heat outside.

The shining exterior of this laptop with a minimalist design gives this laptop a professional look.

Connectivity Features:

The HP Pavilion Aero features the following I/O ports:

• 1 x USB-C port
• 2 x USB 3.1 ports
• 1 x HDMI port
• 3.5mm combo audio jack

Processor and Performance

The processor inside this laptop is the AMD Ryzen 5 – 5600U. It’s an hexa-core CPU with a base clock speed of 2.3GHz and its turbo boost frequency of 4.2GHz.

This laptop comes with the 16GB DDR4 RAM clocked at 3200MHz that easily handles multitasking.

On the storage front, there is a 512GB SSD which speeds up the process of system boot up and application loading.

Since the machine is more focused on offering a productive performance the omission of a dedicated GPU does not feel like a deal-breaker.

Display

The HP Pavilion Aero sports a 13.3-inch WUXGA(widescreen ultra extended graphics array) anti-glare IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels.

This panel has a tall aspect ratio of 16:10 which is excellent for work and binge-watching.

The display has minimal bezels on all four sides which results in an immersive wide viewing experience.

With the 100% sRGB colour gamut the visuals on this panel have more true to life colours which makes this display viable for productivity purposes such as photo and video editing.

This display has a peak brightness of 400 nits so you can use the display indoors comfortably and while the outdoor visibility is not that bad.

The anti-glare coating also plays a major role whenever you work in a room that has highly artificial lighting, it minimizes the light reflection so you can have a clear view of the display all the time.

Miscellaneous

The HP Pavilion Aero comes pre-installed with the Windows 10 Home OS. 

The backlit keyboard on the deck offers a nice tactile response but sometimes keys require a hard press and since it has a low form factor you might end up mistyping for the first few days.

The trackpad is of premium quality and it reads the multi-finger gestures flawlessly.

There is a fingerprint scanner located right below the arrow keys. It works with Windows Hello and offers a quick login into the system.

The webcam is not that bad – while sitting in a bright room you can get a decent video quality on video calls.

Battery Life

The HP Pavilion Aero is powered by the 3-cell 43Wh lithium battery that will provide up to 6 hours of battery life on a full charge.

The 65W adapter will recharge the battery from zero to a hundred in less than 2:15 hours.

Verdict

If you are a working professional who needs a laptop to get your work done quickly then make an action and buy HP Pavilion Aero without having a second thought.

At the price of Rs.80,000, this 13-inch machine offers the best portable work experience.

8. Nokia PureBook S14

Thin and Lightweight Laptop

• Intel i5 11th Gen processor
• Robust build quality
• Thin and lightweight

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Nokia gained a positive response from consumers on their first notebook laptop, the Nokia PureBook X14 and after a break, they came back with the upgrade.

The Nokia PureBook S14 is equipped with the latest eleventh generation processor and features the latest Windows 11 OS – so let’s find under Rs.60,000 is this laptop right for you or not.

Design and Build Quality

Unlike its predecessor, this one is not that lightweight, on the other hand, it’s not bulky as well.

It’s a 14-inch laptop that weighs 1.4Kg which is a standard weight for any notebook laptop and portability is not an issue with this one.

Nokia keeps the chassis quality of the laptop a tpar – it is forged from the magnesium aluminium alloy.

This sturdy and stylish-looking laptop features a robust hinge mechanism that prevents the lid wobble as well as gives enough friction to open and close it with confidence.

Connectivity Features:

The Nokia PureBook S14 features the following I/O ports;

• 1 x USB-C port
• 1 x USB 3.0 port
• 1 x HDMI port
• MicroSD card reader
• 3.5mm combo audio jack

Processor and Performance

As we said, the hardware inside this laptop is the latest. The processor is the Intel i5 11th generation quad-core processor with a turbo clock speed of 4.2GHz.

The model we have here has 8GB RAM which is sufficient for everyday use and multitasking.

In case you want to buy a 16GB RAM model, you need to pay Rs.3,000 extra because it is priced at Rs.60,990.

Coming to the storage part, Nokia has included a 512GB SSD that gives enough space to store documents offline and boost the laptop performance.

The Intel integrated Iris Xe GPU assists the CPU in graphic processing and is even better than Intel UHD still, it can not run a high-end game smoothly.

Display

The Nokia PureBook S14 sports a 14-inch Full HD IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

This small-sized display with rich pixels produces sharp and crisp quality visuals.

It’s an IPS panel so you don’t find any colour shifting in the visuals when watching the panel from an angle and the colours look good.

The bezels are fairly thin and watching media content on this panel will be an immersive experience.

Miscellaneous

Out of the box, the Nokia PureBook S14 is pre-installed with the Windows 11 OS so you will get to use a completely new interface.

Nokia has provided top firing speakers with Dolby Atmos so you will get a nice audio experience.

The tenkeyless backlit keyboard provides good typing feedback – the keycaps are large but feel a bit congested and don’t worry as you will get used to it in no time.

The trackpad supports multi-finger gestures. The only missing thing on the C-deck is a fingerprint scanner.

Battery Life

Unlike other brands, Nokia is very honest regarding its battery life. You will get around 6 hours of battery with mixed usage.

The bundled 57W charger will juice up the laptop battery in 2 to 2:30 hours.

Verdict

The Nokia PureBook S14 is a versatile laptop that is a good pick for most people except gamers.

With a price tag of Rs.60,000, Nokia has a winner in their portfolio with the PureBook S14.

9. Realme Book

Budget Laptop with Best Display

• High quality 2K vivid display
• Robust aluminium build quality
• Latest CPU and high-speed RAM inside

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Realme is a well-known brand in the smartphone industry and the company has recently extended its portfolio in laptops by launching its first product in the Indian market – Realme Book.

The Realme Book is being touted as a fierce rival to the Redmi Notebook series from Xiaomi. Is it a worthy opponent? Let’s find out!

Design and Build Quality

From top to bottom, the chassis of this laptop is made out of aluminium and it has a grey colour paint job finish which makes it look premium.

Realme has tried to keep the design minimalistic so that the laptop will look simple yet aesthetically pleasing.

Weighing at just 1.38Kg, it’s a pleasure to carry this device around. 

The robust hinge mechanism ensures that the lid won’t wobble when you place the machine under a high-speed ceiling fan.

This machine has dual fans inside that helps to keep the internal temperature under check even under heavier loads. 

Connectivity Features:

The realme Book features the following I/O ports:

• 1 x USB-C port/Thunderbolt 4
• 1 x USB-C port (Normal)
• 1 x USB 3.2 port
• 3.5mm combo audio jack

Processor and Performance

The showrunner of realme Book is the latest Intel i5 11th generation quad-core processor with a turbo clock speed of 4.2GHz.

This CPU is efficient enough to deliver lag-free performance while consuming less power.

The 8GB DDR4 RAM is no surprise at this price but when we saw the clocked frequency we were quite astonished.

The RAM is clocked at 4266MHz which is the fastest and as far as we know this type of RAM is only found in ultrabooks that cost more than Rs.70,000.

This higher clock frequency is advantageous as applications will run swiftly and you can switch between tasks without facing any lag or stutter.

The 512GB SSD inside improves the laptop performance with its excellent read and write speed. Apart from this, SSD provides silent operations while eating less power from the battery.

The Intel Iris Xe GPU assists the CPU to handle intensive-graphical tasks.

Display

This is where realme book leaves its competitors far behind.

The realme Book sports a 14-inch Quad HD IPS display with a resolution of 2160 x 1440 pixels.No, we are not mistaken it’s the truth that you are getting to experience a 2K display under the price of Rs.60,000.

The quality of visuals is so sharp and one more thing to add, that panel has 100% of sRGB which means the picture and text appears sharp and clean. 

However, the display has a 3:2 aspect ratio so it will be taller and less wide which might not be good for media consumption but your taste might differ.

For work purposes, this is a perfect display. Thanks to the IPS technology, there is no colour shifting when you view the panel from an angle.

Miscellaneous

The realme Book comes pre-installed with the Windows 10 Home OS and the good news is that brand has already announced that in the future, this laptop will get the Windows 11 update for free.

The tenkeyless backlit keyboard has a key travel distance of 1.3mm. It provides soft and silent typing feedback so if you like noise-free typing then this keyboard is just right for you.

The backlit underneath the keyboard will let you do work efficiently in low light environments.

The trackpad is positioned in the center and it registers the multi-finger gestures precisely. The power button doubles up as a fingerprint scanner for one-touch login. 

Battery Life

The realme Book is powered by a 54Wh lithium battery and it will easily provide backup for up to 6 hours on a full charge.

The bundled 65W USB-C power adapter supports fast charging technology and it juices up the battery from 0 – 50% in just 30 minutes.

Verdict

The realme Book is just a perfect compact and lightweight notebook laptop for students and working professionals.

It is completely feature-packed and for a price under Rs.60,000, you will not get any better deal than this one.

10. Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i

Affordable Laptop

• Intel i5 11th Gen processor
• Decent FHD display
• Durable build quality

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Lenovo IdeaPad laptops are one of the tough competitors to brands like Acer, Asus, Dell and HP.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i is an Intel-powered laptop providing good performance and is priced at Rs.55,590.

Design and Build Quality

The chassis of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i has been forged from ABS plastic and the quality of the material is durable.

This laptop has nothing new in terms of looks – it has the same lid surface with a brushed finish similar to other Lenovo machines.

Weighing at 1.65Kg, this machine is lightweight even with its 15.6-inch form factor.

The downward-firing speakers of this laptop provide decent sound quality and it is best to use a pair of earphones or any other external audio equipment that has better sound quality.

There is an air intake grille at the bottom side from where the air goes inside and the fan inside sends the heat out through the rear vents.

Connectivity Features:

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i features the following I/O ports:

• 1 x USB 3.2 port
• 1 x USB 2.0 port
• 1 x USB-C port
• 1 x HDMI port
• MicroSD card reader
• 3.5mm combo audio jack

Processor and Performance

Powered by the Intel i5 11th generation quad-core processor and coupled with the 8GB RAM, this laptop provides an exquisite performance on programming.

The RAM expansion is available up to 12GB on this laptop in case you need that extra firepower when it comes to multitasking. 

The graphics are handled by the Intel integrated Iris Xe GPU and you can play some light games in your free time.

The SSD capacity of this laptop is 512GB that has amazing read and write speeds which result in the faster compilation of code, swift OS boot up and quick application loading.

Display

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i features a 15.6-inch Full HD anti-glare display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

This is a TN panel which is a bit disappointing because the viewing angles will not be great and while coding you have to sit straight in front of the display.

However, your eyes will not get stressed easily thanks to the anti-glare coating provided on the display.

The display is bright with a peak brightness of 250 nits and indoor readability is good.

Miscellaneous

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i comes pre-installed with the Windows 10 Home OS.

The full-size backlit keyboard has well-spaced keys and the curved keycaps of this machine provide a delightful experience on typing.

The touchpad registers the input finger gestures correctly. There is no fingerprint scanner on this machine. 

The 720p webcam of this laptop comes with a physical shutter so you can slide it to the left while not using the camera to protect your privacy.

Battery Life

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i is powered by a 45Wh lithium battery that is rated to last up to 5 hours on a full charge.

The bundled 65W charger will recharge the battery levels fully in under 2:30 hours.

Verdict

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i is an affordable programming laptop equipped with an Intel processor that provides good performance.

Under the price of Rs.60,000, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i is the best laptop for programming.

11. HP 14s

Best Budget Laptop

• 5th Gen AMD Ryzen CPU
• Gorgeous FHD IPS panel
• Built-in Alexa integration

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HP 14s series is available in different price segments with different configurations and picking the best one can be tricky for first-time buyers.

The HP 14s FQ1030AU is an AMD-powered laptop that has built-in Alexa support available for purchase in India for just Rs.53,290.

Design and Build Quality

The HP 14s is built using the durable hard plastic material which is sturdy and can last for long if you use the laptop with extra care.

The natural silver paint job applied to the top cover, keyboard deck, and bottom looks quite decent for the price. The bezels are in black colour which does not look absurd at all the silver and the black colour combination give this laptop an enchanting look.

Carrying this laptop will be a piece of cake as it weighs only 1.46Kg and you can easily take this machine to college or the office in a regular backpack.

The robust hinge mechanism provides a smooth opening and closing motion to the lid and it prevents the lid from wobbling too much while using the laptop under a ceiling fan.

HP has provided air inlets and exhaust vents all over the laptop chassis to ensure that the internal temperature remains under check all the time. 

Connectivity Features:

The HP 14s FQ1030AU features the following I/O ports:

• 2 x USB 3.2 ports
• 1 x USB-C port
• 1 x HDMI port
• Multi-format SD card reader
• 3.5mm combo audio jack

Processor and Performance

The HP 14s is powered by the latest fifth-generation AMD Ryzen 5 – 5500U six-core processor with a base clock speed of 2.1GHz and a turbo boost up to 4GHz.

AMD has shown significant improvement in terms of processor design and performance off late and having this power-efficient processor offers better performance and battery life.

The 8GB DDR4 RAM onboard can handle everyday tasks with ease and thanks to this multi-core CPU, you can multitask without facing any lag or stutter.

Besides CPU, there is an integrated AMD GPU that helps the CPU handle graphics-related tasks.

As for the storage, this laptop features a 512GB SSD that boots up the system instantaneously and apps load much faster than a conventional HDD.

Display

The HP 14s sports a 14-inch Full HD IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

Thanks to the smaller size and the FHD resolution, the pixel density count is on the higher side resulting in sharp, clear visuals and text without any noticeable pixelation. 

The colours on this panel look vivid and punchy. Being an IPS panel there is no colour shifting when viewed from the sides as well. 

This display is bright enough to be comfortable for use indoors, even under brightly lit environments. 

Miscellaneous

The HP 14s comes pre-installed with Windows 10 Home operating system.

The tenkeyless backlit keyboard offers good typing feedback and enabling the LED-backlit will let you effortlessly do your work in poor lighting conditions.

The trackpad can read multi-finger input and it responds quickly on input, thanks to the Microsoft precision driver support. 

As we already mentioned above, the HP 14s comes with the Amazon Alexa integration that can respond to your voice commands. You can control the settings or ask questions to the laptop to get the results without typing it out. 

Battery Life

The HP 14s is powered by a 3-cell 41Wh lithium battery that is rated to last up to 5 hours on a single full charge. 

The bundled 65W AC adapter charges the battery from zero to a hundred within 2 – 2:30 hours. 

Verdict

The HP 14s is one of the best thin and lightweight laptops under Rs.60,000 ideal for frequent travellers and casual users who want a powerful portable machine with excellent performance and decent battery life.

12. RedmiBook Pro

Honourable Mention

• Latest Intel i5 11th Gen processor
• Good battery life
• Sharp FHD display

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Xiaomi is a Chinese manufacturer known for delivering feature-rich smartphones and accessories at much lower prices.

Previously the company had released its MI notebook laptop in various configurations and the product became an instant hit in the market.  

RedmiBook Pro is the latest offering from the brand that has the newest hardware and is priced at just Rs.49,999.

Design and Build Quality

The RedmiBook Pro sports a plastic body that is of good quality however, you do feel that flex when pressed forcefully on the body.

The display lid has matte finishing and the small Redmi logo on the side provides this laptop with a minimalist look.

Opening the lid requires two-hand support and thanks to a hinge mechanism that provides smooth motion to the lid and also prevents it from wobbling unnecessarily.

This laptop has the air intake grille at the bottom but with slightly larger cuts than some other laptops in this segment. It allows more air to travel which results in better cooling.

This machine is slightly on the heavier side. It weighs 1.8Kg and carrying it might be tough for first-time users.

Connectivity Features:

The RedmiBook Pro features the following I/O ports:

• 2 x USB 3.2 ports
• 1 x USB 2.0 port
• 1 x HDMI port
• MicroSD card reader
• 3.5mm combo audio jack
• RJ-45 LAN port

Processor and Performance

The RedmiBook Pro is powered by the Intel i5 11th generation H series processor quad-core processor with a turbo clock frequency of 4.4GHz.

The 8GB RAM onboard clocked at 3200MHz offers a buttery smooth performance in everyday use. You can even multitask without facing any lag or stutter.

The 512GB SSD inside will provide a quick system boot up and reduce the application loading time significantly.

This laptop has new Iris Xe integrated graphics that offers decent graphic performance but don’t expect it to run AAA title games at all.

Display

The RedmiBook Pro sports a 15.6-inch Full HD anti-glare display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

Compared to the older Mi notebook the RedmiBook Pro has slightly thicker bezels yet still it has a screen to body ratio of 81.8%.

This panel offers the best of both worlds for work, and media consumption.

The anti-glare coating on top of the display will block the light reflection and let you see the visuals.

Not just that only, it also helps reduce eye strain so if you are the one who sits in front of the laptop for hours then it will healthily benefit you.

Miscellaneous

The RedmiBook Pro comes pre-installed with the Windows 10 Home OS. This time they’ve also bundled the MS Office Home/Student 2019 software with lifetime validity.

The tenkeyless chiclet keyboard with the scissor mechanism offers clicky feedback. The keys are well spaced out and have a height of 1.5mm.

The one feature it lacks is that it does not have a LED-backlit functionality which limits the work in dark situations.

The trackpad is centre-positioned and is big so it’s easily accessible and it supports multi-finger gestures flawlessly.

The 720p HD webcam on the front is not the best one we found but is somewhat good for tasks like casual video calling or attending online classes.

Battery Life

The RedmiBook Pro is powered by a 46Wh lithium battery that provides backup for up to 5-6 hours on normal use.

The 65W bundled charger juices up the battery levels from 0 – 50% in just 35 minutes and completes charging in around 1:30 hours.

Verdict

The RedmiBook Pro can be said as the next generation for the previous MI Notebook with minor changes here and there.

Is it good? Yes, it is good for everyday use like sending emails, typing, finishing projects, academic work, and more alike.

That’s it for now. This article with the curated list of the twelve best laptops for programmers in India concludes here. 

If you want to know more about these models or if you would like to have an even more laptop choice, we recommend you to head over to our best laptops in the market list where you can find a curated list of laptops listed under various budgets.

If you have any suggestions or doubts regarding this article, let us know in the comments section below.

Thanks for your time and have a nice day ahead!

Buying Guide – Best Laptops For Programmers

There isn’t a laptop that is custom made for programming but you can pick a laptop that will make your coding experience a whole lot better.

Usually, hardcore professional coders rely on maxed out desktop computers and specially designed gaming keyboards, but some people still rely on laptops for coding purposes.

Picking the right laptop from a sea of thousands of models is not at all an easy choice. That is why we have decided to chip in with this short yet concise buying guide for those who want to code on their laptops.

Without any further ado, let’s get started!

CPU

A processor can be termed as the brain of a computing device without which a machine won’t work at all.

Similar to many other productivity tasks, for a laptop meant for coding, you need to have a powerful processor inside. 

Currently, you can get either Intel processors and AMD processors on laptops, both of which are equally powerful and power-efficient. 

While purchasing a laptop for coding, keep in mind that you should always go for at least quad-core CPUs or more. 

More cores, in general, offer better computing performance. Especially since coding requires leveraging tools such as multiple IDEs, a processor capable of running such software is a definite requirement.

The eleventh generation is the latest Intel processor while you can also go for the tenth-generation processors for that matter. 

If you have a strict budget, check out the laptops with fifth/fourth-generation AMDs Ryzen 5 or 7 series processors which gives a run for money to Intel processors.

RAM

Almost all the mid-range laptops come with at least 8GB of DDR4 RAM as standard. While deciding on a laptop, it’s desirable to check the onboard RAM frequency as well.

Currently, 3200MHz RAM is available with laptops while some have 2933Hz RAM on board.

Higher clocked RAM delivers better performance. Another thing related to RAM to be considered is the possibility of hardware expansion.

The ability to add RAM in the future makes the laptop slightly future proof in case you want to run newer applications with increased memory demand.

Display

Having a sharp and clear display is of paramount importance to any laptop, not just those used for coding.

All the latest laptops do come with a full HD display with high enough pixel density for sharp texts and visuals.

The size of the display is a very subjective matter. If you would like to have a thin and lightweight laptop, you can opt for a 13.3-inch or 14-inch display or if you want a spacious display, picking a 15.6-inch panel is ideal.

Having an IPS display is desirable for a wide viewing angle and good colour reproduction. Often those who code leverage multiple systems and might not always place the laptop display in the line of sight.

So if the panel isn’t IPS, you might not get to see the text and visuals properly.

Anti-glare coating is one of the most underrated factors people often don’t notice. If you are someone, not just a coder who uses a laptop for longer periods at a stretch, it very much helps in reducing the light reflectivity and resulting strain on the eyes.

Keyboard

The keyboard is how the coders interact with the system, be it laptop or desktop. Many people use a separate mechanical keyboard for the best possible typing experience.

Since laptops are portable devices with lesser size footprint, the quality of keyboards might not be as good as a separate one.

Most 14-inch and below laptops come with a tenkeyless keyboard with no numeric keypad.

The key spacing and the travel distance are two factors that determine the typing experience and it can’t be gauged just from random reviews on the internet.

While we suggest you invest in a separate keyboard, the laptop keyboard should have LED-backlit for effortless low light usage.

SSD

SSD (Solid State Drive) storage has brought about a considerable boost in computing performance, not only of the latest computers but also older devices.

SSDs are much faster and reliable than the traditional HDD storage and result in improved overall system performance.

You should make sure that the laptop you are purchasing comes with a decently sized SSD storage. Hybrid storage is also acceptable if you have a lot of files to be stored offline.

GPU

Having a dedicated GPU onboard doesn’t hurt. While coding is certainly possible on laptops with integrated graphics, the presence of a GPU will let you do much more than just coding.
While running multiple IDEs and compilations, GPU helps to reduce the load on the processor, speeding up the process significantly.

Weight

If you’re opting for an allround machine – the one on which you can code, game and do content creation, obviously you’ll need a gaming laptop that will weigh upwards of 2Kg. 

If you want a thin and lightweight laptop, you should prefer an ultrabook without a dedicated GPU. 

For frequent travellers, you can choose a laptop weighing anywhere from 1.2-1.5Kg.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.1: Is a dedicated GPU required for programming?

Answer: Depends on your work. If you are learning basic coding, it is not necessary to have a laptop with a dedicated GPU on board.

If you are a professional who works with a massive codebase and does frequent code compiling, having a dedicated GPU will speed up the process.

Some programs may even fail to compile if there is no dedicated GPU to process.

Q.2: Which OS should I prefer as a programmer?

Answer: It is always better to go for an OS you’re familiar with.

Coding is a universal process. If you know a particular language, you can write, compile and run the code on any of the three OS – Windows, macOS or Linux with the right compiler and text editing tools.

Q.3: Which are the factors that I should look forward to for a good laptop for coding?

Answer: A powerful processor, optional GPU, at least 8GB DDR4 RAM with provision for future expansion, a decent FHD display and SSD storage – these are few points you should make sure your laptop has.